We were recently invited to spend a weekend reviewing one of the many gorgeous sites on the Glampingly website. (We didn’t pay for our accommodation in order to produce this review)

I have long been a fan of sites like Glampingly when searching for holidays, you put the area you would like to go in, and the dates and number of people and they show you all the availability for that time. Glampingly is as the name suggests, purely for sites that provide glamping and have sites across the UK and France and many different types of accommodation including air streams, yurts, tree houses to name but a few! You can also select filters such as ‘good for kids’ or ‘dog friendly’ and narrow down your options that way. Or if you prefer, you can select the type of accommodation you’d like and search for that instead if there is a particular thing you’d like to try and don’t mind where. Glamping is ‘glamorous camping’ which means that the accommodation is far more luxurious then a tent, usually with proper beds and home comforts.

We were told that Up Sticks Glamping, nestled on the edge of the stunning Malvern Hills, was dog friendly and had availability and is only 35 minutes drive from us. We jumped at the opportunity as my husband could still go to work on the Saturday. The town of Ledbury is close by and there are so many walks for Hendrix. The site is situated directly next to a pub and has plenty of off road parking. When we arrived, we were greeted by the owners, a family who were so lovely and welcoming. It was a gorgeous day and the children were delighted to see the rescue chickens scratching around the yard. After being offered a hand with our bags, (which we declined as the children had packed for a month’s adventure to the Antarctic and the car was embarrassingly full!) we were given a tour of what was to be our home for the weekend. There is a large private bathroom for each safari tent with a powerful hot shower in, sink and loo and heated towel rail to keep the lovely fluffy towels warm for you. You access the bathroom by a raised wooden boardwalk meaning no muddy feet when it rains and the children could go in their slippers.

Following the boardwalk round past the Kadai fire pit and fledgling Perry orchard, we were greeted with a view of lush green fields and friendly sheep and lambs grazing, the children were so excited and so was I, this is the childhood I had, growing up on a farm and I was so happy my two little townies were getting to experience it. In front of the enormous safari tent is a large deck with table and chairs overlooking the fields with a big wicker basket containing outdoor games like tennis rackets. There was a dog bowl provided for Hendrix and a long line so he could be free but also secure from scaring the sheep.

It was when we stepped inside that I was really blown away. The tent was like no tent I’d ever stayed in before! Luxurious is certainly the word with a log burner surrounded by comfy sofas and armchairs, another wooden trunk in the middle filled with games and bunting and fairy lights to decorate for a truly magical effect. There was a gorgeous welcome basket filled with local produce and a homemade cake. The kitchen was so well equipped with a gas hob, fridge, Belfast sink and an enormous array of kitchen utensils. There were jars full of marshmallows and hot chocolate and even ketchup and brown sauce. 

Through into the bedrooms and there were proper beds with thick, warm duvets, extra blankets and hot water bottles for chilly nights. The children were up a ladder in ‘the den’, a platform held up with tree trunks, just perfect for them. They spent much of the evenings giggling as they sneaked glances down to the lounge to see if we had noticed them still being awake! The weekend we stayed was very sunny in the day but dropped to below freezing at night and we made use of the log burner, the hot water bottles and the extra fan heaters thoughtfully provided. It was pretty nippy though, and we slept in our socks and hoodies, a proper camping experience! 

For the children there was so much to do, a big tyre swing to play on, a den building kit for them to borrow, chicken eggs to collect and there was also food for them to hand feed the friendly sheep. We made friends with Farmer Phil and on the last morning, we came especially early so the children could hand feed the sheep with the lambs which was so kind! We went walking with Hendrix, explored Ledbury and happened upon a Morris Dancer convention which was an experience! Thanks to owner Charlotte’s suggestion, we had a fun afternoon doing the fairy door trail around the Ledbury shops and she also suggested a walk to find bluebells. There is even a wood fired hot tub by the pond, which we will definitely try next time we go!

The family were always there if we needed anything but weren’t intrusive at all, and we just felt so welcome at all times. The baskets of fresh pastries in the morning were lovely, you don’t imagine having a breakfast delivery option when camping! There is a pantry on site with lots of local produce and all the essentials. There is also a freezer stuffed full of meat and veggie options for grilling on the Kadai and you can also ask for BBQ packs and stews to cook on the hanging bowl attachment over the fire before adding wood for a marshmallow toast off!

There are 3 tents currently, but the way that they are angled means that you don’t feel like you’d be overlooked, (or overlooking anyone!), with plenty of space between each tent. (We were the only guests that weekend.) I was trying to think of something that they need to add to make it better and I genuinely can’t!! Towels, bedding and lovely organic shower gel, shampoo and conditioner from a local company were all provided, as were washing up liquid and hand soap. 

I think it’s quite clear from this but just in case it isn’t, we loved Up Sticks Glamping! It is friendly, luxurious, clean, well maintained, fun and just so perfect! They have thought of absolutely everything, but more then that, they have gone beyond with gorgeous little touches everywhere you look, a twinkly light here, a strand of twirling ivy there. We will certainly be using Glampingly in future when we are looking for weekends away if all of their properties are of this high standard!