The Hodgson family certainly know a thing or two about diversification. Having worked the fields around Hall Farm since the 1920s, no fewer than four generations have seen the place develop, from horse ploughed fields in the early days right through to today’s tractor worked landscape. By 2008 they’d also opened their very own brewery, with cask ales crafted from their home-grown malting wheat, and now there’s yet another exciting development: Little Otchan Glamping.
Named after the farm’s most popular beer, the glamping site is located half a mile from the brewery itself and separated into two areas, each as lovely as the other. First there's Little Otchan Shepherd's Hut, tucked against a flank of mature trees and overlooking a pond. Its location offers complete privacy, with the built in double bed and private hot tub making it a perfect retreat for couples. Outside, there’s a firepit for that essential campfire while the little comforts inside, including a vintage-style digital radio, a retro microwave and a wood-burning stove, help make this an excellent year-round getaway.
Meanwhile, the second glamping spot is in a nearby tree-lined meadow where four bell tents are pitched from April to October only. Each six-metre tent offers a comfortable set up with proper beds and picnic benches outside. Each has its own private loo and shower-room a short walk away, fire pits can be hired and there's a lovely shared communal kitchen cabin too.
This countryside setting attracts more than just glampers. The shelter of the surrounding woodland and the water of the hut's lily-dotted pond draws a wide variety of wildlife. Though elusive, roe deer can occasionally be spotted among the trees when you’re particularly quiet, while kestrels, woodpeckers and buzzards also frequent the woods. Dragonflies, damselflies and more flicker across the surface of the pond. It’s one of the great benefits of being such a small and undisturbed camping area – most of the animals hardly notice you’re there.
If you do find the time to slip away, a quick drive east to the coast reveals one of the longest and straightest stretches of sand in the UK, reaching all the way north to Bridlington. From Hall Farm you’re closest to the southern end, where the beach curls around the edge of the River Humber, forming the famous landscape of Spurn Point, a popular nature reserve. In land, meanwhile, Hull provides plenty of more urban attractions ideal for days when there isn’t seaside weather.