T he welcome gestures said it all when we bowled excitedly into our nostalgia- lled canvas cottage at Dandelion Hideaway: fresh

farm eggs in a cute wire basket on the solid oak dining table, a freshly baked Victoria sponge worthy of Mary Berry alongside a lacy jam jar vase lled with delicate japonica and a welcome note from owner and goat farmer’s wife Sharon Earp, handwritten on an F Scott Fitzgerald postcard.

You don’t get that level of detail in a ve-star hotel, never mind a glamping site. At Dandelion Hideaway, as we were about to nd out, it’s all about the detail… and lighting res, but more of than anon!

Tucked away in 200 acres of rolling Leicestershire countryside, close to The National Forest, Dandelion Hideaway comprises just six large canvas cottages in the vast Spinney Field, all part of a wonderful goat farm run by Farmer John Earp, who takes you over the bumpy terrain in one of his many impressive farm vehicles to deposit you at your spi� y tent.

This place is glamping with bells on. There’s a Roberts radio tuned to Radio 4, those old Observer Books Of Butter� ies to teach your kids about the things they can see right outside the tent, an outrageously pretty rolltop bath, piping hot water on tap and squillions of gorgeous candlelit lanterns for a magical atmosphere. Hell, there’s even a drinks tray with sherry, Pimm’s and Advocaat, a tipple I haven’t seen since my granny o� ered me one a squillion years ago.

But the thing I love most about Dandelion Hideaway is lighting res! It’s engrossing and hugely satisfying to get the big range that heats the canvas cottage going and cook something in its iron belly. It’s a great place to warm towels by the

JANE ANDERSON and family head to Dandelion Hideaway in the Leicestershire countryside for a baptism of fi res

DOWN ON THE FARM

re, but don’t hang things too close. My prize pair of Boden cashmere socks ended up in cinders due to overzealous drying!

Staying in Bluebells, we also had use of the wonderful outdoor wood- red hot tub, a glorious creation on its own raised wooden terrace with a very Dandelion Hideaway touch of candles and a heart-shaped mirror and hooks on the wall behind. The kids loved lling the tub with cold water by hosepipe (cue water ght), and bringing logs from the log store just behind our cottage for me to get a good re going in the hot tub burner. It’s fabulous to climb into in the early evening (congratulating myself on achieving 4oC) with a glass of bubbly or lemonade and watch the sunset, bats swooping overhead.

I have to admit, at times I felt like a crazy woodland pyromaniac, running between cottage range, hot tub burner and outdoor

fin chills out by the fire pit

THE GOOD LIFEClockwise from top left: Fin scales the bales; the view of Bluebells from across the fi eld; Fin meets a Warren chicken; Scarlett gens up on butterfl ies; the cosy kids’ bedroom

B E S T O F B R I T I S H

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LEICESTERSHIRE

� re pit we had one night to toast marshmallows.

Bluebells also comes with Bluebell’s Nest, a fairytale cabin on stilts which sleeps two – and is perfect for teens to claim as their own, while parents sleep in the main tent.

The thing about Dandelion Hideaway is that you really do get back to

simple pleasures. My kids, aged 12 and nine, built dens in the � eld out of the gorgeous old-fashioned throws, endless cushions and iron chairs (sorry, Sharon!), and sat under a canopy engrossed in books. We brought along their 24-year-old cousin, Zoe, who embraced the glamping spirit giving them wheelbarrow rides and dancing on logs when required.

In the morning, there were no thoughts of iPads, just a rush to get to the hen house � rst to collect fresh eggs.

Sharon is a font of information and hosts lively tours of her hen house, giving tips on keeping poultry. She lets the kids hold the birds and explains that the day-to-day hybrid hens, which lay eggs most days, are known as Warren hens.

Most rare breeds only lay around one egg in three days. The most impressive of these are the big � u� y Bu� Orpingtons,

� re pit we had one night to toast marshmallows.

Bluebell’s Nest, a fairytale cabin on stilts which sleeps two – and is perfect for teens to claim as their own, while parents sleep in the main tent.

Dandelion Hideaway is that you really do get back to

simple pleasures. My kids, aged 12 and nine,

scarlett, 12, and fin, nine, soak in the hot tub

THE THING ABOUT DANDELION HIDEAWAY IS THAT YOU REALLY DO GET

BACK TO SIMPLE PLEASURES

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known as the most maternal and gentle of all breeds, along with pretty French Marans with a black and white herringbone pattern, which lay very dark eggs. Fin is most taken by the Legbars, which lay blue eggs. Apparently, duck eggs are good for cakes. I wonder if that was why our Victoria sponge tasted so good?

