Hi, my name is Christine.
I’m your Ochre Hill host and, together with my supporter of crazy ideas, Steve, we’ve built something truly special – we hope you’ll agree!
So, how did we get here?...
It all began back in 2019 when we decided to do a staycation rather than our usual trip abroad, indulging in 4 and 5-star all-inclusive hotels with beautiful beaches, cocktails on tap and those overloaded dinner plates from our indecisive trips around the buffet. We needed to experience what was right on our doorstep.
We visited a small glampsite near Stoke-on-Trent. The site had a few bell tents and a wooden hut, and we stayed in the hut. It was a quirky octagonal shape, and the first I’d ever seen like it. It had a hot tub and never-ending views. I was absolutely sold. We relaxed more and connected more on that trip than on any of our holidays abroad. It was the trip that changed everything for us.
We were already on the hunt for a new home, and nothing was quite ticking the right boxes. I loved my house, having bought it by myself before Steve and I met, so the next one had to be just right for me to want to give it up. Steve had one request… a garage!
By chance, he came across a property a little outside our search area. But this property had potential… and land.
I was young (26), ambitious and ready to start building my forever. I could see it. A property like this would mean I could recreate the experience I’d had and loved, and share it with others. It would also mean that, as a travelling contractor, I could finally come home, and we could start our own little family.
It took one visit to the property, one walk to the top of the hill and one look at the view. We were sold. This was it.
We moved in October 2019.
Then came 2020!
We all remember it well… COVID.
What a year.
This is when three and a half years of planning battles and two years of building began, all to get to where we are today. During that time, we also added a little more chaos to the mix when our son was born in 2021. Suddenly, the importance of taking a break and finding time for ourselves became even more obvious.
So why put myself and my family through all this chaos?
Well… possibly naivety! Like I said, I was young. We genuinely thought it would be easier.
But I love a challenge.
More than anything, I wanted to recreate the feeling that had inspired me the year before. I loved how that little cabin had brought Steve and me closer together in a way those 5-star holidays never had, and I wanted other couples to experience that too.
But let’s be honest… we all love a bit of five-star indulgence.
So I thought, why not bring the two together? Why not bring five-star comfort to the countryside? Surround it with nature and slow life down a little. We don’t need to move so fast all the time. Life is chaotic enough.
The cabins have been designed to be that space to reconnect. A place for couples to find time for each other, to remember who you were when it was just the two of you. No kids. No 9-to-5. No endless to-do list.
Or come alone, step off the hamster wheel of life for a little while and simply breathe.
I want your stay to feel effortless, indulgent and memorable, in a place that blends into nature and complements, rather than competes with, the beautiful surroundings.
I also wanted Ochre Hill to be more than just somewhere to stay. I wanted it to celebrate the people and businesses that make the Forest of Dean so special. Whether you’re enjoying locally blended tea, farm-fresh produce or booking a relaxing massage, I hope you’ll discover a little more of the area through the people who call it home.
So what's the story behind the name?
Ochre Hill (pronounced ow-kuh) was chosen in homage to the local area and its mining history.
Ochre is a natural pigment that is still mined today in the Forest of Dean. You can even visit Clearwell Caves, home to the last working ochre mine in the UK.
We absolutely love the Forest of Dean. It's such a beautiful place.
One of my favourite things to do is simply wander through the forest, exploring paths I’ve never walked before and not knowing where they might lead. I think everyone should experience it at least once. There’s so much on offer here… and we’re still discovering it ourselves.
Remember that view I mentioned earlier? The one that made us fall in love with this place?
Well, we want to share it with you.
Walk to the top of the hill behind your cabin and you’ll see exactly what we saw. Forest views to your right, the River Severn to your left, and sweeping views across Gloucestershire stretching out in front of you.
Sometimes I still walk up there just to sit quietly, listen to the birds and pause for a moment.
We invite you to share this special place with us, and with the nature that surrounds it. We hope you’ll leave feeling just a little more rested, a little more connected and understanding why we fell in love with Ochre Hill.
And if you do come and stay with us, we’d love you to tell us how it made you feel. Reading your reviews and the little notes you leave behind puts the biggest smile on our faces and reminds us exactly why we started this journey in the first place.
And finally…
I have to thank all of our family and friends who supported me through this crazy dream.
My parents didn’t raise a quitter… and my gosh, did it get tough.
The road was certainly bumpy, with plenty of twists and turns we never saw coming, but we wouldn’t be here without the people who believed in us.
So, to every single one of you…
Thank you.
P.S. Steve still doesn’t have his garage… Oops.