Everyone knows what glamping means these days – it’s glamorous
camping, it’s boutique camping, it’s luxury camping, it’s all about
experiencing life in the great outdoors without having to rough it.
It’s meant that thousands of people have discovered there’s no more
setting up camp or feeling the chill. AA inspector Colin Church
has been out and about looking at three different glamping sites.
The word ‘glamping’ was widely adopted around 2007, but
perhaps back then it just meant staying in a basic wooden pod
or a carpeted tent and bringing along your own bed rolls and
sleeping bags. Today, those beehive-like pods can still be hired
in their basic form, but now the imagination of the glamping
entrepreneur knows no bounds, it seems. The wide variety of
accommodation is intriguing – African savannah safari tents,
North American tipis, Mongolian yurts, Iranian alachighs, tree
houses, shepherd’s huts, gypsy vardos, double decker buses –
the list goes on and on.
Glamping enthusiasts can realistically expect their chosen
little haven of luxury to feature electricity, en suite bathrooms,
kitchens, wood-burning stoves, king size beds, Egyptian cotton
bed linen, cookers, fridges and a TV, and on arrival they step
into a scene straight out of a glossy interior design magazine.
Glamping
comes of age
A look at how the luxury camping market has blossomed
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Everland, Wight Glamping
Holidays
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newcomers to the glamping scene, Dawn and Duncan Fidler,
moved to the Isle of Wight in the 1990s with the idea of some
day running their own campsite. However, it took them
20 years to fulfil their dream, waiting until their children had
left the nest. Purchasing two acres of gently sloping land at
Everland, they knew their new business would follow the luxury
camping route.
Opposite: Durrell Wildlife Camp Below: Everland, Wight Glamping
“Guests were encouraged to give
feedback and it became clear that
apart from well-equipped glamping
units they also expected top quality
facilities.”
In 2014 they set up and opened Everland, Wight Glamping
Holidays. They decided that they would start with just three units
and chose Lotus Belle tents as they were a little different to the
usual yurts or bell tents. The organic and stylish shape appealed
to them and the inside space was ideal for their interior
decoration ideas.
Dawn and Duncan’s concept was to provide very comfortable
accommodation with an individual cooking area plus nearby
high-quality toilet and shower facilities. Lotus Belle tents offer
plenty of height, and space to accommodate a king-size bed
plus sofa bed, which can be converted to a large double or two
singles, making the tent suitable for a family or two couples.
Top quality bed linen and covers are provided and the tent has
heating and lighting plus plenty of clothes storage. The table and
four chairs are ideal on inclement days when eating under cover
is essential. At the rear is a spacious utility tent with a cooking
unit that includes all cutlery and crockery that will be required.
There is a very high-spec and stylish toilet and shower block
with two shower rooms and two toilet rooms.
Each of the tents is on its own decked area with a picnic table
and chairs as well as a barbecue. A welcome pack is provided
containing local produce, information on the Isle of Wight and
essential contact numbers.
However, the crowning glory at Everland is its countryside
setting with beautiful views over a valley, making it a great place
to sit outside on the decking and just chill. Dawn and Duncan
plan to add one or two more glamping units in the future,
including some with their own facilities.
Dorset Country Holidays
Blackmore Vale Caravan & Camping Park,
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Dorset Country Holidays is run by Rob Farrow. The glamping
accommodation is set on the family-owned and well-established
Blackmore Vale Caravan & Camping Park, which has seen some
significant changes over the years. The Farrow family initially
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noticed that young families in tents or caravans were no longer
choosing the campsite as often as they once had, and seeing
a gap in the market, Rob decided to start with tipis, then a bell
tent. Having drawn on all their business experience, the new
glamping units went down a storm.
Rob made this side of the business his focus. Wishing to
widen the range of upmarket camping units, he soon added
more bell tents, pods, cabins, shepherd’s huts and an iconic
vintage caravan. Each, he quickly learnt, has its own foibles and
maintenance issues.
Guests were encouraged to give feedback and it became
clear that apart from well-equipped glamping units they also
expected top quality facilities. After the site’s new toilet and
shower block was built in 2012 it was realised that the glamping
units were just not close enough. Not a problem…six months
later they had all been relocated to take advantage of the
modern facilities.
Next came another rethink. In order to improve the levels of
service to customers, it was decided to scale back on the type of
accommodation offered. Now there’s a choice of British made,
fully insulated yurts that have heating and lighting, one family
tent, two bell tents, a vintage caravan and a two-room ‘Country
Kabin’. The levels of service that Rob and his team offer their
guests is excellent and as Rob says, he no longer greets his
guests in shorts and a sports shirt, but in a jacket, tie and
trousers – the standards and market expectations are certainly
changing it seems.
Durrell Wildlife Camp
Trinity, Jersey
This site provides something quite different yet again, and
is perhaps setting the standards for the future of glamping
holidays. Durrell Wildlife Camp in the Channel Islands is part of
the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, an international charity
founded by author and naturalist Gerald Durrell, and home to
some of the most threatened animal species in the world.
The concept of this camp is to provide sympathetic
accommodation adjacent to the Wildlife Park so guests can
experience an outdoor luxury holiday close to the animals.
Ashley Mullins and his team were responsible for setting up the
camp and continue to run it.
There are 12 spacious canvas ‘geo’ pods, each with a kingsize bed plus two singles, bed linen, a wood-burning stove,
electric lighting and storage for clothes. Everything is of the
highest quality and wouldn’t look out of place in a top hotel.
Adjacent to each is a separate and very spacious pod housing
not only a stylish bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin
but also a very well-equipped kitchen. For larger families
a smaller tipi can be added – just right for two children or
teenagers to stay in by themselves.
The glamping area is beautifully landscaped in keeping with
the ambience of the wildlife park. You can even see the lemurs
in the trees on their own island. Lemur Lodge, a large safari
tent, serves as a reception, meeting place and function area.
What sets this camp apart however, is the remarkable level
of customer care and service demonstrated by Ashley and
his team. The attention to detail is quite extraordinary. From
arrival to departure their only objective is to make your stay as
enjoyable and memorable as possible.
Anyone staying at the camp has complimentary access to the
Wildlife Park, and its top quality restaurant serves breakfasts,
lunches and main meals. The camp can even organise behindthe-scenes experiences such as ‘keeper for a day’ packages.
Give it a go
Glamping has certainly changed over the last few years and has
evolved into an exciting sector of the leisure market. If you’re
looking for something different, you must give it a try – families
will love it and the levels of comfort and customer service can
rival sophisticated hotels. Glamping has certainly come of age.
Opposite: Everland, Wight Glamping
Above and right: Durrell Wildlife Camp
Glamping and the AA
For some years now we have seen many of our traditional
caravan and camping sites introducing glamping units.
Some just started in a small way with a few yurts, pods or
safari tents in order to test the market. In virtually all cases
they have proved very popular. Even large Holiday Centres
are offering fully-equipped safari tents now.
The AA has incorporated these glamping sites into their
Pennant Grading scheme. The grading will be on a
similar basis to existing sites, ranging from 1 Pennant to 5
Pennants, but they will be green, instead of black or gold,
to differentiate them. From 2016 we intend to add a Quality
Score expressed as a percentage which will bring glamping
sites in line with the AA ratings for touring campsites and
holiday home sites.