Hornbeam Igluhut
Suffolk, United Kingdom
Blyth Rise Stays
- Our low price promise from £117 €133 p/n
-
Cabin
Sleeps 2
- One king-size bed
Not suitable for children
Not suitable for pets
Overview
Hornbeam is a creative, quirky space known as an Igluhut. Within its curved walls you’ll find a king-size bed, en suite bathroom and well-equipped kitchen with hobs and a combi oven, as well as comfy chairs for lounging in the evenings or easing yourself into the day. What that day might hold is going to be a tough decision. Maybe you simply walk among the trees, find one of the two woodland saunas, check the communal book swap and wait till it’s time to light the BBQ. Or maybe you hike the local trails, head over to the coast for surfing at Southwold or paddle board down the River Alde at Iken on the lookout for the resident seals. Don’t worry about working up an appetite either as the area is a foodie paradise. There’s the Sole Bay chip shop, smokery sheds on the beach at Aldeburgh and two great local pubs - the low-ceilinged King’s Head tap room or The Royal Oak, both walkable from your door.
The land at Blyth Rise, home of Hornbeam and five other Igluhuts as well as six lovely lakeside cabins, is the pride and joy of owners Mark and Pam. After retiring from the fruit industry, they decided that the quiet life was not for them and set out on a massive project, rewilding parts of the land and planting over 2,500 trees to transform it into the beautiful, thriving place that it is. You’ll see owls, geese, moorhens and all sorts of birds as well as, if you’re lucky, the resident otter who’s working his way through the carp in the lake. You’ll meet other guests as you roam the site, or when you visit the shipping container honesty shop for firewood or home-cooked ready meals, but there’s the feel of a peaceful woodland village to the whole site and you’ll go home relaxed and renewed.
Read more
Essentials
The important stuff
- Check in: 4 - 7 PM
- Check out: 10 AM
- There are 2 saunas (1 for the lodges and 1 for iglus - each shared between 6 properties)
- Use of the shared sauna is included in your stay. Sessions can be booked upon arrival
- The saunas are open 7am to 10pm every day and two sessions are included in the price and additional sessions can be paid for locally for a small charge
- Please bring torches and wellies, and swimwear to wear in the sauna
- Please be aware that there are 11 other spaces on site
- Firewood, charcoals and local food available to purchase in the on site honesty shop
- Mobile phone signal
- No Wifi
- Plug sockets with USB ports
- Please note, Blyth Rise Stays is an adults only site (18+) and not suitable for children or babies due to the unfenced pond on site
Sleeping arrangements
- One king-size bed
Cooking
- Kitchen equipped with a combi microwave-oven, two-ring induction hob, mini fridge-freezer and a kettle
- Cooking utensils, crockery and glassware provided
- BBQ
Washing
- En-suite shower room
- Flushing toilet
- Bathroom toiletries provided
Heating, lighting & bedding
- Bed linen and towels provided
- Electric heating
- Electric lighting
Entertainment
- Shared sauna
- Bluetooth speaker
- Cards and board games
- Firepit area, subject to seasonal restrictions
Read more
Travel & Parking
- There is designated parking available for guests with space to manoeuvre a wheelchair
Site & Space Access
- There are two steps up to the space
- The paths around the spaces are all gravel
- There are grass paths around the site and lake
- Externally wheelchair access is possible, however internally due to the narrow doors the space may not be wheelchair accessible
- Doorways are 77cm wide
- The space is all on one level
- The shower is a cubicle which you can walk in to
- The mirror in the bathroom is fixed and cannot be lowered
Mobility Aid
- There are no accessibility fittings available at this space
We have gathered information from the owner about this space to help you decide if it is the right place for you. We would always encourage you to contact us before booking to discuss your accessibility needs. We’re dedicated to helping everyone access our spaces and enjoy the outdoors. Visit our Disability Inclusive page for more information on our journey.
