The Wildings

“You should sit in nature for 20 minutes a day... unless you are busy, then you should sit for an hour.” So reads the Zen saying that’s quoted on the wall in reception at The Wildings, a new pod camping site in The Cotswolds. We quite agree and this charming little place on the edge of one of Britain’s quaintest and most-visited villages has made it a little easier for people to do that.

There are currently six camping pods at The Wildings, a half-acre sliver of land surrounded by fields near Bourton-on-the-Water. Each has insulation, heating, lights and electricity, which make it possible to “camp” without a tent all year round. You can book the pods with camping mats-only, for what must surely be one of the best-value, all-season stays in the area or ramp up the luxury by adding from a range of extras. It’s a sort of tailor-your-own glamping experience with beds, linen and towels, campfire cooking kit and tableware all available.

This little camping pod village was set up by owner Kim when she was pregnant with her third child – and it shows. It’s a lovely spot for everyone but perfect for young families with each pod sleeping up to a family of five. For some (perhaps especially parents) the fact that there’s nothing to set up and peg down will open up the world of camping. The pods are warm, weatherproof and can be tailored to your needs. Bringing a baby? Add the cot bundle. Camping as a couple? How about booking a celebration hamper? And if you’re worrying about warming the baby’s bottle or feeding over-tired kids, don’t. Just head to the on-site Cook House with its fully kitted-out, undercover communal kitchen with sofas and books to boot.

You’ll get more than your 20 minutes in nature here: while enjoying a campfire and watching the bats, while the kids play on the climbing frame and even on your way to and from the communal loos. But lovely as it is (and “lovely” really is the word), it’s a simple site that, as Kim says, is a great Cotswolds base camp rather than an attraction in its own right. After all, there are plenty of those in the surrounding area already with picturesque, riverside Bourton-on-the-Water just a mile away. It has a historic model village, Birdworld and The Cotswold Motoring Museum as well as tearooms, inns and cafes. There’s enough to keep you occupied for a week but it’s well connected too with footpaths as well as roads leading out to the rolling hills and other heart-achingly perfect villages that The Cotswolds is so famous for.