Glamping at Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans Part 2

18/07/2017


Glamping


If you are a regular reader to my blog you may have come across part one of our glamping trip and you will know that we had an amazing time on our recent getaway. Mad Dogs and Vintage Vans has so much to offer all ages and with such an exquisite location in the heart of the Wye Valley I just couldn't do the place justice in one post. The first instalment mainly covered the accommodation so in this second part I wanted to share what we got up to on the site, the facilities and exploring the local area.


Camping Deli

wheelbarrow


Firstly the site is small but perfectly formed and even with all the caravans rented out it wouldn't feel crowded. All except one (Elsie) is off-grid and doesn't have electric so at night you surround yourself with the beautiful flicker of tea lights and fairy lights, with torches being provided should you fancy a night time walk. This doesn't however mean you cannot charge your phone, near the small parking area is a wall plug just for that, along with a honesty fridge for basic supplies and local produce as well as wood bundles for the fires.


camping kitchen

natural childhood


When it comes to keeping clean the toilet and showers are located in the sheltered wooded area and keeping to their low impact ethos the showers are solar powered (and nice and warm). They have a normal toilet but also a composting toilet which is great for those who want to embrace the off-grid lifestyle which we did.

The wooded area was also an instant favourite with the kids and you can see why, there are logs to climb and dens to build, in fact they use this area during the school term for a forest local school. There is a fire pit with enough space for a group to sit around and cook a stew or roast marshmallows, as well as a rope swing which my boys spent a lot of time on. This area is pretty sheltered and even though we had fantastic weather during our stay I imagine in light rain kids could still run around here completely unaffected. There is also a large communal mess tent which is perfect for wet weather or communal eating. Inside the mess tent is a long dinning table which was beautifully decorated with flowers, as well as a big comfy sofa and a box full of toys and board games, as well as a large gas camping stove.


blonde boy

forest school


Mad Dogs and Vintage Vans is also all about disconnecting from the stresses of daily life and reconnecting with loved ones, family, friends and nature and there is all you need on this site to do that. If you want to get active there is a tennis court waiting to be played, you can also hire bikes or bring your own and a few meters down the road is a dirt track through a farm down to the River Wye. For those ladies who rather indulge in a bit of pampering and relaxation Mad Dogs also offer a service called Pamp and Glam which is just amazing! You can wake up to birdsong and walk over to the lotus tent for a Swedish Massage, Hot Stone massage or one of the many other treatments offered, I did this and it was a truly wonderful and relaxing way to start the day.



Pamp and Glamp


Mad Dogs is also a great base for exploring the local area and less than 10mins down the road is Ross-On-Wye, the nearest market town and such a picturesque town at that. We spent a couple of hours here one afternoon wondering around all the independent shops and you will also find plenty of cafes and traditional country pubs as well as a pretty market square and plenty of walks, which we did a long the River Wye spotting swans, fish and wildlife. Another day trip was spent running around The Kymin in Monmouth, a National Trusts property which offers up some fantastic views across Monmouthshire for the 18th century Roundhouse.


Market town

Swan

National Trust


We had a fantastic break away at Mad Dogs, we completely embraced the lack of wifi and mobile internet and in fact we prefer short breaks like this because there is no distractions except those you find in nature. This place saviours all those wonderful simple pleasures and is a great spot to disconnect, relax and recharge and we highly recommend it.






Country Kids

Thanks to Mad Dogs for inviting us to review this unique glamping experience 

24 comments:

  1. Oooh, we went here a year or so ago but I don't remember that lovely pink massage tent - looks amazing!

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    1. Oh thats so cool Jo - do you have a blog post? Would love to read it

      Laura x

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  2. Wow this looks like such a fun place to stay! I still need to try out glamping :)

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    1. You really should try it out, it's so fun

      Laura x

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  3. I'm kind of scared of camping but the more I read about glamping it makes me want to give it a go. Looks like you had a wonderful trip!

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    1. You really should try it, it is a step up in comfort in terms of camping

      Laura x

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  4. Oh my goodness a campsite with hot stone massage is my idea of heaven! I always wake up with a stiff neck when I'm camping. I love it when they have a communal under cover area as well, it really gets people together and chatting. I'll add this one to my boards for a future trip.

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    1. This is such a nice place - we had a really good sleep and a very comfy bed. Yes the morning Swedish massage was amazing

      Laura x

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  5. This place looks just wonderful. My OH hates camping so I have been trying to convince him we should glamp instead x

    Miss Kitty Kaos - Adventures Of A Riot Grrrl

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  6. What an idyllic break this makes. Just to unplug, enjoy family time and watch a beautiful sunset with no work to worry about must be perfect. It looks like a wonderful location for countryside exploring too. I can see why you wanted to split this adventure over two posts.

    Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids

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  7. Laura is just looks fantastic. Ross on wye and monmouth are so pretty. I don't visit them enough x

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  8. This really does sound like a fab glamping trip, I'm definitely sold on the glam tent! x

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  9. It sounds like the most amazing trip - I think Mad Dogs vintage might have sold me on camping, too! My kids would love it x

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  10. This place looks amazing! What a find! #countrykids

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  11. This place sounds like my idea of heaven. What an idyllic setting. I can imagine visiting here with friends and having the very best time. Off to watch your vlog now x

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  12. I can't tell you how much I love this place. 'Raw' and 'organic' outdoors at its best. I love that you can't charge your phone... no temptation to use it and that equals a digital detox - perfect family time. I can't think of anything better. Lovely photos too ! #countrykids

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  13. Looks amazing - now we are going to be living in our usual holiday destination, I need to find new places!

    (also joining in with the #CountryKids linky, thanks for the idea!)

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  14. Sounds like a fab place to really get back to nature. #countrykids

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  15. This sounds absolutely amazing! What a beautiful spot and fabulous facilities. A great break away from everything. Gorgeous photos x #countrykids

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  16. Gorgeous photos -and this place looks amazing! Bet you are keen to book another trip!

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  17. What an absolutely glorious looking place! Love that lotus tent x

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  18. Your photos in this post are absolutely beautiful Laura - especially the rope tyre swing one :) I recently went glamping in the Lake District and we had a fantastic time, despite the crappy weather lol x

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  19. Lovely photos, looks like you all had a great time!

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  20. This looks glorious. Love the concept of the Elsie van and fairy lights. Gorgeous photos.

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Lovely comments

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