Meriwood

Three-quarters of an acre of woodland, two people, and just one bell tent: Meriwood is a private glamping hideaway with impressive credentials in Devon. Tucked away in woodland on the edge of a tiny village in the Blackdown Hills, it’s a great place for a romantic rural retreat. With a fire pit, a wood-fired hot tub, and a rustic outdoor kitchen, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve stepped into a Scandinavian fairy tale — and yet it’s just a five-minute walk to a traditional Devonshire pub.

Meriwood is hidden in a copse of trees beyond the owners’ house and, on arrival to their driveway, you might wonder if you’ve come to the right place for your glamping getaway. But, soon enough, Sarah or Giles will appear and show you the way to the little woodland wonderland they’ve created for their guests. You’ll walk through a tiny orchard and across a grassy paddock before you reach your private copse of trees.

Here, bedecked in neutral colours, is your bedroom in a bulbous Lotus Belle Tent and there’s your outdoor bath: a wood-fired hot tub in the trees. The kitchen, shower, and toilet are timber-and-corrugated-tin constructions. At first glance, the use of natural materials, the woodsmoke, and the trees give the appearance of a rustic camp suited to a woodsman from that fairy tale we mentioned. But look a little closer and you’ll see a softer, more stylish side: a well-made king-sized bed, soft rugs, fluffy towels, and delightful-smelling toiletries. Every element here, from fire pit to showerhead, has been carefully thought through to look good and function well in the outdoor environment.

Sarah and Giles escaped here from London and it’s likely that many of their guests will be doing the same. Those folk might be content whiling away the hours reading, cooking, and watching birds and butterflies in the dappled light of this leafy cocoon. But others will come for the location in the Blackdown Hills, close to the Devon-Somerset border. From here, you can explore glorious countryside and Devonshire towns like Axminster as well as the Jurassic Coast, Dartmoor, and Exmoor National Parks if you don’t mind a bit of a drive. However you spend your days, you won’t want to miss a visit to the nearby King’s Arms and you won’t be able to miss the stars that pepper the skies on cloudless nights. Millions of them twinkle above this three-quarter-acre wood where two people can have one very good time.