How to get there: Ferry from Penzance to the main island of St Mary’s (2 hours 45 mins) for cracking views of the Cornish coast, plus the chance to spot dolphins and basking sharks. Then take one of the thrice-daily water taxis to tiny St Agnes.
Price: It costs from £500 to rent a bell tent for four people for seven nights, or from £74 a night. One extra bed can be provided if booked in advance. Bedding and towels not included.
For more information visit: Troytown
Feather Down Moor Farm, Gloucestershire
Best for experiencing life on a working farm
This is a top spot for children to roam free, and for adults it’s a notable foodie stay. Set in the glorious Gloucestershire countryside, family-run Moor Farm is a quiet, get-away-from-it-all place but with plenty for everyone to do. The kids can be kept busy with farm chores, and you can learn about the site’s rare animal breeds and regenerative farming practices on educative but fun tours, or head to the swimming pool if it’s warm. Just-laid eggs can be collected in the communal chicken coop (as long as the hens are feeling happy), and you can buy a breakfast hamper in the farm shop with excellent bread and great produce. The rose veal burgers are standouts – ideal for barbecues.
During the week there’s wood-fired pizza night (with cider). The farmer’s son, Mathew, is a trained chef and he hosts events including hog roasts and Double Gloucester cheese tastings. The canal into Gloucester is a walkable distance, with boating and fishing available, along with a number of pubs, including the Ship Inn gastropub. Accommodation is in Feather Down’s now classic safari-style Canvas Lodges with wooden floors, proper beds and bedding, kitchenettes and outside stoves. Choose a Frills Lodge for an ensuite bathroom, veranda and barbecue.
Price: Prices start at £359 for a two-night stay in a Frills Lodge; all lodges can sleep a maximum of six people (five adults and one child up to 12 years old) and include a double bed, bunk bed and cupboard bed. A week’s stay costs £1,050.
For more information visit: Feather Down
Woodland Tipi and Yurts, Herefordshire
Best for Sunday lunch and making dens
Choose from six traditional yurts, two bell tents and two Sioux Native American tipis set in secluded glades in 17 acres of woodland. All are decked with proper beds, cosy rugs, wood-burning heaters, a fridge and their own hammock, picnic table, BBQ and firepit. This is a real dingly dell, discreetly fenced in, so it’s safe for children to roam free, with a hippy festival aesthetic and 1950s caravan kitsch-style share-kitchens and a pizza oven. Shared bathrooms have plush tubs and separate showers. It’s shady in the woods, so pack fleecy layers even in summer. Book ahead for the wood fired hot tub.
There are materials for den-making, giant tyre swings, towering trees to climb and trails to explore. Hooting, low-flying owls bring some Harry Potter magic, while parents can fall under the spell of holistic therapies in the woodland treatment room. Order a seasonal veg box from Carey Organic at the neighbouring White Thorn Farm and discover the secrets of cider-making at Westons Cider Visitor Centre. There are three good pubs within easy walking distance; for Sunday lunch, the aptly named Cottage of Content is a must – try the roast topside of Hereford beef.
Price: Two-night stays from £200 in a bell tent (sleeps three), £350 in a large yurt or tipi (sleep 5).
For more information visit: Woodland Tipi and Yurts
Big Sky Tipis, Sussex
Best for star-filled skies
Check into one of eight Sioux tipis, hand-painted with traditional Native American designs and decked out with beanbags, faux fur rugs and proper beds. They’re set in a two-acre meadow, part of 23 acres of meadowland, fields and woodland, five miles from the East Sussex coast. You can cook breakfast on the campfire (or gas stove; utensils and crockery are provided) with home-produced, free-range sausages, bacon and eggs. The purpose-built shower block is solar-powered and comes with a room for washing up, a communal fridge and electricity points.
Local pubs, which are about a 20-minute walk away, include The Lamb Inn and The Friday Street Farm, set in a 17th-century farmhouse with popular Sunday roasts and live music on Friday evenings. Big Sky’s site was selected for its lack of light pollution, so – weather allowing – expect plenty of starry nights.
