Hidden away just off the A40, seemed like a little piece of heaven. Surrounded by trees and the sounds of natural wildlife, Percy's wagon seemed like a dream come true. As we sat waiting for our pizza to be cooked in the woodfired oven, in the background was the faint sound of chickens, a light breeze in the air creating excitement for the fire we were going to be starting soon.
Air BnB has really grown a name for itself over the last few years, with TikTok drawing attention to magical hideaways that otherwise would remain hidden. One night, I was just mindlessly scrolling when I came across Percy's Wagon in Huntley. Immediately, the presence of an adorable donkey and sheep grabbed my attention, as well as the novelty of staying in a Gypsy Caravan. Deciding to take a gamble on the weather, me and my boyfriend decided this was the place to go for his 21st birthday weekend away - and it was definitely not a decision we would regret.
Only being half an hour away from home, it seemed almost too good to be true. The drive was incredibly straight forward; along the A40 and then turning off down the little lane on which it was located, then having further instructions given to us in advance on how to find the specific house, it couldn't have been anymore simple. Of course, we drove past about three times due to us being unobservant, getting frustrated with ourselves as we couldn't have gone off route as it was just one lane. Eventually, we got ourselves sorted and found where we were meant to be - how we missed it, we don't know as it was literally in black and white in front of us on the phone screen.
Our gamble with the weather turned out to be in our favour. Despite believing it would be raining at least overnight, it turned out to be no more than a couple droplets of rain. Inside the wagon, it was lovely and cozy, with fairy lights creating a homely atmosphere and plenty of cushions and blankets on the bed. And the best part was the cake. Back in May when we booked it, I had messaged Debbie, the owner, asking what special things she could do for my boyfriends birthday, and in return was sent photos of different cakes she had made. One immediately jumped out at me and I knew in that moment that was what we needed to complete the stay: a kinder cake with a cake topper saying 'Happy 21st Birthday Thorsten' on the top to commemorate the occasion. And it didn't only look nice - it tasted amazing! Debbie was also kind enough to put a happy birthday banner up over the wall, helping bring everything together nicely. The smile and shock on my boyfriends face showed just how much it meant to him.
After the present opening and sweet surprise of the cake, it was time for the pizza attempt. I say attempt as it wasn't any better than just an attempt due to how much it failed. As all this chaos ensued, a black cat came and gave us a visit, trying to steal the food and keeping us company. Honestly, I think he was just finding our attempts funny. We made our own dough leading up to the day so all we had to do was build the pizza and cook it. Unfortunately, we got a firestarter that wasn't safe to use with food so our pizza came out grey. After an unsuccessful trip to the shop for safe fire starters and attempts to start up a fire without a firestarter, we gave up and decided to get into the woodfired hot tub.
Debbie had heated up the hot tub for us prior to us arriving so it was a perfect remedy for the cold night air. Surrounded by fairy lights on the privacy fencing around us, and lights within the hot tub, it was an amazing atmosphere as night had began to fall. Getting comfortable and cozy, we stargazed and chatted with the warm water bubbling around us, enjoying the peacefulness of being away.
The rest of the night ensued with one more trip to the shop to solve our hunger issue and then a fire to bring the night to a close. With Thorsten roasting marshmallows and me leaning over the heat, it brought a perfect end to the night as we waited for the flames to fizzle out and the embers to stop glowing. We switched on the heater in the caravan as we got ready for bed, finding the step ladder to make it possible for us to get on after a while of debating the best way. I was just curled up in bed looking at the carpet on the ceiling when I saw something that looked like a loose thread. Asking my boyfriend to take a closer look, we discovered it was not in fact a thread - it was a spider that must have snuck in. I am a huge arachnophobe so this was my worst nightmare, so I curled up in a ball fearing for my life as the spider was safely vacated and we checked every nook and cranny before switching off the heating and falling peacefully asleep.
The next morning, we got up ready to get our stuff together to check out by 11. As if Debbie could read our mind, she messaged asking if we needed foil for the cake as we debated how we were going to go about transporting it home. Getting to meet her and having the chance to say thank you in person was all we could ever ask for, bringing our stay to a lovely end as we said goodbye to Max the sheep and Percy the donkey one last time as we drove off.
Percys Wagon felt like a little slice of heaven, with reliable communication with the host and an overall welcoming atmosphere. Despite it being surrounded by nature, we had surprisingly good 4G connection so we could update family and friends on our wonderful stay between having the chance to 'switch off from reality'. It would definitely be a place I visit again.
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