Notgrove Glamping Pods – Review

Notgrove Glamping Pods – everything you need to know…

Fancy the sounds of glamping? Read all about The Procrastinating Mum’s review of Notgrove Glamping Pods in the Cotswolds! 

Camping or Glamping Holiday?

If I say camping holiday what do you think of? A hard floor to sleep on, communal showers, struggling to put the tent up and just generally being cold and a bit stressed, right? Not really a holiday. So what if I said Glamping holiday? What do you think of then? Still hard work, still cold, not as nice as a hotel or caravan, definitely not for you?

Well, what if I said heating, En-suite shower and toilet, Kitchenette with fridge, microwave oven and hob? Do I have your attention now or are you still not convinced? Well, listen to what I have to tell you.

The Glamping Pods at Notgrove Holidays might just offer the most Luxury Glamping experience you will ever have (in my opinion) and that’s what I’m here to talk to you about today. Notgrove is in Gloucestershire and lies within the Cotswolds.

If you’ve not been to The Cotswolds before, let me tell you, you are missing out. The Costwolds in the Summer are absolutely stunning and a breath of fresh-air compared to London 0 literally!. I have stayed there twice and you can bet I’ll be booking a return visit as soon as I can.

Why The Cotswolds?

 If I had to describe the Cotswolds in just one word it would be ‘breathtaking’. Did you know that it was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966? If you’ve ever been it’s not difficult to see why.

My sister, a friend and I decided that we would quite like a girly weekend away. None of us had been to the Cotswolds before but it was a destination that we had always wanted to check off of our bucket list. We had also never been glamping before, so a quick Google search later and we stumbled across the little gem that is Notgrove Holidays. I loved it so much that I booked to go again the year after with my husband.

Booking is very straight forward. Simply go online, pick your pod and check that the date you want is available. There are no set arrival days so you can choose what works best for you. The only stipulation is you have to stay a minimum of 2 nights. And believe me, you’ll want to stay for longer than that. I practically had to be dragged away kicking and screaming.

Driving through the Notgrove Estate you are treated to wonderful views of endless fields, quaint cottages and an assortment of animals.

The Notgrove Glamping Pods

Arriving at the pods I was reminded of little hobbit houses from Lord of the Rings as they seemed to just rise out of the ground. Each pod has its own parking space right next to it so you don’t have far to carry your luggage.

The pods have lockable front doors which were glass so you could sit in the comfort of your own space and enjoy views like this:

Each pod has:

• Double bed and sofa bed
• En-suite shower and toilet
• Kitchenette with fridge, microwave oven and hob
• Flat-screen Freeview TV
• Dining table and chairs
• Outdoor seating and fire pit
• Heating, lighting and electrical points
• Wi-Fi
• Kettle and Toaster

The pods had everything that we needed. With 3 of us girls and all of our cosmetics, it sometimes felt a little cramped but it still had that perfect mix of being practical yet cosy.

A quick trip to Tesco, which is less than 10 miles down the road and we were ready to begin our holiday!

What Is There To Do at Notgrove Glamping Pods?

There is a mini football pitch, onsite games room and animals that you are able to go and pet! There are alpacas, highland cows, donkeys and goats. The alpacas were definitely a favourite of ours.

There are suggested walks mapped out depending on your abilities and fitness level, all colour coded. Just make sure you follow the right colours! We made the mistake of taking a wrong turn and ended up hiking for almost 4 and a half hours! Not that we minded obviously, the views that we were rewarded with were just spectacular. We took a little (okay, LARGE) picnic with us and drank in the views on offer while feasting on our bread, cheeses and Prosciutto. It was blissful.

If walking and hiking isn’t your thing, Notgrove Holidays also have bike hire available and just like the hiking trails, there are cycling routes already mapped out for you.

Fancy something a little more daring? You could try Electric Quad biking!

There are more options open to you if you’re happy to travel. Half an hour down the road is Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens which is a fantastic day out for any age. Only 10 miles away is the incredible National Trust Chedworth Roman Villa which offers stunning grounds and is a highly enjoyable day out.

If after your busy day out hiking/biking/seeing the animals you don’t fancy cooking, you don’t have to! Only a 5 minute drive (or a 15 minute cycle, which is what we did) there is a classic country pub. Their baked Camembert was just amazing!

Any Down Sides to Notgrove Glamping Pods?

Honestly, there was only one – the Wi-Fi wasn’t overly reliable. However, I did actually take this as a slight positive as I wasn’t able to check social media every 10 minutes and it really helped the overall ‘disconnected from the world’ feeling.

What I Loved about Notgrove Glamping Pods

What I loved about my trips to the Notgrove Holiday Glamping pods was how calm and peaceful I felt, almost like I was pressing my reset button.  I loved the feeling of being outdoors without actually being outside.  I was able to sit and read or watch the sunrise and sunset whilst being snuggled up on the sofa with my blanket but still feeling close enough to actually touch it.

Both of my stays were during Autumn. It is so satisfying to bundle up in your coat, scarf and wellies and crunch through the leaves and breathe in the crisp fresh air, taking in the picturesque scenes before heading back to the pod to warm up with a hot cup of tea or Irish coffee.

Then in the evening (after eating, obviously), warming up by the fire, toasting marshmallows and having a glass of wine whilst setting the world to rights with your companions.

And lastly, we cannot forget the stars. As there is no light pollution for miles around if you tilt your head back it feels like you can see every single star in the universe. I have never seen anything like it before. It is phenomenal.