The Sunday Times 24 April 2016
The Sunday Times Travel Cover Story 24 April 2016
Glamp it Up
Jonathan Knight picks Britain's most stylish yurts, shepherd's huts and geodesic domes - all featured in Cool Camping's new glamping guide.
The rise and rise of glamping in the UK — that’s glam camping, keep up — has confirmed what we all secretly knew: that, as a nation, we love getting outdoors, but not necessarily at the expense of a few creature comforts. After a day spent feeding chickens, climbing trees and mastering rope-swing moves, what’s wrong with retiring to a kingsize bed with Egyptian cotton sheets and the promise of a breakfast hamper at 9am? (Actually, make that 9.30am, with an extra side of crispy bacon, thanks.)
Glamping has been de rigueur at many campsites and festivals for a while,but now you can expect to find glamping options at your favourite luxury hotel, local theme park or best friend's wedding. (See Guy Ritchie's nuptials last summer.) And it's no longer just yurts, tepees and bell twents. How about a handcrafted cedar-wood caravan, a pagoda - style tent in a Japanese waterfall garden or a remote glamping cabin on a tiny Scottish island? These all feature in our selection here.
In most cases, it's not just the accommodation that's the thing to get excited about, but the knockout countryside location. That's the simple joy of glamping: waking up to the great outdoors after a great night's sleep.
An offshoot of an award-winning bakery, this is a wonderfully private site with a single vintage caravan for two. Clad in cedar and dating from the 1940's, it's fitted with deco drawers, cupboards and floorboards, and decked out in retro fabrics; it also has a well equipped kitchen and a bathroom. A breakfast hamper awaits your arrival and the bakery has a pop-up shop around the corner. You can feed the hens, befriend the resident donkey, light a campfire and enjoy the views of Bulbarrow Hill. Nearby is pretty Sherborne, with two castles and a glorious abbey. Honeybuns Ark is only open on weekends.
From £200 for two nights; 01963 23597, honeybuns.co.uk/glamping
The second edition of Glamping Getaways is out now (Punk Publishing £16.95).
Read the full article here.
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