Built for shared meals, slow mornings and the moments in between
When we started planning the cottages at Camp Corve, I knew I didn’t want them to feel like just another row of holiday lets.
Yes, each cottage needed to work beautifully on its own — somewhere you could arrive, unpack, cook a proper meal, and settle in for a few days. But what really excited me was the idea of what happens between the buildings, not just inside them.
That’s where the courtyard came in.
Rather than spreading everything out, we grouped the cottages around a shared central space, with a clubhouse at its heart. Not because we wanted to force people together — quite the opposite — but because some of the best moments happen naturally when there’s a place to drift into.
A coffee in the morning. A shared meal in the evening. A conversation that starts with “How long are you here for?” and ends three hours later around a fire or a table full of food.
A Space That Adapts to the People Using It
The courtyard isn’t designed for one specific purpose, and that’s very deliberate.
On some weekends, it might be a quiet place — a few families staying in separate cottages, kids playing outside while parents chat, people coming and going in their own time.
On others, it might feel more alive. Music drifting from the clubhouse. A pizza oven fired up. Someone chopping veg while someone else pours a glass of wine.
Doors open, people moving between spaces without really thinking about it.
The clubhouse gives the courtyard a focal point — somewhere warm, flexible, and usable in all weathers. It can be a meeting space, a dining room, a workshop area, or just somewhere to gather when the evening draws in.
And outside, with the outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, cooking becomes part of the experience rather than something hidden away indoors.
Group Getaways Without the Pressure
One thing we kept coming back to was how hard it can be to find accommodation for groups that doesn’t feel forced.
Big houses can be great, but they’re not always what people want. Sometimes you want your own space, your own front door, and somewhere quiet to retreat to — without losing the sense that you’re away together.
That’s where the cottages really shine.
Friends can book multiple cottages and use the courtyard as their shared living room. Extended families can spread out a bit, but still come together for meals. No one’s stuck sleeping on a sofa, and no one feels obliged to socialise every minute of the day.
It’s togetherness without pressure — which, in my experience, is when people relax the most.
A Natural Fit for Courses, Retreats & Learning
My background is in outdoor education, so it probably won’t surprise anyone that I see huge potential here for educational stays and small residential courses.
The setup works beautifully for groups who want to learn, create, or explore together during the day, then retreat to their own space at night. Teaching sessions in the clubhouse. Discussions spilling out into the courtyard. Quiet time back in the cottages when needed.
It’s not overly formal, and that’s important. People learn differently when the environment feels human and relaxed rather than institutional.
Food as the Thing That Brings People Together
If there’s one thing that reliably brings people together, it’s food.
The outdoor kitchen and pizza oven weren’t an afterthought — they’re central to how we imagine the space being used. Cooking together slows people down. It creates conversation without needing an agenda.
I can imagine cooking weekends, small pop-up food events, or chef-led retreats where food is the focus. I can also imagine far simpler moments — someone teaching their kids how to make pizza dough, or a group deciding, on the spot, to cook together rather than eat separately.
Those moments don’t need programming. They just need the right setting.
Weddings, Events & Those In-Between Moments
For guests staying as part of a wedding or event at Camp Corve, the cottages and courtyard offer something really valuable: a place to land.
Somewhere to gather the morning after. Somewhere for close family or friends to stay nearby without being on top of one another. Somewhere to decompress once the music fades and the formalities are done.
It’s often the in-between moments that people remember most — the quiet breakfast, the late-night conversations, the shared sense of “we’re all still here.”
Letting the Space Be What It Needs to Be
More than anything, the courtyard and clubhouse are about possibility.
We’ve intentionally left room for the space to evolve with the people using it. Not everything needs to be defined upfront. Some of the best ideas come from guests themselves, once they’re here and imagining what could happen.
Our job was simply to create a setting that feels welcoming, flexible, and grounded — somewhere that encourages people to slow down, connect, and make the space their own.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the stories that come out of it.
Thanks for reading — and for being part of the story,
Hamish
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