Last May we welcomed a hip Korean kids clothing brand called Bebe de Pino to Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans. They were shooting their winter campaign and for one day the glampsite and vintage caravans played host to a bunch of kids dressed in cute pjs and loungewear.
Pops of pale blue, bubblegum pink and fluffy vanilla hearts could be seen running through the cowparsley and buttercup strewn meadow and exploring the van interiors. The old cliché says never work with kids or animals but I was amazed at how smoothly the day ran, with immaculately behaved young models and not a spot of food or grass stain to be seen anywhere on the beautiful clothes.
It made me think back to when I first arrived here in this tranquil corner of the Wye Valley with tiny children aged 4, 2 and 11 months. We started out by renovating the Old Rectory, which had been unchanged since the 1960s, before setting up the glampsite in 2013. The previous year, when glamping was but a spring chicken of an idea in the public conscience, I went on a recce down to a small site in Cornwall with Sasha, my former business partner of 8 years and co-founder of Mad Dogs, a couple of other game Mums and a dozen young kids aged 9 down to 1. By day the kids ran round a lush green field before exploring the stunning coast of the Lizard peninsula, by night we mums herded tired and over excited kids into bed before enjoying some much needed me-time with a glass of something cold. Looking back it was a rose-tinted week of feral kids running wild and free, laughing and squealing as a gang with the occasional tantrum thrown in for good measure. I wanted Mad Dogs to offer families the same spirit of freedom and whiff of summer holidays from a bygone era: unencumbered by digital devices and celebrating good old-fashioned fun – embracing nature, climbing trees, playing kick the can, gathering around the campfire, telling stories, toasting marshmallows, listening to owls hooting and sinking into beds pooped and happy. Simple pleasures. Important stuff where childhood memories are made.
In the early years of Mad Dogs when my children were still young, I’d lead them down through the garden shrubbery, dressed in pjs and dressing gowns for sleepovers in the vans. It might be a school night and even though the glampsite is only located at the bottom of the garden, to them it felt like they were stepping into a parallel universe full of treats, twinkly lights and adventures, free from bedtime rules and Biff and Chip. Smores, hot chocolates, playing hide & seek, building fires and staying up after it got dark to count the stars. They got to snuggle up in all the vans and my three daughters each had their own favourite one.
Something happened and they grew into teenagers, inviting friends back for teenage sleepovers but that’s a blog for another day. If you are coming to stay with young kids, there’s loads of action packed fun to be had nearby. Here are our top 5:
- For kids aged 4+ try a half day’s canoeing trip down the River Wye.
- Hire bikes in the Forest of Dean (or bring your own). There are wonderful routes including a 9 mile family trail through ancient woodland following the old railway that used to service the many former collieries dotted around the Forest.
- Get a different perspective on the Forest from a little higher up. Go Ape offers Treetop Adventures at Beechenhurst and parents and older siblings can head to sister site at Mallards Pike for the teenage/adult version.
- Explore Puzzlewood, a magical ancient woodland where Harry Potter was filmed and where your child’s imagination can run wild in nature.
- All aboard the Perrygrove Railway. An old steam railway that choo choos its way through woodland and play areas perfect for little ones. Located very close to Puzzlewood so you can easily combine both.
Oh, and the secret to sleepovers with young kids – release your inner child and get involved. And remember they always sleep sounder the second night.
Hope to see you soon xx
