T

his is camping as it should be, with birdsong waking you (gently) each morning, bacon sizzling away on an open fire – and 16 acres of woodland waiting to be explored. And as if all that wasn’t enough to have you packing your bags already, you even get to stay in a tipi.

There are 37 of them altogether – dotted around a natural playground filled with streams, woodland and grass pathways. The highlight however is the lake, where you can swim, race each other in rowing boats or catch your evening meal (that’s trout by the way).

There’s no TV – in fact no electricity – so instead kids can get to do crazy things like climb trees, help out with the camp fire or play among the old railway bridges.

Lizzie, the owner, who turned her grandfather’s quarry into this rustic haven13 years ago, has continued the natural theme inside the tipis, too.

The interiors are swathed in Turkish rugs and lit with North African lanterns – or just by daylight – and you can choose whether your tipi is in a private plot or in a community space. Either way, you can expect a few visitors, in the form of some friendly deer and the odd rabbit.