To celebrate David's birthday this year we spent 2 nights at Sperrin View Glamping Pods in Cookstown! They are super cute glamping pods in the middle of the countryside, in a designated Dark Sky spot of Northern Ireland - perfect for stargazing! The pods are designed with this in mind, with a huge window tilted towards the sky so you can lie in your cosy bed and watch the stars to your hearts content. I wanted to review our stay here as we loved it so much & are already planning when we can go back again!
When lockdown started back in March I thought that there was no chance we would get away anywhere for a few days, either over David's birthday or at any other time over the summer! I was so relieved we hadn't booked anything & didn't have to worry about re-booking or struggle to get a refund, but at the same time I was a bit gutted that we didn't have a wee trip away on the horizon - I love having something to look forward to!
Obviously, with Coronavirus & lockdown & you know, a global pandemic, it's completely understandable & I'm in no way trying to diminish just how serious the situation is in the world right now - but I think it's okay to recognise how serious Coronavirus is & also be a bit sad about all the things we've missed out on!
Anyway, as lockdown started to ease & tourism in Northern Ireland was given a date to reopen, I happened to be on Instagram at just the right time! I spotted a post on Sperrin View Glampings page announcing their opening date on 20th July! I went straight to their booking page & as luck would have it, they had 2 nights available over David's birthday. I would have loved to book it as a surprise getaway for his birthday, but because lockdown is such a weird situation to be in I wanted to make sure that he was comfortable with going away at all.
As we talked it out, we figured that glamping is quite remote & removed from other people anyway. We would be staying in our own wee pod, with no real need to be around other people, & we could bring our own food & supplies with us, so no need to be going out for dinner or into Cookstown at all!
We booked our stay at Sperrin View that same night & spent the next month & a half of lockdown counting down the days until we arrived at these amazing pods!
A change of scenery was just what we needed & these glamping pods were the perfect little getaway! There are only 4 pods on site (each sleeps up to 5 people) & a Communal Hub where you check in for your stay, which also has a fully functional kitchen, fireplace & chill out area. During Coronavirus, there can only be 1 Pod using the Communal Hub at a time to ensure social distancing is maintained. There was hand sanitiser on entry & plenty of cleaning products to make sure anything that was touched or used was wiped down when leaving.
For our first night we decided to use the kitchen & cook a Thai Green Curry for dinner - one of Davids fave meals & so simple to make! We brought all the food with us & the kitchen in the Communal Hub had all the utensils we needed. We decided to eat in the Communal Hub as well, instead of bringing our food back to our own Pod, mainly because it seemed like the other 3 Pods were all barbecuing so we weren't too worried about hogging the kitchen from the other guests!
It's a super cute place inside, loads of tables & sofas, and lots of quirky decor dotted about. I can imagine it being a really cosy space in normal times, with families & groups of friends using the space to hang out, maybe lighting the fire in the wee porch, playing boards games & just living the dream!
After dinner we headed back to our Pod to chill out & have a few drinks. We played some cards & David watched Liverpool lift the Champions League trophy! He honestly couldn't have asked for a better present on his birthday - but don't worry, the Glamping came in a close 2nd...
The next day we had a really slow, chilled morning! We had some breakfast & enjoyed a wee cup of tea at our picnic table, before getting ready to head out for a walk. Davagh Forest is a 2 minute drive away from Sperrinview & if we were more confident in our sense of direction (& weren't worried about our phone signal!) we could've walked there!
Not wanting to get lost in the winding, country roads we decided to drive over to the forest for a wee stroll. This forest is mostly dedicated to mountain bike trails, but there is one route that walkers can use alongside mountain bikes. It's only 3km long, so not a very long walk at all, but it was lovely to get out and stretch our legs! It's a really nice forest, even if you do only get to dip your toe into it - there is so much more ground covered on the mountain bike trails, but those are a hard pass from me!
Our walk was really peaceful, there was hardly anyone else around - we had 2 mountain bikers & maybe 2 families pass us as we walked around. There is on-site parking, which was free when we visited, but I'm not sure how long it will be like that, and there was also on-site toilets & a drinking water tap to refill your reusable water bottles! It is a shame that there is only one walking trail in the whole forest, but for all we were looking for it suited us perfectly!
When we got home from Davagh Forest it was late afternoon & we hadn't eaten any lunch, so we decided to start our BBQ for an early dinner! Each Pod has it's own bricked in BBQ, you just need to bring your own coal, which worked so much better for us than trying to use a disposable BBQ! For some reason, we just can't use them properly & end up taking our lives in our hands with our cooking!
We were starving, so sadly there is no photo evidence of our dinner, but it was so good - I'd even go so far as to say it's the best BBQ we've ever made! Not that we've made a whole ton, but we are complete novices when it comes to BBQ-ing, so I'll take it!
After dinner, we lit our fire pit & sat outside for the rest of the night. Luckily, the rain stayed off & the clouds even cleared up, so we had a really beautiful night! Each Pod has a basket of logs for the fire pit, which is more than enough for one night. But, we did bring our own logs because David loves to keep a fire going as long as possible and, I kid you not, we used the whole basket that was provided, our own full bag of logs & most of a box of firelighters! It seems a bit excessive for one night but we lit our fire pit around 5.30pm and kept it going until just after midnight, so the fire was going for over 6 hours! The heat was glorious! We even made a wee cat-friend who curled up on one of our blankets in front of the fire & then slept there the rest of the evening - she was adorable & so friendly.
Each Pod also has a jar of giant marshmallows & these amazing extendable forks for toasting marshmallows at your fire pit! We brought some chocolate biscuits to make s'mores & they went down so well with some tea. I was so fascinated by the extendable forks & really need to get some for our camping supplies because they are so cool! A reusable way to toast marshmallows that doesn't splinter & break? Sign me up!
The rest of our evening was beautiful, enjoying some chilled time beside the fire, watching the sun set & the sky get darker & darker. The starry night sky is a sight to be seen out here, with only a few houses dotted about on the hills, the stars look clearer than ever!
We had a beautiful stay at Sperrinview Glamping Pods & will most definitely book in again! The only question is when?
The Pods are amazing, each with their own bathroom, fridge, kettle & smart tv, and they are so cosy. They make glamping feel luxurious, & for some time away from everything, in the middle of nowhere, they are the perfect adventure!
Tell me, are you a glamping convert?
Or are you more of a rough camper or luxury hotel kinda person?
All are welcome here!
