11 of the best luxury glamping sites in the UK

If your childhood memories of camping are of putting up tents in the rain, relax — things have moved on. Today there are log cabins and shepherd’s huts, gypsy caravans and even safari tents that wouldn’t look out of place in the Masai Mara. Inside, they’re often fitted with king-sized beds, comfy feather duvets, wood-burning stoves, underfloor heating, copper baths, fire pits and even outdoor hot tubs. If luxury now means waking up to gorgeous unspoiled views, with the smell of baking wafting through the air as the sun climbs over hills in the distance, then life outdoors might be for you after all. Here are the most luxurious places to stay in the great outdoors, from Dartmouth to Dundee.

Main photo: the Enchanted Faraway Tree, Kent

1. The Samling, Lake District

Best for Windermere views
Luxury camping is taken to another level in the meadows next to the Samling Hotel at Ambleside. You don’t have to pour your own coffee or cook your breakfast on the heated veranda after you wake up to stirring views across Windermere — there’s a butler on hand. Tents come with a hotel-quality bed and armchairs, as well as a separate restaurant tent if the weather in the Lake District isn’t playing ball.

Dogs allowed N
Meals on site Y
Price £££

2. Wildhive, Peak District

Best for bikers who like their creature comforts
These 11 one-bedroom “hives” (pods) are new at Callow Hall, a Victorian country house hotel near Ashbourne, are set in a perfect spot from which to explore the Peak District. Each hive has been styled by designer Isabella Worsley and comes with king-sized bed, en suite shower, Nespresso machine, chef’s cupboard stocked with essentials and outdoor seating. There are also self-contained two-bedroom treehouses. Hire a bike to explore, or plan a day’s hiking from the Map Room.

Dog allowed N
Meals on site Y
Price ££

3. Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire

Best for staying busy
This is glamping for anyone with a spirit of adventure, a sturdy credit card and a belief that anything other than a stay at a castle just isn’t proper glamping. Having stayed for a couple of nights at Glenapp Castle, guests are whisked away along the coast by private boat to explore wildlife and whisky distilleries, with a glamping base set up on the island of Jura. There are proper beds, tartan rugs, hot showers, and a chef to prepare lobster, oysters and other delicacies on a fire.

Dogs allowed N
Meals on site Y
Price £££

4. The Yurt at Leighton, Shropshire

Best for romance
This hand-painted Mongolian yurt has an outdoor bath so guests can bathe à deux under the stars and, inside, rugs, sheepskin-covered chairs and a transparent roof above the bed for some cosy stargazing. It’s a secluded and private spot with its own proper shower and kitchen — although there’s a great pub just a five-minute walk away if cooking isn’t in your holiday plans.

Dogs allowed N
Meals on site N — but pub within walking distance
Price ££

canopyandstars.co.uk

5. The Enchanted Faraway Tree, Kent

Best for big kids
Does anyone who had a treehouse as a child ever really get over that desire to sleep high off the ground? Located in Kent between Whitstable and Canterbury, this treehouse for two has its own private garden with a wood-fired hot tub. The bed is beneath a glass roof so guests can fall asleep looking at the stars, and there’s a whimsical living area complete with comfy chairs. Although secluded, there’s a pub a short walk away, and the trails in Blean Woods National Nature Reserve are close too, for those who might enjoy wandering under ancient oaks trying to spot woodpeckers and nightingales.

Dogs allowed N
Meals on site N — but there’s a pub within walking distance
Price ££

independentcottages.co.uk

6. Feather Down Farm, Lancashire

Best for active kids
Think of the Forest of Bowland as the Lake District without lakes. The countryside is gorgeous and perfect for hiking or e-biking around the country lanes. Accommodation here is on a farm that produces free-range eggs, and for children there’s an indoor play area with a trampoline and giant slide and a zip wire outside. Canvas bell tents sleep up to six, and come with a private flushing loo, wooden floors, running cold water and a wood stove. Hot tubs are also available at additional cost. The site is dog-friendly as long as Fido is kept on a lead at all times.

Dogs Y
Meals on site N — but there’s a pub within walking distance
Price ££

featherdown.co.uk

7. The Yan, Lake District

Best for breakfast in bed
There are two glamping pods on Broadrayne Farm near Grasmere — each sleeping two and each with a lounge area, TV, kitchen, wi-fi, underfloor heating, en suite bathroom and barbecue area. What sets things apart here, though, is that meals are delivered from the next-door gastropub, the Yan, so guests could have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast, go hiking in the fells and then return to shepherd’s pie for dinner.

Dogs allowed N
Meals on site Y
Price £

theyan.co.uk

8. Wildnis Adventure, Loch Lomond

Best for adventure
This is for those who want a dash of adventure in Scotland — to go abseiling, rafting across lochs, climbing Munros, and sea kayaking in between glamping. It’s Who Dares Wins but with a private chef cooking up grouse and venison, before you bed down in tents carried on top of Land Rover Defenders, which transport you and all the gear.

Dogs allowed N
Meals on site Y
Price £££

wildnis.co.uk

9. The Yurt at Botelet, Cornwall

Best for getting back to nature
This is a place to escape from other people. Set on a 300-acre family farm in southeast Cornwall, this site is a 15-minute drive from Looe and about 20 minutes from Fowey. There’s an onsite therapy room for massages — for those who aren’t content chilling out with that book, sitting by the log burner or getting dinner going on the barbecue. The bathrooms are a short walk across a field.

Dogs allowed N
Meals on site N — but meal deliveries from a local supplier are available
Price ££

furtherafield.com

10. Pantechnicon, Powys

Best for wild swimmers
A pantechnicon is a large van, usually used for transporting furniture — unless it’s been parked in Wales on a lavender farm near the Brecon Beacons, 18 miles west of Hay-on-Wye, used as a storage shed and then converted into accommodation. It comes complete with king-sized mattress, kitchen, and bathroom. Guests can swim in the farm’s hillside pond (which has fantastic views), walk in the fields around the farm and hike onto the expansive upland wilderness of Mynydd Epynt.

Dogs allowed N
Meals on site N
Price £

welshlavender.com

11. Green Hill Farm, Wiltshire

Best for families
These are spacious safari tents in the New Forest. With proper beds, kitchen and wood-fired hot tub, they sleep up to six and are decently spaced out so guests don’t trip over their neighbours. On-site facilities include a restaurant/bar, bike hire, crazy golf, laser shooting and a wildlife trail to keep the children amused.

Dogs allowed Y
Meals on site Y
Price ££

lovatparks.com