A Return to the Wild

Some places change how people look at the world around them. 7th Rise is one such place.

There is a burgeoning question that keeps popping up in conversations across Cornwall and the world beyond. It slips into discussions with conservationists, woodland managers, farmers, writers and people who spend much of their lives outdoors. It asks where we truly belong within the natural world and whether modern life has allowed that relationship to drift out of focus. The answers seem to arrive in small isolated pockets of stewardship, in rediscovering old skills, in understanding the symbiosis of nature at a macro-level, in paying closer attention to a woodland path or a tidal creek. 7th Rise forms part of this growing movement, offering experiences that encourage people to see a familiar landscape with fresh eyes and leave carrying a stronger sense of connection than when they arrived. One day, these little enclaves will all join up to form a cohesive collective mindset.

Set within the Tregothnan Estate, 7th Rise began with an opportunity. Founder, Thom Hunt had built a relationship with the estate while filming The Three Hungry Boys, a television series that saw him travelling from Somerset to Land’s End by solar-powered milk float, living from fishing, foraging and the generosity of those he met. When an old cottage at Penperth became available, the estate asked whether he could imagine a future for it. He did. Since 2012, that original idea has steadily evolved into an accommodation and outdoor experiences business that continues to expand its ambitions without losing sight of its first principles.

Andy Blackwell joined during that first year, bringing with him a background in community arts, outdoor education and social work. His influence can be found throughout the site. Woodland materials become sculptures, pathways, seating and gathering places. Fire pits invite conversation long after daylight disappears below the tree line. Poetry appears as naturally as practical instruction, reflecting Andy’s own work as a performance poet and educator. Since then, Izzie MacQueen has also joined as third co-owner and venue manager.

Accommodation remains central to 7th Rise, sitting comfortably alongside an extensive programme of activities. Guests can try archery, paddle Canadian canoes, venture onto guided bushcraft courses or explore seasonal foraging throughout the year. Green woodworking introduces traditional hand skills, while game butchery sessions follow the rhythm of the seasons, working with venison alongside pheasant, rabbit and pigeon when available. Guided canoe sessions can also be arranged, giving visitors the freedom to discover Cornwall’s creeks in their own time.

The visitors themselves are equally varied. Groups of friends celebrating milestone birthdays arrive looking for memorable experiences. Families gather across several generations. Corporate teams swap meeting rooms for woodland clearings. Some choose simple self-catering breaks, while others invite 7th Rise’s chefs to prepare meals using carefully sourced local produce. Cooking over wood fires becomes part of the occasion, with guests learning techniques that transform outdoor dining into something altogether more engaging than a beach or garden barbecue.

The name itself carries a meaning that explains much about the philosophy behind the business. Thom, a lifelong angler, realised that the mornings he woke before dawn to go fishing filled him with an enthusiasm absent elsewhere in his working week. He called that feeling his 7th rise and began asking himself why such anticipation should be reserved for Sundays. 7th Rise became an invitation to pursue the pursuits that stir genuine excitement, encouraging guests to discover what draws them eagerly from their own beds each morning.

That invitation has grown into something broader. Andy speaks of purpose with the enthusiasm of someone who has watched hundreds of visitors arrive carrying the weight of demanding lives. Outdoor activities certainly entertain, although they also create space for reflection. Spending a day on the water, preparing food over an open fire or learning to identify edible plants often encourages conversations that seldom find room within ordinary routines. People leave refreshed, though many also return home considering how they might contribute to their own communities or reconnect with places they had overlooked.

The landscape surrounding 7th Rise enriches those conversations. Situated within one of Cornwall’s temperate rainforest areas and designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the woodland carries an industrial history that is less immediately visible than its moss-covered trees. Much of the forest exists because timber once supplied the county’s mining industry, travelling along the Carrick Roads to fuel charcoal production. Sharing that story helps visitors understand the woodland as something continually shaped by people, industry and nature working across centuries. A lesson in history becomes part of the adventure.

Alongside the protected woodland, 7th Rise manages several acres where habitat restoration is already underway. Volunteers gather to improve biodiversity, restore habitats and learn practical ecology from those actively working within the sector. County Council officers, conservation specialists and community organisations have all contributed knowledge, while visitors gain a clearer understanding of how healthy landscapes recover through careful stewardship. Andy describes the site as a meeting place, bringing together people who share an interest in ecology, creativity and community action. It is an ambition already finding expression through partnerships that continue to grow.

Those partnerships extend well beyond tourism. 7th Rise has welcomed Cornwall Council’s Nature Recovery Team, worked alongside filmmakers documenting habitat restoration, and hosted regular visits by homeless people who are being supported to rebuild their lives by Coastline Housing. Artists, musicians, poets and environmental campaigners also gather here, with impromptu performances becoming an accepted part of life around the fire. Andy’s own artistic practice flourishes within what he affectionately describes as his forest studio, a place where sculpture, performance and woodland management comfortably share the same space.

Looking ahead, the business continues to develop new experiences, including a father-and-son retreat this autumn alongside the launch of its Community Interest Company – 7th Rise Nature Recovery. Both reflect the same conviction that has guided 7th Rise from the beginning: meaningful experiences grow from participation, shared knowledge and engagement with the living world. Visitors arrive for accommodation, canoeing, bushcraft or foraging. They leave with something much more. The knowledge that nature recovery and human recovery are intrinsically linked and possibly an answer to the question: what is it that gets them up for their own 7th rise?

7th Rise
info@7thrise.co.uk
www.7thrise.co.uk