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Safari-style tents, cooking on a wood-burning stove and back-to-basics family fun. Chloë Greenbank becomes a happy camper, just in time for spring
Our two-year-old, Jessie, is charging towards me through the early morning sunlight clutching a freshly laid egg.
I should tell her to slow down before she tumbles and smashes her precious cargo, but the sheer delight on her face is picture perfect, and I want to treasure it. Besides, my husband, relishing his role as hunter-gatherer, is striding out from our hired chicken coop holding more than enough eggs to see us through breakfast.
I’m still in my pyjamas, wrapped in a blanket and warming my feet by the wood-burning stove. Outside, the chatter of farm animals signals that the day has begun. A few days earlier we were typical stressed-out urbanites, preoccupied with mobile phones, laptops and juggling full-time jobs with family life. But Feather Down Farms has provided the perfect antidote – the chance to slow down and simply enjoy time together. From the moment we left our car in the farmyard and transported all our belongings (by wheelbarrow) up to our sumptuous canvas abode (of which there are no more than five or six per farm), we’ve found ourselves living life at a different pace.
Thanks to inclement British weather and a traditional three-man tent that was barely able to hold two adults, let alone an energetic toddler, our previous camping trip resulted in an almighty domestic breakdown – but the Feather Down experience is much more enjoyable. Think spacious African safari-style tents erected on wooden bases, complete with flushing loos, running (albeit cold) water, a wood-burning stove and designated sleeping areas. The brainchild of Luite Moraal (who brought Center Parcs to the UK), the company started life in Holland in 2004 then spread to the UK in 2006, before hitting French shores in 2008, followed by farms in Germany and the USA. There are also plans afoot to start sites in Belgium, but it’s amid the lush scenery of the great British countryside at Hollings Hill Farm in Hereford (about 80km from Bristol airport) that I have chosen to wind down with my family.
Once inside, our tent is reminiscent of a farmhouse kitchen. Old wooden fruit boxes are used for storage and shelving while pots, pans and ladles hang from hooks overhead. The traditional stove, with its chimney disappearing off into the roof, is used both for cooking and to keep us warm. A supply of chopped wood is provided to get us going, but keeping the stove alight and ensuring we don’t run out of wood is down to us. Crockery, cutlery, glassware and all manner of kitchen utensils are provided, and bed linen and towels can be hired on site. There’s also a large cool chest, kept chilled by a simple system of ice packs, which you can top up at the farm shop. And as any happy camper will testify, a hearty supply of chilled beer and wine – or, as this is West Country, some scrumpy cider – is key to a great trip.
Come nightfall, our tent is illuminated by the gentle flicker of tea-lights, candles and oil lanterns, and the kitchen table becomes the focal point of our activities. An eclectic selection of chairs is dotted around it, while the candelabra in the middle lends an air of ‘glamping’ grandeur to meals. This is where we linger over slow-cooked food, idle evenings away recounting the day’s adventures, and play card games late into the night. But when sleep finally beckons, my husband and I curl up in a comfortable double bed with pillows and a duvet (no stale old sleeping bags on this trip), while Jessie has the choice of her own sleeping quarters with bunk beds, or a secret canopy bed that’s tucked away in a cupboard and can sleep up to two children.
The icing on the comfort cake at this particular farm is its field spa, with a sauna and huge warm-water tub that’s heated by fire wood. In fact, the only part of this getaway that really bears any likeness to my previous camping trips is the showering facilities, which are a short stroll away from our tent and shared by fellow campers.
As all the campsites are on working farms, the farmers and their livelihoods are an integral part of the experience. Whether it’s watching cows being milked, chasing chickens around the farmyard, trotting down to a paddock to pet the horses or chatting with Fay (the farmer’s wife) on our way to the honesty larder – where we help ourselves to produce before settling up at the end of our stay – we’re treated like family friends.
The greatest part of this getaway, though, is the chance to savour some back-to-basics living. With no TV or computers to distract us, we can enjoy the simple pleasures of spending time together as a family. And, for once, time is a luxury that is ours to indulge in. From the first cock-a-doodle-doo to the gentle twit-twoos of the owls at nightfall, Jessie has packed more learning into her little life over one weekend than ever before. And I’ve barely glanced at my phone or checked my watch. Now that’s what I call a holiday!