Getting there
Station Road, Laxfield, Suffolk IP13 8HF
The owners will be in touch a two weeks before your stay with more information about your booking, including details of hampers and extras that you can pre-book (please keep an eye on your junk folder as these emails can sometimes be sent there).
The postcode will take you to the exact address. The site is the last entrance on the left as you leave the village on Station Road, set back with black wrought iron gates.
Each space has its own private parking bay near the accommodation (10 - 30 metres away)
By public transport
The nearest train station is "Diss" and we have a special rate with a taxi company for £25 each way - pre booking is essential but we can provide details if people ask. We also have special rates for a bike delivery (e-bikes and normal road bikes) so people can hire for their stay if they want to. Again, pre-booking is essential, so contact owners after you book for more details!

Read more
Food & Drink
At Blyth Rise Stays
Local hampers: seasonal fruit, veg & salad boxes from the farm shop can be pre-ordered.
Freshly baked bread, breakfast hampers with local produce, sourdough pizzas and deli-style ready meals all available to pre-order for your arrival.
On-site honesty shop with delicious local produce including eggs, butter & cheese, chocolate, bacon, sausages and frozen deli-style ready meals, snacks and pastries. Hot drinks such as locally roasted coffee, drinking chocolate and teas with high eco-credentials. Plus bbq coals and firewood.
Local shops
The nearest shop is in the village, 10-minute walk away. It is a well-stocked co-op and open 7 days a week.
Pubs & restaurants
Suffolk is a food lovers heaven with amazing produce, both land and sea, as well as wonderful pubs and restaurants.
The Kings Head, also known as The Low House - Infamous for its low ceiling rooms, and tap-room in place of a bar, plus lots of outside seating and a lovely garden. Also in Laxfield is the more modern The Royal Oak with its outside terrace by the church and traditional pub food.
Further afield, the Sole Bay Fish restaurant and it's excellent sister Little Fish and Chip shop draws people from far and wide with good reason.
The Butley Orford Oysterage is a family favourite with a special place in the owners hearts. It has been a destination for celebrations and special meals to this day.
This is always via a trip to the Pump Street Bakery for their amazing sourdough bread, pastries and great coffee.
The owners love a picnic of smoked fish from one of the sheds on Aldeburgh beach- our favourite is the Ash Smoked fish.
For special occasions the Fox and Goose pub in nearby Fressingfield is a must-book.
The markets in nearby towns of Framlingham and Halesworth are a great place to stock up on local seasonal produce as well as the excellent traditional farm shops in lots of the surrounding villages.
Read more
Activities
At Blyth Rise Stays
Walks
Outdoor yoga classes (subject to availability/weather-dependent)
Igluhut Saunas
Places to visit
Framlingham. 15 mins drive. A lovely market town with a great Saturday market of local produce, fresh fish, bread & cakes, plants and furniture all in one place. Great selection of delis, cafes, pubs and restaurants and some lovely boutiques. Also home to the famous castle- pay to go inside the walls but free to roam around the grounds and a great picnic spot. Plus if hot yoga is your thing, a very cute studio here too.
Orford. 35 mins drive. 12th century castle to explore along with the infamous Pump Street Bakery and Pinney’s Smoke house plus take a boat trip to Orford Ness, once home to the BBC world service and a wealth of history after it was taken over by the War Department for over 70 years of secret experiments.
Southwold and Aldeburgh 25 mins and 30 mins respectively. The tourist hotspots and beautiful beaches on the Suffolk Heritage Coast are still worth a visit. Pretty towns, excellent fish and chips plus plenty of other choices of shops, cafes and restaurants.
Sutton Hoo. 30 mins drive. Soon to be made famous in the Netflix film ‘The Dig’ the Anglo Saxon burial site was discovered in the late 1930’s and was home to two early medieval cemeteries. There is now a stunning ship replica there and some beautiful walks to discover.
Outdoor & active
The beaches of Dunwich and Walberswick- or walking from one to the other on a circular route.
Dunwich Heath for stunning walks all year round.
