Glamping all over the place

I am very used to sleeping under canvas. This might sound a bit odd, but almost every year since I was very little my family and I have camped our way around the British Isles. I have never really been a really girly girl so a bit of mud and the lack of hair straighteners for a few days has never bothered me, in fact, I look back on my childhood and genuinely smile at all the fond memories of spending time with my parents and sister in a field somewhere, not even the bad English weather can put a dampener on it.

So, when desperate to get out of the big smoke for a few days earlier in the year my Husband and I (well Fiancé at the time!) packed our bags and climbed into my car for a drive into the country for a holiday with a difference. Glamping has been a new and exciting word which has sprung up amidst the staycation buzz since the economic downturn and I really fancied giving it a go. Vlad had never been camping in the UK and I wanted to re-live my misspent youth.

I had been busy googling Glamping locations not too far away from London and came across Bloomsburys Biddenden in Kent, perfect! I booked us a 4 night stay in one of their Yurts – it wasn’t exactly the cheapest thing ever, but I did get a discount for booking a mid-week trip.

We arrived in one piece and were welcomed by the owners of the campsite, being led down into the field to the Yurt. From the outside it’s hard to tell what awaits you on the inside, but those who worry about sleeping on the rough terrain will be glad to hear Yurts actually sit off the ground on their own raised level. We were happily welcomed by a comfortable looking living area with good space for the two of us and our stuff! The finishings were lovely and I appreciated the traditional touches here and there – I appreciated the electricity supply and heater too!

Vlad was very proud of himself when we got our outside fire going, we were supplied with coal and wood for burning so we could warm ourselves the rustic way under the cooking area. We had some basic cooking equipment but really we didn’t need much more – happily whisking up a cooked breakfast on our little gas cooker.

I know many people worry about the facilities when camping – we were very happy with the shower/loo block that was a short walk away from our yurt and included some delicious underfloor heating! The facilities were simple but practical and clean with surprisingly good water pressure for being in a field.

So what do you actually do when you’re glamping? The whole point of our trip was to get away from busy city living and enjoy some simple pleasures. We spent most of our days out visiting local historical locations such as Sissinghurt Castle – I have also grown up with plenty of history (a gift from my metal detecting parents). Other than that we explored the local area and simply enjoyed relaxing with a good book in or around our Yurt.

Overall I really enjoyed our Glamping experience and would recommend it as an alternative way to explore England. If you’re not sure about camping, glamping is a good way of learning what it’s like to live out in the open for a few days without worrying too much about being cold or being without a comfortable bed! The only negative from our experience was that there was a huge hen party booked on the campsite at the same time as us – they were so loud and were drinking late into the night – not exactly a relaxing atmosphere for a getaway. However, this is not a reflection on glamping itself, only the bad timing of our booking and the lack of information offered when we booked our holiday.