A Weekend Glamping with Featherdown Farms

We arrived at our Featherdown Farm canvas hideaway in Layer Marney, Essex, in the rain.  The older two children were sceptical, the younger ones unsure.  We played some games, ate dinner and eventually settled for the night in the (incredibly) comfy beds. The next morning I was prepared for cries of 'I'm bored' and 'there is nothing to do', and I definitely heard those from the tweens who are used to technology and activities all the time. I knew I needed to keep going though so I offered suggestions and let them work it out. 

It didn't take long at all until things changed. Before long their fingernails had turned brown, their hair looked like they had been climbing through hedges and the light of the campfire danced in their eyes. I had looked at what was around locally but that list went unused, we had everything we needed on site.  It was such a wonderful opportunity to do very little, but in the best way.  I don't know how long I have got before my elder ones take too long to revert to this childhood wildness so it felt like a really special chance to spent this time with them.  It was a detox from technology and modern life and a connection with nature that we all needed more than I knew.

We stayed at the Tudor site Layer Marney which is a small site with six canvas hideaways (named after the six wives of Henry VIII).  In the mornings we met the farmer at 8am to change the goats hay, feed the sheep and collect the chicken eggs and the children all loved getting stuck in with this.  For the rest of the day we alternated between cooking outside of our canvas hideaway, playing table tennis by the wood stores, going to the playground and back to see the animals and sitting around the fires.  The children were convinced their food tasted better after being cooked outdoors - even more so as the eggs came from the chickens on the farm.  They loved watching the fires, collecting more logs and of course roasting marshmallows over them.  They played together, they made friends with the children staying in the other canvas hideaways and they were wonderfully wild for the duration of our stay.

Our trip had been timed to coordinate with the Tudor Fayre being held at Layer Marney tower on the Sunday and there was a pass for the tower in our guidebook for everyone to use. The fayre was fantastic, with so many people dressed up demonstrating Tudor crafts and skills like weaving and arrow making.  There was live music, lots of games for the children to try out and birds of prey to admire.  All the children played 'the game with no name' with a Tudor man and raced wooden horses. I was delighted to see how reasonably priced the gift shop was as we love to bring home a souvenir and they enjoyed choosing something each.

Our canvas hideaway was a great size for the six of us (Due to work commitments it was just the five children and I).  It is divided into three rooms, one with a double bed, one with bunk beds and then the cupboard bed which was a brilliant den in the day if they wanted to chill out.  All of the beds had incredibly comfortable mattresses and warm duvets provided.  As we had booked with a baby we had a cot set up in my room too.  We had a toilet in our canvas hideaway and running water in the kitchen area, a table with enough chairs for us all, a sofa and a log burner in the middle of the room which we used to warm the hideaway and to boil the kettle.  Outside we had a private hot shower, a fire pit and a wood stove which we cooked on.  The hideaways were well spaced out so we had lots of privacy.

We arrived home late on Sunday evening smelling strongly of smoke with a bin bag full of dirty clothes, dirty fingernails and with a sense of contentment from a weekend well spent.  There are Featherdown Farms all over the UK with availability for this summer (and dates released for next summer too). I thought this would be the ideal getaway for my animal loving seven year old but it was exactly what my tweens needed too. Rex at 20 months was just delighted by the freedom and space as well and we definitely plan to visit again in the future.

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Cloud Nine Glamping

Press Trip

We were invited along to try out Cloud Nine's luxury glamping this summer, but it wasn't until the end of our summer travels that we made it up to the Cotswolds and experienced it for ourselves.  With a festival vibe and plenty of activities for all the family, Cloud Nine was a real highlight of our summer and these photos hopefully show you why!

When we arrived, check in was an easy process and there were golf buggies to take all our belongings and us to the tent, which meant no lugging things around with the children in tow thankfully!  We were in a Luxury Bell Tent which came with a double bed and four floor beds for the children.  All bedding was provided, as were towels and blankets.  Our tent had some goodies left for us and crockery for any cooking we might want to do. We had our own clean portaloo, table and benches and firepit too with a bag of wood so there were so many options and it felt very Covid Secure.  The tent was comfortable and spacious for the six of us and felt very luxurious compared to our usual camping style!

There were three fields of accommodation (different types of tent were available) and then two main areas for activities.  Not far from us was the main area which had a bar, four food trucks, trampolines, table tennis, a playground, a creche, plenty of seating both covered and uncovered and access to the forest which is where many activities were held.  Next to this area was the reception, bike hire and spa tent  and then at the other end of the campsite there was a small selection of rides, go-karts and the pirates tent.  

We started the weekend exploring the area, building dens in the woods and us adults having a drink in the bar area whilst the children made friends on the trampolines and in the playground.  There were no bookable activities for the swap over days (you can book Monday-Friday or Friday-Monday which meant we could explore at our leisure.  There was a family bingo evening though which was free to join in and we managed to win quite a few games between us! The children loved the pace and the challenge and they really loved winning!  

We had pre booked a few activities for our stay and managed to book some extras last minute after seeing how fun they looked in person.  This isn't always possible so booking early is advised.  There were plenty of activities available, but the ones we did were:

Pony trekking - The little two went for a half hour pony trek through the forest.  Each child had an adult leading their pony and parents could choose to leave them to it or walk along. Both absolutely loved this, and Cora spent as much time as she could visiting the ponies during our stay as the children were allowed to help brush them.