RSPB Minsmere for nature trails and bird spotting.
Paddle-boarding, canoeing, seal-spotting up the River Alde from Iken. Hire your equipment at Iken Canoe (pre booking is essential here in summer months)
Surfing when the conditions are right at Southwold beach.
Exploring the untouched beaches at Covehithe and Shingle Street.
Read more
Meet your hosts
Meet Pam, Mark and their daughter Katie
Blyth Rise Stays is more than just beautiful holiday rentals; for co-founders Pam and Mark Grinsted, it’s a passion project. They invite you to join their journey as they work to turn their family land in Laxfield into one of Suffolk’s premier countryside destinations. After over 30 years in the fruit industry, “feet-up” retirement didn’t fit the bill for Pam and Mark. Instead, they spent the next two years building what is now Blyth Rise Stays. The land is something which they had already been slowly working on over the years, planting over two thousand trees, but in 2018 they started to ramp it up a gear. This involved the continuing landscaping of the ten acre site, planting hundreds more trees and shrubs, seeding wildflowers and grasses, driving diggers and dumper trucks, laying hundreds of meters of water pipes and electric cables, and overseeing the building of the six beautiful lodges and the installation of the Igluhuts.
The lodges have all been named after apples they have grown over the years and the Igluhuts after some of the varieties of trees that you will find all over Blyth Rise Stays. There has, of course, been various helping hands along the way from the family, be it site planning, interiors, landscaping, photography, building the website, and enforcing regular coffee breaks. The grandchildren even got involved with some pruning and seeding, as well as keeping the giant carp in the lake well-fed!
They persuaded their eldest daughter Katie to get involved too as she swapped years of overseas and urban life for a move back to Suffolk. You may find her in the office or teaching yoga classes onsite. Between them, Pam, Mark and Katie’s working knowledge of nature and the countryside, years of experience running small businesses, and an appreciation of boutique holiday accommodation all came together to realize the vision of what makes Blyth Rise Stays so special.
Wildlife & environment
Lots for the keen twitchers. Barn Owl, ducks, geese, moorhens, pheasants, herons. The rare and protected Great Crested Newts which have made the lake their home along with Loads of rabbits and hares, and when it is peaceful enough, the odd passing deer wandering through. Plus, not forgetting a newly arrived Otter who is eating all the fish!
Read more
-
Overview
Hornbeam is a creative, quirky space known as an Igluhut. Within its curved walls you’ll find a king-size bed, en suite bathroom and well-equipped kitchen with hobs and a combi oven, as well as comfy chairs for lounging in the evenings or easing yourself into the day. What that day might hold is going to be a tough decision. Maybe you simply walk among the trees, find one of the two woodland saunas, check the communal book swap and wait till it’s time to light the BBQ. Or maybe you hike the local trails, head over to the coast for surfing at Southwold or paddle board down the River Alde at Iken on the lookout for the resident seals. Don’t worry about working up an appetite either as the area is a foodie paradise. There’s the Sole Bay chip shop, smokery sheds on the beach at Aldeburgh and two great local pubs - the low-ceilinged King’s Head tap room or The Royal Oak, both walkable from your door.
The land at Blyth Rise, home of Hornbeam and five other Igluhuts as well as six lovely lakeside cabins, is the pride and joy of owners Mark and Pam. After retiring from the fruit industry, they decided that the quiet life was not for them and set out on a massive project, rewilding parts of the land and planting over 2,500 trees to transform it into the beautiful, thriving place that it is. You’ll see owls, geese, moorhens and all sorts of birds as well as, if you’re lucky, the resident otter who’s working his way through the carp in the lake. You’ll meet other guests as you roam the site, or when you visit the shipping container honesty shop for firewood or home-cooked ready meals, but there’s the feel of a peaceful woodland village to the whole site and you’ll go home relaxed and renewed.
