Canvas & Clover

What actually is glamping? To us outdoor aficionados it’s one of life’s great questions and, like all big conundrums, the answer is brilliantly ambiguous. Well, it’s glamorous camping isn’t it? Camping out but with better facilities than sleeping rough. So a site with a ready-pitched expedition tent and a portable loo dumped unceremoniously alongside could be considered glamping right? Well, that’s certainly stretching things a little, but thankfully this new find has gone in an altogether different direction.

Set on a working farm in rural Worcestershire, Canvas and Clover is what true glamping should be. Owners, Matt and Wendy, created the site in response to their long-term camping wish – to go on holiday somewhere lacking in modern, gadget-ridden distractions yet avoid having to spend their time sleeping on the floor and arguing about whose turn it was to put up the tent. The resulting site is fabulous.

Spread around a meadow, in a quiet area of the farm, the 10 well-furnished safari tents are each set on a sizeable plot of land with a deck, firepit and picnic table outside each. Inside, there's a double bed and three singles, with extra space saved by separating the kitchen, which is outside in a seperate kitchen shed with a barbecue, gas burner, pots, pans and utensils.

On hand there’s a clean, modern shower block, containing six individual rooms each with a toilet, shower and sink, while a covered barn also houses a cosy communal space, with a stash of games including boules and giant jenga, children's books and a telescope. Not that much time is spent indoors. When the sun’s out, the field has endless room to boot a ball around or fling a frisbee, and the surrounding views – across open farmland garnished with hedgerows and mature trees – invite you out onto the footpaths that lead directly from the farm.

Indeed, the views make it easy to forget that the city of Worcester is actually surprisingly close by. On the way, re-route via the beautiful ruins of Witley Court, an English Heritage owned manor that was destroyed by a fire in 1937, but still boasts intricate parterre gardens and extravagant water fountains. Then delve into the historic county capital itself, boasting a compact and easily walkable town centre with a good range of independent restaurants if you decide to take an evening off from scoffing wine around the campfire!