Autumn & Winter Glamping in Sussex
A quieter kind of escape
Escape to a converted American school bus in the West Sussex countryside, with a wood-fired hot tub, log burner and your own private meadow.
Autumn & Winter Glamping in Sussex
A quieter kind of escape
Escape to a converted American school bus in the West Sussex countryside, with a wood-fired hot tub, log burner and your own private meadow.
Why escape to Sussex in autumn and winter?
Summer gets most of the attention, but autumn and winter are some of our favourite times at Skoolie Stays.
The meadow changes, the evenings draw in and the South Downs become noticeably quieter. You can spend the day outside, come back to the bus, light the stove and settle in for the evening – or get the wood-fired hot tub going and sit outside under the oak trees.
If you like your breaks peaceful, private and a little removed from everyday life, this is a very good time to come.
A wood-fired hot tub is even better when it's cold
There is something slightly ridiculous about sitting outside in hot water on a cold evening. In a good way.
Our private wood-fired hot tub sits on its own deck beneath the oak trees, a short walk from the bus. You light the fire yourself, give it time to heat, then climb in once the water is ready.
On a cool autumn evening or a properly cold winter night, that’s when it really comes into its own. No neighbours, no shared spa area and no timetable. Just the field, the trees and, on a clear night, a lot of stars.
Cosy inside, whatever it's doing outside
The bus may look unmistakably like an American school bus from the outside, but inside it’s a warm, comfortable little retreat.
There’s a king-size bed, kitchen, shower and living space, and when the temperature drops the log burner makes the bus wonderfully cosy. Put the kettle on, cook something, open a bottle of wine, get a game out or simply do very little.
If the appeal of a winter cabin or lodge break for you is being somewhere warm and tucked away while it’s cold outside, you’ll find much the same feeling here – just in something considerably less conventional.
Autumn walks and quieter South Downs
We’re near Thakeham in West Sussex, within easy reach of the South Downs National Park.
Autumn is a lovely time to explore it. The heat and crowds of summer have gone, the woods are changing colour and there are plenty of walks that can be followed by a pub, a hot tub or both.
Winter has its own appeal. Pick a clear day, wrap up and head out. You don’t have to go particularly far or accomplish anything heroic. One of the pleasures of staying here is simply having time to wander and then come back to somewhere warm.
Switch off for a couple of days
Shorter days also suit a different pace.
There is less temptation to fill every hour. Light the stove. Read. Play cards. Cook. Sit in the hot tub. Go for a walk without checking how many steps you’ve done.
Skoolie Stays is off-grid and secluded, which makes it particularly well suited to a digital detox break. You don’t have to abandon your phone at the gate, obviously. The idea is simply to spend a bit less time looking at it.
For a couple of days, that can be surprisingly nice.
Find out about digital detox breaks at Skoolie Stays →
Midweek might be the best time to come
If you can get away during the week, autumn and winter are particularly good for it.
The South Downs are quieter. Pubs and villages are quieter. The roads are quieter. And back at the bus you have your own meadow, hot tub and oak trees waiting for you.
A couple of nights can feel like considerably longer when you’ve actually stopped doing things.
Autumn or winter?
Autumn at Skoolie Stays….
Think woodland walks, cooler evenings, the log burner going again after summer and a hot tub under increasingly dark skies. September and October can still give you beautiful days outside, without the busier feel of high summer.
….Winter at Skoolie Stays
Winter is more about embracing the cold rather than pretending it isn’t there. Go walking, come home, get the fire going and warm up. The nights are long, which is excellent news for anyone who likes hot tubs, fires and stargazing.
And if the weather turns horrible? You’re in a converted American school bus with a log burner. There are worse places to be. It’s the definition of cosy and comfortable.
A different kind of winter break in Sussex
Skoolie Stays isn’t a hotel, holiday cottage or conventional glamping pod. It’s a converted American school bus sitting in its own private West Sussex meadow.
You get the bus, the outside space and your private wood-fired hot tub to yourselves.
Come for a romantic couple of nights, bring the children for a family break, use it as a base for the South Downs – or simply come here because you’d quite like to disappear for a couple of days.