Glamping with the children in West Wales

With the bank holidays looming - what perfect excuse but to up sticks and head for the countryside en famille for a spot of camping.

That’s exactly what I did last weekend with my two children aged 2 and 5 in tow.  I will let you into a secret though: we forsook soggy fields and sagging tents in place of glamping at Pant yr Hwch farm  in West Wales.

Glamping with Featherdown Farms to the uninitiated is basically posh camping,  no struggling with tent poles, the tent is erected, no faffing with gas cookers, they supply you with a wood burning stove and  beautiful warm beds with duvets and polished wood floors as well as a wooden kitchen table and chairs.

We arrived en famille after a 5 hour drive from London, (it should have been four but we took a detour across the Brecon Beacons, (I blame the driver not the navigator!). Tired and dishevelled we were warmly welcomed by our remarkable hosts Martin and Ann Jones with gas lamps and a warm kettle on the stove.

Now, although I packed my hairdryer and makeup, packing your children’s clothes for glamping requires a bit of thought.

So to save you some time here are my top tips:

1) Wellies, wellies wellies. No matter how sunny the forecast, always pack the childrens’ wellies there are bound to be streams and ditches to explore.

2) Pack a spare pair of outdoor shoes too for when the wellies get wet inside! And believe me they will - it’s one of the laws of the outdoors that children should get wet feet from having too much fun.

3) Always carry a spare pair of socks with you (see above)

4) Dungarees - they are all weather proof and can be rolled up or down and worn with t-shirts or jumpers.

5) Water proofs, bright ones so you can spot your little one’s from a mile away

6) Shorts and t-shirts for when the sun comes out

7) warm PJs - I like the brushed cotton sort. Round off with bed socks, it’s still chilly in the dead of night even in the height of summer

8) Sun cream - okay so it’s not strictly clothing but you don’t want sun burn, even when it’s cloudy at this time of year you don’t want to take chances.

9) Hair bobbles for the girls, all that running around and fresh air make for birds nest heads, and without a bath you can tidy them up with a plait or a ponytail.

10) A bin liner and a sense of humour! Now is not the time to strive for persil perfection ,let them run wild and get muddy and throw the clothes in the bin liner when they get dirty.

And with these tips you can’t fail. Just remember to check your route on a map before you start. Our sat nav failed and a four hour journey became a five hour trek across the Brecon Beacons. (Now I blame the driver, not the navigator of course!)

Enjoy!

Chloe Goddard, founder of www.thegoto.co.uk and http://www.chloegoddardpr.co.uk/

@Chloegoddard1