Autumn is Jen’s favourite season for glamping in a yurt, so she has created a relaxed staycation plan to give you a glimpse of why it is so perfect.
It has been a summer of sunny glamping staycations in England. Now it’s time to embrace the changing season and continue that wonderful new tradition. There is still so much glamping fun to be had. With or without the children in tow. Autumn in the English countryside is stunning, with its deep colours and meteor shower displays. Read on for Jen’s detailed plan for a 2-night autumn glamping break at Country Bumpkin Yurts…
Day one
Arrive at Waterloo Cottage Farm & Country Bumpkin Yurts around 3 pm.
Go and find your yurt and explore your new home for the next few days. I highly recommend turning your phone off at this point if you can; it helps to switch off our whirring brain. Rest and recuperation, a bit of R&R, is what glamping in a yurt is good for.
Time to then stock up on the food and drink you need from Waterloo Cottage Farm Shop. I love to eat and drink locally produced stuff when I go away; it creates a more immersive holiday experience. There is also something special about knowing you are supporting real people behind the food and drink when it is locally made. Plus, it tastes fantastic.
Relax and explore your surroundings. Say hello to the highland cows and admire the hedgerows, the colours of the fruits and berries are simply lovely.
For dinner on the first evening, it has to be a BBQ. Get those coals going come rain or shine. We Brits can BBQ in any weather, it comes with having famously unpredictable forecasts.
Unwind, let dinner go down, and get the hot tub fired up. The wood-burning hot tub takes about 3 hours to get to 35-40 degrees and it needs regular stirring and fire building. It sounds like a lot of work but, if you’re like me, playing with fire is fun. It’s totally worth the effort.
Once the hot tub is nice and hot, skip down there in your wellies and towel and enjoy the stars from the warmth of the water. Personally, I like being in the tub when it’s wild out – it’s invigorating! Don’t forget to take a nice drink down to the hot tub too. If bubbly isn’t your thing, there are some great local beers and ciders in the shop.
Watch the stars until you are ready to crawl into bed.
Top tip – The Orionids meteor shower peaks on 21 and 22nd October so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Day two
For the first morning in the yurt, it’s all about coziness and taking your time. Treat yourself to a lazy morning with a fry up, good coffee, and a nice magazine. Sit back and watch nature wake up with you. I love mornings at Country Bumpkin Yurts – the lighting is beautiful.
Today’s main activity centres around Market Harborough. Leave the car and enjoy a gentle walk into Market Harborough along The Brampton Valley Way. You can access the traffic-free bridleway from a gate at the back of the farm. It will take you all the way into Market Harborough (about 2.5 miles) and there are signposts to take you to the town centre.
Market Harborough town is a lovely place for a ‘mooch’. There are plenty of shops (both independent and chain) and places to eat. We recommend a visit to the little museum and taking in the old grammar school.
Refuel yourselves ready for the walk back at one of the cafes. We have many favourites so it’s hard to recommend just one. Louisa’s Place does a delicious club sandwich if that’s what you fancy, or Milos has homemade cakes to die for.
Start the walk back home to your yurt. Before finishing, instead of going up the path to the farm, walk a bit further along The Brampton Valley Way to explore the dark tunnels.
Top tip – if you go down to the tunnels at dusk, you might get to see some bats as they fly in and out of the entrance.
Head back to your yurt and relax for the rest of the afternoon. You could go on a fungi hunt around the yurts, you’ll find some interesting specimens in Autumn.
For dinner on the second evening of your glamping staycation, we suggest The George pub restaurant down the road. The food is brilliant, and you won’t have to wash the dishes (who wants to do that on holiday?!).
When you get back, put on a few extra layers of clothing, and sit around the fire pit with a hot chocolate. If you have room after dinner, toast a few marshmallows too. Enjoy the mesmerizing flames and the sugary goodness.
Day three
Make the most of the morning on your last day. Get up a little earlier and go for a final walk (over the tunnels this time). Enjoy nature’s larder and pick some sloe berries for you own slow gin whilst you are out. There are some right by the yurts if you don’t want to walk far. With the sloes and some local gin from the farm shop, you can make slow gin which will be ready around Christmas. What a lovely way of remembering your autumn glamping staycation a few months down the line.
Drive home feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
Glamping in Autumn is a joy, it can be as adventurous or as relaxing as you like. We hope Jen’s 2-night plan for a yurt glamping stay at Country Bumpkin Yurts has helped to inspire you to take some time away for yourselves in this glorious season. Staycations for the win!
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