An incredible countryside setting

The first thing to highlight is the absolutely incredible setting of East Shilvinghampton Farm.

We’ve stayed at many camping and glamping sites over the last few years, including other Feather Down locations, and they’re pretty much always found in picturesque countryside locations.

But the views at East Shilvinghampton Farm really were something special: stunning, far reaching panoramic views across the valley, and with amazing sunsets. It was a beautiful place to spend a few days and a wonderful view to wake up to each morning.

Our accommodation: a well appointed rustic retreat

We stayed in a six person canvas hideaway at East Shilvinghampton Farm, similar to those we’ve previously experienced at other Feather Down locations. A unique blend of rustic charm and comfort, the cosy hideaways come with three bedrooms – a double, bunk beds and a raised ‘cupboard bed’.

The main open plan living and dining area has a sofa and dining table illuminated by suspended candles, and log burner proving a source of heat as well as somewhere to cook food or boil water. The kitchen area also has a sink with cold running water and a cool box. We had a bathroom with toilet but no shower – for that we had a short walk to the facilities in the main block, though there is the option of an en-suite shower in some tents (and we’d definitely recommend that option if it’s available!).

What was our hideaway like to live in?  Well, we just loved it!  When it was sunny we’d be found sitting round the picnic table on the front veranda or relaxing in one of the deck chairs. Once the sun went down, it was time to head inside and bunch together under blankets in our warm, cosy candlelit tent. Everyone found the beds comfortable and slept well, even when the wind was blowing a gale outside.

Of course, there’s no escaping the fact that a holiday like this involves living under canvas in a British field in (in our case) early April. So picture dew on the ground in the mornings; regular wheelbarrow runs up the hill to fetch more logs; the sound of birds loudly waking you up at sunrise and hopping around on the roof; jumpers a necessity for big chunks of the day; and blankets similarly essential especially at night when the log burner ran out of fuel. But for us that’s all part of the fun and a welcome break from home comforts!

Family friendly activities and amenities

Each Feather Down farm has its own varied selection of on-site amenities perfect for visiting families. Here’s what we loved at East Shilvinghampton Farm.

Safe open space:

A beautifully maintained and enclosed field with well-spaced tents, making the perfect playground for children of all ages to explore, run around, kick footballs, play cricket, laugh, scream, chase and let off steam without ever feeling like you’re disturbing anyone else.

Animal activities:

Adjacent to the camping field live the farm’s friendly resident animals including goats and alpacas. Children are allowed to enter the goat pen and stroke the animals, which ours loved.  Especially the comedy goat who seemed to enjoy spending most of his time standing on top of the hay dispenser.

As an additional treat – and for a small extra charge – we took part in an organised alpaca walk with the farmer.  Each child picked a friendly animal to gently steer on a meander around the countryside, during which we had the chance to ask questions and get to know our new animal friends.  We also fed the alpacas treats once we got back.  A superb extra and one we’d definitely recommend.

Seasonal activities:

For our visit there was an Easter egg hunt around the campsite with rewards for successful completion, a painting set waiting for us in the tent plus all the ingredients we’d need to make chocolate nests – an unexpected but much enjoyed treat both in the making and consuming!

Honesty shop and ready meals:

The honesty shop at East Shilvinghampton was well equipped with all kinds of essentials – snacks, sweets, drinks, firelighters, matches, candles, beer and wine, meat for the BBQ and so on.  There were also a delicious range of ready meals (home cooked by the farmer’s wife) just waiting to be heated up – and we took full advantage of this as it was such a convenient and easy way to do dinner.  On our first night we enjoyed a delicious chili con carne and later in the week we made a spaghetti bolognese.  It was also possible to pre-order freshly cooked breakfast pastries like croissants and pain au chocolat, and we couldn’t resist taking this option either!

Pizza nights:

At least one night a week, the farmer warms up the wood-fired pizza oven and families gather to cook their own pizzas – which, again, are available to pre-order meaning minimal effort for mum and dad.  We loved doing this: it made for a fun, sociable and very tasty dinner.  Having previously struggled on other holidays to get pizza ovens up to temperature, we particularly enjoyed the fact that this element of the process was sorted for us!

BBQs and campfires:

Each hideaway comes with its own BBQ for al fresco dinners, which we loved using, and there was also a communal campfire area for toasting marshmallows as the sun set.  Very picturesque and great fun for all.

Days out nearby

East Shilvinghampton Farm is located in the countryside north of Weymouth, close to the famous Jurassic Coast world heritage site.

We found there was no shortage of family friendly days out in the local area – we played on the sandy beach at Weymouth and strolled around its attractive harbour area; we went fossil hunting on Chesil Beach and took a trip to the distinctive Portland Bill lighthouse; and we walked under the towering cliffs of West Bay.

Given more time we’d have loved to pop along to some of the other famous sights of the area which include Lyme Regis, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.

In summary..

A Feather Down Farms holiday is all about disconnecting from modern technology and reconnecting with nature with your loved ones. We love that concept at Parent Friendly Stays, and have always enjoyed camping or glamping breaks for the very reason that they brings you together as a family in a way that’s hard to replicate at home.

Our stay at East Shilvinghampton Farm was full of those small, simple but memorable family moments together – kicking a football around in the large field, playing cricket or catch, enjoying card games, telling spooky stories.  We had some brilliant day trips around Dorset but never felt in a rush to head out given the brilliant on-site facilities.  And we were further wowed by the beautiful setting and the extras which made things like mealtimes both easy and fun for us all.

Strongly recommended as a genuinely parent friendly holiday!

If you’ve been inspired to consider glamping with Feather Down Farms for your next family holiday, check out our selection of their best sites here, or visit the Feather Down website directly for up to date prices and live availability.