We go around seeking out weird and wonderful places to stay. This blog is full of things we love, things we’ve found and some vague outdoorsy musings.
Categories
Twitter feed
Loading Tweet...
Find us on...
Posts we like
-
-
-
Motu Tetaraire - Tahiti, French Polynesia - Private Dream Island
On a dotted atoll with unhabited islands in Rangiroa, Tahiti, you will find...
-
“The autumn leaves are falling like rain
Although my neighbors are all barbarians,
and you, you are a thousand miles away,
there are always two...” -
just gonna go glamping everyone.
-
Sometimes I can’t even remember how I find some of these links but if having a holiday in a posh tent is your kind of thing...
HOW WE LEARNED TO STOP WORKING AND LOVE PIE
As many of you have hopefully noticed and are now celebrating, the week of March 4th - 10th is British Pie Week! Our own grand plans for a special message on the office whiteboard, a 100 piece marching band and a pie-shaped hot air balloon proved too hard to organise as someone had lost the whiteboard pen.
Fortunately, we were interrupted in our frenzied cooking up of some half-baked last minute plans by the amazing folks at pieminister. Our long-standing and mutually beneficial friendship (they’d be knee deep in pies if we didn’t eat them, think about it!) resulted in the sudden appearance on Tuesday of no fewer than 40(!) of their finest pies at our rural office. We quickly set to work whipping up some mash and salad, got the oven going and then engaged in a barely dignified free-for-all as we vied for various flavours, safe in the knowledge that recent scares about scurrilous sourcing in the food industry need not enter our heads.
Pieminister have been seeking out and encasing in pastry the best of British produce for 10 years now, growing from their base in suitably crusty Bristol to become a loved and trusted purveyor of baked goods across the land. In celebration of their first decade, apart from being overcome with generosity and sending us loads of pies, they’re running a competition to win a Great British Holiday for 10 people at our lovely Vintage Vardos. Not only could you win a stay at the delightful Devon camp, but they’ll fill you with pies and fit you with a t-shirt of your choice! So if, like us, you never quite got round to setting up your own pie extravaganza, then enter the competition and maybe the guys at pieminister will take care of it all for you!
It worked for us and taught us that occasionally it’s good to stop working, and eat pie.
CANOPY & STARS 2013 BUCKET LIST
Stay on a bus, live like a ‘lost boy’ and do Glastonbury from a tree house
Stay on a converted bus near Hay, record your own music from a cabin in Worcestershire, do Glastonbury like a rock star from a treehouse or make like a ‘lost boy’ in the Portuguese wilderness… If you only do one thing in 2013 make it from the Canopy & Stars Bucket List, thirteen of our most hotly tipped experiences for 2013.
1. Do Glastonbury like a rock star at Harptree Court
Don’t fancy roughing it in a tent this Glastonbury, then why not swap the muddy campsite for a little luxury, and stay at nearby Harptree Court. There’s a treehouse and yurt to choose from and both come with sumptuous doubles, beautiful antiques and hot running water for the free standing baths. Not only will you get chauffer driven to and from the festival but they’ll also provide you with a champagne reception, two pairs of your very own Original Tall Hunter wellies and a welly cleaning service, 24 hour laundry, massages, daily breakfast hampers and super picnics to take with you.
A four night festival stay costs from £3200 for the yurt and £4000 for the treehouse (sorry tickets not included) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/harptreecourt
2. Sleep on a bus - Majestic Bus, near Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire
Banish thoughts of Cliff Richards and ‘Summer Holiday’ this 60s bus has been converted into a comfy escape with a spectacular view. There’s a wood-burner to keep you warm of an evening, and plenty of room for napping and cooking plus a nearby gas powered roll-top bath where you can soak with a view. You can even invite friends to camp in your bus garden.
From £103 per night (bus sleeps 2, site sleeps 8) - www.canopyandstars.co.uk/majesticbus
3. Lay down a track at The Hatch Cabin, Lindridge, Worcestershire
Make music at The Hatch with a studio fully equipped with all the gear you need, used by professional bands from all over the world. Guests also get free entry to intimate weekend concerts in the main house. The cabin itself is an eclectic delight with art, quirky objects, fabrics, rugs, big comfy bean bags and cushions for afternoon lounging, the odd musical instrument and fresh flowers from the garden.
