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GLAMPING @ LEWINSHOPE

Welcome to Glamping at Lewinshope

 

Embrace the experience of off-grid wild glamping at its very best here at Lewinshope in the Yarrow Valley, a little piece of heaven in the beautifully remote Scottish Borders. 

 

Overview

Lewinshope is ideally located an hour’s journey from Edinburgh and whether it’s a cycling or walking holiday, a creative retreat, or a relaxing family break this very special place certainly won’t disappoint.

 

Self-contained and completely private, this site has room for up to ten people. Relax in comfort in the beautifully restored Shepherd’s Hut, the traditionally styled rustic Mongolian Yurt, or the well positioned pitching area where you can set up your own tents. The site is available as one group booking, but please ask if there are more or less of you and we can have a chat.

 

Nestled under a canopy of mixed woodland and surrounded by the sounds of nature, wildlife and the Yarrow River, the site is an ideal spot to settle in with nature and relax. There’s no mains power, so you’ll soon find yourself happily disconnected from the beeps and pings of modern life and with no light pollution in this neck of the woods and frequent clear skies, stargazing is a must.

The Important Stuff

 

Essentials

Glamping Site sleeps max 10

Check in: 3pm

Check out: 10am

 

Please bring wellies / suitable footwear and a sense of adventure

You will be very close to nature, expect to see hare, rabbits, deer, foxes, owls and even the odd badger. 

Firewood is supplied on site and extra sacks are available for £8, or you can collect sticks from the surrounding forest.

Mobile phone signal but no wifi on site.

 

Sleeping arrangements

We have room for up to ten people across the self-contained glamping site. The entire site is available as one group booking for up to ten people, but please ask if there are more or less of you and we can have a chat.

 

  • Shepherd's Hut Sleeps 1 adult and 1 child -  bunk bed (see height restrictions below*)

  • Yurt Sleeps 2 (+ baby) – double bed plus space for one travel cot

  • Campsite sleeps 5 to 6 – large space up to six tents depending on size

 

*Please note that the two bunk beds are only 172cm long (standard beds are 190cm). The top bunk is 62cm wide, the bottom 85.5cm wide. We would say a child of up to 10 years could sleep comfortably on the top bunk and an adult below. Please note, smoking is not permitted in the property.

 

Extra space is available - Space for one baby in the yurt at no charge. A travel cot can be provided on request.

Up to two well behaved dogs can stay on site (£20 per dog per stay) but please be mindful of surrounding fields with cattle and sheep. Pets not allowed on beds or chairs.

The site is available as one group booking, but please ask if there are more or less of you and we can have a chat.

Cooking

A 2-ring gas cooker, with utensils and a frying pan
Plates, bowls and cups, and cutlery

Outside sink, washing up liquid and dish towels

Cool box

Open firepit with grill

Firelighters, kindling, matches and logs for firepit and the wood burners
Tea bags, instant coffee and milk provided, and our signature home-made lemon drizzle cake on arrival

 

Washing

Hot shower

Flushing Toilet

Double sink

Outside tap for washing dogs, wellies, etc


Heating, lighting & bedding

Bath sheets and hand towels and bed linen for the Yurt and Shepherds hut only
Solar lights 

Solar plug sockets, only suitable for charging phones

 

Entertainment

Books, cards and board games available in the yurt

Private all-weather tennis court with rackets. There is no need to book, it’s available anytime throughout your stay. (Please note that there are no floodlights). There is a seating area for spectating, or just look across to the hills and take in the spectacular views up and down the Yarrow Valley. Rackets can be provided but please bring tennis balls.
 

Parking
Free parking is available only a small walk from the site. When roaming please remember to close gates.

 

Privacy
The glamping site is not overlooked and offers a high level of seclusion and privacy. However, we are on hand to help with any requests or questions.

 

The Glamping Site

The site has been designed with adventurous nature lovers in mind. Directly surrounded by fields and woodland, the secluded and self-contained site is situated at the edge of the woods below Lewinshope Farm with wonderful views looking out across the Yarrow Valley. While you’re staying with us, you are free to roam around the fields and woods, just be sure to close gates as there are cattle and sheep in the fields.

 

On site you’ll find a quaint converted horse box kitchen and covered seating area fully kitted out with everything you’ll need for cooking including a gas stove and washing facilities outside. There’s a beautifully designed bathroom hut made with lovely wooden beams. Inside you'll find a double sink, flushing toilet and hot shower. Light streams in through three lovely windows, it’s a real ‘loo with a view’. 

 

There are good cleaning facilities and a washing down area for dogs outside. Marshmallows can be toasted over a huge outdoor fire pit between the Yurt and Shepherd’s Hut, and various hammocks are ready and waiting for you to relax with a book or for an afternoon snooze among the trees.

 

The Shepherd’s Hut – sleeps one adult and one small child

Originally used on the farm in Melrose the Shepherd’s Hut has been with the family for many years. Johnny played in it as a boy and brought it to Lewinshope so that our children could camp out in it when they were young. Now it has been lovingly restored to create a perfectly petite little haven for an adult and small child. 

 

Everything in the hut is handmade and built to an incredibly high finish, using locally sourced materials. There’s a folding half-moon table to sit and eat or to write your latest novel! Stools to sit on, a chest of drawers and a small window with shutters to look out and enjoy the stunning views of the valley. There’s also a hobbit wood burner to nestle around and keep the hut toasty warm, and cosy bunk beds for two. 

 

The Mongolian Yurt – sleeps two adults

Although technically the Yurt came from the woodlands at Wiston Lodge near Biggar where it was lived in by Kathryn, so not quite Mongolian, it is beautifully furnished with plenty of unique artifacts and soft furnishings from Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan inside, it’s a real Aladdin’s cave. 

 

The base of the Yurt sits up off the ground to keep everything nice and dry. There’s a comfy double bed for two, and we can squeeze in a travel cot for a small child if needed. The handy wood burner keeps everyone cosy inside all year round and even boils your kettle. A lovely place to gather the group together with lots of seating inside and or out on the small deck to enjoy an evening together and snuggle up with blankets if needed. Bring your guitar!

 

Tent Pitching Area – space for five or six tents

A lush grassy area within the site is perfectly placed for pitching your own tents. The site will hold five or six tents depending on size.

 

The whole site is incredibly peaceful and calm, so switch off your phone, kick off your shoes and take in some deep breaths of fresh air as you unwind and leave the world behind for a few very special nights, or for as long as you like!

Contact: Johnny or Lulu Watson for prices, questions, and bookings.

History

The photos show the arrival of the shepherd’s hut at Faldonside in 1970 (where Johnny grew up, near Melrose).  It was used for several years by Johnny and his brothers.  In 1999 it was made properly mobile by being attached to what was the biggest farm trailer at Faldonside (see photos of trailer in action on the farm); and it was brought to Lewinshope for our children to enjoy.  In 2016 the hut was given a complete makeover: designed by Lulu, and undertaken by John Hislop.

The arrival of the Shepherd's Hut
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