After our annual Easter Egg hunt with the gang (ten kids!) on Friday we jumped in the car to drive to “The North”. The destination was The Bivouac in the Yorkshire Dales.
It was dark when we arrived and we crunched our way across a snowy field and through the trees to the woodland shack at the end of the trail. There we discovered the gorgeously named Teasel Burrow where the woodburning stove was just starting to heat up the cosy shack. Steve’s sister and boyfriend had already arrived and settled in. Even with four adults and two kids there was enough space.
There was a thick layer of snow over the field in front of the shack. It felt like the depths of winter and not the beginning of spring.
Inside the shack was comfortable and welcoming. Everything was designed with perfect attention to detail – from a welcoming Easter decoration to the curving organic wooden structure of the shack itself. We enjoyed sitting around the table in the warm candlelight from the many lanterns.
There was a bathroom with a loo and shower. The water is heated by the woodburning stove and takes a couple of hours to heat up so we ended up using the communal shower block, mainly there for the people staying in the yurts. It was without a doubt the most luxurious camp ground shower block I’ve ever seen. Bespoke organic toiletries from the Bivouac Apothecary and hairdryers. Definitely on the glam side of “glamping”!
The three tiered sleeping area provided bedding for seven and an adventure playground for the kids.
We had an outing to the ruins of Middleham Castle, about a twenty minute drive away. Even in its deserted state the castle is still a spectacular building.
Afterwards, we headed back to the Bivouac Cafe for lunch with some old friends who had driven down from Cumbria to meet us.
Like everything at Bivouac, the cafe is full of creative details that give an inspiring and homey experience. Its also very family friendly which we appreciated with a kids playroom downstairs, great (healthy) kids menu and really nice change facilities – wipes and nappy bags provided! (sorry if that is TMI but when you need them, you really need them!)
The food was delicious, nourishing and fresh, cooked by a chef onsite. Not your typical camping meal of half -burnt smokey sausages with soggy bread (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
The owners, Beth and Sam Hardwick are welcoming and warm and their amazing vision for this special place really shines through. Beth talks about their experience setting it up in this article at The Ethical Traveller and I am so impressed by what they have achieved.
We drove back to London feeling relaxed and restored, already planning our next trip to “the Biv”. Maybe in summer this time to enjoy more of the walking the area has to offer.