From £90 per night (sleeps 6) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/thehatchcabin
4. See autumn from an arboretum - The Chapel, Shropshire
For the most amazing autumnal escape head into the woods of Walcot Arboretum. Tucked into the English oaks and chestnuts you’ll find a converted chapel, complete with working organ you can tinkle on. This wild and wacky bolthole with natural wood décor has two double bedrooms, a cosy kitchen and beautiful bathroom. The gardens at Walcot Hall cover over 30 acres, including one of the finest Arboretums in Britain.
From £82 per night (sleeps 4) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/chapel
5. Live like a lost boy at The River Lodge, Central Portugal, Alto Alentejo
Head to Portugal and this wooden deck and canvas cabin structure, worthy living quarters for any of Peter Pan’s lost boys. Set under a cork oak and overlooking the river, with nothing much apart from the hand-made stick style furniture, a tree-trunk bed, books and games; an off-grid experience. You won’t quite be roughing it though, as there’s an orthopaedic mattress, goose down duvet and complementary olive oil, wine and olive soap.
From £35 per night (sleeps 2) - www.canopyandstars.co.uk/riverlodge
6. Sleep with a lama at Gabriel & Bathsheba, Kent
Wake to the sight of a field full of furry lamas, not only are they your extremely friendly neighbours but you can help feed them and even take them trekking when you stay at this cosy and cute shepherd’s hut in rural Kent - only an hour from London. Inside find floral prints, pretty bone china and a wood burner to keep you snug and in the bathroom hut; a luxurious slipper bath to relax in after a day exploring.
From £90 per night (sleeps 2) - www.canopyandstars.co.uk/gabriel
7. Become a grown-up girl guide at Babes in the woods: Malverns, Gloucestershire
Discover your inner girl guide with a fully-catered weekend of bushcraft sessions, woodland walks, wild swimming, tea parties and yoga, but with the added bonus of fine food and champagne at the end of the day. You’ll stay in vintage inspired geodomes for up to twenty guides (sorry no boys allowed) and be surrounded by the gorgeous Bromesberrow Estate with a backdrop of the Malvern Hills. Also great for hen do’s!
Weekend breaks from £217 per person, includes all food and activities (sleeps 10-20) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/babesinthewoodsmalverns
8. Make it about the journey not the destination with Wanderlusts, Cumbria
Slow travel has never been slower! While Charlie & Bob, the horses, clop along in front, you’ll be free to relax into the gentle rumble of life on the road. Barny, the driver, will guide the wagons through the Cumbrian lanes by day and leave you for the evening pitched up at one of three beautiful camps with the basics all ready (tripod cauldron included).
From £150 per night (sleeps 4) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/wanderlusts
9. Bed down on a boat with a thatched roof - La Caloge, Brittany, Finistère
Resting in the country garden of a charming B&B in Brittany is this converted fishing boat, which now sports a thatched roof. Inside expect maritime touches; ropes, buoys and even a mast in the bedroom; there’s a separate kitchen and bathroom; and it’s guaranteed to not make you seasick.
From £85 per night (sleeps 2) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/lacaloge
10. Make your own chair at Crafty Camping, Dorset
Become a carpenter for the day and make a your own chair from start to finish, with a course at Crafty Camping, also on offer for you to try your hand at is green woodworking, spoon carving and even axe throwing with Guy and his team then stay in one of the five little camps for two. There’s a yurt, a tipi, three bell tents and a shepherd’s hut and each comes with its own whittling kit with instructions, so you can continue your practical woodcraft once you’ve finished for the day.
