A humble and warm welcome to Ryeford Ponds!
Private and secluded glamping site at Wharton Farm, just minutes away from the beautiful Forest of Dean and Wye Valley.
Our Campsite
Bell Tents – Tilia and Hawthorn Ridge
Super-spacious (6m), fire retardant, minimalistically furnished and fully equipped bell tents, sleeping 2 Adults + 3 Children. Double bed made-up on arrival and comfortable futons/camp beds ready for the children ( BYO sleeping bags). Private shower room/toilet per each tent. Outdoor seating and fire pit provided.
Shepherd’s Hut
Cosy and comfortable shepherd’s hut, for 2 adults, with king size bed, its own fully equipped outdoor kitchen, charcoal bbq, outdoor seating and fire pit and a private composting loo. The shower room and flush toilet is located in our wash hut in the valley only a short stroll away.
Wash Shack
Spacious shower rooms and toilets located in a dedicated building nearby. Newly refurbished with a rustic, industrial design, flushing toilets, hot water and solar lights.
Woodland Camping Pitches
Two, off-grid camping pitches sited casually amongst ponds and meadows, with added picnic bench and fire pit. Shared, spacious washroom and washing up facilities nearby.
Summer Kitchen for Bell Tents
Well equipped, outdoor kitchenette and eating area exclusively reserved for our bell tents guests. Here you can also find a fridge, gas hob and all cooking kit you might need. Plus Asado grill and wood fired pizza oven.
Private site for a perfect summer break
Ideal place to relax and spend time with your family and friends over simple pleasures with no crowds around! Cooking on fire. Playing board games. Whittling. Nature watching. Relaxing in a hammock. With abundance of local attractions in the stunning Forest of Dean and Wye Valley there is something to do for anyone. You can be as active or as idle as you want.
Accommodation in more detail
Wharton Hut is ideal for a peaceful couple’s get away. Sited a little away from the tents, is blessed with the tree tops view and sunsets in the evenings. It is furnished with a made-up, king size comfy bed, some storage and simple furniture. Hut is equipped with outdoor seating, fire pit and charcoal bbq for your convenience . There is a single gas hob inside and all utensils, cooking kit, small fridge, pots and pans and basic necessities are provided in its own outdoor kitchenette. There are plenty of fairy lights installed for the evenings as there is no electricity on our site. All lights are solar powered. Please bring a power bank (we’re happy to charge it for you at home) and a good torch. There also are some games, books and magazines for you to enjoy. More local information, maps and flyers are available from our Summer Kitchen.
For your convenience, the private composting toilet is located nearby, while conventional toilet and hot shower can be found a short stroll away in the valley in our wash-hut. It is a shared facility, with a large room with a flushing loo, hot shower and a basin, and is cleaned daily. Please bring your own towels.
You will be able to park your car nearby.
We offer 2- 3 nights weekend breaks (Fri-Sun/Mon) and a min 2 nights mid week stays (Mon-Fri). Check in time is 4-7pm and check out 10:30am.
The Hawthorn Ridge and Tilia bell tents are located at one end of our secluded valley. They feel private but are not too distant from each other to allow two families to holiday together. We are sorry but we don’t allow stag / hen parties and loud gatherings.
From the Summer 2024 we welcome a well behaved dog in our Tilia tent if you choose to holiday with your four legged family member. We love dogs but please DO RESPECT other guests, neigbours and presence of the wildlife at the campsite. Dogs are to be kept on a lead at all times, please, and usual t’s & C’s apply.
Our spacious (6m), fire retardant, fully equipped and furnished bell tents are set up on raised platforms and can sleep 2 adults (on a comfortable, made-up double bed with a real mattress) and 3 children on comfy futons and camp beds ready with the bottom sheets and pillows (please byo children’s bedding or alternatively we have a limited number of sleeping bags for hire). If you are blessed with more children, please contact us directly as we can accommodate extra beds. Addition of an awning expands your sheltered and usable space and pretty fairy lights and solar lamps add to the charm of camping with comforts and enjoying outdoors. There are also some spare blankets and hot water bottles provided.
Charcoal bbq, fire pit, utensils, basic equipment and outdoor seating are also provided for your comfort in this peaceful setting. (wood and kindling for the first night’s fire is included)
Your private, flushing toilet and shower room is located nearby together with Summer kitchen. There, you will find some additional equipment, small fridge (no freezer at this moment as we are off-grid), washing up facilities, drinking water, gas hob and some basic games, books, magazines etc., plus some essentials like oil, salt, some spices, teabags, alu-foil etc. Worth knowing is that our most local shop – The Lea Stores is well stocked up with most items you may need during your stay.
