Where did we stay?

Wigwam® Holidays Ribble Valley

Moorgate Farm

Dinckley

Blackburn

Lancashire

BB6 8AN

www.wigwamholidays.com

Need to know

£75 per cabin per night for 2 people

Discount when booking 5 nights or more

Arrivals from 3pm departure by 10:30am

Cabins all have heating, electricity, kitchen, bathroom, outdoor firepit and outdoor seating

Cabins sleep up to 4 people

Bedding and towel packs are extra, and delicious locally sourced breakfast baskets are a highly recommended extra

Superb area for walking, close to Pendle Hill, The Tolkien Trail and The Ribble Way

The peaceful rural setting of Wigwam Holidays’ Ribble Valley site

The accommodation

Don’t be fooled into thinking the Wigwam Running Water Cabin accommodation is the same as the bog standard, small and sparse camping pods you might have come across before. Not only are these much bigger, but they are fully furnished, sleep up to 4 and have a kitchen and bathroom inside them!

We’ve stayed in similar sized cabins before, and found the cabins at Ribble Valley to be extremely spacious, comfy and cosy. We cooked a couple of meals during our stay, and found that the kitchen contained everything we needed to self-cater including an electric hob, fridge, kettle, toaster as well as crockery, cutlery, pots and pans.

Inside the glamping cabin

Underneath the double bed and the sofa, there are large wooden drawers which provided ample storage, with enough space to tidy away our bags and walking gear which helped us to maximise the space inside the cabin, whilst keeping it looking tidy and not tripping over things.

We love the fact that cabins like these make glamping a year-round a possibility, and with central heating and an ensuite shower room, the cabins make for a very comfortable stay. During our visit the weather was cold enough to warrant thermals and extra fleeces when we went out walking, but the cabins remained gloriously warm and cosy in the evening and we found the electric heater to be very effective at keeping us snug.

With a kingsize bead at home and a habit of stretching out when I sleep, I was initially apprehensive about the size of the bed. The double bed however is actually deceptively spacious and definitely bigger than it looks and we slept soundly on both nights, though extra pillows would have made it even better.

Big fluffy towels were provided and we kept them warm on the heated towel rail in the bathroom. The shower was a generous size and the water hot, and I particularly liked looking out at the stars through the bathroom sky light. In fact the views in general from the cabin were utterly stunning, highly recommended if it’s peace and quiet you are looking for.

Plenty of storage space under the sofa bed and double bed

On site

This is a working farm with 6 timber cabins, and space for 2 more. There’s a small reception along with a handy camping shop; owners Jane and Martyn told us that as campers themselves, stocking the shop was easy, basing it around all the essentials that they themselves had forgotten over the years.

The site provides the ideal place for children to play safely and for parents to unwind

Although the site is new, indeed it had only been open for a few weeks when we visited, there are plans to put a children’s play area in close to the cabins, and in time, the newly planted orchard is also likely to contain chickens, which we think will enhance the already lovely site.

Cooking brunch outside on a glorious morning

Our own fire pit and outdoor seating area

The local area

Keen to get out and about, and with Pendle Hill overlooking the site, it might have been the more obvious choice for a walk, but instead our inner geeks decided that we should do the 9km circular walk known as The Tolkien Trail.

Starting at the imposing Stonyhurst College in Hurst Green, the walk took us alongside the River Hodder through some very pretty and Shire-like places. At one point in the walk the River Hodder meets the River Ribble, then a little further on the River Calder too meets the Ribble.

The River Calder meeting the River Ribble, and our delicious meals at the Shireburn Arms

The walk was fantastic, and at around 9km long it was just the right length to make us feel like we’d earned a glass of wine and a delicious pub dinner.

Handily, the route ends right beside the Shireburn Arms, a stunning 17th Century inn that we can’t recommend enough! My partner, was bowled over by the quality of the Gluten Free meal he had there. It’s so nice to see a pub that not only caters for those who can’t eat Gluten, but actually excel in the meals offered. My own meal (fish and chips) was also good, and when we return to the area, we will definitely eat there again.

Pendle Hill not far from the site

The verdict

This was our first time staying at a Wigwam Holidays site, and we were so impressed with the accommodation, and the value for money that these cabins offer, that we’ve already discussed the possibility of coming back again to stay at the Ribble Valley site with friends next year.

Owners Jane and Martyn were extremely friendly and helpful, the location is stunning and there are so many fantastic walks in the area, that we will definitely be back and we’d thoroughly recommend this site not only for couples looking for a romantic weekend break, but for families on holiday too.

Thank you to Wigwam Holidays who invited us to stay.

Where to next?