From £70 per night (each space sleeps 2) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/craftycamping
11. Pitch up on a private beach at 51 Beach View, Priory Bay, The Isle of Wight
Camping meets Claridges at this island idyll. Perched above the sands of a private beach this glorious yurt (one of only three, each decorated by a different designer) is hidden in the grounds of the luxurious Priory Bay Hotel. Be lulled to sleep in your kingsize bed by the sound of the surf, watch the sunrise from your private terrace and be the first to step in the sand each morning.
From £200 per night – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/51beachview
12. Start that novel at Balleswidden Cabin, near Penzance, Cornwall
Originally built as a writer’s lodge, there’s plenty to inspire - the sea views, wild moors, ancient wells, enchanting fishing villages and rough seas. Back at the cabin there’s a mezzanine bedroom, claw-foot bath with homemade soap, hot water on tap, a woodburner for heating, and a fire wok on the deck outside.
From £80 per night (sleeps 3) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/balleswiddencabin
13. Crush a grape or two at La Palombière, Bordeaux, Gironde, France
Head south this September and October and spend some time at a magnificent treehouse near Bordeaux, in the woods of Chateau Lestange. The estate vineyard produces its own beautiful Malbec, Merlot and Verdot in the heart of wine country. Chivvied along by a glass or two, you can get stuck in and spend the weekend harvesting and working in the vineyards, retuning to your luxury perch by night.
From £135 per night (sleeps 2 adults & 3 children) – www.canopyandstars.co.uk/palombiere
![BREAD AT THE BOTHY
Warm, fresh, and fragrant sourdough loaves are springing into existence at The Bothy, Inshriach House, Aviemore…
This week, bakers Anna and Sam Luntley are staying at the Bothy as part of The Bothy Project, baking magnificent loaves that, in their own words, “document the circumstance and environment of their creation in their crumb, crust and colour.”
[[MORE]]
Sourdough bread baking depends wholly on wild yeasts (rather than commercial quick yeast) and the diligence of the baker, who feeds and tends the ‘starter’ daily. Sam and Anna are working with fermented wild yeasts “spored by the idiosyncrasies of the highland air,” and are stoking their woodburning stove with timber from the Inshriach Estate. They’ll be inviting members of the local Cairngorm community (including lucky owner, Walter) to sample the results of their self-confessed “obsessive and incessant” baking.
The Bothy at Inshriach House, Aviemore leads a double life. In summer, it’s a wild Canopy & Stars retreat where you can be at one with the outdoors, splashing in the river and cooking over an open fire.
Off-season, when the weather encourages staying indoors and being creative instead, it’s one of several spaces taking part in The Bothy Project. Started by artist Robert Niven and architectural designer Iain MacLeod, the Bothy Project provides artists with small, diverse spaces in which to explore Scotland’s heritage, mythology and landscape through their work.
Keep an eye out for more Bothy residents getting creative in the snow. And read more about breadatthebothy here.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/6e37180251b79515932a4c32138a8c95/tumblr_mi5kujywwg1ru2gnqo1_500.jpg)
BREAD AT THE BOTHY
Warm, fresh, and fragrant sourdough loaves are springing into existence at The Bothy, Inshriach House, Aviemore…
This week, bakers Anna and Sam Luntley are staying at the Bothy as part of The Bothy Project, baking magnificent loaves that, in their own words, “document the circumstance and environment of their creation in their crumb, crust and colour.”
GET & GIVE KISSABLE LIPS WITH BABES IN THE WOODS BALM
Get your lips - and those of your friends and loved ones - ready for kissing with this homemade rose-and-plantain beeswax-based lip balm.
Read more
GOT THE TREES, BUT NOT THE HOUSE?
Treehouse Building Course at West Lexham - Now Available to Book for 2013!
Many of us enjoyed making a treehouse built from wood ‘reclaimed’ from the garden as children. Now is your chance to take it to another level! West Lexham have once again teamed up with professional treehouse architects High Life Treehouses, and are offering you a fantastic chance to learn how to build a treehouse from start to finish.
Henry and his team of experienced treehouse builders will be showing you how to build a brand new treehouse (based on a Viking mead hall!), with a veranda looking out over the surrounding water meadows. There will be chance to learn how to finish the interior of an existing treehouse with smart tongue and groove boarding, as well as learn the secrets of rope bridge and tree deck building. The course will have something for people of all skill levels.
