Long story short, this weekend getaway I’m describing in detail below wasn’t planned at all, we were supposed to be in France skiing, but, my gosh, isn’t life sometimes full of wonderful and exciting surprises? I was gutted when Lucas’ passport expired and it took much longer to be sent back because of the winter holiday hence we missed our channel crossing. But I managed to go through my insta saves and there was a place I had been eyeing for a while, I dropped them a note and lucky us, they were just about to close the site for 6 weeks for a refurb, yet they accepted us for a quick 2 nights visit.
This is how our first glamping experience began…
I may be a bit late in posting the review, but trust me, you’ll love this place!! It took us less than 2h from London to get here.
We’ve been to Cotswolds before, yet we only saw a few very touristy places so I knew that this time there would be so much more to explore. A rural escape was on my list for ages therefore one can imagine my joy when I realised the hut we would stay in atWigwam® Holidays Evenlode was actually nestled in the heart of a 400 acre farm. There are six heated cabins with spectacular views of the sun setting over the ancient market town of Stow-on-the-Wold. Two of the huts come with a wood fired hot tub included and we stayed in one of them.
I don’t think this place is much better during warm seasons as many people would expect – most questions I got on Instagram were season related, that’s why I’m mentioning it. There are lots of activities allowing you to relax and unwind after a day of great walks with the kiddies, fishing down by the river, kite flying, picnics, cycling, horse riding or just slow living by the fire pit while roasting marshmallows.
All information below can be found on evenlodegrounds.co.uk, but I’ve added it just to have a quick idea of what to expect from a rather surprisingly luxurious glamping experience…
The hut comes with:
Electric heater
Sofa bed – great for the kids to sleep in
Double bed with memory foam mattress
En-suite shower, toilet, sink and heated towel rail
Two ring hob
Microwave
Kettle, complimentary tea, coffee and sugar for your arrival
Toaster
Fridge
Washing up facilities
Crockery for 4 – includes plates, bowls, mugs, glasses and cutlery
Hair dryer
Dining table and four chairs
Flat screen TV with DVD player
Hot Tubs (available with 3 of the Wigwams)
Outside the hut there was a fire pit where we actually did a quick BBQ on our first evening (logs are available to buy on site, we even bought a few extra bags to bring with us in London). Other things you’ll find available:
Picnic tables
Riding lessons
…which can also be arranged 2 minutes walk away, we booked a lesson for the kids and it was extra special as it was their very first. They, all of us actually, got to learn lots of things about horses and the benefits of horse riding, plus they got to feed the animals.
Bike hire
Even if you choose any activities or not, there is plenty to do without much planning. Long walks and running around kept them little ones pretty busy for hours.
One of the highlights of our weekend getaway remains the wood fired hut tub! Lucas never wanted to leave it, despite the freezing cold weather. It actually turned out to be the best bedtime help we got over the weekend!
Roasting marshmallows – best activity for these cheeky onesBreakfast al fresco
Local attractions in the Cotswolds
So much to do around the area, so much to visit! We went for lunch twice at the Daylesford Farm, but if you have more time on your hands it’s worth considering Evenlode, Adlestrop, Oddington and Broadwell.
You’ll find picture perfect village pubs to enjoy!
Bourton-on-the-Water, probably one of the areas most popular tourist destinations, is just down the hill from Stow and we’ve been there previously so this time we preferred more time in the hut tub. You’ll find there Birdland, The Motor Museum and The Model Village.
There’s more information on the website about what to do and where to go, but it’s worth mentioning that the town of Burford is worth a visit for a day out to The Burford Wildlife Park, where you can picnic amongst penguins, lions and rhinos.
Blenheim Palace is only 15 minutes from Chipping Norton. The seat of the Duke of Marlborough is open to tourists year round and hosts a number of events throughout the year.
The owners of the huts, Amanda and Howard, kindly showed us around the Cackleberry Farm, home to Cacklebean eggs. The kids had a blast checking out the free range chickens and watch the egg production process live.
