Leewood Glamping, Devon

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATSWe took a short break, deciding that if we couldn’t go abroad then we wanted to find some more unusual places to discover here in England. After a couple of amazing nights at Bower Treehouse in Somerset, we headed south to the Leewood glamping site near Yelverton in Devon. After three nights, I didn’t want to leave. Glamping, Devon, chilling out…it was all too perfect.

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

The bog eyed resident cat made himself at home in our tent

There are two pitches to choose from on site, and our home for three nights was The Ark. To say it’s simply a safari tent would be a massive understatement. This tent was enclosed with an upcycled wooden frame and tarp roof, giving it protection from the wind. Inside, the walls are insulated with old army blankets for warmth, and the roof is beautifully draped with vintage sari silks. There is a king size bed, with a down duvet and piles of quilts and crotchet blankets. A wood burner is flanked by rocking chairs and there is seating in the corner.

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

Cosy corner

Outside there is a fire pit for late night star gazing and meal cooking.

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

Cooking outside

The tent comes with a shack, we called it ‘Andy’s Caff’! Inside there are a mass of vintage plates and bowls, a gas burner, a table and chairs, washing up area and cooking kit.

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

‘Andy’s Caff’, the kitchen shack with The Ark

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

Inside the shabby chic kitchen shack

Oh and all of this is off grid, but at night it twinkles under the light of solar fairy lights and lanterns. It overlooks a large field beyond which, but hidden from view, is the second tent on site. A river runs through the site as well if you fancy having a dip or simply watching the waters go by.The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

Leewood is magical. The attention to detail comes from the owners who are both artists. Everything is homemade, vintage or upcycled. We were welcomed with eggs from the chickens who live on site, and a warm ginger cake. We left with honey from the hives and a crochet blanket from the honesty shop in the yard.

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

Tent detail

The yard. This is where the action is! Although the tents are off grid, there are two hot showers and loos in the yard. There is no phone signal on site (not for us anyway) so you can leave messages on the blackboard if you need anything. There is an honesty shop come vintage emporium and studios where they run workshops. There is also wifi up in the yard if you need to keep in touch with the outside world. Between the yard and The Ark (a very short walk and you can put your stuff in a wheelbarrow if needs be) there are geese, ducks, the resident cats and beds of vegetables.

Much like the the stop before, I would have happily stayed on site the whole time, but actually I am so glad that we made the effort to go out.

Dartmoor is just a fifteen minute drive from Leewood, so we had a couple of great walks. A bit of a drive away, but great fun, is the Buckfast Butterfly Farm and Otter Sanctuary. The clue is in the name, and be warned- the butterfly house is hot!

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

If you’re near Buckfast, pop in to the butterfly and otter place

We cooked over the campfire, but we also ate at the Cornish Arms in Tavistock and Drake Manor Inn at (wait for it) Buckland Monachorum. Both served up excellent meals. The Game Larder Deli in Yelverton is an ideal stop off for picnic supplies before walks. The pork pies are excellent! It is also exactly how I imagine my deli would look if I every owned one *dreamy sigh*.

The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

Amazing food at The Cornish Arms

Without a doubt, we will return to Leewood. I grew up camping and love it, but going glamping in this unique setting has made me question if I will ever put my tent up again! We’d both love to come back here and explore more of Dartmoor, but also it would be great to go early autumn/ early spring so that we can actually spend more time in the tent. The weather was so good, that we didn’t make enough of the cosy interior and that stove.

We booked Leewood via Canopy and Stars, although I just had a look and they book directly via AirBnB as well.

If you know of anywhere even half as beautiful as Leewood glamping, please do let me know in the comments so I can check it out.


The Ark at Leewood glamping Devon / UK holidays / SHE-EATS

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Posted by Claire

She eats. She drinks. She cooks. She travels. She learns. She tastes. She bakes. A foodie with exceptional taste! Always looking for the best food and drink producers from far and wide. Chocolate brownie queen. Judge: International Cheese Awards. Cheese fiend! Travel lover. What better way to discover new food, than to travel to it. Massive fan of The Archers. Crazy cat lady and proud. NW England / Manchester / UK Twitter & Insta: She_Eats_Blog Facebook: SheEatsBlog

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