Places are limited, so please get in touch to reserve your space or forward any questions to bookings@canopyandstars.co.uk or 01275 395447.
Course location: Norfolk, PE32 2QN, UK
Date: 22 to 24 March, 2013 OR 5 to 7 April, 2013
Price: £415 for one weekend, £750 for both weekends
Includes:
- 2-nights accommodation in comfortable shared rooms at beautiful 18th Century former vicarage The Grange – hosted by a local permaculturist and his lovely family
- Freshly prepared, delicious locally sourced delicious meals throughout the weekend
- A chance to learn a broad range of skills and techniques to build your own tree house
- A certificate at the end of the course
- A DVD of the full build as a reference and to share all the fun with friends and family.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH - CATRIN LEIGHTON
Meet Catrin Leighton, a face you may recognise from our two-minute glamping holiday video (conveniently seen here). Catrin has the ideal combination of being high on talent but low on ego. She’ll do anything to get the audience laughing or crying and she’ll do it well. And although she didn’t get to dress up in 3D for our video, she happily agreed to be our Artist of the Month for February. Watch her space - she’s definitely an ‘up-and-comer’.
Where do you live now and what do you ‘do’?
Right now I live in Cardiff and I’m studying my 3rd year of a BA hons Theatre and Drama through the medium of Welsh. I’m also working as a tour guide for the Millennium Stadium.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
I admire my tutor for my last course Paula, she has such an eye for theatre. Just a genius.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
I was working in a café in Newport Pembrokeshire when I was about 14/15 and some of the other girls who were working there were talking about the lead singer of Feeder and how he was having lunch in our café at the table by the window. Now, I wasn’t really into music and had no idea who this person was so I told them to just go and ask, and they wouldn’t, so I boldly strutted over and asked the man at the table “Are you the lead singer of Feeder?” and he said “No.” That was fine and I walked away, but as I was walking I heard the words “I am though!” but I was already walking away and was too mortified to turn round. I had actually asked the lead singer of Feeder’s brother if he was the lead singer of Feeder. Embarrassing but I still couldn’t pick him out of a crowd, and I still haven’t bothered to find out his actual name.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
I’d like to say Helena Bonham Carter…or Jennifer Saunders, but I’d probably be closer with Dawn French or Miranda Hart.
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
Well it would have to be a one-piece, I do like a good onesie, and tassels, tassels are good. BUT having said that I’ve always wanted to dress up as something 3D like an Airport of the Eiffel Tower.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Probably musicals, anything I can sing along to and I’m there.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Literally” and not even in its correct context, which is worse.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
Well I used to work in a burger van, I actually quite enjoyed myself but my friend Edward called me white trash once.
What album are you listening to now?
I’ve just discovered ‘The Asteroids Galaxy Tour’.
Best holiday?
I’ve been Skiing a few times and I always absolutely love it, but I went to Amsterdam last year and that was also really fun, oh and Scotland for the Fringe Festival, that was great and a kind of ‘fly off the seat of your pants’ type of holiday.
Where next?
Berlin! I’ve been before for a weekend with University but I’m going again in Easter time. Also I’m hoping to do a Ski season in Canada this winter.
Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?
All of those rolled into one, everything in moderation.
What’s your best piece of travel advice?
If your accommodation falls through, there are always people willing to put you up if you put an ad on Gumtree.
Which is your favourite country and why?
Well I haven’t been to many but Scotland is up there, and so is Amsterdam, and good old Cardiff has never let me down.
Have someone you think would be perfect for our Artist of the Month spotlight? Email your suggestions to: peoplewelove@canopyandstars.co.uk
REASONS TO LOVE JANUARY NO. 60 - JACOB
He clearly knows something we don’t.
Share your reasons, or check out the 59 others on Facebook and Twitter (#JanLove) because we’re not stopping at 60!
