Hay & Hedgerow Glamping

The private driveway up to Albynes Farm in Shropshire is like that you’d expect on a National Trust estate. Sheep-dotted parkland flanks you on either side and vast, old oaks stand stalwart amid the fields. The farmhouse itself is no grand stately pile, of course, and the place is still very much a working abode – lambing sheds and grain silos sit behind the house – but in the garden out front there’s a resting spot that even the most noble of National Trust properties would be envious of: a king-sized shepherds hut perfect for two people.

Past the lake and nestled beneath a pair of birch trees, the shepherd’s hut is the sole accommodation at Hay & Hedgerow Glamping, the aptly agricultural name given to this farm glampsite. Inside, its white, wood-panel walls enclose a big brass bed, compact kitchen and en-suite shower room, while outside a terrace, pinned between the trees, looks out across the parkland. The classic feel of the shepherd’s hut structure is juxtaposed with some thoroughly modern elements – there’s a television, free WiFi and the wood-burning-effect stove is actually electric – but everything has its place. When the sheep are out grazing in the meadow beyond, it’s a truly timeless scene.

While the rural location lends total peace and quiet, it also makes Hay & Hedgerow Glamping an ideal destination for walkers. A few hundred metres away a vast stretch of woodland begins, cloaking a stream that bubbles its way down to the nearby River Severn. It’s easy from the farm to follow footpaths down to the riverside, where a waterside trail follows the river’s course north into Ironbridge, five miles away. Before you reach town, the 18th-century Woodbridge Inn makes for a handy refuelling station (Ironbridge Gold on tap) before walking the last mile into town.

Ironbridge itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a slew of museums, from china and tile museums to the excellent Museum of the Gorge. In the opposite direction from Hay & Hedgerow Glamping it’s also the same distance downstream to the market town of Bridgnorth, which has a good tourist information centre in which you can get your bearings. Whether it’s taking in Bridgnorth’s own steam railway, canoeing on the River Severn or heading to the highs of the Shropshire Hills further west, there’s plenty to keep you busy. Plus the local National Trust estates, of course. The real ones this time.