MY MUST HAVE GLAMPING LUXURIES

If you asked me whether I was a camping girl I’ll probably say not so much, growing up in a city then thrown into the midst of the countryside as a teen, my parents were more partial to hotel stays then canvas shelters and so we never really did the whole great outdoors thing. However give me glamping and some little luxuries and I’m all ears.

CAMPING READY STYLE WITH REGATTA & WIN TICKETS TO KENDAL CALLING FESTIVAL

As you know we are huge Festival goers and there's nothing we love more than relaxing outdoors, listening to music and hanging out with friends, plus it's so much fun seeing the kiddo run wild and free. You might remember our family adventures at End of the Road Festival, Just So and Wilderness Festival *good times all round*. So when Regatta Outdoors asked if I would like to travel down to Kent with a few other bloggers to get camping ready and style my site, I was totally game for some fun. 

CANOPY & STARS GETAWAY AT KNEPP WILDLAND SAFARI

Just like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as soon as the golden ticket dropped through the letter box I was excited, I mean what do you pack for wild adventure? As part of the CS Collective – you might remember my day at Harptree Court or us trying our hand at winter glamping but this was something special – I had been invited by Canopy & Stars for getaway at Knepp Wildland Safari with some lovely bloggers, and channel my inner girl scout by collecting badges as part of their Year of Wild.

CAMPING IN THE DORDOGNE AT DOMAINE LE MATHEVIES

It's been over a month now since I returned from France and enjoyed the delights of camping in the Dordogne at Domaine Le Mathevies with Glisten Camping, it's also been a week since my last post! Sorry about that there's lots going on at the mo and a small boy to entertain so forgive me if I'm a bit flakey this month, normal service will return in September I promise. 

I was actually in my early twenties when I first popped my camping cherry so to speak, having seemingly skipped the childhood delight of sleeping under the stars, but I've since pitched up at many a festival and campsites in the UK to make up for lost time. So I was super excited to see what camping in France had to offer and we weren't disappointed! Apart from our fab stay in the Glisten Camping domes, I was so impressed with Domaine Le Mathevies that we've already popped back this month while on our travels to say hi to the super friendly Pat and Nat duo who own and enjoy a glass of vino with them.

Following my rather dubious map reading skills and with a little help from stanav, we wound our way through the rolling hills of the Dordogne, with the tiny hamlet of Sainte Nathalene behind us and found the campsite at the end of a lane ready to welcome our stay. Immediately we were greeted with the sounds of children's laughter as they clambered on the colourful tree house and the friendly banter of adults over a game of Boules.




The site is perfectly formed with a small one way track winding down the gentle slope to beautiful views over the French countryside. Part shaded by trees and lined with lavender, the pitches house a mix of tents, caravans and camper vans, and for those wanting bit extra there are also gites, chalets and Glisten Domes available. Plus with a tennis court, playground, playroom and two swimming pools on site we found it a perfect place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. As twilight settles the communal area outside starts to come alive as people sit to share drinks and stories of their days adventures, giving us day trip ideas while the children played and new friends and memories as the sun set. The joy of Domaine Le Mathevies is the sense of community that surrounds it rather than just a place to pitch for the night, everyone is so friendly and it feels safe for little ones to enjoy and explore, perfect for mamas like me who want to indulge in a glass of wine in the evening while their kids happily play.

We were very lucky with the weather during our stay with temperatures hovering around the 36 degrees mark and F loved being in the water, in fact it was hard to get him to leave the pool! I found having a separate kids pool made it easier for everyone to enjoy a swim, especially with soaring temperatures and it was great being able to shade it with umbrellas too keep it cool. On the days it hit 40+ degrees we spent most of our time between the pool and the clean communal showers in attempt to cool off from the heatwave that was sweeping across France. 

The reception also doubles as a little shop which sells wine, beer, snacks and detergent in case you need to do a wash during your stay, and most importantly the order sheet for the morning croissant run. F loved requesting his pain au chocolat and baguette for breakfast and running up from our dome to collect the freshly delivered goods from the local bakery... and not to mention the ever changing evening dishes. On the days we hadn't managed a supermarket sweep we treated ourselves to various food stall vendors, each driving in on a different night of the week from the nearby town of Sarlat offering anything from: pizza, paella, Vietnamese dishes, burgers and more. It was great having an option for those nights we decided not to cook and instead share a meal with others on site.

F had such a fab time and hasn't stopped talking about it and I can't wait to take him back next year to play boules, kayak down the Dordogne, cycle down old railway lines, wander through majestic gardens, explore stunning villages, swim in the pool, play boules, make Friends and magical memories. We would certainly recommend Domaine Le Mathevies to anyone wishing to camp in the Dordogne, the location could not be better for exploring this picturesque countryside and historical town of Sarlat.

*We were guests of Glisten Camping at Domaine Le Mathevies. All words and opinions are my own.

LUXURY CAMPING GEO DOMES IN THE DORDOGNE WITH GLISTEN CAMPING

A few weeks ago we made our the way across the Channel and drove down France to the beautiful Dordogne, to spend a week sleeping under the stars in style. We try to camp out at least three times a year at home but we'd never tried our hand at this abroad and I couldn't wait to experience the luxury Geo Domes with Glisten Camping. When I first saw images of the domes we'd call home for a week, I was super excited for our stay!

These cool striking structures are set against a backdrop of wild flowers, rolling hills and small country lanes that wind up to the Domaine des Mathevies where the domes are located. The owners have travelled the length and breadth of the Dordogne to ensure the best location for your stay and they hit the nail on the head. On arriving at the campsite, which houses a mix of tents, chalets, gites and four of the spacious domes, we parked up and unpacked.

