Cool Cotswolds: a weekend stay in a glamping pod
Want to be in the great outdoors but with all of your creature comforts? A break in a glamping pod can offer the best of both worlds.
Think of the word ‘glamping’ and you might envisage big tents or a yurt containing solid beds and crisp white sheets, but still offering the sensation of sleeping under the stars.
Now the venerable Caravan and Motorhome Club has taken the concept a stage further by building a set of spanking new ‘glamping pods’ at several of its sites around the UK.
We spent a long weekend in a pod at the club’s site in Moreton-in Marsh in the Cotswolds to find out what they're are all about.
Caravan and Motorhome Club
What exactly is a glamping pod?
Made from wood, metal and double-glazed doors the pods are solid enough to shut out the elements completely. What’s more they come with creature comforts such as heating, an en-suite bathroom with shower, a small kitchen unit and a TV and DVD player.
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What is it like to stay in one?
While the pods may be compact, they are very clever in their use of space, sleeping a family of four comfortably.
A double bed pulls down from the wall over the sofa and can be folded back away during the day. There’s also an upper bunk bed, which sits above another sofa that can be reconfigured into a bed too. My daughter, seven, loved making up her sofa bed after a day out.
It is a bit of a squeeze at bedtime but the pods are cosy and comfortable. And the beauty of them is they are suitable for all seasons. The heating is there for when it’s chilly, whereas if you want to cook out in the warmer months there’s a barbecue outside and a table and chairs for al fresco dining on the wooden deck.
Caravan and Motorhome Club
Self-catering and eating out
Stocking up on supplies for your pod is easy thanks to a fabulous locally-run supermarket at the end of the high street, jam-packed with regional produce from cakes to cider.
On Tuesday there’s a large market where you can browse for everything from clothes to cheese.
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Don’t fancy cooking? There are lots of historic hostelries to eat and drink at in Moreton-in-Marsh including The Cotswold Food Store & Café, a tea room and deli.
But our pick for home-cooked food washed down with a pint of Cotswold Gold (from the Donnington Brewery just down the road in Stow-on-the-Wold) is The Black Bear.
What to see and do nearby
As the site is just five minutes’ walk from the gorgeous centre of Moreton-in-Marsh, a market town that’s full of the chocolate-box, honey-hued buildings that are typical of the Cotswolds, you couldn't be better placed to explore this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
You’re also just a 15-minute stroll from Batsford Arboretum and the broadly Asian-themed gardens contain gorgeous waterfalls and lakes aplenty to admire.
Next door is the Cotswold Falconry Centre, where you can get up close and personal with birds of prey including hawks, kites and owls.
The site is also within easy striking distance (30 minutes' drive) of the Shakespearean sights of Stratford-upon-Avon, perfect for a dose of history and a gentle boat trip on the River Avon.
David Knibbs/Shutterstock
Or for something entirely unique spend an hour wandering around a miniature marvel – the Bourton-on-the-Water model village is a Grade II-listed tiny version of the town of the same name, also built in Cotswolds stone.
Book it
The glamping pods have also been installed at the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s sites in Coniston in Cumbria, Brighton, Daleacres in Kent (near Folkestone) and Abbey Wood south-east London.
A stay at the Moreton-in-Marsh Glamping Pods starts from £59 per night and minimum of two nights stay is required. For more information visit experiencefreedom.co.uk
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