Some great feedback about Dimpsey - thankyou Jon! Stay in Dimpsey in November or December and give her a festive makeover for your chance to win a two night stay! Find out more here.
A SUMMER BREAK FOR OUR YEAR OF ADVENTURE WINNERS LISA & NICK
We began 2015 by offering you the chance to win a year of Canopy & Stars holidays. The opportunity to glamp through all four seasons; dancing in the drizzle, basking in the sun, kicking through the autumn leaves before cosying up next to a wood burner on a brisk winter weekend. Unfortunately there could only be one winner so in the spirit of living vicariously, we’ve asked the lucky couple Lisa & Nick to recount their experiences. After a trip to Penhein back in spring, their year of adventures continued with a summer getaway to Out of the Valley in Devon, of which Lisa recounts below...
Our second trip courtesy of Canopy & Stars took us to Devon where we stayed at Out of The Valley, an incredible little solar powered eco-cabin set in beautiful surroundings. It's hard to pick out highlights, as the whole trip was perfect! It was perfect for a summer stay, with the river close by, lots of lovely walks in the valley but still warm and cosy at night with the wood burner lit.
The way the cabin was furnished was amazing and very natural, obviously taking inspiration from the surrounding environment. After a long drive, being able to sit on the decking straight away and look out across the meadow with a warm, gentle breeze blowing across the valley made us feel immediately relaxed. We even started to dream of perhaps one day living in a similar cabin of our own!
The next day was our second wedding anniversary and after a lovely breakfast at the cabin, we decided to take a trip to nearby Chagford where there was an open air pool fed directly from the River Teign. Being keen wild swimmers, we thought that this was too good an opportunity to pass up, although not before enjoying lunch at a local organic café.
After returning to the cabin, we spent the rest of the day lazing around and exploring the nearby amazing tree and river houses which have been built for anyone staying at Out of The Valley to enjoy. Again, we lit the wood burner in the evening, then made a special anniversary pizza, got cosy and opened a bottle of wine. A perfect way to round off a great day!
The next day began with a quick dip in the river and even though it was cold, it was really invigorating and amazing to swim in such a beautiful location with the morning sun streaming through the trees. We had read in the welcome information provided that there was a nearby castle and what looked like a nice walk to get there so we set off, crossing the river and walking through the amazing National Trust woodland. We came across a lovely pub, The Fingle Bridge Inn about halfway through our journey so naturally, we recharged with a couple of local ciders by the river, something that we'd definitely recommend! The scenery walking up to the castle was spectacular and the view of the valley where we had walked was amazing.
We didn't want to leave and had such an incredible time at Out of the Valley. We would definitely go back there again, we'd really recommend this place to anyone who wants to get away from it all. You could quite happily spend the whole time in the cabin and its beautiful surroundings, but there are also many places to explore in the local area and Dartmoor too. We'll be back!
Lisa and Nick x
Even though our competition to win a year of holidays has now closed, there’s no need to stop dreaming. Keep on adding to your wishlist and at the start of each season we’ll pick one winner and give them £250 to spend towards their very own year of adventures.
With over 500 unique spaces across the UK and Europe including treehouses, cabins, wagons, and even boats, we’d like to think there’s something somewhere, for everyone, whether spring, summer, autumn or winter! View the full Collection here.
