The first morning glamping in our canvas cottage at The Dandelion Hideaway, saw us lying in silence. The girls were still sleeping which meant we could take all of the sounds of the wildlife around us in. Birds tweeting, squirrels scampering over the roof, and pheasants squawking in the distance; this was country life and just the beginning of our glamping experience.

The Dandelion Hideaway is set in idyllic surroundings, green pastures and starry night skies. It is the perfect place to bring the outside in and it offers the chance for adults to truly unwind and escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and for children to be children and run free.

Set on a private farm on the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border, just 5 minutes from the historic town Market Bosworth. The farm is a working goat farm lead and managed by husband and wife team Farmer John and Sharon who open their doors and allow families experience farm life. As well as the goats, you can immerse yourself amongst the 13 very friendly Shetland ponies, chickens and ducks.

 

What is Glamping?

Glamping derives its name from Glamorous Camping, a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping. No stress about setting up tents, leaky air mattresses or scurrying across the camping site with a roll of toilet paper; instead the pure luxury of high-quality mattresses, a well-equipped kitchen and a private shower and toilet.

I have been asked how glamorous glamping really is in real life. I only have one experience of this so far so I did need to look up some top tips myself but at The Dandelion Hideaway, they combine the cosy feeling of camping with the luxury of a cottage. Yes, you are staying in a canvas tent, but apart from the lack of electricity and morning freshness you are living in luxury and these canvas cottages are of a higher standard than some cottages I have stayed in!

 

Why did I want to go Glamping with Twins?

Team Popitha were very excited to be embarking on our first glamping trip. It is something I have wanted to do for a while, and I madly wanted to do it whilst the twins were still in cots. One of my reasons for this is because catering for 2 cots can often be a challenge so I wanted to give my readers the confidence that you can do it and The Dandelion Hideaway is definitely the place to give it a go!

These pictures show two different configurations for out cots in the tent. One in the main double bedroom, and one in the twin room.

 

We visited The Dandelion Hideaway Glamping site at the end of April in the hope the weather would be warming up. The week before was beautiful, the week after was beautiful, our week was wet, really wet. I don’t think it really stopped raining but we went prepared with wellies and waterproofs and we still had fun!

 

Our Glamping Weekend – What does The Dandelion Hideaway offer?

We arrived on the farm, and were warmly welcomed by Farmer John and Sharon – YES, it was raining! After a quick change into our wellies, we were shown around ‘The Old Cow Shed’ aka the shop where we were able to have a tab and paid at the end of the week. The shop stocked the basics; milk, bacon, sausages, pies, award winning cheeses as well as their own goats cheese and yoghurts. You will also find toilet rolls, candles, fire lighters, cakes, jams and pickles, biscuits and crisps. So enough to get you by if you had forgotten anything or fancy a little treat.

 

Through a small door, led us to the relaxation lounge. This is a lovely place to relax and chill out and maybe book a massage for one of your evenings. Here you also find coffee making facilities and a microwave for those travelling with babies – great for heating food, milk and sterilizing bottles. Remember, you are glamping and as luxurious as it is, there is no electricity in your canvas cottage – which I loved!

 

We then followed Farmer John in his buggy round to the car parking area as they have a no car rule on the field where the canvas cottages are. This was perfect for us as it meant the children would be safe at all times. They offer a service to take all your baggage down for you in the buggy – phew – we didn’t pack light, but then we never do!

As we passed the other canvas cottages we noticed how spaced out they were, so those of you who have early risers, no one is disturbed and everyone gets their own space! There are 6 canvas cottages in total.

 

The girls loved the little ride down to our canvas cottage – ‘Badgers Sett’ and were keen to get exploring. Me on the other hand was super excited to get inside to see if glamping really was all that different to camping. Oh boy, it was!!

Our Canvas Cottage

Living space

On first impressions of our canvas cottage was that it was presented to the highest standard. The interior really was like a picture from a magazine and I would describe the décor was of a farmhouse/African colonial theme, with wooden floor throughout, leather sofas, tweed cushions, old suitcases used to decorate as well as fresh flowers.

The farmhouse wooden table happily seated 8 and the chairs were stable enough to attach booster seats. High chairs are available upon request. The seating area had a double leather sofa, two single armchairs with a rug, which were situated in front of a beautiful log burning stove. We kept the stove ticking over 24 hours a day to keep warm over the rather chilly weekend. The stove was also the main cooker for meal times. Just be aware that when cooking on a stove like this, everything takes twice as long so factor this in when planning your day and mealtimes. It does come with a surround for the safety of everyone and we explained this to the girls too.

One of the best parts of this holiday for me were the evenings. Evening with no electricity, no television, just me, (with my husband of course!) and my book by the log burner in candle light – just perfect. They had put solar lighting in our tent but we honestly didn’t use it, we enjoyed the romantic touch!