Read more
-
Essentials
The important stuff
- Check in: 4 - 7 PM
- Check out: 10 AM
- There are 2 saunas (1 for the lodges and 1 for iglus - each shared between 6 properties)
- Use of the shared sauna is included in your stay. Sessions can be booked upon arrival
- The saunas are open 7am to 10pm every day and two sessions are included in the price and additional sessions can be paid for locally for a small charge
- Please bring torches and wellies, and swimwear to wear in the sauna
- Please be aware that there are 11 other spaces on site
- Firewood, charcoals and local food available to purchase in the on site honesty shop
- Mobile phone signal
- No Wifi
- Plug sockets with USB ports
- Please note, Blyth Rise Stays is an adults only site (18+) and not suitable for children or babies due to the unfenced pond on site
Sleeping arrangements
- One king-size bed
Cooking
- Kitchen equipped with a combi microwave-oven, two-ring induction hob, mini fridge-freezer and a kettle
- Cooking utensils, crockery and glassware provided
- BBQ
Washing
- En-suite shower room
- Flushing toilet
- Bathroom toiletries provided
Heating, lighting & bedding
- Bed linen and towels provided
- Electric heating
- Electric lighting
Entertainment
- Shared sauna
- Bluetooth speaker
- Cards and board games
- Firepit area, subject to seasonal restrictions
-
Accessibility
Travel & Parking
- There is designated parking available for guests with space to manoeuvre a wheelchair
Site & Space Access
- There are two steps up to the space
- The paths around the spaces are all gravel
- There are grass paths around the site and lake
- Externally wheelchair access is possible, however internally due to the narrow doors the space may not be wheelchair accessible
- Doorways are 77cm wide
- The space is all on one level
- The shower is a cubicle which you can walk in to
- The mirror in the bathroom is fixed and cannot be lowered
Mobility Aid
- There are no accessibility fittings available at this space
We have gathered information from the owner about this space to help you decide if it is the right place for you. We would always encourage you to contact us before booking to discuss your accessibility needs. We’re dedicated to helping everyone access our spaces and enjoy the outdoors. Visit our Disability Inclusive page for more information on our journey.
-
Location
Getting there
Station Road, Laxfield, Suffolk IP13 8HF
The owners will be in touch a two weeks before your stay with more information about your booking, including details of hampers and extras that you can pre-book (please keep an eye on your junk folder as these emails can sometimes be sent there).
The postcode will take you to the exact address. The site is the last entrance on the left as you leave the village on Station Road, set back with black wrought iron gates.
Each space has its own private parking bay near the accommodation (10 - 30 metres away)
By public transport
The nearest train station is "Diss" and we have a special rate with a taxi company for £25 each way - pre booking is essential but we can provide details if people ask. We also have special rates for a bike delivery (e-bikes and normal road bikes) so people can hire for their stay if they want to. Again, pre-booking is essential, so contact owners after you book for more details!
-
Food & Drink
At Blyth Rise Stays
Local hampers: seasonal fruit, veg & salad boxes from the farm shop can be pre-ordered.
Freshly baked bread, breakfast hampers with local produce, sourdough pizzas and deli-style ready meals all available to pre-order for your arrival.
On-site honesty shop with delicious local produce including eggs, butter & cheese, chocolate, bacon, sausages and frozen deli-style ready meals, snacks and pastries. Hot drinks such as locally roasted coffee, drinking chocolate and teas with high eco-credentials. Plus bbq coals and firewood.
Local shops
The nearest shop is in the village, 10-minute walk away. It is a well-stocked co-op and open 7 days a week.
Pubs & restaurants
Suffolk is a food lovers heaven with amazing produce, both land and sea, as well as wonderful pubs and restaurants.
The Kings Head, also known as The Low House - Infamous for its low ceiling rooms, and tap-room in place of a bar, plus lots of outside seating and a lovely garden. Also in Laxfield is the more modern The Royal Oak with its outside terrace by the church and traditional pub food.
Further afield, the Sole Bay Fish restaurant and it's excellent sister Little Fish and Chip shop draws people from far and wide with good reason.
