I am running late with posting about this because I had some of my photos on my cell phone, and it was driving me crazy trying to get them onto my computer. This has usually not been a problem, until now, of course.
Any way, I saw these two camping pods when I was looking for hotels in the Yorkshire Dales, and they looked interesting, especially because there were only two of them, they were completely furnished, and on a working sheep farm. They also had a high rating on TripAdvisor.
They were quite a ways from the farmhouse, shown here, and down a narrow roadway.
This was the one I stayed in. The other one was identical and occupied by a very young couple. There was a small patio with a couple of chairs. The farmer and his wife added these two pods as a way to supplement their farm income, so one advantage was the units were not as a busy and noisy campground/
The front door in this photo is covered by a room-darkening shade. The couch can be converted to beds for a couple of kids. There was a TV and free internet. It was not a big place and would probably feel cramped to a family with kids, but I was fine with it.
There was also a small refrigerator, induction stove top, microwave, toaster, and electric tea pot. I was able to only use the stove top once, but I did use it to make a toasted cheese sandwich, which tasted good after a lot of restaurant and takeout food.
The bed on the right was a queen size, and it was fairly comfortable. The bathroom had a sink, toilet, and shower.
The kitchen had pots, pans, dishes, glasses, and typical cooking and eating utensils. The roll of paper towel is something I brought and keep in the trunk whenever I rent a car in the UK.
A very nice view of the Dales from my front door.
My neighbors were these sheep--a mix of ewes and their half-grown lambs. The ones that have been sheared are the ewes. Lambs won't be sheared until next year, that is assuming they do not go to market before then!
Slightly to the right of the sheep field, was another field with a handful of cows and some calves.
On a positive note, this was a good experience. My only real problem was that the three days I stayed here were abnormally hot for England, and the pods had no air conditioning. In fact a lot of hotels and nearly all homes in this country do NOT have air conditioning.
There was a large fan on a stand, but it did no good to bring in cool air. The bathroom window did open, but screens are virtually non-existent in the UK, and I always worry about flies and insects coming in, so I mostly kept it closed. There was also a small exhaust fan near the front door, but it really did not help much, so it was hard for me to sleep in the heat at night. I was gone sightseeing most of the day, so it was only night that was a problem.
Right now, I am also in a hotel without AC, but it is very chilly outside so it is not a problem. With climate change, a lot of homes that can afford it are at least adding more insulation to homes, because traditionally homes have been built with minimum insulation, but people are recognizing that they are going to have to make changes.
Anyway, camping is becoming much more common in the UK and a lot of campgrounds are adding a few of these luxury camping pods, as they are also doing in the U.S.. If you are looking for a slight different and quiet rural experience, check these out as a change from hotels in cities where you get traffic noise all night.
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