Summer at Denham’s Rest: Ice Cream, Adventures & The Slightly Chaotic School Holidays.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at Denham’s Rest during the school holidays, the honest answer is… chaos.

Running a little glamping business is idyllic in theory. Shepherd’s huts, countryside views, slow mornings, guests escaping the hustle and bustle… And then there’s me, trying my very best to run the show whilst simultaneously keeping three children entertained, fed and vaguely presentable throughout six weeks of summer holidays (for full transparency, i drop the ball often).

Changeover days have become a particularly impressive feat of logistics. There’s cleaning, laundry, restocking, checking everything is ready for our next guests while trying to remember who needs what, where everyone is and whether anyone has actually eaten lunch.

Thankfully, my three little Denhams have been absolute superstars and have become surprisingly helpful little members of the team. They’ve been getting stuck in on changeover days, helping with little jobs around the huts and generally making themselves useful.

It’s certainly not always perfectly calm around here, but I try to embrace the chaos and enjoy having them involved in the business too.

And when we’re not working, we’re making the most of the summer ourselves…

Our top 5 places to visit with children near Denham’s Rest this summer...

One of the things I love most about where we live is that there is so much to do within easy reach. So, if you’re staying with us this summer with little ones, these are five of our favourites:

1. Hesketh Farm Park

A firm favourite with our three.

Just around 30 minutes from Denham’s Rest, Hesketh Farm Park is one of those places where you can easily lose a few hours. Animals, play areas, outdoor fun and plenty to keep children entertained. Basically, exactly what you need when they’ve got endless summer-holiday energy!

2. Clitheroe Castle & Museum

For something a little closer to home, head to Clitheroe.

The castle and museum are right in the heart of town, and you can easily combine a visit with exploring the independent shops, grabbing something to eat or, naturally, finding an ice cream.

Because apparently no family day out is complete without one.

3. Treetop Adventures, Skipton

If your children like climbing, swinging and generally doing things that make you question your life choices as a parent, this one is for you!

Treetop Adventures in Skipton is a brilliant option for older children and adventure loving families, with treetop challenges to get stuck into.

And yes, I’m sure they’ll sleep well afterwards.

4. Settle Flower Pot Festival

Something a little different and one of our favourite things to wander around and look at.

The Settle Flower Pot Festival transforms the town with wonderfully creative displays made from flower pots, and it’s a lovely excuse to explore Settle at the same time.

It’s also a great reminder that you don’t always need a huge attraction to make a brilliant family day out.

5. Downham

And finally, one of our absolute favourites because sometimes the best days are the simplest ones.

Head to beautiful Downham, grab yourselves an ice cream and find somewhere by the river for a paddle.

No big itinerary. No rushing from one attraction to another. Just an ice cream, some fresh air, probably wet feet and hopefully a tired out child or three by the end of it.

Perfect.

Our great Ribble Valley ice cream hunt...

Speaking of ice cream…

Throughout the holidays, the children and I have set ourselves a very important mission: finding the best ice cream spots locally.

Someone has to do it.

We’re working our way around the local area, sampling, testing and devouring all the ice cream.

We’ll be sharing our findings at the end of the summer, so if you have a local favourite that you think deserves a place on our list, send it our way!

Sunday Roast season is on its way...

And apparently one food-based research project isn’t enough, we’ve also started seeking out the best Sunday roasts locally. We’re on a mission to find the places we’ll want to recommend to our guests when the evenings get darker, the leaves start turning and autumn/winter weekends at Denham’s Rest become all about muddy walks, cosy evenings and a very good roast dinner.

So, if you know somewhere that does a Sunday roast worth getting in the car for… send it our way!

And what about Fox Hut?

Meanwhile, over at Denham’s Rest, Fox Hut has been making some serious progress over the past few weeks. It’s finally starting to feel like we can see the finished hut emerging from all the building dust and paint! The new flooring has gone down, the bathroom shower has been tiled, the new timber windows have been fitted and there’s been plenty more painting happening behind the scenes. There’s still a way to go, but every little job makes such a difference. I’m particularly excited to see this one come together because Fox Hut is going to be a little different from Owl Hut... cosy, romantic, a little more luxury and of course our iconic view towards Pendle Hill, I promise it will be worth the wait.

So, that’s summer at Denham’s Rest so far. A mixture of cleaning huts, washing mountains of bedding, building Fox Hut, entertaining children, eating far too much ice cream and trying to squeeze in some proper family time amongst it all.

It’s busy, Very busy, but it’s also exactly the kind of busy I’m grateful for.

The children are growing up surrounded by the countryside, they’re learning how the business works and they’re getting involved in something that we’ve built from the ground up. And when the school holidays eventually come to an end and normal routines return, I’ll miss the chaos.

If you’re coming to stay with us this summer, I hope you make the most of the area, explore, eat, paddle, climb, wander and, most importantly, slow down.

And if you discover a brilliant ice cream, pub or hidden gem while you’re here, tell us about it.

We’re always looking for an excuse to try somewhere new (in the name of market research mind).