Designated car parking area is available slightly away from the bell tents. You are welcome to drive your car for loading on check-in/out only.
In holiday time we offer 3 nights weekend breaks (Fri-Mon) and 4 nights mid week stays (Mon-Fri), off peak we’re more flexible with an option of 2 nights mid week stay. Check in time is 4-7pm and check out 10:30am.
We are offering 2, off-grid woodland camping pitches located in our valley, amongst ponds and meadows. It’s nearly-wild camping with additional comfort of flushing toilets, and hot water!
To accommodate both individual campers and families the tent pitching spots are generous in size, fitting one or two medium tents. Each area has a picnic bench and fire pit. If you are staying together you can pitch your tents in one of the two spots, available. When staying separately, the two areas are well spaced out from each other. Pitches are as flat and level as we can make them without too much disturbance to nature.
Flushing toilet and shower are located in our Wash Shack, along with dedicated washing-up station and small gas fridge to share. There is no freezer as there is no electricity here, but we are more than happy to refreeze your ice blocks and recharge your power banks. You will need good torches and lamps.
Designated car parking area is available slightly away from the pitches, you are welcome to drive your car for loading on check-in/out.
We are flexible with check in days. Minimum stay is 3 nights. Check in time 4-7pm and check out 12:00 noon.
After successful pop-up season in 2021, we joined forces with the lovely gang from The Greener Camping Club and decided to expand a little with addition of two woodland pitches and our shepherd’s hut. Club’s eco-credentials and gentle approach to environment appealed to us and we are now members only site. This means that we are going through rigorous inspection annually to make sure we offer high standard of service to our guests and take on stricter club’s terms and conditions. When you book with us you will be enrolled as a member of the club at a small fee of £12/year per family. This gives you access to some of the finest, greenest and cherry-picked campsites and glamping sites in UK. It also means that we get a tree for every member we introduce! Please let us know your favourite native tree and we will try to plant it at our campsite in the Autumn.
We’d love to share our home patch with you and are looking forward to welcoming you and hope you enjoy your stay.
2024 NEWS ALERT – REPF
We have been successful in applying for a subsidy in a form of a grant to help us upgrade some facilities and improve our offer to camping and glamping guest. We feel very lucky to have received partial funding to implement installation of :
- A large, off-grid solar fridge – reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, reducing food waste and ensuring that if you need to store any medicine in a fridge now it is reliably possible ( your beers will also be chilled!)
- A Secure Bike storage – whether you arrive on two wheels or fancy some cycling and need to store your bike… you have it covered! 😉
- Jackery Solar power bank 1kW – Purchased to enable CPAP users to camp and glamp off grid! So if you managing your sleep apnea and need to plug in your CPAP machine… NOW YOU CAN even off-grid!
- ‘Super Duper, fancy dancy’, stylish and modern ALFRESCO COOKING kit for our glamping guests – a wood fired pizza oven and an amazing, stainless steel Argentinian ASADO grill… for all of you foodies to enjoy eating outdoors, reduce food waste, and encourage healthy food choices and cooking together.
- Dog Pen – If you would like to holiday with your dog, we can now accept well behaved dogs in our Tilia tent and you will have an optional access to let them off lead in our fenced-off dog paddock. Your dog can enjoy running around, playing games and exploring an area without restriction of their lead while in the paddock.
Remote but not too far away
Remote location but with an easy access to main routes (A40, M50) 3 miles from Ross-On-Wye, 1hr from Bristol / Cardiff/ Birmingham
Highly encouraged 'Simple Play'
The body heals with play, the mind heals with laughter and the spirit heals with joy
Cook at the camp or enjoy local take-outs
Cook on a campfire, charcoal BBQ or on a hob … or treat yourselves to a take-out! Plenty to choose from round here!
Meadows, Ponds and Woodlands
No crowds! Enjoy private and guest-exclusive use of this 6 acre paddock, nestled in a beautiful valley with wild meadows and ponds
Ryeford Ponds Glamping
Are you wearing your wellies today in solidarity with #britishfarming ? We wear ours. .. EVERY DAY! 🚜🥾🌾 And often late into the night ...
Ryeford Ponds Glamping
𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐙𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓!!! We couldn’t be happier and more excited, as it is the first time our work and efforts have been acknowledged