The trend for glamping continues to gather momentum, and with its popularity come ever more elaborate and creative efforts by site owners to ensure guests can enjoy their creature comforts all year round.
Cosy accoutrements include king-sized beds, wood-burners, hot tubs and underfloor heating so you can always snuggle down while staying close to nature.
Eve McGowan relaxed in a Suffolk yurt before charting the best glamping sites across Britain.
SUFFOLK
‘Suffolk Yurts is a family affair with the hands-on owners Jane and Paul readily available,’ writes Eve McGowan. Pictured is the idyllic glamping site at dusk
With just five beautiful yurts spread out among wildflowers and ancient trees, this pretty glamping site is something special.
Each of the yurts has its own wood-burner and super-comfy double bed, plus two double pullout futons. Blankets and hot water bottles guarantee a toasty night’s sleep.
We stayed in Ash Yurt, next to the communal fire pit and a treehouse – reached only by those brave enough to scale the wobbly rope ladder. Our intrepid eight-year-old spent much of our stay up there, with a book and an owl chick for company.
A magnificent old oak tree with a rope swing under its canopy reminded us of Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree. It provided a dramatic centrepiece to the children’s play area, complete with mud kitchen, climbing frame and ping-pong table, which was conveniently located right next to the rustic bar.
Suffolk Yurts is a family affair with the hands-on owners Jane and Paul readily available. They deliver delicious breakfast hampers (including still-warm freshly baked bread), rustle up pizzas in the wood-fired oven and chat with guests, many of whom are families on their second or third visit.
The charm that keeps them coming back is obvious. As well as an idyllic setting, the site is thoughtfully designed with young families in mind. While each yurt has its own fridge, crockery and cutlery, there’s a shared kitchen and a covered, safari-style communal eating area.
Should the weather not be on your side, the play barn makes the perfect retreat, with games, books, table football and a piano, not to mention a cinema screen and library of DVDs. It was a battle to tear the children away to visit the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo and the picturesque town of Woodbridge next to the River Deben, both a short drive away.
Sleeps: Six.
Price: From £115 per yurt per night (suffolkyurtholidays.co.uk).
LAKE DISTRICT
One of the glamping pods on Broadrayne Farm, which are located at the foot of the fells in Grasmere, Cumbria
Each pod has underfloor heating, a double bed and an en suite bathroom – and prices start from £69 per night
Glamping pods on Cumbria’s Broadrayne Farm are located at the foot of the fells in Grasmere.
Before you set off up Helvellyn mountain you’ll need a hearty breakfast – luckily guests are treated to ‘room service’ from the neighbouring bistro of boutique hotel The Yan.
This new foodie hotel delivers all guest meals as well as beer and cocktails. Each pod has a wood-burning stove and underfloor heating, plus fitted kitchen, living and dining area, music system, double bed and en suite bathroom.
Sleeps: Two.
Price: From £69 per night (grasmereglamping.co.uk).
Hinterlandes, pictured, offers incredible views across Cumbria’s Lorton Valley – and guests will find there’s plenty of luxe thrown in too
Hinterlandes has been ingeniously converted from a former American school bus to include a VW camper bedroom on the roof, reached by a ladder from the main living space.
Off grid and with a compost loo, it has a memorable hillside location with incredible views across Cumbria’s beautiful Lorton Valley. But fear not, there’s plenty of luxe thrown in too, including a hot tub, an Aga, a Norwegian wood-burner, plus Egyptian cotton bedding, a shower and Aesop toiletries.
Sleeps: Two.
Price: From £125 per night (canopyandstars.co.uk).
WORCESTERSHIRE
The three attractive oak-clad shepherd huts and one cabin at Ockeridge Rural Retreats in the West Midlands are set across nine peaceful acres of countryside.
Underfloor heating and double-glazed windows keep things snug, while roll-top baths, wet rooms and log-burners make for a jolly comfortable stay. Two of the huts are for couples only and the remaining one plus the cabin can accommodate families.
The location is perfect for exploring the Malvern Hills.
Sleeps: Four.
Price: Two-night stays from £290 (glampingly.co.uk).
NEW FOREST
Head to Feather Down Farms, pictured, to experience the comfort of a cosy cottage while sleeping under canvas
Feather Down Farms offer all the excitement of sleeping under canvas with the comfort of a cosy cottage – think wooden floorboards, warm beds, decent duvets and wood stoves as well as proper loos and showers.
