A dad-of-two who built a glamping pod for his kids as a lockdown project has now transformed the woodland behind his home into a multi-million pound site - which has become a hit with TV stars and Instagram influencers.
Derry Green, 40, found himself at a loose end back in 2020 when his European transport business could no longer operate due to Covid. In a bid to keep himself busy, and distract his kids from all the doom and gloom, the crafty father decided to create a luxury glamping pod in the back garden of his property in Lancashire.
As the ideas began to flow, one thing led to another and, after a few months, Derry ended up with an impressive Love Island villa-style site complete with a fire pit, hot tub and sauna. After sharing his efforts on Facebook, the DIY dad soon realised the potential of what he had built - and The Secret Garden Glamping was launched.
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“Before Covid I had a European transport business. I came back to the UK on March 10 2020 and I was supposed to go to Spain a week later - but we went into lockdown," Derry explained.
"All of our customers cancelled as they couldn’t travel so we lost all of our business within the space of just a few days. My kids were six and eight at the time and I wanted to distract them from what was happening. I was stuck at home with nothing to do, so I was trying to find ways to entertain them."
"One night we camped out in the back garden and it was great, but waking up on wet grass wasn’t very exciting. So the next day I built a decking and then each day I just built a bit more with the kids," Derry added.
"As the lockdown days turned into weeks and then into months, by the end of it I’d built a full glamping pod with an outdoor area. It cost me about £6,000 to build in total."
The dad-of-two shared the results on Facebook and he was soon inundated with requests.
"A journalist contacted me asking if they could do a story on what I’d built, the story went ballistic and then people started contacting me from everywhere asking if they could book it for a holiday," Derry recalled.
"At the time it felt crazy, I thought 'why do people want to come stay in my garden?'. But I had nothing to lose so I listed it on Airbnb and within three days it was fully booked for two years in advance. From that I could see that there was a gap in the market for what I’d built."
When Derry bought his house in Skelmersdale, it came with four acres of land - which then gave him the idea for a huge glamping site.
"That's the reason I bought the house, because when I walked down the woods it was like being a kid again being able to play outside in nature, and that's what I wanted for my kids," he said.
"I applied for planning permission as we came out of lockdown to turn the four acre plot into a glamping site, and that’s where the business began."
Fast forward to 2023 and the The Secret Garden Glamping site is now made up of nine unique, luxury units - which are each an Instagrammer's paradise.
Now a full-time enterprise, Derry has 14 people working for him, including his partner Chelsea Rogers, who is the social media manager - a part of the business which is integral to its success.
"At first when it all kicked off it was really hard as I was trying to build everything, do all the social media and manage all the bookings," he said.
"It used to take me from 5am till 1am the next morning and I worked seven days a week to get it to this point. I now have lots of people helping me now which makes it a lot easier.
"Social media has played the biggest part in our success. Across all the platforms now we’re heading towards 600,000 followers and we’ve had about 360 million views on our videos. It drives a lot of our bookings."
Despite having little experience, Derry has built each unit by himself from scratch, all with his own ideas.
"When I start building any of them, I don’t really have an idea what I’m building. With The Oasis, our site which is covered in mirrors, that idea came about by accident after I ordered a mirror for the gym and it was way too big," Derry explained.
"I had it resting on the side of the house and then I looked at it one day and I couldn't see it because it was reflecting all the trees and then I thought 'How cool does that look’? I then covered that whole pod with mirrors.
"With each unit I’ve learnt more and figured out better ways of doing things - and that’s how each one has progressed to where we’re at now."
Derry's handcrafted glamping site is now the 'most viewed, most booked and most followed' glamping site in the UK.
It's nine units each have their own five-star look and feel - ranging from pods, lodges and yurts to a tree house.
The latest unit to launch is The Oasis - which sold out on all dates for this year in just 47 minutes, despite no one knowing what it would look like. Derry has planning permission for five more units in the pipeline.
