Overnight Stays at Butser Ancient Farm
What you need to know…
Spending the night in a roundhouse at Butser Ancient Farm is probably as close to the Iron Age as you are likely to get. The house has an earth floor, wooden benches, a real fire, a thatched roof, no windows and big wooden doors. You’ll need to bring bedding (see what to bring) and 50 people can easily sleep in the large roundhouse, if you need separate smaller roundhouses for groups let us know in advance and we can arrange other roundhouses.
We have a modern toilet and washing area with hot water close to the main entrance, a few minutes walk from the roundhouse. Please bring torches so you cand find your way in the night. There are no showers on site.
We will supply a small electric light by the door of the roundhouse. We will supply all the firewood you need but we do recommend keeping fires small, there is no need to build a large fire to keep the roundhouse warm.
A member of the Butser team will be on site at all times and you can contact them if you have any concerns during your visit. They are trained in first aid and will have a first aid kit available. The Butser team member has all the details in case emergency services need to be called during your visit.
If you decide to bring your own food, please bring cool boxes to keep it in. We do not have fridge space available to store food.
Please bring your own bags for rubbish and take it with you when you leave the site.
What to bring…
Bedding: a mat, sleeping bag and pillow – or you want a more authentic experience we can supply deer and goat skins, you’ll need to bring a blanket too.
Lighting: a torch (and spare batteries), for night time visits to the toilets.
Washing: towel, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste. Please don’t use wet wipes or ant-baterial hand wash as it prevents our system from working properly
Eating and drinking: spoon, fork and knife, cup, bowl and plate. A water bottle for you, which can be filled from our outside taps, all tap water on site is drinking water.
Rubbish: a bag for your rubbish, please take all your rubbish with you when you leave.
First Aid: we can supply first aid and the staff member on site will be a trained first aider.
What to wear…
All visitors need to come well prepared for both the worst and the best of British weather. We recommend:
Plenty of warm and waterproof clothes, and spares if required. Everything will smell of woodsmoke at the end of your visit, so don’t bring your favourite clothes.
Old clothes.
Lots of layers which can be added or taken off.
Woolly hats, thick gloves and scarves.
Warm waterproof clothing for wet and cold days. The wind can whip through the site, meaning that a thick jumper is not enough.
Shoes and boots: if the site is wet (check before you come) we recommend welly boots, otherwise good outdoor shoes or boots are ideal, with nice warm thick socks.
Strong, old shoes or trainers are warmer than wellington boots on cold days.