As my boyfriend and I both run our own businesses it can be pretty hard to take time off, virtually impossible really. This was our first week off since Christmas and our first mini holiday together (despite being together for 10 months and actually living together). And in my 10 months of being with him I have come to realise that we don't tend to do things that make much sense. Perhaps because we both run our own businesses we have very different takes on 'normality' or maybe it is because we are just generally odd? ... but less of that and more, yurt.
So, what can I tell you about yurt life then? Well, for a country bumpkin like me it was utter bliss. As someone who is on my phone and laptop for around 16 hours a day, barely having signal and leaving my laptop at home was what made it a proper holiday. Like a mini brain holiday too, I found I could almost actually switch of from the world of emails, tweets and skype calls. No Facebook updates, no work emails (well, that's a little lie) and no constant text messages or calls.
Our yurt was quite simply in the middle of nowhere. The nearest pub was a good 4-5 mile round trip and it took a long and windy lane to get you there. But, the view was nothing short of amazing. Tucked away in the South Downs our yurt overlooked rolling hills. It really was as pretty as a picture.
Once inside the first thing you saw was the wood burner. As it was a cold September day I was pretty sure that even though I had brought every item of winter clothing I own (which was a lot, far too much for five days away) that I would still be frozen, and probably quite miserable. This did not bode well for our first week away. I am a seasoned camper. I love a tent and a good camping holiday, I am not someone who demands five star luxury and roughing it is usually my idea of a good time. But, when you have not been off work for 10 months there is a limit. But boy was I wrong. Once that fire got going there was not a woolly jumper in sight.
Proper beds, a roaring fire, wine and card games. What more could you want? When it rained we stayed in, told stories, drank wine and played cards. When the sun shone we walked, we ate out and aimlessly wandered around.
At night you could hear nothing but the sound of the fire... and although the mornings were pretty chilly, once you got that fire going even a morning person would struggle to get out of bed.
Yurt life is pretty basic overall. Basic in comparison to our usual daily lives. No TV, no laptop, no mobile phones, no Sky Plus, no central heating. Our yurt did have electricity though which sort of felt like cheating, but was vital when you needed a cuppa in the morning. Although on one particular evening as we got ready to go out for dinner we had a power cut. I didn't think too much of it until I realised I had wet hair and I couldn't blow dry my hair. Pathetic, huh? The issue was quickly resolved once I sat near the fire. It also meant that we had to shower in the dark, with candles, which sounds far more romantic than it actually is. Fire burns, kids. (Omission of grammar there and that sentence could have meant something different entirely).
For some it would be their idea of hell, including those that hate a creepy crawly (there were hundreds in the toilets) But for me it was pure and utter yurt-loving-countrified-bliss. Five days was too short, I reckon a month would be too short! I love my home and a few home comforts but yurt life had everything I needed. Throw in a bath tub and my cats and I would have stayed there indefinitely.
So, if you fancy getting away from the stuff that stresses you out I would firmly recommend staying in yurt. Grab your wellies, get yourself down on that farm yurt and light that fire. It can't yurt! And, if I ever disappear, you will know where to find me.
