Jolly Days Luxury Camping, North Yorkshire
Village Farm, Scrayingham, North Yorkshire
I love camping - I love Jollydaying even more ......
Situated at the crux of The Howardian Hills and The Wolds, Jollydays is a luxury camping venture undertaken by Carolyn and Christian Van Outersterp. They set out to combine a love of camping with the attributes of comfortable, chic hotels; they set out to "offer comfort, style, simplicity, nature and it's restorative effects in a unique experience". And you bet they have.
Surrounded by areas of outstanding natural beauty, there are currently 14 tents within a beautiful 200 acre wood comprising a mixture of tented lodges and bell tents.
Dry, warm and clean, with hot water and a stove, at 75m2 the private tented lodges are larger than most hotel suites, have wooden floors, rugs, cosy wood-burners and toilets. The wondrous point is you also get wool blankets and cotton sheets - on four-poster beds - and chandeliers and sofas by the fire. Ok get off the floor - isn't that fantastic? I have SO many friends who will now change their minds about camping!
The lodge tents are bespoke, made in Yorkshire just for Jollydays to ensure a great stay for you. Again the bedding includes wool blankets to keep you toasty warm on cold nights. In early spring and late autumn / winter the tents are lined - you'll still need your thermals though! Each private lodge can accommodate up to 6 people. (Carolyn and Christian have 4 kids so they know how difficult accommodating the clan can be!). There's that four-poster bed in one room, 2 single beds in another, all with canopies, and a sofa bed for 2 people in the living area (near the stove!). Cots and highchairs may be hired at a cost of £3 each per day.
The bell tents sleep 4 and consist of 2 tents, one for sleeping and one for storage and cooking. Both are on a wooden base. You sleep on futon beds that fold up during the day to form sofas. The sleeping tent has a wood-burning stove inside to keep it snug. Unlike the Lodge tents Bell tent guests need to use the toilets near the Central Lobby tent - you need some semblance of normality I think! The sleeping tent has 2 sofa bed futons in the one space. The other tent is for storage, food preparation and cooking. It is possible, if you prefer, to put a futon in each tent to give you privacy at night - note though that the storage tent does not have a wood stove.
All of this wondrous decadence comes guilt-free: the eco chic camp leaves little impact on the area as there are no permanent structures. Minimal electricity is used and an increasing proportion of energy usage is sustainable. LPG gas is heated to heat water which is more energy efficient than electricity. Spent water is sent to a bio digester and then released into the ground on site.
As far as food is concerned you are self-catering! However, you can purchase a "Jollydays Breakfast Basket" providing breakfast nosh to set you up for the day. Meat and vegetarian baskets are available, as are continental baskets, all for 2, 4 or 6 people. The Balloon Tree farm shop and café is within 1 mile and sells own-grown and local produce, the café serves breakfast should you forget the basket above! Guest cooks may be invited to come to camp and prepare a variable evening meal be it fire cooked meats, vegan or vegetarian. You will be notified as and when this may happen.
Tea and cake is thoughtfully offered at the "lobby tent" for you to recharge your batteries after a day ‘doing' - you get to catch up, unwind and simply enjoy where you're at. There is also a small clay oven which can be used if you're on a mission to bake your own bread, flour supplies are available.
There are loads of places to see and things to do in this area - Carolyn and Christian will gladly advise. Go walking in the hills, explore the lovely local towns, visit the Yorvik Museum and admire York City or discover the stunning coastline.
Saying that, there's loads of fun to be had in a 200 acre wood; the kids were never around! Camps, swings, hide and seek, Indians raiding the Cowboys lodge tents for goodies - imagine? The girls and the boy and the grown ups equally had a fabulous time - jumping ditches, making friends, getting black and blacker - it was great - good wholesome kid fun!
Whatever you choose to do a warm welcome awaits you on your return; join in a drink by the fire pit and clay oven or snuggle down in the privacy of your own tent. The crescendo that was the dawn chorus with woodpecker on bass - at 5:30ish - was memorable for all good reasons - gorgeous music - piping hot in bed - freezing cold out of bed - wood burner for him in-doors to get going - result!
The camp provides a perfect retreat for any occasion. To escape, to get together, to remember how simple life can be, to just be - so get Jollydaying and let us know how you get on.
NOTE: Parents are expected to be responsible for their children. To keep the woodland as natural and as free as possible and not inhibit the movement of wildlife areas are not fenced off. Shallow ponds are close by in the wider woodland, as well as some small water-courses and drainage ditches.
Images courtesy of Jolly Days and Brooke Parker