Robot Making - There were a few craft sessions but I thought this one would appeal most to all four children.  They all made very different robots using the materials and despite my older ones not being convinced they wanted to join in originally, they were the last ones sat in the craft area finishing off their work.

Zip-lining -  This was available for 4-8 year olds so the younger three did it.  They all loved their first experience of being harnessed and pulling poses as they zoomed through the trees.

Tree climbing - After seeing how much they loved the zip lining, I booked Archie and Finn into

tree climbing.  Archie had a great time, but Finn struggled to get the hang of the process.

Laser Tag - This was an activity for Ed and the boys and was set in the forest.  This was definitely a highlight for them and I was gutted I couldn't get involved!

Each evening there was a different entertainment put on.  As I mentioned earlier, the first night was Bingo and the last night was a family quiz run by the same team.  The middle night for us was a silent disco and I think this was unanimously voted the highlight of the trip for us.  There were three channels, one with a live DJ running it and the headphones had quite a wide range so you could choose to dance in the tents, walk around the area or (as the children loved) bounce on the trampolines.  There was a lady offering face painting (for an additional fee) and the mood was fantastic.  We spent almost the whole four hours at the silent disco and the children haven't stopped asking when we can go to another!

As well as the booked activities and the evening entertainment (which is included), there were additional activities you could do on site.  There was a tent for painting pottery which was reasonably priced and a great calm activity.  There was a small fairground which we included the bungee trampolines, a big inflatable obstacle course and go-karting track (all additional costs).  Unfortunately there was no food or drink available down this end when we visited, it would have been lovely to have a little stall down there.

There was also the pirates tent, a colourful bell tent full of toys and energetic 'pirates' who were on hand to entertain.  They had outdoor toys, engaged with the kids and gave us adults a chance to stand back and watch whilst they played.  This was included in the stay and was our go-to area when the rain hit! The staff had endless energy and were fantastic at coming up with creative ways to play with all the children.  For additional childcare (when you really need a break) there was a creche area run by qualified nannies who were available both in the day and for evening babysitting slots in the tents.  We hired one for a couple of hours and she did a craft with the children in our tent before settling them for the night whilst we enjoyed a quiet drink in the bar.

There are definitely areas I think Cloud Nine could improve on before next year, I would have loved more information on timings (the pirates did a bedtime story each evening in their tent, but we weren't told when).  More food options or a small onsite shop would have been good too, especially as there was regularly one of the four stalls shut or sold out.  Everyone we met was so friendly and helpful though and we had the most fantastic weekend.

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5 Tips to Make the Most of Your Glamping Stay at Blackdown Yurts

I have already written about our (press trip) long weekend at Blackdown Yurts but it turns out I always have too much to say and I always take too many photos so I wanted to do a second post with my top tips for making the most of your family stay.  We have glamped many time before and lots of these apply to any glamping trip but these are some of the things that made our stay smoother and easier as well as more fun for everyone!

1) Embrace the wildlife. 

The beauty of glamping or camping is that you are surrounded by nature. The sounds, sights and smells and Cora especially loved discovering the wildlife around her.  In the fields in front of us were sheep that we could walk through to see the ponies.  The nearby farmer's cat loved to come and join us as we sat around the campfire and we crept down to the barn at night to see the owl that lives above it.  We found a little frog in the showers and the chickens roamed free.  For young wildlife lovers it was a fantastic place to get close to them naturally.  Katie offers guided bat walks in the evenings too which we didn't manage to fit in - maybe next time!

2) Do a shop on the way

Blackdown Yurts is around a 15 minute drive from the nearest shop so the best thing to do is either bring food with you or do a big shop on the way.  Each yurt has its own fridge in the barn as well as storage space in the camp kitchens so we could stock up on everything we needed for a bbq, different meals and all the breakfast milks (we drink three different milk varieties between us!).  It was so easy to be able to keep everything fresh and cool and to avoid the shops for a few days once we were settled in.

3) Bring some good games

We were sent Shake Off from Smyths before we left and it was a perfect campsite game.  Each player has a counter attached either to their wrist, ankle or waistband and they earn more points the more they move.  It was great for getting out any lingering energy before putting them to bed and didn't require any fiddly parts (do remember to put batteries in the timer before you leave though!).  This is definitely a game we will be taking on all family trips.  We also played lots of card games both with the kids and once they were in bed.

4) Watch the Stars

Being so far from the street lights and cities means on a clear night you can see everything.  Part of the joy of glamping is to get away from every day stress and nothing is more relaxing or humbling that spreading a blanket on the ground, grabbing a warm blanket and watching the sky.  We saw thousands of stars including a couple of shooting stars and the kids were all amazed at how clear the night sky was.  It is one of those activities that just completely relaxes you and I would recommend doing it whenever you can.

5) Check out Katie and Mark's recommendations.

I made a big list before we arrived full of local attractions and ideas based purely on the list of recommendations and we loved every places we explored.  Katie and Mark know the area well and they have reviewed lots of local places on the Blackdown Yurts website.  They were also more than happy to offer any more recommendations whilst at the site.  I will be writing up everything we did so come back to see a post on Haldon Forest, The Bear Trail and Canonteign Falls!  If you have already booked a stay then check out the website for local restaurants, attractions and landmarks.  

Some of the Yurts are open until October and you can grab a discount with the code MUMMY10

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