It only took me six years to head back to the most idyllic place to drop off grid.
Travel, Check In & A Little Detour
Six years ago mum and I discovered Wriggly Tins, we had a blast and vowed to go back, well we finally got round to booking back in. Nestled in the South Downs a collection of luxury Shepherds huts lies hidden in a field, owner Alex kits them all out himself and it’s the perfect place to go back to basics and recharge. A recent addition is a tiny home in the shape of a tin chapel called St Brides, which we had booked in.
But before I get ahead of myself and show you the interior of our tiny tin let me show you where we detoured off to on the way. It wouldn’t be a mother daughter trip without taking in a National Trust house and Mum had spotted a good un’, Hinton Ampner. An elegant, yet friendly house with beautiful gardens the perfect place for a potter in the sunshine.
After deciding whether we should buy it or not (spoiler alert, we’d like to move in this weekend please) we hopped back into the car and headed to our main destination, put away our supplies and turned our hands to getting the fire going. It’s a little like riding a bike and before long we had our little stove on, the kettle was steaming and tea was brewing.
Campfires & Crofters Pie
Alex offers ‘first night dinners’, Mum and I had ordered a crofters pie, it was delivered just after our arrival along side fresh veggies and meant we could just pop it into the oven before sitting back and enjoying our first evening.
Stomachs full and the sun setting we let the campfire die down and snuggled into our bed, hurricane lamps lit and nattered about how much we had missed this kind of holiday until our eyes were closing and it was time for sleep.
Vineyard Wanderings & Alfresco Cooking
Mum did the honours in the morning of getting the campfire going and the kettle on. We sipped on hot sweet tea and leisurely ate our breakfast; if you are a cooked breakfast fan definitely order one of the breakfast baskets (we did on our last trip and were not disappointed). Alex has a great set of walks all mapped out for you in a handy leaflet and we did two on our full day at Wriggly Tins. The morning was walk no.2 which takes you through woodland and gives you beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. After a long lunch, we headed off on walk no.1 which takes you through Hambledon Vineyard and into the lovely little village of Hambledon where if you wander to almost the edge of the village you’ll reach The old Forge Tearoom which is definitely worth a visit.
Back at our base with a cup of tea in hand, Mum and I marched off to stock up on firewood to get dinner started. I reckon you could cook a fancy feast if you put your mind to it but we stuck to a simple classic; pasta with sauce.
When there is a campfire there must be marshmallows right? And luckily they are provided for you, the perfect after dinner treat as the fire dies down before bed.
Home Time with a Stop Off
Before we knew it our off-grid mini break was coming to the end, we stoked up a fire for a final campfire cuppa and packed up our bags, vowing to not leave it another six years – I literally cornered my husband when I got home to work out when we can go! We started our mini break with a National Trust so why not end it with one. Uppark, is thirty minutes from Wriggly Tins and was only a slight detour from home.
If you haven’t ever thought about glamping Wriggly Tins is the perfect place to start, it’s the perfect spot for families, couples, a girls trip or even a hen do! Book your tin here.
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