Deer Keeper's Hut

In the world of glamping, we’re used to shepherd’s huts and gypsy wagons, safari tents and nomadic yurts. All are borne out of age-old traditions but most have never seen active service. Occasionally there’ll be a shepherd’s hut or gypsy wagon that’s been refurbed and modernised for glamping guests but most are loving imitations. The Deer Keeper’s Hut is different. This lone tent-shaped cabin is the real deal: used by The Deer Keeper for most of the year and let out only when he doesn’t need to keep an eye on his herd.

His hut sits in glorious isolation on the edge of an eight-acre wood. It’s part of sprawling farmland that’s home to 200 deer. Thankfully, the quiet days in deer keeping coincide with the summer so anyone who wants to experience this place has the opportunity when the weather is at its best. With a solid roof over your head, a camp kitchen and a woodland all to yourself it’s hard not to call this glamping but it’s not for the faint hearted and you need to come prepared.

There’s no electricity and, as you might expect, life here is pretty outdoorsy: split across the camp and centred around a stone-circled fire pit in the ground. The triangular, timbered Deer Keeper’s Hut is your bedroom; made cosy by insulation and comfy with a double bed — but you’ll need to bring your bedding and don’t expect bedside lamps. Across the way is the rustic camp kitchen shelter that’s open on two sides. It’s home to the site’s biggest mod con: running water and a kitchen sink. The third and final necessity is a clean and simple private composting loo in its own little shed. For a shower, if you want one, there’s a solar shower bag. Simply leave it in the sun to warm and hang from the nearest tree and make sure no-one’s looking. When you’ve got an eight-acre wood to yourself, that’s pretty easy to do.

This is the kind of place where you could spend hours whittling a stick or rubbing two together to try and start the fire. You can forage in the woods or watch deer in the surrounding fields. More than that is not necessary in this isolated place but there are plenty of footpaths leading off to local villages and even a handy farm shop a five-minute walk away. It’s worth mentioning that although you are away from the modern world in many ways, the M6 is within earshot and its hum, while muffled by the wood, is a quiet but constant companion. It’s a little reminder that this is not a place of fairy tales or even fairy lights. It’s not been set up to be the perfect glamping site: it’s as authentic as glamping gets.