Over on the eastern edge of the Yorkshire Dales the countryside is less rugged and, dare we say, a tad more refined. Instead of hardcore hiking and hill-farming, think of glamping as rolling greenery, meadows and woodland – country-house country if you like, radiating out from well-to-do market towns like Masham. Swinton Bivouac fits these surroundings like a well-bred lady’s glove, offering genteel outdoors’ overnighting in a bucolic corner of the grand 20,000-acre Swinton Estate.
The glampsite is an enchanting location, set beneath a tree-shrouded, 18th-century folly known as the Druid’s Temple. Here you'll find a scattering of fully furnished hillside yurts with see-for-miles views (each sleeping up to five), Robinson-Crusoe woodland lodges (sleeping up to seven), a bunkhouse (for up to eight) stylishly fashioned from former farm buildings, and a rustic-chic terraced café at the heart of the operation, the eponymous Bivouac.
It’s so achingly cool it could have been constructed just for us – from the hand-built, round-wood beds, bunks and timber shacks (using materials sourced from the estate) to the wood-fired stoves and rocking chairs. Fixtures and fittings are handmade or recycled, from chunky, locally made ceramic crockery to wall mirrors fashioned from gnarled tree off-cuts.
There’s running water in the yurts along with an attached toilet, plus gas-stove and terracotta “fridge”. The lodges, meanwhile, not only have bathrooms with instant hot showers and flushing toilets, but also wood-burners with a kitchen range attached – it seems entirely in-keeping that you’re encouraged to pop in a warming stew before you set out for the day.
There are some hardships – erm, let’s see, you have to walk over to the café for internet access and the site is off-grid so don't forget your torch – but between a soak in the wood-fired hot tub (using their own eco-toiletry range, naturally) and a scenic stroll acround the stunning estate grounds, we’ll think you’ll manage.
