Woodland Adventures at The Belfry Hotel and Resort

The Belfry grounds are home to a huge range of wildlife. The masterplan was developed to link to this local fauna and in particular, the Belfry Barn Owl! The play concept for this destination area was inspired by the elegant movements of this iconic native bird. This includes a range of climbing, swinging, sliding elements and within the design itself, we aimed to echo the swooping actions of these majestic animals and bring them to life through play. You can see the full range of play here.

Prefabrication and the build

With prefabrication, the onsite build only took around six weeks and ensures it's 100% right first time.

Worked up CGI's

You can see from the CGI's how the play concept started to come to life. New ground play was introduced to link the new and existing play together and draw people into and around the woodland area.

The slide is a quick one that brings you from the very top of the play structure to the ground floor level. And, for those who need a real challenge, climbing up and around the mesh tunnel has been designed to challenge adults and for children to make it look easy. It's always the one that kids love to win and in turn, their parents see them instantly grow in stature and confidence. We've always loved to make an entrance and, in the Belfry's case, this was no exception. As you enter the play area, you pass under the owl's eyes that follow your approach and hint at the excitement of the play beyond.

Sketches

Visitors engage with The Belfry through this connection to nature and it builds on their CSR/ESG initiatives.

The play itself was designed to be very much in keeping with the natural setting. One given was the drive for inter-generational play. This isn't just play for kids, as is often the case, we design to bring families of every age together in fun, exploration and adventure. you can see the ideas starting to come to life here.

We also add some feeling of challenge by using the height and bringing guests up to the existing tree canopy and ensure we link into the existing play offer with interlinking bridges and walkways. It's an holistic and long term plan for the site to ensure continued relevance and visibility.

This last point is critical as a key part of our own brief is to ensure strong visibility from the car parks to build a layer of anticipation and excitement right from the moment of arrival.

Making the most of a unique woodland setting

Even during our first visit, the team were exploring the woods and surrounding areas and were surprised by how natural and quiet the setting felt; especially considering how close it is to such a popular and bustling hotel and resort. It was clear that it presented a unique opportunity to diversify the experience for visitors to the Belfry.

As we began to develop the new masterplan our aim was to encourage families to explore and experience the peace and quiet of the woods and, at the same time, be challenged by a unique play and adventure setting to fire them up with fun times together and return home buzzing to return another day.

Background

The Belfry Hotel & Resort is located in Wishaw, Warwickshire, near Sutton Coldfield and close to Birmingham. Renowned for its luxurious accommodations and world-class golfing facilities, The Belfry has earned its reputation as the spiritual home of the Ryder Cup in Europe. With three golf courses, including the world-renowned Brabazon course, designed by Dave Thomas and Peter Alliss. In addition, it also has extensive facilities for families.

The Belfry holds the unique distinction of hosting the Ryder Cup four times — more than any other venue globally - and proudly boasts of two outright wins in 1985 and 2002, one draw to retain the trophy in 1989 and one solitary defeat to the United States in 1993.

Our work to create this new play is part of an ongoing £80 million expansion, that completes in autumn 2025, and will introduce additional rooms, a new leisure club, and expanded event spaces.