Our Off-Grid Cabin Retreat in West Sussex
(Ad - I stayed at Unplugged free of charge in return for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.)
Nestled deep in the rolling hills of West Sussex, Unplugged kindly invited me to stay in one of their off-grid cabins for 3 blissful nights.
The cabin itself is one half of a pair, and strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and luxury. While the outside is unassuming and fits seamlessly with its rural location, the interior boasts a cosy double bed next to a large window, a kitchen kitted out with a hob and fridge freezer, a wood burner, and a fab bathroom with a waterfall shower and a composting toilet (which is nicer than it sounds!). The cabin may be off grid but it generates its own electricity, and comes compete with heating, lighting, hot water, and USB sockets so you can charge your phone (although the whole idea is that you don’t use it during your stay).
Unplugged were founded to provide a bolt hole for burnt out city dwellers, to encourage people to disconnect from their screens and embrace nature. They even have a lockable box to hold your phones while you’re there, to be replaced by an old fashioned Nokia and a Polaroid camera so that you can still capture some photos the old fashioned way.
Our cabin, Basil, is just a short drive away from Pulbrough in West Sussex. It’s paired with another cabin called Gruff, which is just a few minutes walk away, and is perfect for groups who want to stay together while also maintaining your privacy. During our stay we loved using the log burner and also the fire pit outside - plenty of firewood and kindling is included in the price of the cabin so you don’t need to worry about bringing it with you. Plus, it was only about £210 per person for 3 nights (prices vary depending on the cabin and date).
Most of the practical things that you need will already be at the cabin, such as tea and coffee, cooking utensils, and toilet paper (you can see the rest of the list here). All you need to bring is yourself, and some things to occupy you! We brought a selection of books to read, a large Lego set, and walking boots for stomping around the muddy fields.
I had such a lovely stay at Unplugged and would highly recommend booking yourself a relaxing digital detox in one of their cabins. You can check out Basil in West Sussex, here, and the rest of the cabins on their list here.
If you have any tips for relaxing and getting away from screens then do let me know, I’d love to hear from you!