Nestled in the Surrey Hills, and just a stones throw away from the city of London, you will find The Merry Harriers Inn. The Merry Harriers offers a range of boutique style accommodation, from Shepherd Huts to Inn and Garden rooms. Each style of accommodation is unique and luxurious, with something to suit everyone. So, let me tell you more about luxury glamping in the Surrey Hills. If you are looking for a great UK glamping site that is perfect for families – then this may be for you!
Shepherd Huts at The Merry Harriers
This was our first time glamping in Surrey. We spent three days staying in the wonderfully unique and luxurious Shepherd Hut, that sits just outside The Merry Harriers Inn. Parking is provided and is free of charge. There are so many dog friendly places to stay in the UK. I really loved that the Shepherd Huts are both family friendly and dog friendly. In fact, families and dogs are welcomed with open arms.
There are five Shepherd Huts, situated around a pond and overlooking fields with horses grazing in the distance. It really is a wonderful setting for glamping. Each Shepherd Hut is fully furnished, with a double bed, seating area, kitchen corner and log burner. There is underfloor heating, too, to keep it super toasty on those cooler nights. They have literally thought of everything, with complementary hot chocolate and marshmallows, a bottle of wine cooling in the fridge, water and tea, coffee and milk. We LOVE glamping and have glamped in a number of places, but what I really loved here was the genuine personal touch, the hot water bottles, the blankets, the fluffy robes hanging on the door. The little things that really make you feel welcome. I also loved that the Shepherd Hut has a bathroom (so no trekking outside in the middle of the night). The bathroom has a walk in shower, toilet and sink with complementary toiletries and bathrobes and fluffy towels waiting for you. Oh, and did I mention there is a TV with Netflix?
Each Shepherd Hut has two deck chairs and a fire pit, with blankets provided to cosy up on the loungers to toast marshmallows under the evening sky.
Now I know you may be wondering, if the Shepherd Hut accommodates two adults, how did we manage? Well, we spread out over two Shepherd Huts and the Merry Harriers team provided an extra bed. Our four-legged friend was most welcome too.
Merry Harriers Inn
Each morning we threw on our clothes, opened the door to the fresh air (and sunshine!) and wandered across to the Merry Harriers Inn for breakfast. There is plenty on the menu, from full cooked breakfast, vegetarian breakfast, croissants and pastries, to porridge and fruit and yoghurt. I am a creature of habit, and I went for the vegetarian breakfast every morning, and I have to say it was amazing. Wilf was even served his very own dog meals; cooked sausages for breakfast and chicken dinner. At the end of each day we headed back to the Inn for dinner, often choosing to sit outside whilst the kids played in the gardens. Outside there is a play area in the beautifully kept gardens. with a number of picnic tables dotted around, and a fabulous view of the resident llamas in the neighbouring paddock (more on that later). The Inn really caters for everyone, with a huge jar of dog treats on the bar, colouring and pencils for the younger guests and plenty on the menu for all.
The vibe here is super chilled. The Inn has a huge inglenook fireplace and a wealth of character, with timber beams, and names on the walls of former landlords. The staff here are just really lovely, friendly and patient. Nothing was too much trouble, and they always made such a fuss of our three children and our very overenthusiastic golden retriever. A great team and a credit to the Inn.
Family room
During our stay, we were lucky enough to see the new family rooms at the Inn, which I have to say is a really lovely concept. The team really welcome families, and now have adjoining rooms along a corridor that can be closed off, so that in essence you can have your own family wing at the Inn. I for one, have booked a single family room on plenty of occasions and have then spent many a night hiding in the bathroom, waiting for the kids to settle before you can sit back in the shared room, with a cuppa, or wine and enjoy the rest of the evening with the kids snoozing. There is nothing better than the space and freedom of adjoining rooms when you are on your travels.
Things to do near to the Merry Harriers
There is so much to see and do during your stay at The Merry Harriers. We stayed for three nights, and I was conscious I didn’t want to jam-pack all of our days, as I wanted to unwind and really enjoy our Shepherd Hut experience, but we didn’t really scratch the surface when it came to what to see and do nearby.
The Merry Harriers is situated in Hambledon, Surrey, and the area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offers some of the most beautiful walking, running and cycling routes. We loved taking the pooch for a walk in the evening across the rolling hills and around the beautiful and picturesque country roads.
The historic market town of Godalming is nearby and we visited one afternoon, taking a stroll around the town and stopping for a coffee and cake at Roost, a great dog friendly cafe.
We have annual National Trust membership, so we decided to head to Winkworth Arboretum for a morning which again was a lovely place to visit, both family and dog friendly, and the younger two children took part in the Easter trail whilst we were there. There are some great walking routes, pushchair friendly too, and an adventure playground for the little adventurers. Plenty of parking, too, and only 10 minutes from our base at The Merry Harriers.
I could not visit the area without stopping by the beautiful village of Shere. Why, you may ask? Well this was one of the settings from my favourite Christmas film ‘The Holiday’, and I can see why. The village is beautiful. and the rocky road cake and coffee at the Dabbling Duck was well worth the visit.
Finally, my favourite thing to do whilst staying at the Merry Harriers was the llama trek. What an experience. Sally and Tilda are so friendly and knowledgable and introduced us to their inquisitive and unique resident llamas. Our llama for the trek was named Mungo, and the girls absolutely adored him. You have to be eight plus for the llama treks so our little man couldn’t come along, but he did get to meet the llamas and say hi. Treking in the stunning Surrey Hills with a llama in tow is such a wonderful and unforgettable experience, and one I know the girls will remember. I would love to go back and experience the English luxury picnic trek with a stunning sunset.
A family friendly stay at Merry Harriers
So……. would we go back?
Yes. In a heartbeat. I love to share family friendly and dog friendly glamping, and holidays that are a little bit special and unique. And this is definitely that.
Thanks to the Merry Harriers for inviting us. We will be back! Wilf the golden retriever is missing his cooked breakfasts already.
For more information and to book your stay head over to Merry Harriers online
Read here for glamping in Wales, glamping in Dorset or glamping in the Peak District
We were invited to stay at The Merry Harriers for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own