The wood-fired hot tub at the glamping bus is an absolute treasure. It’s made entirely of wood and looks a little bit like a giant whisky barrel. On one side is a log burner immersed in water. It takes several hours to heat up the tub but once hot it retains the heat for a long time. It can also get very hot. Last night we heated it up too much and had to add some cold water. In the end it was a perfect 39C.
In this next photo you can see the log burner and flue. The fire is started in the log burner and wood added as needed. The log burner is just a long, metal container which is fed from the top. Also in the photo is the giant paddle we use for stirring the tub of water because a layer of hotter water forms on the top.
Elizabeth has lost three teeth in the past few weeks which has given her this cute, gummy smile.
There’s something comforting about all the surrounding farmland. In the foreground of this next photo is wheat – one of my favourite foods. The owners tell us they’re longing for rain right now but it all still looks very green to me. There’s no sign of any irrigation but the dirt does look dry. Apparently they haven’t had any decent rain in 5 weeks.
Sitting in a hot tub in the middle of nowhere without a soul in sight is a wonderful way to spend a holiday weekend. It’s also way better when it’s cold. A 39C hot tub in a hot climate would be unpleasant but when it’s cold outside and you can feel the cold air on your face a hot tub of water is far more enjoyable. It must be especially nice when there’s snow on the ground.
We had a BBQ last night (vegetarian, of course) while the fire was heating our tub.
I realise this is so far removed from camping and you might be wondering how it could even be considered glamping since we’re not exactly roughing it, but there’s no dishwasher, so there.
Here I am declaiming: praise the hot tub; praise having no dishwasher; praise the wheat fields; praise the no-sulphur wine; praise the happy hens with their bus house.
rachel.blog 
Oooh I could definitely do with one of these tonight!!! xx
we had a hot tub like this,in Sherwood Forest, fantastic when it was very cold outside.. not so sure the wood burner is that good for the environment though. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38746482
Smoke from private wood fires is a big problem in Christchurch. When I first moved there over 10 years ago I was shocked by how polluted the air was in winter. They’ve done a lot to try to improve the situation like banning open wood fires and old log burners and most new homes are not allowed to put in a log burner at all. I’m not sure what the air quality is like now because it has been several years since I lived there but it was dreadful when I was there and I often wonder whether it contributed to Daniel’s autism and Tourette’s since I used to walk the dogs in the evenings when I was pregnant with him. The smoke was worst in the evenings when people got home from work and fired up their log burners.
The air is very clean here in country Scotland and I don’t think it’s a problem here.