It was around the time Em and Andrew were
thinking about a shepherd’s hut that Em began to consider designing and selling
interior accessories. It’s now easy to see why. “The hut is like a five-star
hotel in a field”, she explains as we swing open the grey-blue, two part door
and inside the living arrangement certainly echoes that very sentiment. The eye
for detail is incredible with not only every item you could possibly need but
also the likes of artwork on the walls, rustic bronze fittings, candles, ornaments
and a stash of comfortable pillows. It doesn’t feel cluttered either. There’s a
wealth of goodies waiting in store but everything has its place – even the steaming
welcome tea tray that’s there on your arrival!
Perhaps we gush a bit. Afterall, this is
hardly humble shepherd’s camping, what with an en-suite toilet and shower, but that’s precisely the point of the incredible
glamping setup! There’s still a very tangible element of the outdoors here too.
Outside there’s a barbecue and firepit accompanied by a hanging grill, or grab the
telescope under your bed to make the most of the night skies. It’s
a top spot to enjoy relaxing on the farm and if the weather’s bad you
can still shut yourself away, read a book and listen to the raindrops tapping teasingly
on the rooftop.
“We wanted something that would suit the
style of our 500 year old farm”, Em goes on, gesturing towards the animals and
describing the “mosaic of countryside”. There’s something fitting about the
shepherd’s hut within the rolls of open landscape. The Blackdown Hills have
been a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1991 and here on
Beetham Farm, Dimpsey Glamping does manage to match it all for beauty. The manor
house interior of the hut, like something out of Country Living, emulates the beauty on the doorstep and the
traditional types of activities that are best enjoyed here like walking,
cycling or horseriding. It’s also an easy escape down to the coastline, half an
hour away – there’s a flask in the shepherd’s hut so you can bring a cuppa with
you.
It all fits into place like hand in
glove. A place that shepherds of old could probably only dream of. If you look
over the cupboard that’s in front of you when you very first step inside,
though, there is a quaint ode to all their hard work – a tiny postcard painting
of a shepherd in the field, leaning peacefully against his crook. Small, unnoticeable
yet wonderfully well placed, it’s just another little feature that shows the
thought that’s been put in.