The Butley Orford Oysterage is a family favourite with a special place in the owners hearts. It has been a destination for celebrations and special meals to this day.
This is always via a trip to the Pump Street Bakery for their amazing sourdough bread, pastries and great coffee.
The owners love a picnic of smoked fish from one of the sheds on Aldeburgh beach- our favourite is the Ash Smoked fish.
For special occasions the Fox and Goose pub in nearby Fressingfield is a must-book.
The markets in nearby towns of Framlingham and Halesworth are a great place to stock up on local seasonal produce as well as the excellent traditional farm shops in lots of the surrounding villages.
-
Experiences
At Blyth Rise Stays
Walks
Outdoor yoga classes (subject to availability/weather-dependent)
Igluhut Saunas
Places to visit
Framlingham. 15 mins drive. A lovely market town with a great Saturday market of local produce, fresh fish, bread & cakes, plants and furniture all in one place. Great selection of delis, cafes, pubs and restaurants and some lovely boutiques. Also home to the famous castle- pay to go inside the walls but free to roam around the grounds and a great picnic spot. Plus if hot yoga is your thing, a very cute studio here too.
Orford. 35 mins drive. 12th century castle to explore along with the infamous Pump Street Bakery and Pinney’s Smoke house plus take a boat trip to Orford Ness, once home to the BBC world service and a wealth of history after it was taken over by the War Department for over 70 years of secret experiments.
Southwold and Aldeburgh 25 mins and 30 mins respectively. The tourist hotspots and beautiful beaches on the Suffolk Heritage Coast are still worth a visit. Pretty towns, excellent fish and chips plus plenty of other choices of shops, cafes and restaurants.
Sutton Hoo. 30 mins drive. Soon to be made famous in the Netflix film ‘The Dig’ the Anglo Saxon burial site was discovered in the late 1930’s and was home to two early medieval cemeteries. There is now a stunning ship replica there and some beautiful walks to discover.
Outdoor & active
The beaches of Dunwich and Walberswick- or walking from one to the other on a circular route.
Dunwich Heath for stunning walks all year round.
RSPB Minsmere for nature trails and bird spotting.
Paddle-boarding, canoeing, seal-spotting up the River Alde from Iken. Hire your equipment at Iken Canoe (pre booking is essential here in summer months)
Surfing when the conditions are right at Southwold beach.
Exploring the untouched beaches at Covehithe and Shingle Street.
-
Your Hosts
Meet Pam, Mark and their daughter Katie
Blyth Rise Stays is more than just beautiful holiday rentals; for co-founders Pam and Mark Grinsted, it’s a passion project. They invite you to join their journey as they work to turn their family land in Laxfield into one of Suffolk’s premier countryside destinations. After over 30 years in the fruit industry, “feet-up” retirement didn’t fit the bill for Pam and Mark. Instead, they spent the next two years building what is now Blyth Rise Stays. The land is something which they had already been slowly working on over the years, planting over two thousand trees, but in 2018 they started to ramp it up a gear. This involved the continuing landscaping of the ten acre site, planting hundreds more trees and shrubs, seeding wildflowers and grasses, driving diggers and dumper trucks, laying hundreds of meters of water pipes and electric cables, and overseeing the building of the six beautiful lodges and the installation of the Igluhuts.
The lodges have all been named after apples they have grown over the years and the Igluhuts after some of the varieties of trees that you will find all over Blyth Rise Stays. There has, of course, been various helping hands along the way from the family, be it site planning, interiors, landscaping, photography, building the website, and enforcing regular coffee breaks. The grandchildren even got involved with some pruning and seeding, as well as keeping the giant carp in the lake well-fed!
They persuaded their eldest daughter Katie to get involved too as she swapped years of overseas and urban life for a move back to Suffolk. You may find her in the office or teaching yoga classes onsite. Between them, Pam, Mark and Katie’s working knowledge of nature and the countryside, years of experience running small businesses, and an appreciation of boutique holiday accommodation all came together to realize the vision of what makes Blyth Rise Stays so special.
