Issue 60

GLAMPSITES
with nature as the cathedral. Peace,
serenity, contemplation. This means
tuning into the natural rhythms of
dawn and dusk and the elements.
Taking life at a walking pace. Simply
slowing down and keeping it simple.
How did you choose your interior
decoration?
Our interiors are about genuine
antique rugs and textiles, lots of
wood and iron cooking implements.
Proper mattresses and iron beds.
We don’t have any plastic, nothing is
painted. When it comes to recycling,
we will recycle glass, paper and tins,
but request that guests leave with
any plastic.
What challenges have you faced?
We’ve been doing this nearly 12
years now. About once a year, at
the beginning or the end of the
season, we get the guest from
hell. It’s generally someone with
unrealistic expectations. But that’s
the hospitality industry. One unkind
person can cause disproportionate
upset. There are rare guests who
confuse hospitality with a master/
slave arrangement. When you’re a
small family run business that can
be hard but it’s a fact of life and the
more guests you have the more
likely you are to encounter a tricky
one. It happens.
What are your plans for next
season?
We are always adding to the guest
experience like fly-fishing, and
now have a new farm entrance
with some insulated buildings
with skylights where we’ve done
film nights and dance classes in
“ONE UNKIND PERSON CAN CAUSE
DISPROPORTIONATE UPSET. THERE
ARE RARE GUESTS WHO CONFUSE
HOSPITALITY WITH A MASTER/SLAVE
ARRANGEMENT”
the winter. We would love to make
this new building a nutrition and
wellness centre with fitness studios.
So far the planners say this is
“inappropriate in a national park“.
I thought what was inappropriate
was fly-tipping, speeding and
polluting rivers – but now we must
apparently add fitness and wellness
to the list of evils. We’ll apply for
more EV chargers (solar connected)
but won’t be surprised if the
planners refuse them too. The red
tape is daunting.
Describe your average day midseason
Changeovers are Monday,
Wednesday and Friday. I head up
around 9am to say goodbye to
departing guests and ask how their
stay went. I even ask the children
because they are always so honest!
If it’s busy we have two cleaning
teams to clean the fire bowls and
wood burners but Guy is still the
one to ensure the gas powered
showers and indoor baths are
ready for hot water. I make a lot of
beds.
The coppicer ensures that there
is chopped firewood and campfire
wood. I greet guests between 4pm
and 6pm and orientate them to the
river and the walk to the pubs so
they don’t get lost in the woods! If
they arrive after 6:30pm they’re in
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