Shillingridge Glamping

There are two beautifully appointed safari lodges here, each sleeping up to six people and properly furnished for your stay. Indeed, there’s not a camp bed or tin mug in sight. Instead, you’ll find proper beds in two bedrooms, wooden floors, sofas and a kitchen with a fridge, a butler sink and a dresser full of crockery. Perhaps the best way to sum up the level of comfort you can expect is by taking a peek at the bathroom – there’s a toilet, sink and power shower, plus a tempting roll-top bath. You'll also spy eco-friendly toiletries and a generous number of fluffy towels.

That’s a good way to describe Shillingridge as a whole: generous. This place just keeps on giving. The beds are beautifully made, and in the cooler months have hot water bottles and electric blankets as well. You’ll find tea, coffee and milk in the kitchen, logs provided for the wood-burning stove and outdoor fire bowl, not to mention blankets and games tucked under the cute cabin bedroom that your kids are going to love. You can pre-order breakfast, barbecue boxes and homemade meals to warm through or even book a private chef!

So much more than merely a place to stay, Shillingridge Glamping also doubles as a venue for wellness retreats. The Sanctuary offers a full range of holistic experiences, from yoga and meditation to pilates, massage and spa treatments. This stunning setting is the perfect place to unwind and reconnect with nature – abuzz with wildlife and myriad woodland walks, you can truly immerse yourself in the Great Outdoors and switch off from the daily grind. Your hosts can tailor your retreat accordingly, with foraging, energy healing, creative writing, and sound bowls all easily included.

Enabling all this are your hosts, Catherine and Simon, who are equally generous with their time. They’ll take you to meet their chickens and horses and are happy to share their tips on things to do. They can set you off on walks in the fabulous surrounding countryside or tell you their favourite places to eat. If you’re wondering, that’ll be The Nettlebed Creamery for a cheese toastie and Tom Kerridge’s The Hand and Flowers in Marlow for a Michelin-star meal, just three miles from the site. There are other lovely places to visit too: the charming Chilterns’ village of Hambleden is about the same distance away as Marlow, while Henley-on-Thames and Windsor are a 20–30-minute drive. Then when dusk descends, there's no better place to be than back at camp, toasting marshmallows over the firebowl, beneath twinkling fairy lights, as you stargaze at some of the clearest night skies this close to the capital. Pure bliss.