Last week we took a trip to Norfolk – my very first time in the county (well, that I can remember at least)! Norfolk had been on my UK bucket list for a while so I was really excited to tick it off.
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And I was even more excited that we were staying at the wonderful Round the Woods, a luxury glamping site with an eco-friendly focus in Weston Longville, in the North Norfolk countryside. I love quirky accommodation so this luxury yurt looked right up my street.
The site is situated on a private 18 acre nature reserve which means that you can spend plenty of time exploring here, without leaving the site.
The hosts
Round the Woods is owned by Kate and Seb who, along with their two boys, Elliot and Dylan, decided to open the site as a way to combine their passion for the environment and outdoor living with spending more time on the land together as a family.
They were on hand to welcome us as we arrived and were really lovely – we felt like we had known them for ages!
Pre-stay
Prior to our stay, we were sent loads of information via an app which you could download on to your phone and access offline. This was super useful for planning things to do during the trip and also when knowing what to pack.
When you go to different glamping sites, often you’re not quite sure what’s included and what you need to bring with you as every site is different so this was really useful. In fact, most things are provided for you so all you really need to bring is food and your clothes!
We went on a trip to a Haven Holidays site the week before and I just found that the information about Round the Woods was so much clearer and easier to access – big win!
Hazelnut Yurt
We stayed in one of Round the Woods’ two beautiful handcrafted yurts, Hazelnut Yurt. There are just two yurts here, on the edge of a wildflower meadow and so there is plenty of privacy and outside space. In fact, we only saw the people that were staying in the other yurt from afar – perfect for social distancing!
When we first entered the yurt I was amazed at how spacious it was – I wasn’t expecting it to be so big! Inside there is a chunky king size bed and two futons, so the yurt can sleep up to four, a perfect family friendly glamping holiday.
However, I think it would be a bit of a squeeze with both futons rolled out.
The bed is super comfy and warm and there are a couple of extra blankets as well. We also brought our own blanket with us, in case of cold but it was more than warm enough. It was really rainy in the evenings while we were there but we loved cosying up to the sounds of the rain hitting the roof of the yurt – bliss!
A lot of the furniture in the yurt has been reclaimed and given a new home.
After dusk, the yurt is lit with fairy lights which are really pretty and this just adds to the magical atmosphere even more.
As well as this there is a kitchen unit with gas hobs, table and chairs and a woodburner. We became a little bit obsessed with building a fire and once we had it roaring, it really kept the yurt super warm and cosy. All the fire wood, kindling and newspaper was provided and the wood comes from the surrounding woodland.
You can also cook on the woodburner as there is an oven just above it. We cooked pizzas on there both nights(!) and they were yummy. We didn’t make them ourselves (Aldi specials!) but they tasted more like stone baked pizzas than shop bought.
Outside the yurt
Unfortunately we didn’t really get to make the most of the outside space at Round the Woods as it was raining on both evenings when we got back to the yurt.
Outside the yurt there is a BBQ and benches as well as a hammock and a bag of charcoal is provided for you. As well as this, there is a communal fire pit so you can build a fire here to toast marshmallows and tell stories. I was actually really gutted that we didn’t get to do this.
There is plenty to explore on the grounds as well. One morning we went for a lovely walk around and found a pond and even a rope swing! If you have kids with you, there are plenty of places to build a den in the woods.
On the first morning I woke up super early and nipped up to the shower room and caught the most beautiful red sky sunrise. It really made me feel super close to nature.
Location
Round the Woods is located within easy reach of lots of Norfolk’s sights. There are loads of walks, the Norfolk Broads National Park and some lovely sandy beaches all just a short drive away. There’s even an award-winning local pub within walking distance. It’s an excellent base from which to explore East Anglia.
We explored Wells-next-the-Sea on the beautiful Norfolk coast and Great Yarmouth during our visit but there is so much more to see. I can’t wait to get back to Norfolk again soon to explore more.
Sustainability
There is a huge focus on sustainability at Round the Woods as Kate and Seb are really passionate about the environment and I really loved this. It’s definitely something that I am starting to look for more and more when I’m choosing where to stay.
The toilet is outside of the yurt (you’ll need a torch at night time!) and is again private for just your yurt. It’s a luxury composting eco toilet with no need to flush. Just sprinkle sawdust over any solids!
There are washing up facilities and bins outside the shower building. Here you can sort your rubbish into the various bins for recycling.
Solar panels provide green electricity for lighting and the lights in the yurt and the fairy lights only come on when it is dark enough. There are also tea lights provided in the yurt and again this really adds to the atmosphere.
Facilities
The showers are situated a little walk away from the yurts, in a self-contained building. Each yurt has its own private shower room. The room itself is really large with the shower, a sink and then space to put all your clothes. I loved this as I hate showers where there’s nowhere to put your clothes and everything ends up getting wet!
The shower building is actually made from a reclaimed shipping container – absolutely nothing goes to waste here!
In this building there are also some fridges and again, each yurt has its own fridge. There’s also some freezer space and an honesty shop where you can leave money or pay via PayPal.
There is no electricity in the yurt, which means that you need to plug your phones in to charge at the shower building, or bring a portable charger (obviously I forgot mine!). I actually really liked this because it meant that I was without my phone for a few hours which almost never happens. This left me free to just read, or chat, giving this my full concentration instead of half looking at my phone.
There are little lockers available where you can plug in your devices and then lock the doors while they charge.
We had a lovely relaxing stay at Round the Woods. It’s a great base for exploring Norfolk and our yurt was super cosy and relaxing – I was all ready to move in! Literally the only downside was that the yurts aren’t dog friendly and so we couldn’t bring Alfie with us.
Round the Woods video
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