Price: Tipis sleeping four-six people start from £160 for two nights. Full-sized double (futon) beds come with a feather topper, duvet, and pillows and linen, and two single futons/air beds, also with a pillow, duvet and linen. Additional blankets are also available inside the tipis.
For more information visit: Big Sky Tipi Holidays
Port Lympne, Kent
Best for a camping safari
An early adopter of the trend for family attractions to offer accommodation, Port Lympne Safari Park’s glamping set-up now runs the gamut of treehouses, wood and glass ‘tipis’, shepherd’s huts, cabins, eco pods, safari tents and luxury lodges. This is in addition to rental cottages and the estate’s boutique hotel set in a Grade II-listed redbrick manor house that has hosted the likes of Sir Winston Churchill. All accommodation comes with out-of-hours access to the safari park with a golf buggy to explore the 600-acre reserve, and each glamping area has its own vantage point on the wildlife, within a whisker of big cats or a bird’s eye view of roaming rhino.
The glass-fronted ‘treehouse’ cabins, set on a tree-lined escarpment, come with a fully kitted kitchen-diner (milk, biscuits, tea and coffee are provided), a bathroom, two bedrooms and a wrap-around wooden terrace, from which rhinos, zebras and giraffes can be seen roaming the Kent ‘savannah’. On a clear day you can also see the outline of France across the Channel. Rise early before the park opens and watch your rhino neighbours having their breakfast as you enjoy yours.
Don’t want to self-cater? Enjoy a glass of sparkling Kent rosé or toast marshmallows around the fire at the private clubhouse for treehouse guests or choose from several dining spots open to overnight guests only. Try fine dining in the estate’s eccentrically decorated manor house, or wood-fired soughdough pizza at Babydoll’s (named after the park’s beloved gorilla) topped with fresh veggies from the kitchen gardens, or family-friendly menus at Bear Lodge (burgers, skewers, nachos, mozzarella salad) overlooking the spectacled bear habitat.
Price: Treehouses sleeping four cost from £699 a night (two-night minimum stay at weekends). Eco pods, sleeping two, costs from £99 per night. All accommodation includes entrance to Port Lympne Reserve and sister zoo Howletts.
For more information visit: Port Lympne
Castle Ward, Northern Ireland
Best for a natural playground
Set on the southern shores of Strangford Lough, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Co Down, Castle Ward is famed as a Game of Thrones film location but it’s also a spectacular spot for family glamping. Set the 18th-century mansion’s 820-acre grounds, four eco-friendly wooden camping pods are safely tucked away from any roads, with leafy picnic spots and BBQ areas, a choice of cafes and wi-fi zones, plus children’s adventure playground areas, scenic walks and family friendly bike trails. And all just half-hour’s drive from Belfast.
The site’s Clearsky Adventure Centre has everything you’ll need for outdoors fun, with archery and raft-building lessons, bike rental to explore the multi-purpose cycle and hike trails plus canoe and kayak hire to paddle around the lough, the largest sea inlet in the UK and Ireland. Join a ‘sea safari’ guided tour to spot grey seals basking on the lough’s hundreds of little islands and islets. Pods don’t come with cooking facilities (you can camp cook outside if you come equipped) but beyond the National Trust site’s own cafes, Strangford is a superlative spot for foodies. To name just a few: The Artisan Cookhouse in Strangford Village serves an exemplary seafood chowder with Guinness bread and Abernethy butter. For Irish charcuterie and Mourne mountain lamb, Balloo House, in Killinchy, is the only pub in Northern Ireland to hold a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which recognises great food at affordable prices. Nearby, in Lisbane the Poacher’s Pocket is an award-winning gastropub whose two floors overlook a pretty courtyard and wood-fired pizza is on the kid’s menu.
Price: Pods are heated and insulated and can accommodate up to two adults and three children. Some come with proper beds, others require sleep mats, none come with bedding. From £58 per night.
