Last Updated on August 8, 2017 by Suzy McCullough
Today I am welcoming Lylia Rose and a post about their Kid free glamping weekend at Chepstow quarry. As always I asked Lylia to pitch to me why we should add this to our bucket list. It sounds lovely, we have a night away planned soon but haven’t quite got around to sorting it out yet! I am rather excited about my guest series as I have quite a few interesting posts to share with you over the coming weeks.
Why glamping without the kids?
As much as I love going away with the children for family days out and short breaks away, there is nothing better than going away kid-free every now and then with my husband. It gives us time to rejuvenate and remember we are in a relationship, not just parents! Home life is busy and full with two young children who keep us on our toes filling each day with madness and chaos. It’s a welcome relief every two months for us to be able to enjoy one night away as ourselves without the constraints of the normal routine of feeding times, snack times and bedtimes. A night away gives us time to enjoy our relationship as husband and wife by enjoying adult conversation with no interruptions!
It’s also a wonderful way to get away and spoil ourselves, leaving the mountain of laundry, strewn about toys and dirty dishes as a distant memory for a day or two. I highly recommend a break from the ordinary, and sometimes monotonous, routine of parenting and housekeeping to calm the body and mind. Everyone needs a break once in a while and no one more than busy parents!
A Kid Free Weekend: Hot tub glamping and zip wire fun at Chepstow Quarry
It’s been two months since our last kid-free weekend and night away camping in The Vale of Glamorgan. Although time is going so quickly, our last kid-free weekend and camping trip seems a lifetime ago! We were definitely ready for another kid-free night to ourselves and a more luxurious camping trip as it was Ben’s birthday.
Ben has often watched people doing zip lines on the internet, so I looked into somewhere not too far where we could do one ourselves. Chepstow Quarry popped up on Groupon with a half-price deal so I booked it. Amazingly they also have camping pods which they call ‘wooden wigwams’ ranging from a standard selection with a shared toilet block to a deluxe and VIP package which includes an ensuite, bedding and a private hot tub on the cliff edge overlooking the quarry. It sounded perfect and as it was a birthday treat I booked the VIP package.
Beautiful Chepstow Quarry
It’s strange how something manmade that has really destroyed the natural land that was there, can actually be so beautiful. We were amazed as soon as we saw the quarry. We parked and climbed up some steps to see the view and were instantly exclaiming lots of ‘wows’! The thing that struck us most was the colour of the water. A luscious teal colour which almost didn’t look real for water in the UK! Normally we are used to seeing murky brown water in rivers! I’m not sure if it’s the limestone causing the beautiful colour, but it’s really amazing to see. The view of the water deep within the rugged rocks is something else. With wildflowers all around the tops of the carved-out rocks, it really is very picturesque.
The Zip Line at the NDAC
Our zip line was in the afternoon and after a temperamental day of cloud, dry weather and the odd light rain, it decided to absolutely hammer it down as we queued for our turn! Typical! We realised we have always been unlucky with our kid-free weekends and remembered it has rained on almost every single one, as well as our family holiday to Cornwall last year!
The Wire, as it’s called, starts at 70m high and runs 700m across the length of the quarry reaching up to 40mph. It was pretty exhilarating jumping off above the quarry and I loved whizzing down. I tried to not go so fast as I wanted to take in the views, but the rain kind of pelted me in the face forcing me to look down! Ben tried his best to whizz down as fast as possible! He wanted to feel the speed! I’d love to go back and redo The Wire on a dry day to experience the difference.
Offa’s Dyke and Devil’s Pulpit
We had over one hour until we could check in to our wigwam, so looked up walks nearby and discovered the Offa’s Dyke path which led to the Devil’s Pulpit – an area where the limestone juts out and there’s an incredible view of Tintern Abbey below. It rained the whole walk until we got back to the car!
Glamping in a Wooden Wigwam
Once back we picked up our key for the wigwam. It’s more of a pod, but they call them wigwams for some reason. We parked the car near the wigwams as you get one parking space nearby. We walked up the wooden steps and along a wooden path amongst the trees to number 10. There are 12 deluxe and VIP wigwams in a row along the cliff on one side of the quarry.
For glamping, we were very impressed! The only other glamping trip we’ve experienced was this yurt in Wales, which was also amazing, but a very different experience. I much preferred having our own ensuite and the luxury of a hot tub on our own private balcony!
To read Lylia’s full review please follow this link A Kid Free Weekend: Hot tub glamping and zip wire fun at Chepstow Quarry.
You can follow Lylia on her blog at – www.lyliarose.com
