“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, not yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
If you’re a LOTR fan – or even if you aren’t – this place is worth a night or two. It is more on the pricey side of things, but you’re not just paying for somewhere to eat and sleep; you’re paying for an experience. The attention to detail is incredible and the whole place is completely dedicated to Tolkein’s universe. There are two bedrooms too, so split between 4 people it’s reasonably priced (I paid £175 per night but I think the price can vary).
Pod Hollow comes with everything you need for a quiet weekend away – the full collection of LOTR and Hobbit films, board games, ‘Lembas Bread’ on arrival and a little barbecue outside. We were so cosy the whole time we were there, and even though it rained on one of the days we really enjoyed a little trip out to a local Wildlife Reserve too. There are various things to do around West Stow, including an old Anglo Saxon town tour, archery, Middle-Earth inspired tours and various gardens. My personal favourite attraction was a tree right outside the pod called ‘Peter Pan’s Roots’; supposedly this tree inspired an illustration in the first edition of Peter Pan when J.M. Barrie visited West Stow.
The people who run the glamping site are always close-by and happy to help with anything. There’s also a big supermarket in West Stow just 10 minutes away in the car, where we stocked up on food to cook on the BBQ before cuddling up for our movie marathon.
If you want a bit of a closer look, you can check out my full pod tour on YouTube. We’re already desperate to go back and fully intend to in 2020. I feel like this place is just going to get more and more popular, so I’d book a stay sooner rather than later!
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