Wildlife & environment
Lots for the keen twitchers. Barn Owl, ducks, geese, moorhens, pheasants, herons. The rare and protected Great Crested Newts which have made the lake their home along with Loads of rabbits and hares, and when it is peaceful enough, the odd passing deer wandering through. Plus, not forgetting a newly arrived Otter who is eating all the fish!
-
Reviews
Our guests say...
Nana
We had a peaceful, relaxing stay surrounded by beautiful countryside. We really enjoyed experiencing the wildlife and the cosiness and cleanliness of the igluhut. It was perfect.
27/05/2024Hilary
Our stay at the Hornbeam Igluhut was fabulous. Such a quirky place. Great for pausing and relaxing away from civilisation. Sadly the weather was abit of a wash out but we did not let that tarnish our stay. The land where the Igluhut is situated is really lovely and so peaceful. It is well equipped. Everything about Hornbeam was a delight.
04/08/2023Julie
Great location for our travels around Suffolk. The Igluhut was well appointed with everything you could possibly need for a stay.
17/04/2023Stephen
It was a pleasant experience from the initial daffodil lined drive to the surprisingly roomy hut. The hut was warm and the bed was comfortable. The surroundings were idyllic for someone escaping the city.
10/04/2023Cara
2 nights away, close to home, for a short break. It was perfect for me, quiet, undisturbed, private, with an onsite sauna. Everything I needed was there, and the little shop is excellent!
29/03/2023Jessica
All the luxury of a home is in a igluhut! Excellent experience!!!
25/10/2021Tiberiu
We enyoyed it - Blyth Rise is a new site and they have done a terrific job getting it together. The place was comfortable, well designed, good to have a fire pit. The honesty shop was really well done. The hosts were very friendly and the prohect has clearly been a dream for a long time so it was great tp see it become reality for them.
30/07/2021Jonny
Really beautiful peaceful site landscaped and crafted by the owners for pure rest and relaxation.
28/01/2021Ed, Canopy & Stars
Reviews
We had a fantastic 2 night stay at the Igluhut, we enjoyed the whole premises and peacefulness.
29/07/2024Nana
We had a peaceful, relaxing stay surrounded by beautiful countryside. We really enjoyed experiencing the wildlife and the cosiness and cleanliness of the igluhut. It was perfect.
27/05/2024Hilary
Our stay at the Hornbeam Igluhut was fabulous. Such a quirky place. Great for pausing and relaxing away from civilisation. Sadly the weather was abit of a wash out but we did not let that tarnish our stay. The land where the Igluhut is situated is really lovely and so peaceful. It is well equipped. Everything about Hornbeam was a delight.
04/08/2023Julie
Great location for our travels around Suffolk. The Igluhut was well appointed with everything you could possibly need for a stay.
17/04/2023Stephen
It was a pleasant experience from the initial daffodil lined drive to the surprisingly roomy hut. The hut was warm and the bed was comfortable. The surroundings were idyllic for someone escaping the city.
10/04/2023Cara
2 nights away, close to home, for a short break. It was perfect for me, quiet, undisturbed, private, with an onsite sauna. Everything I needed was there, and the little shop is excellent!
29/03/2023Jessica
All the luxury of a home is in a igluhut! Excellent experience!!!
25/10/2021Tiberiu
We enyoyed it - Blyth Rise is a new site and they have done a terrific job getting it together. The place was comfortable, well designed, good to have a fire pit. The honesty shop was really well done. The hosts were very friendly and the prohect has clearly been a dream for a long time so it was great tp see it become reality for them.
30/07/2021Jonny
Really beautiful peaceful site landscaped and crafted by the owners for pure rest and relaxation.
28/01/2021Ed, Canopy & Stars
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We had a fantastic 2 night stay at the Igluhut, we enjoyed the whole premises and peacefulness.
29/07/2024