For more information visit: Castle Ward Camping Pods
Hawarden Estate, North Wales
Best for an indulgent farm shop stop
A short hop from Snowdonia, just across the border from Cheshire, this North Wales estate has a six-acre campsite with space for just 24 pitches, some camper vans and, if booked ahead early enough, stays in pre-pitched bell tents complete with camp beds. There’s an outdoor cooking area (with free logs), communal fire pit and a covered hang-out area, plus chic loos and showers. In season, pick your own at the on-site fruit farm, while fruit and veg grown on site is for sale in the multi-award-winning Farm Shop. It’s Café, bar and bakery sells oaty breakfasts, egg-based brunches, seasonal soups and salads, house-baked pastries and sausage rolls, plus extravagant afternoon teas with such treats as local smoked trout and Roebuck English sparkling wine. The estate’s Glynne Arms pub, set in a tastefully refurbished 19th-century inn, has kitchens led by Damian Clisby, former Chef Director at Surrey’s Michelin starred Petersham Nurseries. So, expect superior pub grub including top-notch Sunday roasts, and sizeable kids’ menus. Need to burn off that roast Welsh lamb rump? There are woodlands and an adventure playground to explore along with numerous pre-bookable craft and adventure activities for families.
Price: Bell tents sleeping four, from £79 per night (not including bedding).
For more information visit: Hawarden Farm Shop Campsite
Long Valley Yurts, Lake District
Best for bush craft and lake fun
Seasoned campers have long endured Cumbria’s damp climes, staying under canvass to revel in early morning views across the lakes and peaks. But the District has lately upped its game to entice glampers. Many of the more grown-up offerings are on the estates of some seriously foodie hotels (such as Yan hotel in Grasmere and The Samling in Windermere), but several sites around the lakes are squarely aimed at families, located in reach of the region’s superb food offering. Along with the National Trust’s exemplary family camping spot in Great Langdale in Ambleside (with a choice of shepherd’s huts, yurts and eco pods), Long Valley Yurts has expanded from its original spot in Great Langdale, to four sites in the Lake District National Park at Windermere, Coniston and Keswick. Modelled on ornate Turkmen yurts, made in the UK from sustainable ash, Long Valley’s hardy all-weather canvas tents comes on raised platforms decked with Moroccan-style rugs and twinkling solar-powered lights, many with private hot tubs. Arranged around a central skylight for stargazing, they have proper beds with all linens included. Fully equipped kitchens comes with gas hobs, wood burners with hot plates and the website offers recipes for elevated campfire cooking. Abseiling, canoeing, bush craft and rock climbing are just some of the activities on offers and all sites are set on working farms with shops to buy local eggs, sausages and more. Or book ‘hampers for campers’ with the partner company A Day’s Walk offering cheeses, meats, fresh bakes and produce from across the Lake District.
Price: Four-night stays from £225.
For more information visit: Long Valley Yurts
Monachyle Mhor, Scotland
Best for a refined Highlands retreat
A loch-side spot in the Scottish mountains deep in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, this foodie hotel comes with glamping options in its 2,000-acre estate. Book into a 1950s wagon, a cosy bothy, a cabin or a contemporary chic treehouse, all with Highland views across Perth & Kinross, and access to the hotel’s standout restaurant where ingredients are sourced from the estate’s own garden and farm and the nearby hills. Expect local venison and lamb, North Sea catch and a rainbow of seasonal veggies. Run by husband-and-wife team Tom Lewis and Lisa May, Monachyle Mhor is something of a mini culinary empire with its own bakery and chippy in nearby Callander, too.
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Home to a lively food and music festival in May, and decked with designer furnishings, this hotel is a pioneeringly hip retreat in the middle of nowhere, and the glamping options are fittingly funky. Try the Ferry Cabin, immaculately converted from its former life as the waiting room of the Port Appin-Isle of Lismore ferry, now with a kitted-out kitchen, wood-burning stove, rugs and a firepit (with a dedicated bathroom in the hotel).
Price: The Wagon and Ferry Cabin both sleep four and cost £170 per night; the treehouse also sleeps up to four, from £320 per night B&B. All have proper beds, plush bedding and organic toiletries.
For more information visit: Monachyle Mhor
Accommodation for this feature was provided by Port Lympne. All recommendations have been reviewed and approved as of April 2023 and will be checked and updated annually. If you think there is any incorrect or out-of-date information in this guide please email us at [email protected].
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Do you have any suggestions for top spots for camping with kids? We’d love to hear from you below…
Author: mydroll.com
published 2023-04-27 16:34:03
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