Aldridge Mill

Campsite Aldridge Mill is deep in the Devon countryside and offers a taste of a wild Nomadic life to anyone who’s passing through. There are camping pitches for people with their own tent or van, and there’s a yurt and a bow-top gypsy wagon too. But please don’t call these options glamping. Your hosts are keen to point out that what you get here are not stays in purpose-built accommodation but the opportunity for an off-grid holiday in an authentic Mongolian yurt and a genuine gypsy wagon. Both have character and history that you can’t erase or replicate. And the same could be said for the land they sit in. This peaceful site is situated among the untamed meadows, streams, and woodland of an ancient Devonshire valley, a few miles south of Exmoor.

The yurt was, in fact, once lived in by your hosts so it is homely and exceptionally well equipped. It has a log burner and a kitchenette, as well as a double bed and double futon too. It’s suitable for up to four and sits in its own meadow, with a private compost loo and green valley views, among the 40-plus acres belonging to Aldridge Mill. Likewise the gypsy wagon, which sleeps two. It's also located in its own space with its own loo and views. Elsewhere within the land is the wild camping field. Here, only a handful of campers are allowed at a time – perhaps three or four tents or vans. There are a couple of compost loos but little else by way of facilities. If you want to wash or wash-up, you do so in the stream (strictly eco-friendly products only), your water is filtered from a well and the lighting (at the yurt and wagon) is powered by the sun.

In many aspects this is as close to wild camping as you can get which won’t suit campers who are used to manicured sites – but those who see beauty in long grass and notice stars on dark nights will probably love it here. You can use the place as a launchpad to explore Exmoor National Park and further afield in Devon or simply stay local to enjoy what’s close by. The campsite is situated between the villages of Oakford and Stoodleigh which each have a pub that does food. The towns of Bampton, Tiverton and Dulverton are all within 10 miles.