Winter Camping at Dacre Lakes

So, this winter we had our very first camping pod experience, also known these days as ‘glamping’. I was so excited for this as my extent of camping has been only to music festivals, where in my experience, you buy the cheapest tent, fill it as full as possible with beer, cider, sausages and disposable BBQs and infrequently visit it over the weekend to bed down.

Don’t get me wrong, this was fit for purpose, after all we were there for only the music and the atmosphere, and when in the arena it was great fun, but after day two of soggy EVERYTHING from the rain-drenched ‘three-man’ (barely fit myself in) tent I was kinda convinced that a camping holiday absolutely would not be for me. Well maybe not camping, but now there’s glamping!

So what exactly is glamping, well simply it’s glamorous camping. Glamping these days can be anywhere around the world with a vast number of accommodation experiences. Accommodation comes in all shapes and sizes from small insulated heated pods, tree huts and big glam, ‘swing a cat round in’ tepees (I don’t advocate swinging any cats or animals for that matter, but you get the picture, very spacious indeed!). You can wake up in a yurt on top of a beautiful mountain or residing in a tree-house overlooking a vast canopy of rain forest, or simply camp in a converted hippy style Volkswagen camper van, very cool indeed. The options are endless.

We chose to stay a little closer to home, yet somewhere we had never visited before. Nestled away in the East of Yorkshire there’s a place called Dacre lake. A beautiful activity lake surrounded with a variety of camping options from wooden pods, a huge caravan plot, and luxurious lodges equipped with outdoor hot tubs and fully fitted kitchens. We opted for one of the family sized wooden camping pods, complete with a heater and a lovely terrace overlooking the lake. I just couldn’t wait for a weekend getaway to the coast and country, much needed!

The weekend for glamping had arrived and full of excitement, we promptly logged off work on Friday afternoon loaded the car and headed away from Manchester over to the East Coast. We got there quite late and ever so nicely, the park warden was waiting there for our arrival to show us to our pod. He was a local man, and so friendly, he even took the time to suggest some area of interest to visit and pubs to frequent during our stay, a lovely welcome.

We managed to park right outside our beautiful and very spacious pod. Luckily we knew to take our own bedding with us, so once unloaded we began setting up our little home for the weekend. Once all set-up, we turned on the heater and put up the fairy lights and cracked open a bottle of red wine. Just perfect!

I had the BEST night’s sleep I’d had in ages (even if the air bed refused to stay up!) It was so peaceful, I actually really enjoyed the sound of the swans and ducks quacking away, you definitely know you’re in the great outdoors. I never thought I’d say this when camping in November, however the lodge actually got too hot! Can you believe it, we had to open the door as the heater was so good. A note to self to turn the heater down for night number two.

Once we arose from our slumber we set up the ‘kitchen’ on the outdoor table. A gas stove and a frying pan for our sausages, eggs and bacon which we enjoyed with avocado toast of course! (We came very prepared). All washed down with ice cold orange juice. It was delightful. The food cooked perfectly and it was so serene cooking in the outdoors overlooking the lake, I was definitely unwinding on this break.

Once we were suitably stuffed from our breakfasts we washed up, showered and headed out in the car to see the sights. First stop Hornsea cliffs. A beautiful little beach in a cove full of caves to explore. We spent a good few hours here exploring the bay and taking in the sights from the cliff tops. A must visit if your over that way, it would be such a shame to miss.

Even with the belly busting breakfast it didn’t take us long to work up an appetite so off to the pub we went. I absolutely LOVE Yorkshire pubs. So traditional and serving good honest grub with lit open fires. We chose the Rose and Crown where we enjoyed a giant Yorkshire pudding served with a big chunks of roast beef tumbled inside with ladles full of gravy smothered over, all complete with an array of vegetables and mash potato. Delicious and so cheap!

After our little pit stop we then headed over Flamborough Head. Home to the RSPB. The views here were incredible! In summertime it’s home to a number of birds that breed on the cliff side. I’ll definitely have to return to see the puffins, that would make for some amazing photos! We whiled away the day until the sun went down, which I highly recommend, the view was stunning, it was just one of those magical moments which we managed to capture on camera (once we figured out the timer settings that is….there were a few takes). Having a had full day of walking in the fresh air we decided to head back to the campsite and drop the car off before mooching into the local town of Driffield to sample a bit of the nightlife.

Opting for a local pub with live music playing, we enjoyed a few drinks with the locals before returning back to the pod for a glass of mulled wine and a nice little night cap of rum as we overlooked the lake once more. What a very perfect evening.

The next morning, we set to work once more making a big hearty breakfast and enjoying the peace and calm around the lake before packing up the pod to leave (I really didn’t want to go!). Before returning back to Manchester we made the most of the day by going on a big walk taking in the beautiful Yorkshire beaches and countryside. One place we stopped was Flamborough head lighthouse, there’s a stunning walk around here which we enjoyed, however the real reason to visit here is to grab a bite to eat at the Headlands cafe. It’s soooo good, seriously the food here is amazing, such a huge choice too, you can check the menu out here. However, for us it was a no brainer, we went for the giant chip butty! so many crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle chunky chips, they were tumbling out of the bap! Highly recommended.

I have to say my first experience of glamping was fantastic!! I will certainly be doing it again and I will absolutely be returning back to Dacre Lake… Maybe next time I’ll book one of the big fancy lodges with the hot tub! I can definitely see myself in the enjoying a glass of champagne or two.