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END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL 2014

Oh End of the Road! Once again you did us proud, the music, the colour, the wonderfully weird and wacky, the fairy lights, the rum, the dancing, oh the dancing! Not to mention the endless activities and entertainment for the kiddos.We've been making our way to this fun festival for seven years now and have watched it grow from fledgling roots, settled deep in the beautiful Lamer Tree Gardens, into the excitement it is today. After arriving onsite and a small amount of tent rage due to high winds, we pitched up next to our friends and headed straight to the food stalls to feed our rumbling tummies. With the finest selection of festival cuisine from: Indian street food, pulled pork and homemade slaw sandwiches, amazing burritos, sweet waffles, perfect pizza, pie and so much more, it was easy to get our fill and sit by the fire warming ourselves as night fell and brightly coloured string bulbs illuminated our way. Click to read more.

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE

It's Thursday and the weekends starting early as we load up the car and head off to another festival. Oh and did I mention I am SO excited? Even though it may rain and I may be coming down with a cold, I have every intention to drink rum, laugh with friends and dance like no ones watching at End of the Road. I'll be back blogging on Tuesday after having fun and hopefully staying dry, until then you can follow our adventures on my Instagram feed or read last years adventures here. 

On my return I can't wait to share with you my thoughts on home, our yummy lunch date at Zizzi's, joining in with Styling the Season, my 52 photo, our festival fun and style trends and our a new good book.

Until then have a beautiful fun filled weekend and see you on the other side. x

You can buy awesome this print here

BY THE CAMPFIRE LIGHT

This weekend passed quickly bathed in summer light, with grass between my toes and that smoky bonfire smell, clinging to my clothes and hair which only comes from cooking on an open fire. Not that I went camping much as a child, almost never in fact, but it seems that as an adult I have managed to conjure up a feeling of nostalgia and re-captured some lost secret youth by sleeping under the stars, and quite frankly I love it. We set off, car full to the brim with various camping equipment that we would probably not use and headed over the River Severn to the Forest of Dean, navigating windy roads and dirt tracks until we found our base for the next two days. Slow and steady we built the tent, which is always an accomplishment in itself and laid out blankets to rest upon as F ran round wildly, drunk with the evening light and the freedom from his bedtime routine.

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CAMPING WILD AND A TRIBAL TOURNAMENT

Hurray for Friday, the weekend is upon us, the solo parenting stint is over and I'm looking forward to a weekend of fun! To celebrate a dear friend's birthday we're heading across the Severn Bridge to the Forest of Dean for a few days of camping, wild walks, toasted marshmallows and food cooked over a fire pit. Not only is it a great excuse to spend some time relaxing and switch off, but a chance to get in some practice for the Just So Festival next month.

This year will be our first time camping at this spellbinding festival and after reading the lovely Heather's tribal reveal I decided to investigate further. It seems that the stakes are high for this years tribal tournament with families choosing between owls, foxes, frogs stags, lions or fish in the hopes of their tribe winning the trophy.

F immediately chose a side and seems to be quite fierce in his decision, so as the boys go red for fox  I'm left choosing between joining them or standing on my own as a stag or a lion. I can't wait to get making our tribal wear.

Which tribe would you stand with?

FESTIVAL FUN AT END OF THE ROAD

 

 

 

So we've finally settled back into normality after an amazing four days at End of the Road Festival and I'm still feeling a bit wiped. F has bounced back into his routine with a skip and a hop while my brain is taking longer to get up to speed, but hell it was worth it. We've been going to End of the Road – without fail – for six years and have watched it grow from a fledgling festival to one of the best on the festival circuit.

Set in the stunning surroundings of the Larmer Tree Gardens near Salisbury, it was a family friendly long weekend full of magic and twinkling lights. F was ecstatic at the prospect of camping as usual and was very keen to help with the mallet and tent pegs, so we hauled our stuff over to the quiet area rather than the family area allowing us to pitch with our friends – this actually turned out better than last year as it seemed to be closer to the main area and there wasn't the thunderous roar of kids going past our tent at 6.30am.

During the day we spent our time wandering through the woods, sitting on blankets in the warm sun listening to music, testing out our circus skills, reading Dr Seuss in the woodland library, watching pirate puppets, eating an enormous amount of amazing food, chilling in the Badger Inn, and spotting the peacocks and macaws that were roaming freely. In the morning we'd grab ourselves some tea and toast and head over to the cinema tent to nestle down to a bit of Disney or Studio Ghibli, while the other of us had a lie in and nursed their head.

As dusk settled in and F danced in pj's and wellies, a more electric and magical vibe took over. We ate dinner by the roaring pit fire, hundreds of twinkling light shone down through the woods, the warm glow of the food stalls and bars called out to passerby's, the light up disco in the woods came to life and the everyone seemed to be buzzing. We both tried out the Silent Disco on alternate nights, exchanging £10 for a set of headphones that switches between two tracks while dancing like a loon and singing aloud to your favourite songs. Only to lower your headphones once in a while to realise that everyone sounds completely out of tune and half of the tent are dancing to a different beat. Hilarious fun!

What made this festival great for me – apart from randomly receiving hand delivered letters by the festival postman throughout the weekend, using only a brief description of what we look like and where we might be – was the chance to hang out with friends, let F explore the outdoors and for us to hold hands and listen to music.

It's the small details that make this such a great festival: from the secret gigs to the art sculptures, the piano room to the hidden showeroke – yes that is a hidden shower cubicle/karaoke booth in the woods, the hay bales and fur blankets that line the floor of the tipi to the post office. The best festival has to be End of the Road.

Early bird tickets are now on sale for 2014, make sure you don't miss out.