We quit our 9-5 jobs to live full-time on narrow boat – but gave it up to go even MORE off-grid… no cars are allowed
After life on the water, Verity Bellamy and Ed Gaskarth have now gone even more off-grid, creating a super remote glamping spot that's perfect for a digital detox.
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A couple have revealed how they gave up life on a narrow boat to open a super off-grid glamping site
Credit: Facebook/@Coast & Camplight
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Coast and Camplight is located on a farm near Whitby, Yorkshire
Credit: Facebook/@Coast & Camplight
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Verity Bellamy and Ed Gaskarth always dreamed of starting an outdoors business
Credit: Facebook/@Coast & Camplight
Coast and Camplight is on a farm near Whitby, Yorkshire where there are no mobile phones or gadgets and kids are encouraged to go feral, report the
No cars are permitted on the site and are left at the gate to preserve the wilderness and peace.
The couple were inspired by Ed's parents, John and Kathryn, a teacher and dog groomer from Middlesbrough who "decided to risk it all to try and live the good life".
Verity explained how her in-laws gave up their flat and sensible jobs to buy a run-down farmhouse in 1970.
But after an "idyllic childhood" Ed was "desperate" to make his own adventures and left home at 18.
Over the course of the next 20 years, Ed did all manner of things from helping renovate a stately home to running paintball sites and bars as well as stints as a tree surgeon and beekeeper.
Travelling extensively across the UK, Ed still had the travel bug but decided he needed a place of his own while still having the freedom to travel.
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That's when he bought a narrowboat called Joker.
The couple met on a dating site in 2010 and Verity says she was drawn to the photo of Ed's narrowboat and his Labrador, Lewis.
Verity was ready to quit her nine-to-five life and have an adventure.
World's Tiniest Home
The couple spent many "happy years" on the UK's canals and rivers and spent summers camping and going to festivals.
Then, in 2016, they sailed Joker into Hebden Bridge and Verity never left.
The pair always had in their minds that one day they'd start their own business, something outdoors and creative.
When visiting Ed's parents one sunny summer, they were camping out in the fields with friends and realised there really could only be one place for them to build that business.
That's where Coast and Camplight was born - out on the fields of their parents' now unused farm which presented the amazing opportunity to make their dreams a reality.
Wanting it to be as environmentally friendly as possible, the Northern Skies site has its own spring water, composting toilets and willow banks across four glamping sites.
All lighting is solar or via rechargeable batteries and eco-friendly washing products are provided.
With ancient woodland to one side and fields which they are rewilding full of wildflowers, bees and butterflies, the site is truly wild.
'Our camps are completely off-grid, making it perfect for those looking for a digital detox and to get away from the stresses and strains of modern life,' says Ed.
All the camps have a luxurious feeling despite being cut-off from the outside world with proper beds, comfy mattresses and their own hot showers.
Luxury bedding and fluffy towels are provided despite the back-to-nature feel of the site.
Each of the camps has been entirely hand-built by the couple too using recycled or upcycled items or things they found at car boot sales.
"Some things are on their third or even fourth life on the farm,' says Verity.
'Nothing says glamping to us like a real fire at the end of the day, toasting marshmallows, sharing stories, putting the day to rest and each camp has a fire pit for you to do just this.'
The site has three camps: Northern Skies, The Wild Woods and Writers' Retreat.
They all have spacious safari tents with a double or king-sized bed and bunk beds, perfect for families with a log burner inside, a separate bathroom and a composting toilet.
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The Outpost, the newest camp, is a 5 metre Moroccan-themed bell tent, designed with couples in mind with a spectacular view of Whitby Abbey.
There are plans to add more tents and possibly a cabin, but Ed and Verity are determined to keep their ethos of seclusion and privacy.
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No cars are permitted on the site and are left at the gate to preserve the wilderness and peace
Credit: Facebook/@Coast & Camplight
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The site has three camps: Northern Skies, The Wild Woods and Writers' Retreat with a fourth in the works
Credit: Facebook/@Coast & Camplight
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The location has stunning views between Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay
Credit: Facebook/@Coast & Camplight
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