GLAMPING | A Relaxing Stay In A Cosy Shepherd’s Hut at Castle Farm Holidays, Shropshire

February 17, 2019 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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Castle Farm Holiday Shepherd's Hut Glamping Shropshire

Where did we go?

Castle Farm Holidays Shropshire
Dudleston
Ellesmere
Shropshire
SY12 9EF

Tel: 01691 690801
Email:[email protected]
Prices: From £55.00 per night, per glamping pod

Our stay

I set off after work on Friday evening looking forwards to a restful weekend and some quality time spent outdoors. Located in Shropshire, close to the Welsh border, Castle Farm Holidays was only a 50 drive from the office and it was still light when I set off, with a welcome hint of Spring in the air.

The drive through the Cheshire, then Shropshire countryside was a delight and I arrived just before 6:30pm and was met by friendly owner Helen, who walked me up to Bluebell shepherd’s hut and gave me a rundown of the site facilities.

This was my first ever stay in a Shepherd’s hut and it was a fabulous experience. Bluebell is located at the far end of the glamping field, where 4 other glamping pods are sited, one of them with its own secluded hot tub.

Bluebell sleeps up to 4 people on a double bed and a pull-out sofa bed. Inside there’s also a pull out table and chairs and a mini kitchen area with a kettle, toaster, microwave and fridge. Crockery and cutlery is supplied but I’d recommend taking a washing up bowl with you to easily transport used crockery to the washing up facilities at the other side of the field.

Outside there’s a cute little covered veranda, ideal for storing your muddy walking boots and beside the Shepherd’s hut there’s a picnic bench, perfect for al fresco dining in the summer.

The morning view — *Good morning world!*

The Shepherd’s hut is very well insulated and I found it warm and cosy. There’s an electric fire and a fan heater inside so whatever the weather, you won’t be cold.

The rural location makes for a truly peaceful stay and I enjoyed two very restful nights of sleep, waking up to gorgeous views and the sound of birdsong.

Site facilities

As well as Bluebell Shepherd’s hut, there are also 4 pods on site and 2 self-catering cottages. There’s a lovely purpose built timber building which houses the modern men’s and ladies toilet and shower facilities as well as a washing up area (complete with fridge and washing machine), and there’s also a cosy sitting room for guests, which is well worth popping into as it’s packed full of information on the local area and provides a handy communal area in bad weather.

Castle Farm Holidays Glamping Shropshire

There’s plenty of space for kids to run around safely. There’s a second secure field ideal for ball games and in the summer there’s things like table tennis to keep the kids entertained too. There’s free WiFi across the site and despite the rural location, I had a full phone signa and found plenty of power sockets inside the shepherd’s hut.

The local area

Last time I was in the region I picked up a signed copy of the brilliant Wild Guide To Wales and the Marches, so I took it along with me and decided that Castell Dinas Brân (Crow Castle) looked like a good bet for Saturday.

Castell Dinas Bran Crow Castle Llangollen

On Saturday morning at 8am I awoke after a wonderfully deep sleep (the bed inside Bluebell is big and very comfortable), made a quick mug of cinnamon tea and headed straight out to Llangollen. By 9am I was parked up beside the river, with the remains of the medieval castle towering high above. I chose the riverside long-stay car park which cost just £3 for a full day, popped on my hiking boots and backpack and started the steep climb up to the castle.

If you’re going to do this walk, make sure you’ve got good footwear on as part of the ascent is really steep and depending on the direction you choose for the descent, you might need to do a wee bit of scrambling on the way back down.

The weather was glorious – a perfect early spring day with plenty of sunshine and when I reached the castle there were only a handful of other people up there so I hung around for a while to explore and take in the amazing scenery; well worth the effort to reach it.

On the way back down I stopped at LLangollen Wharf (I can thoroughly recommend the vegetarian breakfast at the tea room!) and noticed horse-drawn canal boat trips, so straight after breakfast I hopped onto a canal boat for a relaxing slow meander down the canal in the sunshine, pulled by Hercules one of their two beautiful working horses.

The verdict

The Shepherd’s hut is spacious, warm and cosy with a wonderfully comfortable bed and the accommodation and facilities are spotlessly clean. The site itself is beautiful and very peaceful, so if it’s a rural idyll you’re seeking, Castle Farm Holidays won’t disappoint.

The site is just as suitable for a romantic couples glamping weekend away as it is for a family holiday, and there’s even the option of hiring the whole site for larger groups of family or friends. Castle Farm Holidays provide a comfortable range of accommodation options with something to suit all budgets and with so much to do just a short drive away, it’s a fabulous location for a short break though there’s more than enough to do close by to keep you occupied for a whole week!

To find out more, visit Castle Farm Holidays Shropshire.

Thank you to Castle Farm Holidays who invited us to stay.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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