Experience Gifts, Gifts
Gorgeous glamping in lovely Lancashire! This little hamlet of hand-crafted shepherd’s huts is ready to welcome you on a one or two-night break for up to four people. Time to pack your bag and go to this delightful corner of the country!
These glamping huts are nestled together in a rather unique location. Mid-way between Preston and Blackburn you’ll find Samlesbury Hall. It’s an eye-catching medieval black and white half-timber framed house that is steeped in history. Spending a night or two in the grounds of the hall on a glamping break is a real treat for all ages.
The gathering of colourful huts is in a quiet spot and whilst being rural and rustic they do have all those little luxuries you want. Each one has an en-suite with hot shower and toilet (so no getting lost in the dark trying to find the toilet block!) and a set of double bunk beds (one double bed above the other).
The huts are all heated so you’re nice and toasty and are kitted out with tea and coffee-making facilities lighting and sockets to charge phones etc. There are no cooking facilities inside but there’s a fire pit outside and you’re welcome to BBQ. But in all honesty with the Hall’s restaurant (open for breakfast and lunch) and Dottie’s Wafflery plus the plethora of local eateries in the village you won’t be wanting to cook anyway.
What you will want to be doing during your glamping break is visiting and sightseeing. This part of Preston is very rural with lovely farm shops country parks and the River Ribble running through the Lancashire countryside. Of course you must make sure you take time to visit Samlesbury Hall itself with regular guided tours events and activities all of which are free.
Our special tip if you go with the kids: take torches and explore the grounds after dark. It’s great fun. Then in daylight don’t miss the playground and the mini golf then go and say hi to the rescue animals that also live on the estate.
We think going glamping in Lancashire is a great way to spend a weekend or a midweek break. Don’t forget each hut sleeps up to four (kids or adults) so they represent great value for money too. Being heated and insulated they’re open all year round so you can be a happy glamper in any season!
Find out more and book your place today!
Experience Gifts, Gifts
Glamping in Stirlingshire – with activities included! These two-night glamping breaks for two people give you all the peace and tranquility of the Scottish countryside with the fun of several outdoor activities to try too.
This glamping site is on the edge of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Near Gartmore village and just west of Stirling it’s a great place for a mid-week or weekend break. And there’s no getting bored whilst you go off grid with all the activities included.
All glampers will be able to join in paddle sports climbing and target sports sessions held on site. That means you can try everything from chucking axes into hunks of wood and firing air pistols to abseiling down the purpose-built climbing tower or giving the climbing tree a go. What’s more there’s the lake which is perfect for some gentle paddle sports such as canoeing kayaking and stand up paddleboarding.
You’ll be staying in a pre-erected tent near the lake on these glamping stays in Stirlingshire. The pitch gives you your own little patio area complete with BBQ and campfire corner. Nothing beats sitting outside watching the sun go down!
Inside you’ll find the most important thing (and the one thing that is lacking when you go traditional camping) – a comfy bed. There’ll be proper twin or double bed bases with proper mattresses making sure you’ll get a good night’s sleep ready for all those activities during the day.
The linen is all included for the beds as is a load of useful stuff like a table and chairs a 24l cooler box a pot pan and kettle LED lighting and storm lanterns. There’s a wood burner to keep you cosy at night with your first lot of wood included too. All you need to bring is your PJs outdoor clothes towels and toiletries.
Whilst there’s no restaurant on site you’ll be provided with a generous breakfast hamper full of delicious goodies. And you’re only a couple of miles from Gartmore village with its community run pub whilst Aberfoyle with many eateries is just a short drive away. Both are connected to the glamping site by Stirlingshire’s Sustrans Cycle Route 7.
The Bothy is open 24/7 for toilet and shower facilities and the reception building (complete with a TV and DVD player for those who can’t totally disconnect) is open 8am-8pm every day and is the hub of the centre. So go on ditch the gadgets and enjoy activities and glamping in Stirlingshire. You even get a little barrow to take your stuff to the tent. How cool is that?!
Find out more and book your place today!
Experience Gifts, Gifts
Spend two nights under canvas when you go bell tent camping! This small and very lovely camp site just outside Pocklington in North Yorkshire is the perfect spot for peace and quiet. This luxury bell tent offers cool camping for two adults to enjoy the tranquility in comfort.
Bell tents are essentially large canvas tents with a central pole and domed sides. If you’re a music fan you will probably have seen the fields and fields of bell tents at Glastonbury Festival. You could call bell tents the glamping of choice for hipsters but here in Yorkshire it’s just about the calmness and quietness.
Indeed these bell tent breaks are offered on a kids-free and group-free camp site so calm is guaranteed. Steve and Janet who run the wonderfully named Yapham Holds on the equally brilliantly named Feoffee Lane keep their small farmhouse campsite very well maintained with just a handful of caravaners and campers on site alongside their bell tent and pods.