Big thanks to Sarah Mason Photography who took this gem of a photo: http://www.sarahmasonphotography.co.uk
WANDERLUSTS & BARNY + CHARLIE & BOB + STEVE & LISA
Wanderlusts is a unique and enchanting trundle, a beautiful place to stay that travels with you, a tour of secret Cumbria and much more.
Our first guests, Steve & Lisa, sent us their holiday snaps to share. “It was the most relaxing holiday we have ever been on,” they said afterwards. “So well planned out.”
After a busy year, they just wanted to take life at a gentle pace and enjoy every single moment of a well-deserved break. They started by driving through the country lanes with Barny, their easy-going guide, on the reins, and Charlie and Bob the horses in front. Stopping at a private little camping spot (complete with loo, shower and campfire) they pitched up for the night to watch the stars and sleep soundly in their caravan, a beautiful carved wagon restored by Barny himself.
In the morning, a sizzling breakfast set them up for a day’s adventuring and a visit to Long Meg, the ancient stone circle. But each Wanderlusts break is unique: you could be stopping off at a working watermill, charming pub, or wood-fired lakeside sauna - with a dip in the lake to follow, of course!
ARTIST OF THE MONTH - HEATH ROBINSON (1872 - 1944)
All hail The Gadget King! We’re not saying that dealing with the holiday work backlog has made us feel like we’re whirring away fruitlessly. Not at all, no. But it has got us thinking, by a suitably roundabout and convoluted chain of events, about our January Artist of the Month: William Heath Robinson.
Known as British cartoonist and gadget enthusiast, Robinson originally wanted to be a landscape artist but pressures of family and money lead him to follow his two brothers into book illustration. He supplemented his income with drawings for weekly magazines, finding some success with The Tatler and The Sketch. By the time World War I crashed the book market, his now famous humorous drawings were his main source of employment and in the years since, they have become a by –word for the arcane and over elaborate.
Mr. Robinson is our well deserved (and perhaps, TOO deserved for such a small accolade) Artist of the Month for the simple reasons that his drawings always result in a smile and that a part of you always finds the machine’s oblivious operator guiltily familiar.
Interesting fact: In the US, Rube Goldberg, who followed a similar career path occupies Robinson’s place in popular culture.
NO GIFTS YET? THE CANOPY & STARS ELF CAN HELP
It’s nearly - but not quite - too late to send off for strange and magical gifts from afar, but say the word and the elves of the internet will rummage through their toy trunks. All these quirky and original presents can still reach you in time for Christmas…
This one is right up our trunk. We’re expecting to wake up on Christmas morning and find we’ve all bought each other one, just like Mumford and Sons and their mandolins.
Order: From Fab by 2pm on Thurs 20th Dec. (Beardy man not included.)
Made by The Bay Tree, simply soaked in molasses, white wine, rum, cinnamon, lemon and spices, these are great after dinner with ice cream or mascarpone and a coffee. The grown-up equivalent of giant fizzy cola bottles.
Order: from The Bay Tree by phone or online, Christmas delivery dates not specified. But you can also get them from Waitrose!
We’re starting to think all human knowledge is out there on a tea towel somewhere. Keep this to hand, and you’ll never head out to pick wild garlic for pesto in July instead of April again.
Order: from To Dry For, usually despatched next working day (so order on Wed 19th)
Festive enough to add some cheesy sparkle, pretty enough to bring out year on year, these heart shaped enamel earrings beg to be worn on Christmas morning.
Order: From Tatty Devine by Thurs 20th Dec.
And finally…5. Canopy & Stars Gift Cards
We wanted to buy someone a sky full of stars, the smell of woodsmoke, and a game of candlelit scrabble, but couldn’t fit them all in the same envelope. This does the job! Extra Christmas spirit: Spend over £100, and we’ll say thanks with a £25 Canopy & Stars Gift Card for you to spend on yourself.
Order: from Canopy & Stars by 3pm on Thursday 20th with free postage or 3pm on Friday 21st Dec with emergency £10 Royal Mail Next Day Saturday Delivery charge
Good luck - and Happy Christmas!
Love from Tardy, the Canopy & Stars Christmas Elf xx
