“There is no Wi-fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.” - unknown
Getting outdoors, away from technology and back to nature, is good for the soul. But if camping isn’t your idea of relaxation, allow me to introduce you to Falcon Forest Glamping.
Falcon Forest is an impressive development of 11 glamping pods located on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. Overlooking stunning woodland, it has beautiful scenery and is the perfect getaway for glamping enthusiasts.
Glamping is essentially glamorous camping. The wooden pods are exceptionally cosy and fitted with sheep wool insulation to keep you nice and toasty, even in the chillier months.
Each pod has its own supply of electricity, heating and lighting. So if, like me, you struggle without a hairdryer and phone charger, you’re safe here!
Safety, in fact, is integral at Falcon Forest. All the pods are lockable by key and secure parking is close-by. There are private shower units and loos just a hop, skip and a jump away in the main building.
Each pod has a decking area outside with a picnic bench, the perfect place to sit for breakfast watching the sun rise.
My friend and I chose to stay in a pod with a bed with its own fresh cotton sheets and towels. A lady needs a little luxury when staying in a forest.
We arrived one Friday afternoon and immediately popped open a bottle of bubbles before setting about making our evening meal. We lit our bbq and sheltered it from the wind at the side of the pod. Perfectly positioned to cook some veggie sausages to go with our pre-cooked baked potatoes. There’s nothing better than eating a meal in the fresh air, even if you do have to wrap yourself up in a blanket while you eat it.
Dessert consisted of toasted marshmallows (vegetarian of course, courtesy of Anandas - www.anandafoods.co.uk) wedged between two chocolatey malted milk cow biscuits. Incredibly gooey and udderly delicious!
We sat together watching the sun set, our bellies full of delicious food and feeling the most relaxed we’d both felt in a long time. The beauty of holidaying in the UK is you don’t have the stress of airports, catching flights, arranging transfers. We just packed up our cars with all our essentials (Prosecco, hair straighteners, etc) and set off on our way. Just a few hours later we were feeling completely zen and ready for bed.
After a fantastic nights sleep from all the fresh air (and Prosecco) we woke up and our thoughts soon turned to breakfast. Since it was pouring with rain outside, I appointed myself to tea maker, while my friend was put in charge of the camping stove.
Poor Joey battled the elements for some time to make us a delicious feast of scrambled eggs, beans and sausages, all overlooked by me from the warmth of the pod. It smelt terrific!
I had one simple task: plate it up. Instead, I accidentally flung it across the floor.
Thankfully Joey has the patience of a saint and she set about making a second batch.
Sipping our mugs of tea we were able to take in our beautiful surroundings while enjoying our breakfast, feeling at one with nature.
After an hour or so of listening to the rain hammer down on the pod roof, we decided to not let it dampen our spirits any longer, we donned our wellies and wrapped ourselves up against the elements before setting off on an adventure.
What was supposed to be “a nice little walk in the countryside” became a five mile hike across the North York Moors, one of Britain’s best loved walking spots. Our faces stung as huge drops of rain pelted us. We kept getting lost and the cows and lambs weren't much help with directions. In our eagerness to leave we’d made up a nice flask of tea, stuffed our pockets full with Percy Pigs to keep us revived on the journey…. but had completely forgotten to consult a map. Amateurs!
Several hours later our weary legs carried us back to base camp. Thankfully Falcon Forest is adjacent to the Falcon Inn, a snug old pub with a roaring fire and hearty food. The landlady took pity on us when she saw us walk in looking like drowned rats and served us a warm meal and a nice bottle of wine. We made ourselves comfy by the fire and promised each other that we would make glamping trips a regular thing. Despite a couple of mishaps along the way, we hadn’t laughed so much in a long time.
The sun rose on our third and final day, we packed up our cars and set off to nearby Scarborough to meet up with friends. It was the first UK seaside resort to be developed and is still one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK, offering a wide range of activities.
We took our friend's children to the beach where they enjoyed a donkey ride or two and had a lovely leisurely lunch before going our separate ways.
I can’t tell you how much we loved our trip. It was the perfect escape and we’ll be booking another glamping weekend soon. I heartily recommend you do the same.
