Wilder Diaries: Creating an oasis for families and wildlife

How do you create a successful family-friendly glamping site that not only caters to those with hidden disabilities, but also benefits local wildlife? We spoke to Dannie and Andrew from Leafy Fields Glamping to find out...

Katie from the Wilder Communities team recently spoke to Dannie and Andrew from Leafy Fields Glamping, in Ashill, Mid Devon. Since June 2016, they have transformed the site from an empty field to an oasis for wildlife and families to enjoy.

Located on the edge of the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, the site had amazing potential for wildlife, but lots of work needed to be done. The site had previously been used for horses, sheep and the occasional chicken, resulting in compacted, clay-like soil, which was incredibly difficult to grow on. After a lot of hard work, determination, and large amounts of manure and organic matter from nearby farms, their improvements to the land started to take shape.

The first problem they needed to tackle was the hedgerows, which were in incredibly poor condition. They immediately got to work planting lots of bare root native hedges. Rather than just sticking round the edge, they created a network of hedgerows and patches of bushes within the field to act as corridors for wildlife to get around the site. They let the hedgerows grow very tall, only trimming back every couple of years or if it impacts the safety of visitors to the site.

Since then, they have created more space for wildlife. No chemicals are used on the site and grass is mostly left long, with some pathways mowed to allow families to explore, and there’s plenty of flowers for insects to enjoy. The soil, no longer compacted and void of life, is home to a vast number of worms which, along with the variety of insects at the site, attract plenty of bird species including blue tits, long-tailed tits, lots of finches, swallows and swifts. Moles have returned to the fields, which is fantastic for drainage, and hedgehogs roam around the site, finding sanctuary in the numerous woodpiles left for them. At night, you’ll see bats and owls swooping across, and you’ll be able to enjoy some stargazing as they have limited, solar powered lighting on the site to allow a clear view of the night sky.

Butterfly artwork in a green area with hedges in the background and a willow arch over head

Families from all sorts of backgrounds have visited the site, but Leafy Fields Glamping is particularly aimed at families with hidden disabilities, and they are a Neurodiversity Friendly site. By leaving areas to grow for wildlife, they are also creating a site that is better for those who might be more sensitive to sound – less mowing and strimming results in a much quieter site for guests with sensory needs to enjoy. They offer a safe space for everyone to discover the joy of being surrounded by wildlife, and for families to feel more connected to nature and each other.

Dannie and Andrew aren’t done yet and hope to create a wooded area and add a small pond to encourage even more wildlife to the site. While they already have plenty of frogs and toads visiting, they hope to provide sanctuary for them throughout their whole life cycle which will also create more learning opportunities for guests. The work they have done to create a wildlife haven at Leafy Fields Glamping is outstanding – it’s no wonder they have been awarded DWT’s Wildlife Garden Award. We hope other camping, glamping and caravan sites will follow their lead and create spaces for both people and wildlife to enjoy.

If you’d like to find out more about the site, head to their website here.