Feather Down Farm tents sleep up to six people (max. five adults). A three-night weekend break starts from €316/£275 per tent. www.featherdown.co.uk
If you’re after a slightly different experience, a new generation of camping holiday is launching in April: Country House Hideouts are situated in the grounds of some of Britain’s most beautiful estates. Evoking the era of Edwardian explorers, each tent comes furnished with binoculars, a telescope, wind-up gramophone, field telephones, outdoor hot tub and even a bicycle to power up your electricity. www.countryhousehideout.co.uk
Three other eco escapes from around the UK
The Zetter Clerkenwell Fly to: London This hotel goes beyond asking you to reuse your towels. Housed in a converted warehouse, its water supply comes from underground via a pump and borehole, while skylights provide natural ventilation and energy-saving timers are used on light bulbs. www.thezetter.com
Ecocabin Shropshire Fly to: Birmingham or Manchester Nestled in a garden of wild flowers, this self-catering cabin is constructed from wood, wool, reeds, lime and clay, and is furnished with recycled materials. There’s a wood-pellet stove and solar power, plus you can hire bikes. www.ecocabin.co.uk
Hytte Northumberland Fly to: Newcastle Set in gardens with native tree and plant species on the edge of Northumberland National Park, the all-wood Hytte (pronounced ‘hutta’) is based on a Norwegian-style mountain lodge, with an insulating grass roof and a geothermal heating system. www.thehytte.com
Loger dans des tentes de style Out of Africa, cuisiner sur un poêle à bois et retourner aux sources en s’amusant en famille… Chloe Greenbank se transforme en heureuse campeuse, juste à temps pour le printemps
À travers les rayons du soleil matinal, Jessie, notre petite fille de deux ans, se précipite vers moi en serrant dans ses mains un œuf qui vient d’être pondu. Je me réchauffe les pieds auprès du poêle, tandis que le tintamarre des animaux de la ferme signale le début de la journée. Il y a quelques jours à peine, nous étions des citadins typiques, stressés, mais ce break « Feather Down Farm Days » nous a offert la chance de prendre la vie à un rythme différent.
Feather Down Farm Days est un concept qui a démarré en Hollande en 2004, avant de débarquer en Grande-Bretagne en 2006. Il est question d’implanter des sites en Belgique, mais c’est au cœur de la campagne verdoyante anglaise (à environ 80km de l’aéroport de Bristol) que j’ai choisi de larguer les amarres. Toutes les aires de camping sont installées sur des terrains d’exploitations agricoles, ce qui constitue une expérience intégrale. Les tentes spacieuses de style safari sont aménagées avec des toilettes à chasse d’eau et de l’eau courante (quoique froide).
À l’intérieur, notre tente rappelle les cuisines de ferme d’antan avec son poêle traditionnel qui sert à la fois de chauffage et de plaque de cuisson, et tandis que l’on oublie momentanément la vitesse de la bouilloire électrique – le temps n’est pas important – tout le confort est là. Durant les douces soirées, nous prenons le temps de cuisiner et de jouer aux cartes, et lorsque l’heure est venue de se coucher, mon mari et moi nous enroulons dans le double lit douillet – pas de sac de couchage moisi ici.
Cette escapade nous a permis de redécouvrir les plaisirs d’une vie simple, et de nous retrouver tous ensemble en famille.
Informations utiles
Les tentes de Feather Down Farm Days peuvent accueillir jusqu’à six personnes (avec un maximum de cinq adultes) et un break week-end de trois nuits commence à partir de 316 €/275 £ par tente. featherdown.co.uk
Tenten in safaristijl, koken op een houtkachel en back-to-basics gezinsplezier. Chloe Greenbank wordt, net op tijd voor de lente, een vrolijke kampeerder.
Onze tweejarige dochter, Jessie, komt in de ochtendzon naar me toe gerend met een vers gelegd ei in haar handjes. Ik warm mijn voeten bij het houtvuur, terwijl het gekwetter van boerderijdieren het begin van de dag aankondigt. Een paar dagen daarvoor waren we typisch gestreste stedelingen, maar een vakantie met Feather Down Farm Days heeft ons de kans gegeven om te leven op een ander tempo.
Feather Down Farm Days vindt zijn oorsprong in Nederland in 2004, voor het overwaaide naar het Verenigd Koninkrijk in 2006. Er bestaan plannen om locaties op te starten in België, maar ik heb gekozen om af te zakken naar het weelderige Britse platteland (ongeveer 80 km van de luchthaven van Bristol). Alle campings zijn gelegen op actieve boerderijen, wat deel uitmaakt van de ervaring, en bieden ruime tenten in safaristijl, compleet met toilet en stromend (zij het koud) water.
Aan de binnenkant van onze tent is er soort een boerderijkeuken. Een traditionele houtkachel wordt gebruikt als verwarming en om op te koken, terwijl je de snelheid van een waterkoker kan vergeten – tijd is niet belangrijk – ben je voorzien van zoveel mogelijk huiselijk comfort. Tijdens de gezellige avonden genieten we van traag bereide maaltijden en spelen we kaartspelletjes, en wanneer de slaap komt opzetten, nestelen mijn echtgenoot en ik ons in een comfortabel tweepersoonsbed – hier is geen sprake van muffe oude slaapzakken.
Deze uitstap geeft de kans te proeven van het back-to-basics leven en te genieten van gezinsactiviteiten.
Goed om weten
In een Feather Down Farm Days tent kunnen tot zes personen slapen (met een maximum van vijf volwassenen), en een driedaags weekendverblijf in een tent kan vanaf de prijs van €316/£275 per tent. featherdown.co.uk