Camping & Caravanning magazine, February 2010

Have you ever camped near a ‘stag party' and heard the screeching, roaring and flamboyant displays of masculinity that continue well into the night? Now try that with a party of real stags in the height of rutting season and set the ensuing symphony of eerie nocturnal shrieks to the soft, distant hooting of a hundred or so grouchy primates.

Such was the memorable night my partner Johno and I spent at Longthorns Farm campsite near Wool in Dorset. The farm is within walking distance of Monkey World ape rescue centre and is surrounded by deer-filled woodlands.

We camped in the ‘bunny field' at the top of the farm on a dark, torrential and blustery night where all the wild things of the woods seemed to echo nature's stormy cacophony. It truly was an incredible backdrop to a night in a traditional Sioux tepee.

When we arrived, already in the twilight, owner Sally Mead was there to greet us and had set up our little den, which included a warming campfire. Her two tepees stood silhouetted against a darkening sky and a family of rabbits sat at a safe distance watching us beetle backwards and forwards from the car with unnecessarily huge piles of blankets in preparation.

The on-site ‘honesty shop' had some vouchers for the local Ship Inn at Wool so we decided to steel ourselves for the stormy night with some good pub grub. By the time we got back, the tempest was at full pelt and a steady drip of water began to dribble down the dream catcher at the roof of the tepee. Nothing a saucepan wouldn't catch so we bedded down, and listened to the wind and rain on the canvas, the poles creaking gently and the wind in the woods. It was strange, warm and atmospheric.

And then the noise began. Sally had warned us about the rutting stags and we'd hoped to hear some monkeys at some point but this was quite unlike anything we'd heard before. Wide-eyed in the dark, we were surrounded by the throaty roaring, galloping hooves, and curdling hollers that, apparently, set a young doe's heart fluttering. Each to their own, I suppose.

On top of that, a nearby group of owls ‘twit-twooed' away to each other, pausing often enough for us to hear the mournful shrieks and hoots of several monkeys objecting to the rain.

Morning came at last and Sally, feeling sorry for her cold and wet guests, called us down to the house for breakfast and coffee. We were absolutely fine as it happens but a home-cooked farmhouse brekkie was too appealing to pass up. In Sally's kitchen, we learned about the site's large rally field, plans for more facilities and for next year's leak-free tepees.

It was a truly unforgettable night in beautiful surroundings with genuine hospitality – not to mention interesting nightlife. For further details visit longthornsfarm.co.uk or call 01929 401539.