The children and I love going on adventures during the school holidays and for half term we were invited to stay in a Safari Lodge at Hedley Wood Holiday Park on the Devon Cornwall border. It was well situated for a break away and we couldn’t wait for some time out and relaxation.
Hedley Wood is a secluded countryside escape, just minutes from Bude. It’s a great base for dog friendly holidays and they have a wide range of accommodation options including two and three bedroom static caravans as well as the safari tents and lodges.
Our safari lodge at Hedley Wood was unlike any other glamping accomodation we have stayed in as it had an upstairs like a traditional holiday home as well as an en suite bathroom. It felt like such luxury compared to a camping break.
The Hedley Wood safari lodge came complete with all bedding – with a main bedroom and three single beds on the mezzanine floor upstairs, towels and even toilet roll. It felt like it offered so much more than a typical self catering break.
The main living area had a kitchen, dining room and sofa which was great for a family break. The kitchen was compact but had everything we needed – fresh running water, a microwave, four ring hob and all the cutlery and crockery we needed. There was also plenty of storage space for supplies. The only thing I would have liked would have been a cheese grater but we made do without.
The children were so excited that the tent had a TV in it – something we’ve never had on a glamping break before. It had freeview available on it and the children loved getting reacquainted with CBeebies and CBBC.
The children saw our stay in the safari lodge as the height of adventure. It was situated in it’s own field above the rest of the park, overlooking the caravans below and with fantastic views of the Devon countryside. The positioning at this time of year did make it feel quite isolated but it was nice knowing the rest of the park wasn’t too far away.
I can imagine the safari lodge being a wonderful place to stay in the summer but at the start of winter it was incredibly cold. We were given two portable electric heaters that we had on constantly whilst we were in the lodge but we just couldn’t get warm. In that sense it was very similar to traditional camping and the whole experience can be very weather dependent. We took hot water bottles, slippers and dressing gowns with us which made the cold more bearable but the cold and constant rain really did taint our break sadly – not that Hedley Wood could have done anything to change that.
In the summer the safari lodge would be fantastic – with the doors and windows open, being able to relax and play outside. The site also has a really lovely play area that the children loved despite the weather.
Hedley Wood Caravan Park also has an aviary with a few pretty birds in and the Woodman Bar and restaurant that looked like a really popular place to have a drink or a meal with friends and family. The Woodman Bar also has wifi if you need to get online during your break away but I had a really strong 4G signal everywhere on the site too.
As well as the self catering holiday options, Hedley Wood have electric hook ups and non-electric pitches for tents, tourers and motorhomes as well as some pitches with exclusive ensuite shower and toilet facilities.
There’s a great range of facilities on the Hedley Wood site including the a handy shop for any essentials or treats during your stay, a shower block if you’re touring, a launderette, nature trails and a dog walking area.
Hedley Wood is well situated for exploring North Devon and Cornwall and during our trip we visited the Milky Way Adventure Farm and the Big Sheep Adventure Farm which were fantastic days out in the local area.
It’s a shame that we had an incredibly cold and wet break at Hedley Wood as I know in better weather it would be a fantastic place for a break away. The children have already asked to go back and stay in a caravan next time – or in a safari tent when the sun is shining!
You can find out more about Hedley Wood over on their website.
Oh it looks lovely – I’ve never seen such well-equipped glamping! Such a shame about the weather but like you say, it just can’t be helped. A few years ago we were on the beach in shorts and t-shirts on Halloween and another time it was snowing ! LOL.