Glamping in the UK and Europe

Carry on Glamping!!!

I was lucky, growing up I had the opportunity to take European holidays to exotic places like Benidorm and Torremolinos in the Costa del Sol. Ah the memories of acres of concrete and unfinished hotels, sweaty bodies, fish and chips and warm English beer. The age of the charter airplane had come into full swing and us Brits were taking to the continent like rats leaving a sinking ship, everywhere we went we demanded England with sun, no foreign food and definitely no garlic!

The average camping table with the bare necessities

With families departing the UK for foreign climates the home tourist industry suffered a slump; traditional holiday destinations closed their hotels, shortened their seasons and made do as best as they could. British weather and the lack of assured sunshine meant tough times ahead and no hope of improvement anywhere on the horizon.

Well that has all changed, yes there are very many more low budget airlines about and we still take those holidays abroad but the dreaded credit crunch has insinuated itself into our vacation planning. The British are choosing to stay at home in greater numbers than ever over the last decade and that has meant more pressure on the available accommodations in the more popular resorts and a return to that most basic of vacations….the Camping Holiday!

This brings up buried memories of heavy poles and wet canvas, putting up tents in the wind and rain on some farmers field in Devon or Cornwall before eventually heading to the dry of the local pub for a coke and a packet of crisps while my parents drank cider with the locals and didn’t mind afterwards that the tent leaked and we had left the air beds at home. The facilities left much to be desired, for the men it was a bleak outhouse, no hot water and no toilet paper, heaven knows what it was like for the ladies.

Oh what a difference a couple of decades make! Camping today is a very different affair with swanky sites and swankier tents….the age of Glamping, glamorous camping, has arrived.

Jurassic Harbour

Hardy world travellers may pack their lightweight tent, strap on a camping gas stove and pitch their tent almost anywhere, livestock permitting; the new elite campers prefer organised sites with full facilities. The Camping and Caravanning Club is a good example, their sites are strictly monitored and have a high standard of cleanliness. The available services range from electricity, washing machines and kitchens to Wi-Fi Internet access and restaurants or bars. For budget travellers in the UK they can be a godsend, the sites usually accept non members and have a great rate for backpackers working out much cheaper than many hostels. Obviously it is more difficult to find such camping sites in major cities but they do exist, Oxford is one great example with the site easily within walking distance of the city centre.

Camping comes into its own in Britain from the spring to the end of autumn, good equipment is necessary though with a warm sleeping bag a must as the vagaries of the British weather must be taken into account.

The English love their boating!

My last trip took me to one of my long adored areas of the south of England, Corfe Castle and the Isle of Purbeck. If you have a car then it is only a few hours from London, public transport is best served by train to Wareham where a bus is on hand to ferry passengers the short distance to Corfe Castle or the seaside resort of Swanage.

This is a beautiful area with an historic coastline; treasure hunters will adore the cliffs of the “Jurassic Coast” with millions of fossils on display, small museums are scattered around the many towns and villages with some excellent local history on display. Coastal walkers will enjoy the bracing sea breezes on walks to Lulworth Cove and Durdell Door, two famous rock formations or the hiking over the ridge towards Sandbanks to view “Old Harry” rocks.
For the sea lovers this part of the coast is a magnet for scuba divers and sailors alike, dinner can be found at the scallop beds or the barbeque can be stocked by line fishing for mackerel. The less energetic can satiate their hunger with the ubiquitous fish and chip shops that line the harbour and serve a cut above the rest with their daily fresh catch.

The Red Arrows were an amazing spectacle over the water

We had christened the weekend our July bank holiday (this does not really exist) and organised a dozen of us for a weekend of barbequing, drinking, hiking, fishing and merrymaking. The weather did its part by staying beautiful for the fishing and the airshow from the magnificent Red Arrows the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team. We had our small RIB out on the bay for the display with the aircraft executing death defying flying just metres above our heads, spectacular but scary!

I can’t leave you without a recommendation or two for a good pub so for the more unusual try the Square and Compass in Worth Matravers, an excellent pub for hikers’ with tangy cider and hot Cornish Pasties; beers are served through a small hatch in this offbeat pub. More traditional lovers may enjoy the New Inn, Church Knowle, with excellent fish and a small camping site attached. Very handy for those who don’t fancy the walk after the pub!

If you have never been camping before why not give it a try? Get a group of friends together and pitch in for a tent, choose one of the great beauty spots and have a go at it. Who knows, if the weather plays ball you might even enjoy it!

Comments

• Calvin Newport says:

  Unfortunately we have exhausted our advertising budget for this year so wondered if you offer any free listings or an advertorial/write up ?
  
  We are Tipi Algarve, in the Algarve, Portugal . We offer Tipis, yurts and Safari tents as accomodation each have their own private camp kitchens. We grow our own organic vegetables and support principles of permaculture and sustainability such as composting and recyling and supporting the local community such as buying organic farm produce locally and letting our neighnours goats graze on our land and we buy our local cheese from him. We have solar power and a reed bed system for our toilets.
  
  We run Yoga and Detox programs (juice fast long weekends and week long “soft detox” of alkalising diet meals)
  
  We also run other retreat programs such as tantra and Shamanic retreats and permaculture courses with organic gardening ( we grow alot of our own organic fruit and vegetables and have chickens for fresh eggs , buy organic goats cheese and honey from our neighbours) and seasonal cooking aswell as workshops in Yoga, meditation, Indian Head Massage, Reiki, and Swedish Massage.
  
  We appeal to families in July and August desiring the “glamping “ experience, but at other times of the year also couples, or people seeking health and wellbeing holidays practising yoga and meditation, healthy eating and enjoying Holistic treatments and hiking. We have had hen parties wishing a glamping and wellbeing experience. We have had corporate groups and we can also provide the catering for groups and retreats and weddings. We are near the beaches of Portimao and nightlife, restaurants, shops etc but also near the beautiful, tranquil mountains of Monchique.
  
  We have a chill out lounge, Yoga temple, Japanese zen pond of Koi carp.
  I am a qualified Yoga teacher and Holistic Therapist www.specialhealinghands.com
  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! info@tipialgarve.com
  
  Warm wishes
  
  Samantha
  

  3 months ago

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