A man's home is his castle. Unless, of course, a court rules that the shack he built in the woods has to be demolished.

Daniel Pike has been living in his self-built shelter made entirely from wood and clay for four years.

READ MORE: Woodland hermit ordered to leave his house in the woods made of clay.

He said he values the “the simplicity of his unconventional lifestyle” in his Merry Hill forest home (below).

Watford Observer:

But last month a court said it would be serving an eviction notice imminently as the land belongs to The Woodland Trust.

Years had gone by in relative peace and quiet before the trust realised Mr Pike was there – despite his shelter being visible on Google Earth (below).

Watford Observer:

Mr Pike, 28, said: “I am gutted that I have been told to leave. I am doing no harm.

"I have no plans to leave, someone will have to physically drag me away “I have spent four years making this my home.

"There is no one else here. It is unreasonable.

"I have had so much support from people saying I should be left alone.”

Mr Pike said members of The Woodland Trust visited his shack last month in the early hours of the morning and stuck up ten summons to court around the complex.

He attended court on Friday, June 17, representing himself, and was told he would be served with an eviction notice in the coming weeks.

Mr Pike, who sleeps on a mattress made of dried leaves, added: “I grew tired with modern life.

“I came out to the woods, starting in a tent and decided to build a home. I won’t be leaving.”

Management at the Woodland Trust said Mr Pike would have to leave.

Gareth Hopkins, Woodland Trust operations manager, said: “It is a highly unusual situation and one we are treating with care and consideration. We are working with him to seek a resolution.”

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