Glamping at Mad Dogs and Vintage Vans Part 1

I am a firm believer in the restorative power of disconnecting from technology and the busy daily routine and reconnecting as a family, away from distractions in the most simple of ways which is why we are keen Campers and Glampers. There has also been a lot of recent scientific research showing the benefits of spending time outdoors and within nature such as stress relief, improved mental and physical well-being, increased energy leaves and concentration and the list goes on. Which is why I was really looking forward to a few nights looking out across uninterrupted countryside views at the beautiful Mad Dogs and Vintage Vans , away from technology in the heart of the Wye Valley.

Mad Dogs captures all that is wonderful about childhood, simplicity and curiosity, with wild meadows waiting to be explored, paths that lead you to little hideouts and not a bar of wifi insight or 3G for that matter, it is bliss. The site is home to three vintage caravans - Elsie, Gertie and Sybil as well as a Brockhouse Military Wagon called Monty which the boys and I called home for the weekend while my mother stayed in the very chic 1950's Elsie.

As there is so much to do despite the site being quite small I wanted to split my post into two and in part one I wanted to talk mainly about the accommodation and while I will concentrate on the fantastic extras in part two.

Monty, the sturdy Military wagon has a fantastic wooden veranda where we spent one evening toasting marshmallows over the open fire while watching the sunset, it's simple pleasures like this that will remain memories forever and the boys soaked in every moment. As the sun went down of course the temperature dropped but I only actually needed to light the log burner once during our stay as we were so warm and cosy inside under all the thick blankets and both boys slept very soundly as did I.

With morning you wake up and quickly get into the ritual of walking over to the communal outdoor kitchen to collect water for the kettle and start the day with some freshly ground filter coffee while  watching the horses and ponies being put out in the paddocks just in front of the glamping site as well as spotting some pheasants around the wooden area near the solar showers.

Inside Elsie, the smallest caravan at Mad Dogs, perfectly formed for a couple and it's the perfect place to dip your toe into glamping as unlike Monty which is more rustic feel and a little bit more exposed to the elements Elsie is the only place with electric in the form of a small portable heater if you are worried about getting cold although like I said the bedding provided is so warm this really wasn't a problem for us even in late Spring. Our trip was a real family affair with both my 2yr old enjoying every moment to my mother who is nearly 70 proving that Glamping really is for everyone. 

The caravans have pretty much everything you need and when we arrived there was a lovely batch of homemade scones and cream which went down a treat. All you really need to pack is some torches as there are only fairly lights and candles at night which really add to the magical atmosphere of the place. For the ladies there is also a Glamp and Pamp service where you can wake up, walk over to the lotus tent and start the day with a wonderful hot stone massage, I will go into this in more detail in my second post. A communal mess tent for cooking and socialising is permanently set up in the wooded area as well as an outdoor fire pit and not forgetting the tennis court so do bring your rackets.

The Glampsite is also perfectly located, looking out across farmland with plenty of local walks, one heading down to the river wye. Ross on Wye is also only a few mixtures drive down the road and is a wonderful market town with plenty to see and do and if you want you can hire bikes from Mad Dogs and cycle there and back.

We had an amazing time and I cannot wait to share more of what we got up too in part two.

Thanks to Mad Dogs for inviting us to try out their unique Glamping site, we genuinely had a fantastic time.