We love a bit of glamping. Unique places to sleep, wild open spaces and time in nature, away from screens and deadlines, and fun whatever the weather (a bit of a bonus compared to regular camping!) Obviously there are still the constant demands for snacks, and the need to stack the car full of everything we own ‘just in case’, but the unique and quirky nature of glamping in the UK has me hooked, and I love that there are so many different options for families now.
One of the things we love is that there are lots very close to home, and because the nature of glamping is very much about time out to just relax and be together, it doesn’t really matter where you are or how far you go. In fact travelling an hour from home is a huge bonus as it means you can be there right after school or work on a Friday and make the most of a long weekend with a short return trip on Sunday or Monday. No long stressful drive home. Hooray!
This summer we had a long weekend in Devon with friends at a beautiful glamping destination. Based on a small holding in mid Devon and run by a lovely couple, it was the perfect place to spend time with the children. So much thought has been put in to a family’s experience here and we loved it! We are already looking at heading back next year. With is being such a family-friendly travel option we wanted to share our experience, so here we go!
An adventure in a Mongolian Yurt! The lovely Oaktree Lane in Devon
Top tips when researching glamping spots:
- Consider how far you want to travel. If going for a weekend I would definitely recommend looking close to home. There are so many glamping options now, and having less travel reduces the stress of going away. It makes it so much nicer with children too
- Check out instagram – this is how we found the lovely Oaktree Lane site. It is great to be able to see images and what others have said about the place. I think you can also get a really good feel for what kind of place it is from this
- What kind of accommodation do you want to stay in? So. Many. Choices. Shepherds huts, wooden lodges, yurts, safari tents, bell tents; the list is endless and they are all so quirky. Think about what would suit your group and what might make your trip that bit special. We stayed in a Mongolian Yurt on this latest occasion and absolutely loved it; it was so warm and yet really spacious. We have also stayed in a shepherds hut which was amazing. The boys adored it and it was honestly so cosy. Last summer we had a couple of nights in North Devon in a bell tent. Each had its own special unique qualities and we have loved the experience of different types of accommodation
- Do you want to spend most of the time on site or explore further afield? This will affect where you choose. We stayed on the edge of Dartmoor and near a lovely lake this time, which was perfect for us. It allowed us a couple of walks with the children, but we spent most of the time on site as there was so much space for the children to play
- What kind of experience do you want. There are so many different glamping options available and they range massively in terms of how big/small the sites are and what they provide. So… What does the site have on offer? Is there space for the children to run around and play safely? Are there hot showers? Do they offer any food? Is there somewhere to cook if it rains? Is there a camp fire? Just a few thoughts on things that have made a difference to us as a family
A couple of weeks ago we headed to Oaktree Lane with friends. There were 4 adults and 5 children and we all absolutely loved it. It is a small and really carefully thought-out glamping site and it has so much on offer for families.
What we loved about Oaktree Lane:
- A beautiful green site with lots of safe open space for the children to play and explore (cars are not permitted in the glamping field so it was really safe)
- Oaktree Lane is committed to being as eco-friendly as they can be, so they have really thought about issues like recycling, water use, lighting etc. I absolutely loved this and it was great for the children to be encouraged to think about these things too
- The farm has sheep and goats which the children could visit, and they were even encouraged to help feed them which was really lovely
- The attention to detail from the owners was incredible; they have thought about everything and were really approachable and keen to help if we needed anything
- Undercover private kitchens with everything you could possibly need
- Camp fire for those all important marshmallows!
- BBQs provided for each lodge/yurt and benches for eating at
- Clean and efficient toilets and showers (each lodge/yurt had its own lockable bathroom)
- Close to Roadford Lake and Dartmoor for lovely walks
- Wood burning stoves in the lodges/yurts for lovely cosy evenings!
- The owners are building a Pizza oven/undercover eating area which will be a brilliant addition
Happy glamping! Emma and the wild ones x
