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Take a weekend “glamping” trip
Banish those childhood memories of soggy tents and miserable food. “Glamping” is now all the rage. Chris Carter picks some of the best spots to try.
The puffball tents at Fforest in Pembrokeshire will banish miserable camping memories
Pembrokeshire
Banish those childhood memories of soggy tents and miserable food. "Glamping" is now all the rage camping with a twist of glamour. And when it comes to glamping, Wales is just the place to pitch your tent. Except at Fforest in Pembrokeshire, you don't have to.
The tents provided are like domes, "which sprout like giant puffballs", says Rick Jordan in Cond Nast Traveller. Each comes with a wooden deck and a kitchen hut and there are solar lights "set into antler-like branches" in the roof. Snuggle down for the night among the handwoven pebble-grey blankets on the bed, and when you awake you can enjoy the sun rise, which makes the canvas "glow like a paper lantern". During the day you can take a sauna in the woods, hone your survival techniques, join a wildlife art session or just relax in front of a film in the big tipi.
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Loveland Farm in Devon features five "striking geodesic domes", created by fashion designers Jeff and Karina Griffin, says Jonathan Knight in The Sunday Times. They come with wood-burning stoves, film projectors and kingsize beds. Kitchens and bathrooms are in the adjacent cabins, and the solar power throughout adds an eco touch. But just in case you forget where you are, there's a menagerie of farm animals on hand, including water buffalo. Don't forget to bring your surfboard. North Devon'spopular surf spots at Woolacombe, Bude, Croyde and Westward Ho! are all a short drive away.
Take a trip to the New Age in the Cotswolds village of Whichford, Warwickshire, by glamping in a field believed to have been a sacred Neolithic site. There is also a moat, now home to carp, ducks and moorhens, which is all that remains from a Norman castle, says The Guardian. Normal tents won't cutit here. Guests stay in yurts furnished with Moroccan rugs, sheepskins and embroidered wall hangings. But it's the treehouse that really stands out. Inside, there is a wood burner to keep you cosy beneath the duvet of the double bed. If you can tear yourself away, the classic Cotswold pub, the Norman Knight, and Whichford Wood, are both within strolling distance.
The Secret Campsite is one of Britain's worst-kept secrets and that's as it should be, says Martin Dunford in The Independent. Tucked away behind a disused railway bridge in East Sussex, it does however feel just that little bit hidden. There are 15 spacious pitches on which to stick your tent. But for the true glamping experience, go for one of the "secret shelters": the Tree Tent, which is suspended between three ancient oak trees, or the Gridshell, a sturdy, tent-like structure. The scatterings of wild flowers give the site a "natural hippy vibe", while the botanist-owner has plans to create an "edible campsite" with berries, shrubs and flowers available to be picked and added to the saucepan. "Camping doesn't get much better."
Caravans were once the holiday of choice for millions in Britain, though their popularity has waned since their heyday. They are staging a comeback. The recession following the 2008 financial crisis drove demand for cheaper "staycations" in Britain. That, along with our ageing population, led to the rise of "glamping", which helped change the image of the caravan, says Ben Martin in The Sunday Telegraph. Their growing popularity spurred the near-£1bn merger last year of two of the biggest caravan-park owners, creating Parkdean Resorts, a "sprawling giant" with 1.8 million customers, 35,000 pitches and 7,000 employees in peak season. New motorhome registrations rose by 21% last year, so there's no sign of the caravan slowing down yet though sadly you can't say the same for the queues of traffic building up behind them.
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