WHAT? WHERE?

Off-grid escapes have never been more popular, or necessary – our overstretched minds and tangled nerves seem to increasingly crave enforced digital detoxes, fresh air and simpler pleasures, even if it’s just for a weekend.

Juggling responsibilities as Content and Social Media Editor at Muddy and parent to the most relentlessly on-the-go toddler in the UK, this is the kind of break made for me, so I flipped dreamily through the 29 Feather Down Farm sites throughout the UK before settling on Warren Farm, a 1,000-acre rural gem in the heart of Somerset’s gorgeous Mendips. This family-run farm stretches the length of Cheddar Gorge, offering luxe glamping with knockout views and just five canvas hideaways. With its playground, goats for petting, pizza oven and farm tours, the glamp site is an ideal set-up for families who want a short summer break and want to go rogue on reality.

THE VIBE 

The term ‘glamping’ has tended much more to the ‘glam’ than the ‘camping’ in recent years but I think Warren Farm is an example of the term in its true form. It has all the fun parts of camping – log-burning stoves for heating and tea-making, roasting marshmallows on your fire pit, taking in the starry expanse of countryside and listening to cows mooing right outside your door, but you have all the comforts you need to make it a pleasure – comfy mattress, flushing toilet and proper furniture (hello quirky mismatched chairs round the candelabra-lit wooden dining table).

There are only five of Feather Down’s signature canvas hideaways on site, with two further wooden lodges (for those who need their stays fully insulated) tucked away behind trees overlooking the farm. The result is a cosy, community feel. You’re far away enough from your glamping neighbours that you don’t have to worry about noise or getting a mouthful of someone else’s campfire smoke, but it’s easy to come together in the communal areas like the playground, picnic area and barn, which is particularly handy when you all have kids who want to tear around together.

When we visited, the site was completely booked up with mostly families – covering a broad age range from from babies and toddlers (including a four-month old – brave parents) to tweens, who happily mucked in with the rest of the farmyard larks.

PILLOW TALK

Each of the five canvas hideaways is identical, and sleeps up to five adults and one child. There’s a comfy double bedroom, a separate bunkbed room, and a mad cupboard bed that opens out onto both the double bedroom and the main living area. Our two-year-old loved it (and it was easy to spy on him through the peephole in lieu of an electric baby monitor), and when I climbed into it myself to test the sizing I was pleasantly surprised by how spacious it was, even for an adult.

As well as the bedrooms there’s a small toilet with flush and running (cold) water, and a spacious living area with a kitted-out kitchen, log-burner, sofa and a massive dining table to seat the entire party. Outdoors, each tent comes with two deckchairs, a picnic table, a campfire with benches and an outdoor woodburner that niftily turns into a BBQ if you hire a grill. There’s also a spot to hang a hammock for a small fee, which I thoroughly recommend. At Warren Farm each tent also has its own private picnic spot, which had some of the most incredible views of the weekend.

There’s no electricity in the tent itself, which means that when night falls you’ll be relying on the provided oil lamps, candles and lanterns to see your way – always interesting for a midnight loo trip. The lack of heating means you’ll want to get your log burner blazing early doors in the morning (I recommend a dressing gown while you do!). It also means *gasp* no phone charger, but you can easily plug your screens in at the Honesty Shop or Barn a few steps away. There’s also a hot shower block (with hairdryers), wellies in all sizes to borrow, table football and pool for the teens and maps for the abundance of scenic local walks.

Owners James and Kate also keep the whiteboard updated with events happening in the local area; Wells Farmers’ Market and Bath Agricultural Show were on within driving distance while we visited, but we were having so much fun on site we didn’t feel the need to leave.

SCOFF & QUAFF

The entire site is self-catering, which means you’ll either be bringing food with you – each canvas hideaway comes with a cool box and there’s a large fridge up at the Barn with shelves for each tent – or you’ll be heading out by car to nearby restaurants and cafés to forage for grub. The 24-hour Honesty Shop on site is well-stocked with essentials (yes, that includes booze), many locally-sourced, including beef from their own cows. You can also pre-order locally-stocked hampers up to a week before your stay, which range from fresh fruit and veg to BBQ boxes, full English breakfasts and cream teas.

In high season, James and Kate hold a pizza night on Saturdays, which is well worth the £14 for adults and £10 for children. Simply make a note of your toppings on your tent’s clipboard by lunchtime, and in the early evening everyone gathers at the picnic benches around the blazing brick pizza oven while James cooks up the pizzas and garlic bread. You’ll also get free squash and gloriously flat traditional Somerset cider thrown into the mix, as well as dessert – dark chocolate brownies, strawberries, meringues and cream from the farm’s cows, in case you were wondering. Bliss. It’s worth noting, gluten-free pizza bases are available, and Kate was able to whip up a delicious vegan pizza for us at very short notice – very much appreciated.

ACCESSIBILITY

While there are very few stairs to contend with on site, due to the rough nature of farmland, long grasses of the glamping site paddock and the various lips and platforms of the canvas hideaways, I wouldn’t recommend this as a stay for wheelchair users.

DOG-FRIENDLY

Happily for your four-legged family members, Warren Farm is a dog-friendly stay – ideal when there are so many good walkies about. There is a fee of £25 per dog per stay (with a max of two canine campers per tent), and all dogs must be kept on a lead, apart from when they’re dashing about in the dog paddock on site.

OUT & ABOUT

The location does half the work here, as you can literally step out of the campsite and onto several excellent public footpaths – including one that will take you right to Cheddar Gorge in about an hour. You’re also right on The Strawberry Line, a 10.7-mile route on the National Cycle Network that connects Yatton to Cheddar (so you can cycle off all the cheese you’ll eat once you get there). If you’re keen to see more of the landscape but have little legs to contend with – the kids’, not yours, though who I am to judge? – I heartily recommend the tractor trailer farm tour that Warren Farms offers for £3pp. It’ll take about 60-90 minutes, but you’ll get up close and personal with the animals, see some epic views across the hills and learn more about the genuinely fascinating history of the land.

Care to venture further? Hop in the car – Bristol and Bath are a 40-minute drive away, and the sandy beaches of Weston-super-Mare are doable in 30 minutes.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Families with kids of all ages (although I’d say ages 4 to 12 is ideal), couples who like their mini-breaks more low-fi than lavish, and dog owners after IG-worthy walkies. I’m planning to revisit with several families and let the kids run wild together while the adults enjoy fireside G&Ts.

Not for: Anyone who can’t survive without their hair straighteners for a night, or light sleepers likely to be disturbed by nearby animal residents or the flapping of canvas in the wind.

The damage: The canvas hideaways start at £150 per night, with hampers available to pre-order from £15.

See more from Feather Down Farms here.

Warren Farm, Charterhouse, Blagdon, Bristol BS40 7XR.

Words: Izzy Turner-Hicks, Content & Social Editor on Muddy Stilettos.