It is appropriate that Jonny Clothier decided to build the garden of the dome in the forest of Dean, a former forest full of myth and legend, and so the story goes, inhabited by hobbits and ghosts. There is some otherworldy on the Group of white GEODESIC domes in a forest clearing. At night, when they are lit up from within, appear to be alien pods just landing from space: I half expected to see something ET-like out of one. In fact the only creature who saw inside was a chicken strutting. Perhaps he was attracted by the fake grass carpet.
The artificial grass floor is one of many special features in the garden of the dome. There are sturdy metal frame beds with appropriate mattresses, but not in vain, children prefer to sleep in canvas hanging pods that look like buds. A funky lime green color scheme runs all over the place of the lights on the table for the cushions. The minimalist décor is in contrast to the current fashion of shabby chic glampsites. There is no any scribe or tealights or mosaic sheds on the beds, to the disappointment of canopy and stars: apparently glamping recently released by posh B & B guru Alastair Sawday website wanted to Jonny get rid of the grass and create a more welcoming environment to add to the collection. Of course refused. It has an almost childlike enthusiasm for his project and was not going to change to adapt to someone of another idea of how your site should be.
Until now the former architect-turned-filmmaker has designed and built six domes, but the plan is to build another four, one of which fills with tropical plants, such as a mini Eden project - as well as a Chamber of five B & B, with a mini dome in the ceiling for persons who do not want the gross.
It is not us so we were cutting. Seven meters each in diameter, the domes are larger than most hotel rooms. Each has a flushable loo under roof, a shower and a wood-burning stove, I insisted on lighting for the pure pleasure of seeing smoke puffs from our small fireplace, even if this implies sweat in the sauna - like temperatures inside.
But we were not completely pampered. "Dome-ateers" - as he calls his guests: Jonny are also in the light of a wood for the shower water heater, and though it offers you breakfast in a small house at home, guests are encouraged to cook their own out of the Rocket stove, a basic gadget that simply feeds wood.
"I want to encourage people to go to the jungle and collect sticks to the stoves," I said. And there is no excuse, there are numerous forest roads directly from the garden.
Forest fires are a popular feature. Invite a weekly meeting of pizza which guests: mass and coverage are always, so everything that has to do is to mount it and feed the enormous wood-fired oven. It is not as easy as it sounds, ours was released as a flattened calzone. After the sunset lit a bonfire in the central fire pit and site manager John gave us away with tales about the forest.
And there are many stories to tell. To "strange and beautiful place... a place in the form of heart between two rivers, somehow slightly cut off from the rest of England" is how Dennis Potter, who was born in the forest, described. Its geographical isolation is one of the local reasons are said to have the strong community spirit - and a reputation as mavericks. They were a law unto themselves - literally - until the mid-19th century, when the forest, according to local tradition, became the last place in Britain for a police force. A dwindling band of "Ranger" still have free mining rights under an ancient and dark Bill.
Somehow Jonny continues the tradition of maverick opening a campsite posh in an area that is generally been overlooked by tourists. Compared to the new forest and the surrounding counties of Monmouthshire, Shropshire, Oxfordshire - that is filled with boutique hostels and this corner of West Gloucestershire has been slower on the brand when it comes to tourist infrastructure. There are small scale, but ideal for young children. The Perrygrove steam train trundles along a single track, stop to allow that their passengers junior guards and wave the flag, while Puzzlewood is a maze of roads running through MOSS, Tolkeinesque woods.
One thing that the forest has in abundance is cycle tracks and in the center of A Pedal bike far we hired bicycle and a seat of baby and pootled along the family of nine mile track last carpeted Heath digital.
In the small village of Symonds Yat on the East Bank of the River Wye, Wyedean canoe and Adventure Centre offers all kinds of activities on water and in the vicinity, an area of outstanding Natural beauty. The idea of kayak past picturesque steep wooded banks of the River was attractive, but not very practical with a year old in tow. Instead we sit outside the excellent pub Saracens head with pints of local Kingston ale, seeing a young boy carrying a rope former ferry on the opposite shore.
As he led us copy of the winding steep road from the River, two young deer jumped across the road in front of the car. Chocó against on the brakes and I held my breath and beautiful creatures disappeared in the forest. Only added to the sense that this is a magical place.
? 07974 685818, domegarden.co.uk. Domes sleep four or five, 445 ￡ for a weekend of ￡ 620 or three nights a week. Pedaling a bicycle far (pedalabikeaway.co.uk) charges ￡ 7 for three hours (children) ￡ 32 for a bike with assistance
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