A line of people are vanishing, one by one, into a hedgerow on a hillside near Aylesbury, England. Hidden inside the thick hedge, under the spreading branches of a crab apple tree, is an unexpectedly spacious hollow. But perhaps most unexpected of all is the showerhead fixed to the tree’s trunk.
Tony Langford created this ‘hedge shower’ so campers on his farm can enjoy hot showers while being quite literally immersed in nature. He shoots a jet of water to demonstrate. “Though I’ve never had this many people in here at once,” he says.
Pitchcott Farm has been in Langford’s family for three generations, but he has a decidedly untraditional approach to public access on to his land. Langford, who spent his career in mindfulness before inheriting the farm five years ago, is opening his gates to help reconnect people and nature. Today he’s showing a group of 15 local farmers how this is taking shape there, from community festivals to ‘nature bathing’ walks.