The luxury bell tent is pitched in a corner of one of the farm’s flat fields. It comes with a proper double bed inside an electric stove and rugs covering the floor. Outside you’ve got the decking area for relaxing and enjoying the sunsets. Adjacent to your pretty white canvas bell tent is a little cooking tent and picnic table. Not that you’ll be cooking that much with the likes of the excellent Plough Inn serving delicious food in Pocklington village (a five minute drive or 40 minute stroll away).
The camping site is also really well-placed for exploring. It’s right on the ‘Way of the Roses’ cycling route which is a 170-mile coast-to-coast tour that runs from Morecambe to Bridlington. You’re also only 40-minutes’ drive from York and even closer to the convenient Park and Ride service that’ll take you straight to the heart of the historic city.
There’ll be a warm welcome waiting for you when you go bell tent camping on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds not least of all from ‘the girls’ – the friendly free-roaming hens who are well known for popping round to visit those staying on the camp site (and providing fresh-laid eggs for breakfast!).
Find out more and book your place today!
Experience Gifts, Gifts
When it comes to holiday cabins in Wales we think we’ve found one that offers that home from home feel you love! Not far from Swansea this little wooden log cabin goes big on charm and with a warm welcome from hosts Sara and Bob you are well on your way to wonderful weekend in Wales.
In days gone by Pontardawe was a busy industrial town in a lovely Welsh valley. Iron tin and steel works lined the valley floor making the most of the Swansea canal that ran right alongside. Nowadays pretty much all that industry has gone but the town is still a vibrant place that even hosts its own world music festival every year!
Being halfway between the Brecon Beacons National Park and Swansea this Pontardawe log cabin is perfectly located for exploring the Welsh coastline countryside and mountains. You’re just 30 minutes from Mumbles Point and an hour from the stunning Tenby. In land you’ve got all those valleys and hills to walk with lots of country pubs to stop off at on the way.
Leaving the city life of Swansea behind you’ll find your little log cabin set on the Welsh hillside. The route to get to the cabin is classic Welsh countryside. It’s a narrow lane with lush green all around complete with lovely views across the valley. You can just feel the stresses and strains of everyday life seeping away…
The cabin is lovely and cosy. You can park directly opposite and all around there are plants and flowerpots. Once inside you’ll find a contemporary designed living space with doors leading directly out onto a raised decked area with loungers that are just screaming out for you to relax in glass in hand.
And like most cabins in Wales this one is self catering but with the very much welcome addition of a continental breakfast being provided each morning by your hosts. For dinner the local pub the Ynysmeudwy Arms is just a 25 minute stroll away (0.9miles) and there are other eateries within 10 minutes drive. So make the most of your log cabin hideaway time to explore Swansea and beyond to discover those wonderful beaches hidden waterfalls and rolling valleys before heading back to your very comfortable cabin in the countryside.
Find out more and book your place today!
Experience Gifts, Gifts
When it comes to bedding down for the night in camping pods Yorkshire is the place to be! This farmhouse camping site is just outside the market town of Pocklington and offers a haven of peace for a short break away in the countryside…with a difference!
Forget the anonymity of a large hotel don’t bother with the hassle of putting up a tent and leave behind the faff of a long journey abroad – head to lovely Yorkshire and stay in a gothic camping pod instead! Made from high quality and well-insulated natural materials you’ll be cosy at night and cool during the day. The pods have even been orientated to catch the most rays sunshine whilst being sheltered from the wind.
From a distance they look a bit like upside down boats but when you get closer you’ll see the pods are actually large enough for a double sofa bed table and even a little telly and DVD player – you don’t get that with your usual camping set up! And then there’s the lovely covered veranda where you can just sit and soak up the atmosphere of this quiet corner of Yorkshire. Truly wonderful.
Oh and then there are the resident chickens and visits from the neighbours Peacock! Roaming freely around the farm you can buy the freshest tastiest Yorkshire eggs that come straight from the laying hens and go into your camping pod frying pan from Janet and Steve who own and run the farm and camping site.
And to make sure the ambience is most definitely relaxing and blissfully peaceful for your camping pod stay the policy here in Yorkshire is absolute quietness from bedtime to breakfast time so everyone gets a well-deserved good night’s sleep.
Bright and bushy tailed after a comfy night you may not want leave to even venture out of your camping pod but Yorkshire’s best tourist attractions are not far away so how about going exploring? The seaside resorts of Bridlington and Scarborough are within an hour and the city of York itself is not far from your camping pod either. If you fancy being sporty the site is on the Way of the Roses cycle route or if you prefer to stay local there’s a well-stocked carp lake just a mile away.
Find out more and book your place today!
