Campwell is located in the heart of the woods. The surrounding forest was a serene shade of summer green. There’s fresh air to breathe in as you meander down the winding paths with bees buzzing in the meadow flowers and birds singing above your head. Sometimes a little technology detox is necessary and as busy Londoners we needed a break from hectic big city life and decided to venture into the woods for a Glamping stay. We wanted to reconnect with ourselves and nature.
On arrival we were greeted by Will and his pooch Phoebe who showed us around the site and took us on a tour of the village complete with outdoor wild kitchen, hammocks and woodworking stations on to our beautiful and comfortable yurt (with a star gazing clear roof to better take in the night sky).
As well as the yurts you can also find a variety of huts and cabins on the site. The communal spaces are beautiful, we particularly enjoyed the stream shower that is heated by solar power (and was very hot indeed) and the treehouse ‘magic’ eco toilet which not only has a view of the forest (a poo with a view) but you get to throw magic dust (saw dust) in after you poop. This was highly entertaining to a three year old who was keen to take as many trips to the loo as possible (not so much his dad though!)
There is also a Sauna, but that remains closed due to Covid-19 social distancing measures. The communal areas are cleaned often and plates and cutlery are given to each guest in their own bucket meaning you are less likely to cross-contaminate. There is the option to share the solar powered fridge or use one of the cool boxes on site. There are also extra handwashing stations (which the toddler thoroughly enjoyed) and hand sanitiser can be found throughout the site.
On our first day we decided to take a trip through the forest towards the ‘secret’ lake. This used to be a Victorian pleasure garden and not keeps the locals (and their dogs) cool during the summer months. The fish are absolutely enormous but they will run away from you, if you decide to go ahead and do some wild swimming. Alternatively, you can take a paddle on the wobbly wooden canoe and go around the muddy island – just like we did – several times.
We explored the woods, found sticks, built a den, discovered some creepy sculptures and then we were just about ready to make a start on dinner. Outdoor cooking with a young child is a different experience. Gathering the wood, lighting the fire, preparing our meal and then eating it. Everything seems to taste that much nicer when cooked and eaten outdoors and this young Londoner (who is normally quite fussy) gobbled everything down.
We stayed up late, played in the stream, melted marshmallows on the fire and gazed at the first few stars before retiring to bed.
The next morning we woke up bright and early courtesy of the sun shining in through our roof window and off we went to explore the surroundings. We spent the morning in Bath (a 15 minute drive away) where we got our culture fix exploring the city. Then we returned to enjoy more outdoor activities (there is a farm nearby with Lamas so we went to say hi) did some yoga in the onsite yoga studio, picked some apples from the apple tree and drank hot chocolate around the fire with some of the other guests.
It was a magical experience and I cannot wait for our next glamping trip. More information on Campwell can be found on their website https://campwell.co.uk/