We’re back with the next installment in a new series of posts, championing individuals and small businesses who are doing their bit to encourage people to reconnect with the great outdoors.

This week I’m chatting to inspiring couple Sam and Beth Hardwick, who are working hard to create an entirely new kind of environmentally sustainable holiday site in the heart of the North Yorkshire dales.

So tell me a bit more ‘The Bivouac’. How did the idea come about and who is involved?

Sam and I quit our jobs in 2007 and went travelling for six months. We spent time thinking about what we wanted life to be like on our return, what gifts and skills we both had, how we could bring these together to bless a community, something we are passionate about. The Bivouac was born in our hearts right then.

Sam and I now head it all up, and we have a team of people who all volunteer to help the vision become a reality. Dave Sorely does our branding and marketing, Andy and Hazel work as interns and then there are others who dib in and out. Rudi and his team are building our shacks in the woodland, and Adam and Mark are converting the barns

What do you offer that’s a bit different from the norm?

We offer inspiring off grid accommodation which surpasses the ‘glamping’ experience but doesn’t break the bank. We have a mix of places to stay: Hand-made woodland shacks, built using round wood and sawn wood sourced from the woodland –these are built with cruck timber frames and clad in larch. We also have very comfortable yurts sat on wooden decks with a veranda, and a swish camping barn for nine.

We will eventually have a very cosy rustic café and children’s play space which will be winter friendly as well. You can also book a unique woodland wedding or event here which will be very special and beats the boredom of the same old venue which we have seen far too much of.

Where in the UK are you based, and what do you love most about the area?

We are based in North Yorkshire, just outside Masham. We love the scenery here… it is alive with wildlife and you can see for miles around. We are high up, so it feels as if you have really escaped the rest of the world. We love the friendliness of people here the most.

Has it been a complete lifestyle change, and if so what’s the best thing about how you live now? And the most challenging thing?

In order to get started on this project, we had to move out of our house which was a very comfortable four bed town house. We converted someone’s garden shed and lived there. Commuting to London stopped for Sam, and I stopped work altogether to have babies, so yes, a lifestyle change for sure.

The most challenging thing – hard to say, there have been a lot of challenges. We have sacrificed an income for a long while, not had holidays, worked many more hours than we ever had, we have not had our own space for ages now, but all in all these are only hard if you allow them to be. I have found that in the moment they are hard but as soon as you move on a little further and get your head down then it passes, you see the vision again and you can move on. Not knowing anything for certain becomes a way of life as is taking risks when everyone thinks you are crazy!

For us, now is the most challenging time. We had a baby girl in July. Florie Briah, our third girl. She sadly died seven days later very suddenly. We still don’t know what caused her death – we are waiting to hear. This extremely difficult experience has come when we are in the busiest set up period of the project. When we don’t have enough budget for our needs and we need to be creative about how to go forward; when we have a team from Sussex living here building our wooden shacks in the woodland; when we have builders banging and chipping away in the barns; all at a time when we should be producing more output than ever before. But grief renders you helpless for a lot of the time, and so this is our most challenging time. We are blessed to have a great team around us all doing their best to support us.

We are raising money in Florie’s memory – we want to build a play park for children here on site, where you get the best view and children can explore the outdoors and have fun. This for us is the best suited thing to do for Florie which suits our ethos lifestyle and heart.

Why do you think it’s important for people to spend time in the great outdoors?

To live indoors is a life half lived. The UK has amazing places to explore. There is something magical about being outside, especially in the countryside – and more so woodland. You can think deeper, breath better and your mind can roam free finding more open spaces in it to fill with thoughts, experiences and memories. We love outdoor living. We felt that if in any way we could mix the comforts of life which we all appreciate, with the adventure of the outdoors – include a warm welcome – then folk would leave here better than when they arrived. This inspires us to continue….

www.thebivouac.co.uk

Know a person or a great little outdoors business that should be profiled in this series? Let me know in the comments section below and I’ll be in touch.

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