Ockeridge Rural Retreats

Ockeridge Rural Retreats is well named – a luxurious glamping and self-catering holiday property deep in the rural Worcestershire countryside, boasting a variety of glamping accommodation and a superb two-bedroom cabin on the same site. It’s certainly the right place for a retreat, with a hidden, countryside feel that is just what the doctor ordered. But there’s nothing rustic about the accommodation – if you’re looking for modern luxuries, you’ve come to the right place. Indeed, it was named as one of the Top 10 Glamping Sites in the UK in The Guardian, so who are we to argue?

Set on the edge of a series of fenced paddocks, Ockeridge Rural Retreats comprises a unique two-bed log cabin, Montana, the Ashwood Luxury Shepherds Hut and 3 further luxury shepherds huts set across a one-acre space. All the Shepherd’s Huts but particularly the Ashwood are extremely comfortable and larger than usual, with underfloor heating, tiled en-suite bathrooms, king-sized beds and compact kitchenettes with a microwave, hob, fridge and sink and all the utensils you need. The Ashwood has been created purposely for couples and has a rolltop copper bathtub among other things, while the others each sleep two, in equally astonishing levels of comfort, with outside decks and wood-burning stoves.

Finally, there’s a cosy log cabin – Montana Lodge – which also sleeps a family of 4, though in such spacious and comfortable surroundings it’s arguably not really glamping at all, with gas central heating, double glazing and a high-spec kitchen with a full-sized oven, fridge and small freezer. It has a breakfast bar and dining table, a comfy L-shaped sofa and an outside deck with a quirky Whirlpool bathtub that’s perfect for a spot of night-time star-gazing. Its 2 bedrooms feature a king-size bed with luxury Egyptian cotton sheets in one, and bunk beds in the other, and both bedrooms have flatscreen TVs.

As for things to do, Witely Court, a vast, ruined Victorian mansion and once of the great country houses of England, is 2 miles away. A devastating fire in 1937 left it in the state you find today. Walkers can hike the nearby Malvern Hills while rainy days are easily filled in Worcester’s shops and  cathedral. It‘s also just half a mile to the local fisheries so bring your tackle if you’re a keen angler.