Before the weather changes and the summer turns to autumn, I thought maybe one more outdoorsy type trip could be squeezed in and so enamoured by the stay in a Yurt with Canopy and Stars, I found us a shepherds hut at Knepp Safaris in East Sussex.
We arrived as the sun was setting, so had to find our way into the woods with a torch, other campers told us to grab a wheelbarrow to transport our bags to the hut and so we wove our way past the dining area and glamping kitchen into the woods.
A fire was soon lit, my other half now calling upon his skills as a boy scout, whipped up a roaring one in the outside fire pit.
The hut was super cozy, we made the mistake of lighting the indoor stove and it was too hot. I loved that bed, snuggled up and outside total darkness and the sounds of owls and other nocturnal creatures.
The next day we followed the walks around the area of our camp. The owners have been re-wilding the fields and now there are wild horses and pigs roaming free. We didn't spot any deer but did spend a lot of time with squirrels and rabbits, birds and insects. There were no organised safaris on the days we were there, so we made our own and with the aid of a compass and map, a flask of tea and comfy shoes.
As we were near the coast I decided on a whim that we could hop over to the Isle of Wight. OK, a very extravagant whim, considering how expensive the ferry across was. I was truly gobsmacked that it cost 99 pounds to cross the tiniest stretch of water! I'm sure it's cheaper to go to France. But, I had never been to the Isle Of Wight so I bit the bullet, paid the ferryman, and booked us a room with Air bnb in a cute cottage on the coast.
My main reason to visit was as a pilgrimage to the home of Julie Margaret Cameron, the first female photographer, I have been in love with her work for as long as I can remember. Her house, however, was a bit disappointing, but it just has to be the first thing on my list.
It also rained on this first day on the IOW but undaunted, we packed in every single sight we could see. Our Air bnb was an annexe to a house which was originally the coachman's cottage for the John Nash estate. John Nash, famous architect built himself a castle on the IOW and many buildings around, I shall investigate this on our next visit. The host of our Air bnb is an artist and holds retreats at her home, set deep into a long stretch of woodland and right on the coastal path, the setting was perfect for long walks.
And before we got back on the ferry we had a hunt for red squirrels in one of the many wild woods but sadly to say I did not see one. This must be a sign that I should return with the sole mission to commune with red squirrels, armed with nothing but nuts and a long lens.
My first ever experience of camping, or should we say, glamping, has got me hooked. I said to the Other Half as we left, 'let's do this every weekend', and before we knew it, I have booked us to stay in a Shepherds Hut in a couple of weeks time.
It was my birthday recently and I always book for us to go somewhere for a little explore. I haven't been along the Norfolk coastline before and I yearn for the seaside all summer long, as we are so far inland in Bucks. Just recently my blogging pals have been going away with Canopy And Stars, their photos are always fabulous and atmospheric so I decided to check it out for myself. This company hand picks special places, with an Eco ethos and only certain kinds of accommodation. If you look at the website you will be spoilt for choice, and if, like me, you have never really loved the idea of conventional camping, this could be for you.
Our Yurt at Burlingham was super cute, a proper bed, carpet,sofa, a wood burner inside, and all the cutlery and crockery you would need. They even supplied his and hers crocs for wandering around outside. The Yurt is solar powered and has lights and a chandelier. At night we lit it up with tea lights and listened to the radio. We lit fires in the pit, cooked on the little barbecue and made tea with an old fashioned whistling kettle. We did cheat a little and bought some ready made salad bits from M&S to go with our grilled haloumi and sausages.
Situated at the bottom of a long garden, in woods where you could forage for your own fuel, we even had some visitors like squirrels and pheasants. It is also quite common for deer to come and have a nosey around. The loo/shower is in a little red shepherds hut, with hot water and a composting toilet, although we were encouraged to pee outside (as these composting loos don't like too much liquid) which we embraced whole heartedly!
My birthday always falls at the time of the Perseides meteor shower, and I desperately wanted to go somewhere with no light pollution to watch it ever night. When we went to bed on the first night there was cloud cover but something woke me at 3am so I went outside and the sky was clear and full of stars, after a few minutes I saw a shooting star so I woke up the OH (who wasn't too pleased) and we sat and watched the sky counting all the shooting stars we saw. It was truly magical.
Our host Chris has left us a map of how to find a beach where there is a seal colony. Horsey was incredible, dunes and empty sands stretched for miles and as we walked along the dune path we could see the seals heads bobbing in the surf.
As wildlife rescuers we are always most interested in seeing different animals in their natural habitat. I had never seen Seals before and didn't even realise we had them in the UK (other than in zoos). I believe that sometimes they come to the shoreline but we were happy watching them play on a sand bank not far away. The year of wild was truly notching up some beautiful memories.
Keen to get back to our yurt with some food for the bbq we did pop along to Hemsby and Great Yarmouth just to see what it was like. Not for me I'm afraid with it's amusement arcades and fun fair rides.
We relaxed during the evenings by the fireside, I took my crochet so I could make more blankets for the '60 Million Trebles' charity project. I styled our table with some of the lovely things I had bought the day before at Lincoln Antiques Fair. My new linen smock, Ian's jumper and the loaned crocs were pulled into my Yurt outfit for camp fire and foraging.
I can't wait to do this again, I took to it like a duck to water, or should I say a seal to water. Now looking forward to the Shepherds Hut in Sussex later this month. Variety is the spice of life, so unless you live in a Yurt I would say to give it a go, it is quite romantic. If you find it hard to sit still for too long then maybe take some knitting or other activity. My OH wished he had taken his drum sticks and practice pad as he was missing having something to do with his hands. Such a shame he forgot them ...
The link for this yurt is
http://www.canopyandstars.co.uk/britain/england/norfolk/burlingham-hall/burlingham-yurt
