Holiday Review
Glamping on the Isle of Wight at Tom’s Eco Lodge The trend for ‘glamping’ is hard to ignore, so here at Families we thought we’d jump on the bandwagon and give it a go. We wanted to go away as a family, before the depths of winter set in, so we opted for a quirky weekend break in the UK. Although ‘Glamping’ in October did seem like a bit of a mad idea, we thought we’d try it. I love the great outdoors, but I like my home comforts too, so to save time searching we took expert advice from Tabitha Symonds from www.oneoffplaces.co.uk. Tabitha assured me that she could find us somewhere really unusual to stay that was comfortable, easy to get to for a long weekend and most importantly was fun for children (6-year-old twins and a 10-year-old). Our favourite of her suggestions was Tom’s Eco Lodge in the Isle of Wight. As soon as we looked at his website www.tomsecolodge.com and watched a video of Tom taking a tour round his lodges and site, we knew that it would be the perfect place to stay for the weekend. I hadn’t been to the Isle of Wight since I was a child and I was excited as the children when we got on the ferry (Tom’s Eco Lodge has a preferential rate, which they send you once you book). It only took an hour to drive to Lymington and 40 minutes on the ferry to Yarmouth. Tom’s Eco Lodge is based on a farm under ten minutes away from Yarmouth. When you arrive you find you’re welcomed with a bottle of wine and a torch - what else could you need? Especially as we had forgotten to pack both items! Each safari-style lodge has a cosy logburning stove, a sofa, a kitchen with running water and beds with linen. They even have
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FAMILIES Thames Valley East
electric blankets to keep off the chill as well as a loo and a shower. There are five lodges sleeping up to eight including one with its own hot tub available for hire! I can hear the shouts of outrage now, “that’s not even glamping”. Maybe that’s true, but I loved the combination of being out on the farm under canvas with a warm cosy bed, hot shower and stove to cook on! It also meant we only had to pack clothes, wellies and a bit of food. Even if you don’t bring any groceries, they have a great honesty larder. It’s stocked with local produce and lots of essentials like butter, milk and bread, alongside important non-essentials like fresh coffee, Prosecco, marshmallows and skewers, (for cooking on the fire). They also sell the ingredients for pizza, which you can make in a pizza oven in the communal area. Without a doubt the highlight for the children, apart from the glorious views and 500 cows that also share the farm, was the converted caravan with rescued battery hens in it, each with their own, named, door. I did
feel sorry for the group of Yogis who were also staying on site as my children patrolled the caravan like soldiers each morning. Every time an egg was laid, it was snatched away and proudly presented to us for breakfast. The constant patrol meant that five were gathered each morning (so we could all have one each) and also meant that they were exhausted by the time we left for a daytrip at 10am. The kids could run around the site quite safely and found secret paths, hammocks and swings to play on. We even managed to cook sausages and marshmallows on an open fire outside our lodge. It was fantastic being under the stars eating charred marshmallows and being watched by hundreds of cows! We also enjoyed visiting some of the other parts of the island, we took the obligatory trip to the Needles and took the chairlift down to Alum Bay. It is really touristy but the children loved all the shops and things to do. Having a National Trust membership is also useful as you get free entry into the Needles Old Battery, which is a great historic site to visit. The Isle of Wight is really easy to get to and a fun, safe place for kids. If you want to experience luxurious glamping, Tom’s Eco Lodge certainly fits the bill. To find out more go to www.tomsecolodge.com. One Off Places is a holiday accommodation website featuring over 1000 properties worldwide. Properties range from treehouses and windmills to manor houses and chateaux, to suit a variety of group sizes, locations, and budgets. For more information see www.oneoffplaces.co.uk.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
E-mail: editor@FamiliesTVEast.co.uk