Dare To Be Different - GLAMPING

ABOVE: Tentsile's best selling signature model is the Stringray Tree Tent, Photo: Tom Kahler

With glamping bookings already up by 50% this year, the drive to provide something different has never been more urgent. Typical glamping offerings include wooden pods, safari tents, yurts and bell tents. Out of the box options are as likely to include fl oating houseboats, treehouses, converted airplanes and double decker buses, Dan Yates, who founded Pitch-up.com in 2009, says that right blend of accommodation mix is crucial in this increasingly competitive market. According to Dan, success in glamping depends on staying ahead of the game and choosing something that makes your accommodation ‘stand out from the crowd’. Ensuring superior facilities and customer service is key to keep up with increasing quality accommodation. And don’t forgo technology! “While some sites promote an ‘off-grid’ retreat, this is a small niche market and for the vast majority of customers, fast and stable Wi-Fi is a ‘must’,” advises Dan. In the 12 months to November 2017, Pitchup’s bookings for cabins were up 102%, micro-lodges up 114% and pods up 73%, says Dan. Rent-a-tents were up 151%, bell tents 77%, safari tents 73%, yurts 52% and domes 26%. “Many site owners fi nd that a combination of traditional pitches and glamping units that appeal to a new audience work well,” he explains, “Not least to reduce dependence on the weather!” Open for three years and constantly evolving, Wardley Hill Campsite offers guests a unique camping and glamping experience from a six-acre site in the picturesque Waveney Valley.

Owner, Joe Putman honed his camping skills working on campsites on the Isles of Scilly and in Dorset before putting down roots with his wife Holly and son in Norfolk. There are no neat rows of accommodation at Wardley Hill. Glampers can choose from a stunning Lotus Bell Stargazer tent, a huge Family Emperor Bell Tent, a locally crafted Sheperd’s hut, home-made Hammock hut and a Tentsile Connect tent suspended in the trees. “We wanted to offer a real ‘Swallows and Amazons’ experience,” explains Joe. “We have made a conscious decision not to have two of the same of any type of accommodation and in doing so, we’ve created something far removed from the typical holiday park.” “We have deliberately taken a very low-key approach to glamping,” says Joe. “As an industry, glamping is the trend that everyone has jumped on and it’s already becoming overcommercialised.” At Wardley Hill, the ethos is a very definite decision to celebrate the unregimented.

Wild flowers and grass are left to grow to encourage wildlife and the facilities offer an authentic back to- basics experience with composting toilets and open-topped showers. The family is constantly on the lookout for the next quirky addition to Wardley Hill. Joe is currently converting Camelot, an Eventide 26 sailing yacht to offer two-berth accommodation for those with a nautical bent, on land. Camelot is to be surrounded by a wooden deck with an outdoor fi re pit, whilst the interior will boast a wood burner and BBQ via the rear hatch.

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