I know a lot of you are wondering was it cold, yes and no. Go prepared is the key. We were very unfortunate with the weather so it was cold for the time of year but with a jumper on and sitting by the log burner in the evening, it was very pleasant. I did then make a dash to my bed before snuggling down and again. I wasn’t once cold in the night. My motto is always go prepared so I will talk to you about our kit list later on.

 

The Kitchen

The kitchen again was beautify presented and came stocked with everything you can think of (well, all except the food!). Pots, pans, plates (all Denby!) cutlery, egg cups, glasses, mugs (Emma Bridgewater). I tell you, there is nicer crockery and glassware in this tent than I have at home. The only thing it doesn’t have is plastic plates, bowls, cups for children but we did take our own. There is also a small fridge on the veranda.

The Bedrooms

With 2 good sized bedrooms (one double and one twin) plus a full sized double bed hideout, the cottage would easily sleep 6 and there was still enough room for my two travel cots too. Don’t forget to take bedding for the cots as this is not provided. As well as the twins duvets, we also took their Snuggle Sacs which are 5.2tog sleeping bags which come in a variety of fun designs and are perfect for holidays and glamping.  With the Popitha family about to grow, accommodation for the larger family is really important to us as it can be so hard to find but this could easily accommodate us all. For those travelling with triplets, three travel cots would also fit with two cots in one room, and one in another. The girls adored the hideout and were very happy playing in their whilst we unpacked.

The Bathroom

There are no treks across fields to toilets or showers here, the bathroom inside Badgers Sett is bigger than my bathroom at home! It has a fully functioning toilet, sink, roll top bath and overhead shower and guess what is even better, there is an endless supply of hot water! So once the children are in bed, you can relax in the bath by candlelight!

Outside Space

This is what glamping is all about – the outdoors and I just love it. The canvas cottage gives you a sense of bringing the outside in and it is one thing I adore about this place. There is a large decking area is fitted out with rattan furniture for you to enjoy some quiet time on whilst still keeping the children in view whilst they run around in the fields.

Each veranda has a gate so little people can’t escape out and the perfect place to take off muddy wellies before entering your tent – there is even a wellie rack! Down on the grass area, there is also a BBQ and another seating area for mealtimes. There is also a small woods for the children to play and explore in, with its own badgers hide which the girls loved – they thought they were looking for bears!

The farm itself is open for residents to explore. On Saturdays and Tuesdays, Farmer John and Sharon offer a tour to show you around which lets you know where everything is and where is safe to go. We found the farm tour with John very informative and the girls were in their element with the animals. They were able to stroke the kids and talk to the goats. After the tour which lasts 30-45 mins, we went off with Sharon to meet the ponies. The girls spent a good half an hour grooming the ponies before leading them out to the field. We did have a few tears at this point as they didn’t want to say goodbye. But now we knew where they were, we could go back and visit them at any time. During the afternoon, Farmer John opens the milking parlour doors and you can have a go at milking the goats. This is a great experience for both adults and children. You even have the opportunity to taste your warm milk straight afterwards!

 

On Sunday mornings Sharon takes you through the art of hen keeping and the children can bring their baskets to collect the eggs. You are welcome to go to the hen coop at any time for eggs, and there were plenty. The girls were a little nervous at first but they soon loved going to get their breakfast! It was funny really, they aren’t worried about ponies and goats, but weren’t that sure about the chickens!

Would I recommend The Dandelion Hideaway for families?

Yes! On the final evening, my husband and I sat chatting about our stay. We talked about how well the site works for young children and that you can go the whole weekend without having to leave the site which means everyone really can relax. How? This part is to follow but I will be writing a few ideas down on activities you can do around the farm with young children. It is totally safe space with no cars allowed near the canvas cottages. Yes, there is farm machinery up on the farm and I would advise children are always accompanied up there.

We couldn’t fault the accommodation. The beds were comfortable, there was enough space in the main living area, the kitchen was well equipped with hot water. The hosts were welcoming and friendly, and opened their farm up to us to enjoy.

 

 

For prices and availability for glamping stays, CLICK HERE.

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading my review of our Dandelion Hideaway Glamping holiday as much as I have writing it. I have other glamping articles below so do take a look;

Glamping Yorkshire – 10 Quirky Places to Stay

Mediaeval Luxury Family Glamping Getaway at Warwick Castle

What should I take Glamping?

Child friendly activities to do at The Dandelion Hideaway

Holiday Essentials for a Toddler

 

I also post other tips to my Facebook page which can be found HERE

 

 

If you have any further questions about The Dandelion Hideaway or glamping in general, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

 

 

 

** This holiday was gifted to us for the purpose of the review, but all thoughts and opinions are Popitha’s.

*** The hoodies were gifted to us as a part of this review. CLICK HERE if you are interested in purchasing your own.

GO ON, PIN IT!