A lush, green outcrop that shelters the sweeping sands of Weston-Super-Mare, Brean Down pokes from the Bristol Channel like a dragon’s back; a magical landscape that’s wonderful to explore. The dramatic, sea-beaten rocks that make up the headland are really just an extension of the Mendip Hills, which rise and fall towards the coast from central Somerset. It’s pinned directly between the two – the coast to the west and the footpath-riddled Mendip’s to the east – that this brand new glamping site can be found.
Taking its name from a tiny natural spring that feeds the circular pond before it, Lady’s Well Shepherd’s Hut is a private glamping outpost on a idyllic Somerset farm. Inside it has all the agricultural allusions you’d expect – watercolour paintings of local landscapes, sheep patterns on the pillows and a stack of logs for feeding the old fashioned wood burner – yet it’s also strikingly modern. There’s a flat-screen TV, electric oven and under-floor heating, plus a smart en-suite bathroom with a heated towel rack and powerful shower. It’s a subtle combination of old meets new; the shepherd’s hut fitting the scenery perfectly but with modern twists inside to ensure the utmost of glamping comfort.
The farm itself is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is unsurprisingly home to a wide array of wildlife. A short stroll from the hut a living willow hide offers guests the chance to keep a look out for deer, foxes and red kites, while even from your bed you can often spy small birds darting around the pond. Fishing from the private, wooden jetty is also allowed; provided you return anything you catch.
The real selling-factor of the place is the privacy it affords. The coast is just three miles away (a very pleasant walk), there’s a busy pub just down the road and the buzzy pier of Weston-Super-Mare is nearby but when you simply want to shut yourself away in a private slice of the countryside, the Lady’s Well Shepherd’s Hut has everything you need.