Some have an outdoor hot tub, as well as fire pits or pizza ovens.
The cabins at Midgham Farm are set in woodland on the Hampshire/Dorset border in the New Forest. The River Avon is a 15-minute walk away and children can meet the resident pigs, goats, sheep, chickens and ducks.
Sleeps: Six.
Price: Two-night stays from £480 (featherdown.co.uk).
NORFOLK
Magical Bagthorpe Treehouse, pictured, comes equipped with a four-poster bed and a huge copper bath tub
The magical (and well insulated) Bagthorpe Treehouse is hidden in the tranquil grounds of a country house B&B near Burnham Market.
It’s incredibly cute here, whether you’re a couple or a family, with a four-poster bed and two single bunks for the kids.
Enjoy a long soak in a huge copper bath tub and cosy up to the wood-burner.
Spot deer from the deck and enjoy the views of open fields or head for a bracing walk on the North Norfolk coastline, which is on your doorstep.
Sleeps: Four.
Price: £225 per night (canopyandstars.co.uk).
DEVON
Buzzard Cedar Yurt in Devon has a cantilevered deck that lends views across the treetops. It sleeps up to five people
Close to Dartmouth, the beautiful cedar-clad Buzzard Cedar Yurt blends into its setting on the slope of a wooded valley.
Its cantilevered deck lends views across the treetops, with a wood-fired hot tub to make the most of them. There’s room for all the family – as well as the main yurt with wood-burner, cooking, sleeping and relaxing areas, there’s an adjoining yurt with triple bunk beds and an en suite bathroom.
Sleeps: Five.
Price: From £614 for a week (uniquehideaways.com).
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
The cabins (pictured) at Resilient Woodlands Retreat in Gloucestershire cost from £125 per night
This pair of eco cabins at the Resilient Woodlands Retreat, in a 20-acre swathe of sustainable woodland, have private terraces from which to enjoy sweeping views over the Severn Estuary.
On the southern side of the Forest of Dean, between the Severn and the Wye rivers, it’s ideal for picking up nearby walks leading directly to Offa’s Dyke Path.
Sleeps: Four.
Price: From £125 per night (resilientwoodlands.co.uk).
WALES
Enjoy breathtaking views across the valleys during a stay at one of Welsh Glamping’s three cosy log cabins
Each log cabin has a wood-burner plus a fire pit and barbecue on a private deck
While the bell tents are seasonal, the three cosy log cabins adorned with fairy lights make for a year-round escape to enjoy breathtaking views across the valleys. Each has a wood-burner plus a fire pit and barbecue on a private deck.
Sleeps: Four.
Price: From £90 per night (welshglamping.com).
It’s nothing short of surprising to find a luxury geo dome on a Welsh hill farm in Darowen, seven miles from the market town of Machynlleth in Snowdonia.
Underfloor heating keeps things super-snug inside, where there’s a king-sized bed, en suite shower room and kitchen. Its large deck has a wood-fired hot tub from which to take in views of the wooded valleys and Cadair Idris mountain.
Sleeps: Two.
Price: £155 per night (qualityunearthed.co.uk).
NORTHUMBERLAND
This Canopy and Stars’ shepherd’s hut is set on a working farm near the village of Barrasford, not far from the market town of Hexham
Pictured on the left is the interior of the hut – as shepherd huts go, this one’s very spacious. The hut is by a stream in the corner of a sheep field, and it comes with its own hot tub (pictured on the right)
As shepherd huts go, this one’s very spacious. Set on a working farm near the village of Barrasford, not far from the market town of Hexham, the hut is by a stream in the corner of a sheep field. Keep an eye out for the resident otters.
Sleeps: Two.
Price: From £100 per night (canopyandstars.co.uk).
SCOTLAND
The cabins on the Culdees Castle estate in Perthshire, pictured, were designed to blend into the surrounding woods
Prices for two nights in the luxury cabins – each situated up its own winding path – cost from £320
Luxury cabins can be found in a forest which forms part of the idyllic 660-acre estate of Culdees Castle in Perthshire.
The owners, who are currently renovating the fairytale castle, have designed the cabins to blend into the surrounding woods. Each is situated up its own winding path, guaranteeing peace and quiet.
Sleeps: Two.
Price: Two nights from £320 (coolcamping.com).
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