May is our favourite month here at Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans. Bluebells carpet the copse and the glamping meadow is covered in frothy, lacy cow parsley. Spring is at its zingy green best and the evenings are light and long. To top it all this year we have been blessed with halcyon days of glorious sunshine. Glamping conditions have never been better *Sigh*. A year ago photographer Katie Spicer came to stay in Gertie to celebrate her wedding anniversary. You can feast your eyes on her beautiful pictures of the glampsite and read Katie’s blog capturing the essence of glamping at this time of year.
Now is the time to book your summer glamping holiday
May half term is full but we do still have limited availability during the summer holidays. Located as we are close to the River Wye and the Forest of Dean, we make the perfect base for family fun and adventures – take your pick from canoeing, kayaking, cycling, high ropes action, gorge scrambling and wild swimming. Back at the glampsite the kids will love building dens, making friends and toasting marshmallows whilst parents will love being able to let their children run free. In this age of social media and technology overload, it can be so rewarding for families to take a digital detox, enjoy the simple things in life and reconnect with nature.
Party on through the late summer
For anyone thinking of hiring the whole glampsite to celebrate a special occasion or just as a venue to hook up with old friends or family, we still have weekends available for whole site hire in September and October. September is a great time to visit the Wye Valley. The hedgerows are heaving, the apples are ripening and we are hand pressing our Mad Dogs cider. It’s a gift of a time for budding gourmets with great foraging to be had in the Forest of Dean and the annual Abergavenny Food Festival drawing in chefs and producers from all over the UK.
Strawberry and cream scones at Mad dogs & Vintage Vans
Mad For Wild Garlic
We’re mad for a bit of foraging ourselves. What’s not to love about free food? At this time of year we can be found heads down picking from the banks of wild garlic that cover our shady woody spots. Here’s our Mad Dogs recipe for easy peasy Wild Garlic Pesto.
Take a large bunch of wild garlic leaves and wash them thoroughly. Blitz in food processer. Add 60g Parmesan, blitz again. Then add 60g of toasted pine nuts (or hazlenuts if you prefer) followed by olive oil. Keep adding oil to the consistency you desire. Season generously with salt and pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Not just delicious with pasta, also works as a salad dressing or drizzled over new potatoes.
Wild Garlic at Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans
Hope to see you soon. Jo & Sacha xx
PS The magic of May worked on photographer Katie – 9 months after her stay in Gertie along came baby Charlie!