Sharon also recommends a visit to the Fur and Feather Market in Melton Mowbray on a Tuesday morning, which sounds fascinating in a thoroughly medieval way and is one of the oldest kinds of market in the country. You can buy a cockerel for just 50p, which seems shocking.

There’s plenty of opportunity to peep into the life of a working goat farm here. Farmer John invites guests to milk the dairy herd of goats and taste the fresher-than-fresh milk. Guests are free to say hello to the goats whenever they fancy, as they’re there right on the farm. At any time, there are up to 250 little ones in their pens, arranged according to birth date. Some today! Scarlett and Fin love the way they nibble their � ngers.

Sharon lets kids groom her collection of 13 Shetland ponies, from Maggie, the oldest at 23, to Dandy, the youngest at three, who has a bit of attitude. Even the little kids are taller than the tiny steeds. After brushing, the kids paint hooves with oil and, the best part, lead them back to the � eld. Sharon says Lulu’s winter coat is growing already – a sign we won’t have an Indian summer!

BOOK ITWeekend £575-£750; midweek

£500-£700, full week £725 - £1,150Five tents sleep up to six. Bluebells sleeps up to fi ve with one king-size

bed and one day bed in the main tent, plus twin beds in Bluebell’s Nest, perfect for older children

in the summer months.

THE PRICE INCLUDESFarmer John’s welcome farm

walk and talk, goat-milking, meet the Shetland ponies; pony

grooming and leading, intro to hen-keeping and all fi rewood.

In the summer, there’s a private outdoor camp on the hilltop in the Spinney Field, perfect for kids’ ‘lookout duties’, secret play

and discovery. On booking, families can also arrange the hire of

highchairs, travel cots, mini tractors and fi re pits. Farm suppers such as a hearty sausage casserole

are available to book on request from £45, feeding fi ve adults.

WHEN TO GOOpen from early April

to late October. thedandelionhideaway.co.uk

PHO

TOGR

APHS

: JAN

E AN

DERS

ON

THE LOWDOWN

got to � y a Harris Hawk called Splat and learn how birds of prey were used to catch food in medieval times.

To stock up on supplies, we make it to Market Bosworth a couple of times to the supermarket and Rose & Radish greengrocer. But most of the time we rely on Sharon’s Old Cow Shed honesty shop in the farmyard – it’s a treasure trove packed with delicious local produce, beautiful homewares and lovely traditional children’s toys.

At night, it gets pitch black when all the oil lamps have been switched o� and the kids have delighted in su� ocating the candles with the old-fashioned snu� er. Fin says the rain on the tent sounds like a giant rolling over massive bubble wrap. It’s pretty noisy, but we’re snug inside.

On our � nal morning, Fin rises early in search of the elusive blue egg. He’s obviously listened to everything Sharon has told us. He later says he’d like to be a farmer and hang out at the Fur and Feather Market.

Scarlett gets out her watercolours and paints a speckled wood butter� y we spotted at Bosworth Field. We caught it on camera and looked it up in the 1938 Observer Book. It’s like every parent’s dream come true. And you get to light � res! ■

Weekend £575-£750; midweek £500-£700, full week £725 - £1,150Five tents sleep up to six. Bluebells sleeps up to fi ve with one king-size

bed and one day bed in the main tent, plus twin beds in Bluebell’s

walk and talk, goat-milking, meet

kids’ ‘lookout duties’, secret play and discovery. On booking, families got to � y a Harris Hawk got to � y a Harris Hawk

fin makes a feathery friend

LEICESTERSHIRE

The kids would have been happy never to have left Dandelion Hideaway the entire week, but it’s a parent’s duty to drag them on a few excursions. And happily, close by, you can travel forward in time with a visit to the National Space Centre (spacecentre.co.uk), and back in time at Bosworth Battle� eld Field Heritage Centre (bosworthbattle� eld.org.uk), where kids get to weigh up the evidence as to whether Henry Tudor or Richard III was the true villain. The location of the battle� eld was only pinpointed in 2010, and Richard III’s remains found in 2012, so this is exciting historical stu� .

A highlight here is a falconry display by Becky from Hawkwise Falconry, where we

HORSING AROUNDClockwise friom top left: grooming the Shetland ponies; Scarlett paints a butterfl y; practising ribbon-twirling

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