If you’re looking for a family-friendly, dog-friendly Airbnb or glamping site in Leicestershire, we cannot recommend Barlefield Glamping enough – a fantastic place for a weekend away, staycation or just somewhere special for a break with family or friends.
For us, Barlefield Glamping is only a few miles down the road, but the whole experience made us feel a million miles from everything – it was just perfect.
For clarity, we paid for our stay through Airbnb as normal, however we were invited to try some of the additional experiences while we were there.
The location
Barlefield Glamping is set in the village of Barlestone in the Leicestershire countryside, with beautiful views across fields.
It is a rural campsite on a family-run farm, where you have an entire field to yourself, bordered by alpacas, sheep, goats, pigs and more.
Lily loved having the whole field as her own, safely visiting the animals when she wanted to say hello to them, and I could see her from the caravans as she played in the field.
It was such a peaceful and relaxing place to be – even washing the dishes was lovely, watching the sunset behind the caravans and listening to the birds tweeting in the surrounding trees.
The village itself has a little Co-op shop, pubs, takeaways and more – so you can either make your own food or pick up something locally.
Accommodation
As part of your stay, you have two caravans to yourself, which can sleep up to 9 people. There is a double bed in each, and then the sofa/seating areas convert into other beds, then fold back into living areas during the daytime.
Everything was very clean and ready for using, with clear instructions for your stay.
All your bedding is provided, with comfy pillows and duvets – even when it was -2 degrees at night, it was still so cosy, and there was a little electric heater too for extra warmth.
The caravans are both beautifully hand-painted on the outside, making it a totally unique and special place to stay – and with no one else on site, it was just so picturesque.
Inside the caravan, you also have all your cups, plates, cutlery, a gas hob, kettle and a microwave, plus we were even greeted with a few local baked treats as well as farm eggs when we arrived!
There are plenty of outdoor seats with fairy-light-covered awnings for a beautiful evening relaxing outdoors.
Facilities
Alongside the caravans, you also have a separate brand-new shower with hot water as well as an outdoor washing up area and Terrence the compostable toilet block, with two compostable toilets to use!
There are toilets inside the caravans, but you’re encouraged to use Terrence for eco reasons – and I must say that this was definitely a highlight for Lily!
Outdoors, you also have a campfire area, with logs provided to make your own campfire… Just remember to bring the marshmallows 🙂
Things to do on site
Barlefield Glamping is perfect for friends, couples, families, small groups and more, and once restrictions allow, we have already booked to return with a friend and her daughter, so we each have a caravan, and are working out dates with grandparents too so they can have their own separate caravan too for another trip – it is just lovely whether you’re looking to relax with friends or have your own space for the kids to run free.
For families, I cannot recommend this enough – there really is so much to do for children of all ages. I hadn’t even left the car yet, and Lily was already getting stuck in to the outdoor play area with huge slide, wooden climbing area and both a tire and rope swing.
Alongside one of the caravans, hand painted with a beach theme, you have a long, wooden standing sandpit – hours of fun for the kids, while you can be beside them enjoying a peaceful cuppa!
There is also a small wooden play shed filled with outdoor toys, such as small goal posts, ride-on toys, bikes, scooters, tractors and more – a total treasure chest for kids of all ages!
Being on a working farm, you also have some amazing animals to enjoy, including two beautiful alpacas, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens – you may even be lucky enough to get some fresh eggs for breakfast.
Lily had to say goodnight to the animals at least 3 times each night!
Extra experiences
We were lucky enough to be trying out some of the beautiful add-on experiences that are now available exclusively for guests at Barlefield Glamping. With noone else on the farm, you have these to yourself, and it really was a great way to make our stay extra special.
Speak to Becca at Barlefield Glamping before your stay if you’d like to find out more about the below – activities on offer may vary depending on season.
Coffee, Cake and Crafts
I mean, could there be any better a combination than coffee, cake and crafts? This brand-new experience takes place in the bell tent, where you receive some delicious freshly-baked cakes, plenty of coffee and some lovely crafts.
Crafts are one of the only things that keep Lily quiet, so it was just so lovely – she loved making the cards and rock painting, while I tried to dig out my artistic side, enjoying the beautiful views from the bell tent across the countryside, while sipping on delicious coffee. 11/10 from me for an incredible afternoon!
Sheep walking
When we were asked if we would try sheep walking, I’ve no idea who was more excited – me or Lily! What a fantastic and fun activity – we just could not stop laughing!
It really was so much fun walking Barbara and Biscuit the sheep, with Boris the lamb closely following behind. Another fantastic experience that made the weekend so different and so unique!
Farm experience
As if the crafts, cakes and sheep walking already weren’t enough to have our excitement levels at bursting levels, offering Lily the opportunity to help out on the farm was just the icing on the already amazing cake!
She loves all the animals on the farm, so this gave her the opportunity to get involved with life on a farm in such a natural way.
Lily had the chance to bottle feed the lamb, feed the pigs and goats, collect the eggs, give water to the animals, and even help move the sheep to the alpaca field!
Obviously the activities on offer will vary depending on what needs to be done on the farm, but Lily was so incredibly happy, and keeps asking if we can go back to help.
Being the only ones there too, it just made it extra special, so thank you Becca for taking the time to show Lily your farm and let her help you out.
Local attractions
Barlefield Glamping has so much to do, that you won’t want to leave for the weekend! However, if you do want to explore, it is in a perfect location to do just that.
You’re within 4 miles of Market Bosworth, with a stunning country park to wander around as well as Bosworth Water Park and Bosworth Battlefield.
Tropical Birdland at Desford is around 10 minutes away, and Leicestershire is also home to beautiful parks such as Beacon Hill and Bradgate Park.
Leicester City Centre is just 10 minutes away, packed with so much to do for all the family including shopping, food, the Cathedral, museums, National Space Centre, regular festivals and more.
A bit further away you can also visit Twycross Zoo, Moira Furnace, Conkers, Calke Abbey and more.
Conclusion
We had such an incredible weekend away at Barlefield Glamping – Lily did not want to leave, and nor did I.
Having the whole place to ourselves meant we could just relax, and despite being on my own with a small child, I didn’t need to worry as she was free to run around the field where I could see her at all times – she was just in her element with so much to do.
It was one of those weekends where you could feel like you escaped from everything, like you could get back to basics, and even doing the washing up while watching the sunset was relaxing too.
It is such a perfect place to just enjoy the outdoors and fresh air, with no worries at all.
I always pack so many activities when we go away, but Lily didn’t do any of them as she had so much to do on site!
We are already booked to return in June with a friend, giving us the totally unique experience of having a field to ourselves, while the girls can go off and play – it is also incredibly affordable compared to other glamping sites we would love to visit.
The additional experiences were just an amazing addition, and they are such a special way to enjoy the weekend, without having to leave the site.
What’s more, you just have everything you need there – just pack your clothes and food, and Becca has sorted the rest!
Becca and her family were just so lovely, and were more than happy to show us around the farm and just make sure we were having a beautiful stay. Thank you so much again for everything – we can’t wait to come back again soon!
The 3am Diary 
Omg this looks and sounds perfect. Definitely going to look into
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Thank you, it really is such a special place for the family to enjoy the outdoors together 🙂
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