Can we really class this as camping? Well, you’re staying under canvas. You can light a campfire. And you’re surrounded by nature. So it must be. But with an indoor garden, wood-burner, real beds and an all-weather shell, this place takes even the term glamping to another level.
It was a visit to the Eden Project that inspired the creation of the ‘glamppod’. After all, if Cornwall’s top tourist attraction can pull the punters in every sort of weather, why can’t a campsite do the same? It can, if you erect a family-size safari tent within a large polytunnel. Simply roll up the sides when the sun shines, or hunker down in your cosy canvas cottage when it doesn’t. In the glamppod the days are balmy, even when rain is beating down and it’s blowing a hoolie. What with a secluded location, valley views, an undercover sub-tropical garden and more panache than your average country cottage, here you’ve hit the glamping jackpot.
Down-to-earth campers needn’t despair. The beauty of Mayrose Farm doesn’t stop at the gate of the private glamppod paddock. Home to a green and pleasant camping field with just a handful of pitches, tent life here comes with full use of the heated courtyard pool, a poolside games room and acres of land tumbling into the Allen Valley. Throw in the farm animals, duck pond and a lush campfire-cum-picnic area, and whether you’re glamper or camper, you can’t deny this little gem is a camping paradise.
Mayrose is conveniently wedged between moorland and beaches, so Cornwall’s greatest assets are minutes’ in either direction. Scale the peaks of Brown Willy and Rough Tor on Bodmin Moor, or take a spin along the flatter terrain of the Camel Trail as it wends from Poley’s Bridge back towards Bodmin. For golden sands and craggy coastline you’re spoilt for choice. The closest beach is Trebarwith Strand, a 10-minute drive away, and an excellent spot for mussel picking, surfing and a sundowner. Fanning to the south there’s surfy Polzeath, chic Rock and pretty Port Isaac, while to the north stands the dramatic edifice of Tintagel Castle (01840 770328).
Joint owner Jane Maunder (she runs the site with David Lee) bakes fresh croissants to order available in the shop alongside fresh farm produce. Ten minutes along the road towards Polzeath, at St Endellion, is Trevathan Farm Shop and Restaurant (01208 880248) – a celebration of Cornish fare where you can pick-your-own berries, stock up on local produce and gorge on award-winning ice cream. It’s only 20 minutes’ drive to the Camel Valley vineyard to sample world-class wines (01208 77959), and about the same to Stein’s gastronomic haven of Padstow. Closer to the site, both the St Kew Inn (01208 841259) and the Mill House at Trebarwith (01840 770200) boast excellent reputations for gourmet pub food. Local supermarkets will deliver to the site.
