TRAVEL
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lways fancied getting back to nature but not particularly enthralled by the idea of sleeping on a ditchridden, tent-canvassed floor? Then this is the perfect weekend break for you. As the first and only Eco Campsite on the island, your secret getaway is a lot closer than you think. Newly opened this May and nestled within Union Mills are a cluster of picturesque Yurts. Each one an 18ft ash wood structure, they’re nothing short of the ultimate ‘glamping experience’. Hugged by the beautiful, lush Saba Glen and trickling river you’ll be transported back to the simple life. Inside these over sized nests you’ll have everything you could ever need, from a stove, towels, crockery and even a double bed complete with fluffy duvet. When the night sky begins to creep in you’re even provided with candles, boardgames and a campfire to huddle around before you head into your Yurt to sleep amongst the stars. There’s also a picnic area and BBQ outside or head to Le Couvert, a sheltered marquee dining area with an adjoining kitchen where you can sit beneath the large flickering candle lanterns and natter away with fellow Yurters. For those who really want to be at one with nature there’s an outdoor shower, as well as a heated gas shower for the more reserved, complete with complimentary organic body wash and shampoo. However, beware the outdoor compost toilet isn’t for the faint hearted. Choose from the Butterfly Patch, Salmon’s Leap or the luxury Yurt, River Bank, which comes complete with soft carpeted floor, a felt starry effect ceiling, solar power and even its own hot tub. So who says camping means sleeping bags and wet wipes? This Eco Yurt Campsite is the perfect balance between getting back to basics and getting lost in the romance of nature.
Getaways I
f embracing all things ‘natural’ doesn’t get your holiday bug biting then perhaps you need something a little less relaxing and a little more frightening, like the ‘super-natural’. As the evenings draw shorter and Halloween lurks around the next corner perhaps a trip to one of the most haunted cities in Britain is what you need? Beneath the idyllic Tudor buildings of York is buried a much more sinister side waiting for you to explore. Steeped in Roman and Viking history, at night groups of tourists gather around the city waiting to be led down the shadowy cobbled streets. Founded by the Romans in 71 AD, York has suffered Viking invasion, Civil War, The Black death and a cholera epidemic making it a feeding ground for all sorts of ghoulish spirits. With its veining backstreets twining across the city and crooked buildings looming over the paths, your mind begins to wonder what could be hiding in the dark alleyways? As one of the oldest streets in York, ‘The Shambles’, originally the Anglo Saxon ‘Fleshammel’s’ meaning ‘Street of the Butchers’ is a famous ghost hunting stop off. With the likes of a headless Sir Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, executed for plotting against Queen Elizabeth I flaunting the area along with a forlorn Margaret Clitherow, crushed to death by the authorities for illegally harbouring Catholic priests, just make sure you’re never left at the back of the tour group. Another of the stops includes what is said to be the most haunted building in Britain, ‘The Treasurers House’. Here legless Roman soldiers, a murderous wife and sallow faced children roam the corridors. So get your night vision goggles at the ready and visit York if you dare. With a whole host of beautiful boutique style hotels and bed and breakfasts to choose from there’s no shortage of luxurious beds for you to check under before calling it a night.
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ISLE OF MAN STYLE MAGAZINE