Escapes

Pause for Effect’s grown up glamping

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Do you struggle to get anyone to join you on a regular camping trip and get ridiculed by friends for being a big kid wanting to go camping at your ‘grown up’ age? Well we might just have an attractive solution for convincing the discerning camper to go back to nature without sacrificing the comfort or luxury they can’t holiday without.

Nature-loving social enterprise Pause for Effect have recently launched an exquisitely tailored soul-soothing resort-style ‘Grown Up Glamping Experience’ in Glamping Home Farm estate in Elstree, Hertforshire. It is at this very destination where nature-deprived urbanites can recreate the adventure of traditional camping (with the added luxury built in of course) to make a glamping experience feel somewhat less infantile and definitely more comfortable. Pause for Effect’s peaceful boutique-like retreat encourages escapism from the bustling city life for city dwellers and pushes you to pause and think whether you want to reflect or not. Alternatively, you could hop on down with a group of friends or make the time to have a family gathering in this nature-friendly farm.

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The Editor of On In London and I arrived at Home Farm on a Friday evening after a hectic day rushing around crowded London streets and couldn’t believe that just a ten minute taxi journey from Stanmore tube station was this quiet sanctuary from city life standing still and peaceful before our eyes. Two self-confessed city gals we headed slowly over to our bell tent absorbing the 100 acres of green land surrounding us as well as horses further afield. Surrounding our tent was a couple of stray pheasants looking handsome and fearless and quick to spot in our tent was a glass jar full of marshmallows just waiting to be roasted on the campfire! Inside our tent were all that you need in a cosy bedroom – a real bed, books, tea lighting and tupperware. Scheduled for that evening was alfresco dining with the other fellow glampers and we enjoyed hearty organic food supplied by organic experts from The Organic Cookery and some bubbly to welcome us to the farm.

After dinner we sat around the campfire on haystacks and let the mesmerizing fiery flames of the campfire pause our thoughts and relax our tired minds into a natural state of oblivion. Any movement of the wooden burning logs created an automatic silence. Nature is powerful what can I say!

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The following morning commenced with an early dawn class of yoga in the Indian marquee, breakfast and a bluebell woods morning walk across woodland meadows and a fishing lake. Keeping our minds stimulated were random riddles causing us to pause and think – this time to resolve the riddles!

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Next in store was creative time under the grandiose oak tree and this was where Founder Aimee encouraged us to reflect on our experiences over the weekend so far, de-junk our minds from any stresses or use this time to draw and get creative.

With regular tea breaks (the mint is fresh from the garden) we retired to what felt like our hotel room and enjoyed a sainlo events pause lunch hamper of smoked salmon and asparagus and vegetable tartlets, chicken and quinoa salad, roasted vegetable salad, a choice of chocolate or carrot cake and my all time favourite Parisian macaroons. All dairy and gluten free might I add! Owner of Sainlo Events Jean Luc Sainlo previously worked in some of the best kitchens in London such as Philippe Chavent, Gordon Ramsay and Jean Christophe Novelli.

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After lunch we could have stayed for more yoga and other pottery-making and cookery-type activities (which may I state we would HAVE LOVED TO!) but we had a flight booked to sunny Croatia the next day. If you fancy a digital detox head to Home Farm in Elstree and you’ll be spurred on to hit pause fast. According to Founder of Pause for Effect, Aimee says ‘by pausing, we find our own personal eden’. Home Farm Glamping estate can be hired for corporate events, birthdays, hen-dos, family gatherings and weddings and Pause for Effect offer a variety of tailor-made glamping experiences for their guests.

For more information about the different Pause experiences including the Grown Up Pause experience please click on this link here.

Written by Julia Nelson

Photography by Nyla Sammons