Into the Wild
For Jen's 30th Birthday, I surprised her with a weekend away at a unique campsite in Northumberland National Park.
Jen's parent's kindly gave us a lift out to the site, 40 miles outside Newcastle.
The snow wasn't that deep but it was up to Lola's chin and she had to shuffle through it.
Scraping snow and ice off the site map to find out where our accommodation was.
I don't think the residential chickens were too fond of the snow.
Our accommodation for the weekend; a beautiful 16ft traditional Mongolian yurt. No electricity and no gas. Really back to basics! Just what we wanted, a break from our tech filled lives.
Having fun with a flashlight.
Stargazing, looking for constellations.
The full moon and recent snowfall created scenes that belonged in a fairytale.
Unfortunately the moonlight reflecting off the snow meant that we were unable to take advantage of the lowest light polluted skies in England.
I'd love to go out there again on a moonless night in summer where we'd be able to see the night sky in it's natural glory and when we wouldn't be forced back inside from the cold.
Tealights and candles hung from glass lanterns on the real-tree bed posts to provide light during the evening. Even with a couple of dozen lit inside, it was still quite dark. We'd both brought books to read but it caused quite a strain on the eyes.
The bed was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in. The natural fabrics kept us warm even though it felt like almost -10°C outside thanks to the wind.
A wood burning stove provided heat and a place to cook. The mini kitchen included everything we needed to cook up a fried breakfast in the morning.
It's not the most pleasant thing to wake up in the morning being able to see your breath, knowing that the only way that you're going to feel comfortably warm is to get out of bed, into the cold and get the matches out. I must admit that over the weekend, I learnt a thing or two about lighting a good fire.
Sun's up! Let's go exploring!
Our own sawdust toilet situated a hop and a skip away from our yurt. Cold but clean!
Our yurt in it's pretty snow covered surroundings. I love that the site is arranged so that each dwelling has it's own privacy.
A dining wagon next to an outdoor kitchen on site. This would be lush during the summer!
Tipi's are also available to rent, although a little cold for the winter, they'd be great for a group of friends in the warmer months.
There is a small business called Unison Colour on site that creates and sells soft pastels in brilliant tones. We couldn't resist taking a look around their labs. The smell of this room transported me right back to science class at school.
Jen eating my slice of cake in the warm communal kitchen.
During one of our outings, we stopped off at the only pub in the nearest village, the Holly Bush Inn and was very grateful to be welcomed by this impressive fireplace.
The chap behind the bar, was also the chef and he rustled up some tasty grub for us even though they didn't do lunch. How kind :)
Livestock in the field next to the site. You can see a peak of one of the other yurts behind the stone wall in the background.
We both throughly enjoyed our stay in the yurt at Wild Northumbrian. I would have loved to stay for a bit longer and would definitely like to experience the tipi in the warm summer months. I'm sure we'll be back for more!
For more information about Wild Northumbrian visit: www.wildnorthumbrian.co.uk
Ant Tran is product and lifestyle photographer. Currently working at END.