"The last site we opened we have been building for four months, and when the first guests stayed they had absolutely no idea what to expect. They saw it for the first time when they arrived. It’s that excitement like Christmas when you’re opening your presents I guess," Derry said.
The Secret Garden Glamping units have featured on several TV shows including Celebs Go Dating and have also been stayed in by actors and reality TV stars.
Speaking of his site's success, Derry said: "I pinch myself daily because there’s always something mad that comes along that I'd never expect.
"We’ve had Celebs Go Dating filming here, half the cast of Corrie and EastEnders have come to stay, and there are some big things in the pipeline that I'm doing some new filming for in the next few weeks, I can’t say what that is but it’s going to be huge.
"I just walk down the woods and smile to myself thinking 'I can’t believe it’s all real', it feels like I’ll wake up at some point and it’s all been a dream."
Here are each of the units with a link for how to book:
The Hideout
The Hideout is the first unit that Derry built in lockdown, where the journey began.
Having recently undergone an update, it now features a brand new outdoor area with a four-person hot tub, outdoor heated shower, outdoor bar and cooking area.
It also boasts an outdoor cinema with a huge emperor sized bed to relax and watch films on. It is all based around a cosy fire pit and surrounded by nature.
The Lodge
The Lodge is set in a secluded location with its own hot tub, outdoor sauna and all the luxuries you would find at home.
It has a full en-suite with high speed WiFi, underfloor heating, a TV, Swedish bucket drop, private indoor and outdoor cooking and dining facilities all based around a fire pit.
The Keep
The Keep was built off the success of the first unit and is the first to sleep up to six people.
With a mix between the modern and rustic, it is set within the woodland with its own hot tub, a full en-suite bedroom with high speed Wi-Fi, underfloor heating and a TV.
Outside there is a wood fired hot tub, private cooking and dining facilities plus some extras.
The Glen
The Glen, which sleeps four, is a similar layout to The Keep, however its outside area has just had a huge makeover.
It now includes a brand new bar area with a bar fridge and ice machine as well as a wood fired hot tub, private cooking and dining facilities all based around a fire-pit.
The Retreat
Nestled in the trees, The Retreat has a six-person wood burning hot tub, four-person wood burning sauna, outdoor Smart TV, outdoor cooking and dining areas, along with a quirky horse box for en suite facilities.
The Retreat is fully insulated with underfloor heating so you can snuggle up amongst the cosy cushions and throws while looking up at the stars.
The Glade
The Glade, described as a 'girl's pink paradise', is set down in the woodland and features flower walls galore.
It has underfloor heating, a log burner, a smart tv, a fully equipped bar area with a bar fridge and a fully covered outdoor seating area. The bathroom is next level with its amazing glass walls.
The View
The View is unrivalled in its design from its walnut walls to the marble floors. The unit can sleep up to four people with a double bed and 2 sofa beds and is perfect for that family night away or a unique couples escape.
It has underfloor heating, a log burner, smart TV, a fully equipped bar area with bar fridge, ice machine and amazing cooking area. There is a fully covered outdoor seating area perfect for the evenings outside.
The Treetops
The Treetops is set up in the canopy of the trees and is one of the most unique units to date. It sleeps six with two double beds and a mezzanine with an extra double bed.
There is a bathroom which looks out over the woodland with a huge copper bath. There is even a slide that takes you from the top to the bottom.
The Oasis
The latest unit to open its doors is The Oasis - unlike anything the site has done before. It is flooded from floor to roof in mirrors and makes the unit disappear into the woodland.
The Oasis has two separate units in the one space and can sleep up to 6 people. The stand-out feature is a fully automated outdoor cinema unit which opens at the push of a button - the biggest outdoor cinema ever done in glamping.
It also features a six-person wood burning hot tub, outdoor and indoor seating, high speed Wi-Fi, underfloor heating, en-suite bathroom and much more.
The next units that Derry is launching are The Wilderness Spa, The Wonderland, The Lookout and The Luxe which are set to feature plunge pools, hot tubs, saunas and huge outdoor glass seating areas.
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