Glamping is a growing trend. Site owners are making more creative and elaborate efforts to ensure that guests have all year access to their creature comforts.
You can feel close to nature with cozy accessories like king-sized beds, hot tubs, and wood-burners.
Eve McGowan was in a Suffolk Yurt as she surveyed the best glamping locations across Britain.
SUFFOLK
Eve McGowan writes that Sufolk Yurts “is a family affair with Jane and Paul readily available,” Pictured is the idyllic glamping spot at dusk
This beautiful glamping spot is unique because it only has five yurts, spread among wildflowers or ancient trees.
Each yurt has its own wood-burner, double bed, and two 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 eight-year old, who is a brave young man, spent a lot of time up there, along with a book & an owl chick.
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 has a family atmosphere with Jane and Paul, the owners, always available. They serve delicious breakfast hampers with freshly baked bread and pizzas, and enjoy chatting with guests who often return for second or third visits.
They love the charm that keeps them coming back. The site is not only beautiful, but it was thoughtfully designed with young families. While each yurt has its own fridge, crockery and cutlery, there’s a shared kitchen and a covered, safari-style communal eating area.
The play barn is a great place to retreat from the elements. It has books, table football, a piano and a screen, as well as a library of DVDs and a 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.
SleepsSix.
Price: From £115 per yurt per night (suffolkyurtholidays.co.uk).
LAKE DISTRICT
One of the glamping areas on Broadrayne Farm, located at the foothills of 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.
The hotel’s new foodie menu includes all guest meals, beer, and cocktails. Each pod is equipped with a wood burning stove and underfloor heating. It also has a fitted kitchen and living and dining area, a music system 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, a former American schoolbus, has been cleverly converted to include a VW camper bed on the roof. This can be reached via a ladder from the main living area.
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 nine acres of countryside that Ockeridge Rural Retreats in West Midlands includes three charming oak-clad shepherd houses and one cabin are spread over nine acres.
Double-glazed windows and underfloor heating keep things warm. Roll-top baths and wet rooms, as well as log-burners, make for a pleasant and comfortable stay. Two of the huts have been designed for couples and the cabin can also be used to accommodate families.
This location is ideal for exploring the Malvern Hills.
Sleeps Four
Price: Two-night stays from £290 (glampingly.co.uk).
NEW FOREST
Feather Down Farms, as pictured, offers the comforts of a cozy 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 and fire pits, while others have pizza ovens.
Midgham Farm cabins are situated in woodland at the New Forest border of Hampshire/Dorset. Children can visit the River Avon within a 15-minute walking distance.
SleepsSix.
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.
Relax in a large copper tub and then get cozy by the wood-burner.
Enjoy the views of open fields and spot deer from your deck. Or, take a walk along the North Norfolk coastline.
SleepsFour
Price: £225 per night (canopyandstars.co.uk).
DEVON
Buzzard Cedar Yurt in Devon has a cantilevered deck that lends views across the treetops. It can sleep up five people
The beautiful cedar-clad Buzzard Cedar Yurt is located near Dartmouth. It blends into its setting, on the slopes a wooded valley.
The deck is cantilevered and offers views over the treetops. There’s also a wood-fired hot spring to make the most out of the views. 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
These eco cabins are located in a 20-acre area of sustainable woodland. They have private terraces that offer stunning views of 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
You can enjoy breathtaking views of the valleys while staying in one of three Welsh Glamping log cabins.
Each log cabin includes a woodburner, a firepit, and a barbecue on a private deck.
The bell tents are only available during the season, but the three cozy log cabins decorated with fairy lights can be used year round to enjoy the stunning views across the valleys. Each cabin has a wood-burner, a fire pit, and a barbecue on its own deck.
Sleeps Four
Price: From £90 per night (welshglamping.com).
It’s not surprising to find a luxury dome on a hill farm in Darowen in Wales, seven miles from Machynlleth in Snowdonia.
Underfloor heating keeps things super-snug inside, where there’s a king-sized bed, en suite shower room and kitchen. The large deck offers views of Cadair Idris Mountain and the wooded valleys from the wood-fired hot bathtub.
Sleeps Two
Price: £155 per night (qualityunearthed.co.uk).
NORTHUMBERLAND
This Canopy and Stars’ shepherd hut is located on a farm near Barrasford and not far from Hexham.
Pictured on the left is the interior of the hut – as shepherd huts go, this one’s very spacious. The hut is located by a stream at the corner of a field of sheep, and comes with its own hot bathtub (pictured on right).
As shepherd huts go, this one’s very spacious. The hut is located near Barrasford on a farm, just a few minutes from Hexham’s market town. It is by a stream at the corner of a field of sheep. Keep an eye out to see the resident otters.
SleepsTwo
Price: From £100 per night (canopyandstars.co.uk).
SCOTLAND
The cabins on Culdees Castle in Perthshire were designed to blend with the surrounding woods.
Prices for two nights in the luxury cabins – each situated up its own winding path – cost from £320
Luxury cabins can also be found in the beautiful 660-acre estate at Culdees Castle, Perthshire.
The cabins are being renovated by the current owners. Each cabin is located on its own winding path, ensuring peace and quiet.
SleepsTwo
Price: Two nights from £320 (coolcamping.com).