A taste of bell tent life at Horton View Farm

Stay in a furnished bell tent for a hassle-free, adults-only camping experience

Tea and cake

We currently have three fully furnished bell tents here at Horton View Farm, and two unfurnished. As often as we can we like to take advantage of the midweek lull to experience what our guests experience when they stay in our tents. For research purposes, you understand - and because it's such a nice thing to do.

This week, after a long, hot day of campsite and bell tent maintenance we decided to treat ourselves to a mini-break in Foxtail bell tent.

The interior of a furnished bell tent

The experience is always so different depending on the weather, and this week conditions were ideal: warm, sunny and dry. Being in the middle of a meadow encourages a slower pace of life and we were lucky enough to be able to make the most of the midweek sunny spell to really relax and unwind.

We had tea and cake and listened to the birds. We cooked dinner, watched the sunset, made a fire, toasted marshmallows, made s’mores and slept soundly. 

The view from the bell tent with comfy lounging chairs

Shower and WC unit in our shared facilities

We've been campers for a long time, and our outdoor cooking has evolved over the years. At first we would cook a one pot meal at home and take it with us to reheat, then find a local pub to eat in for the rest of the trip. We still like to eat in local pubs, but we also enjoy testing our culinary skills with some basic meals, the kinds of things we would cook at home without the oven.

It's surprising what you can rustle up with just a camping stove and some basic cooking gear. We like fresh and quite simple food so we were pleased to find it translates well to a camping stove, and the cooking happens to be a lot more fun in the outdoors, especially when there's a pleasant view.

Cooking dinner on the camping stove

For our midweek camping foray we had an oozy pea, edamame and spinach risotto (with plenty of garlic and parmesan) with pan fried salmon fillet and a handful of salad leaves. It was absolutely delicious, but cooking and eating in a gorgeous grass meadow surrounded by butterflies and birdsong, with the sun descending over the wheat field elevated it to another level.

Salmon and risotto with a view

Pudding consisted of our first attempt at s'mores. S'mores are an American-inspired campfire treat consisting of a marshmallow and a square of chocolate sandwiched between two biscuits (we used Rich Tea), wrapped in foil and then heated at the edge of the fire for about 10 minutes. The result was surprisingly edible, if rather sickly-sweet - the chocolate and marshmallows did melt down a bit and all squidged out the sides, but I'm not sure if we should have toasted the marshmallows before putting them in. We might try that method next time.

Toasting marshmallows on the campfire

We sat around the fire until late and enjoyed looking at the impressive night sky rather than the tv as we might usually do on a Thursday evening. It feels quite hypnotic staring into the flickering flames of a campfire, and when feeling pleasantly drowsy we crept into the tent and snuggled up into the duvet, sleeping soundly.

We opened up the tent doors in the morning, feeling completely immersed in nature and wildlife, (see our blog post on biodiversity) and watched two hares hopping around together in the adjacent field. We drank tea and ate breakfast in the open air, feeling totally relaxed and reluctant to return to the house to embark on the work day, with the certainty that one night is just not enough!

The bell tent and camping meadows in the morning

Staying for two or three nights in a bell tent is a wonderful way to completely switch off from the hustle and bustle and find some peace and relaxation.

Bell tents are the original glamping experience, but you won't be roughing it! We have flushing toilets, hot showers and a covered washing up area with hot water. There's a communal barn with seating and games, and outdoor blankets for an extra layer in the evenings.

Our communal barn

There are pub walks from the gate, with the nearest being about a five minute walk and two other pubs and a small, family-run vineyard within a 30 minute walk. See our blog post on scenic pub walks for more information and to plan your trip.

Being in nature is officially good for the soul, so you'll leave feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and maybe with a successful camping meal under your belt! Browse our website and contact us directly to book your mini adventure in a fully furnished bell tent with all the home comforts you need, or bring your own tent to experience this little slice of heaven!

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