Ultimate Guide To Glamping: 10 things to know before you go
To Glamp or not to Glamp…yurt is the question!
Camping in comfort is nothing new
This year we’re celebrating 5 years of Home Farm Glamping. This lockdown period has actually given us a moment to pause and look back at how far we’ve come.
Back in 2015, glamping was quite a new concept and people kept asking me if I thought it was a “fad”? I couldn’t really see how, when camping has existed forever, a version of camping that took some of the effort out could really be a fad. Glamping is not a new thing. It is just camping-but-easier (and cosier!). In Africa and India they have been setting up luxury tents for their guests forever, it just took on a naff name quite recently (i.e. quintessentially British!).
Well… you could just bring it all with you… but you’re going to need a jolly big car
What is Glamping and how does it differ to camping?
Camping + glamour = Glamping. Glamping gives you all the good bits of a camping experience without the hard work.
With camping, we accept that the hard work element of pitching your tent and setting-up camp, can be what makes it ‘character building’ and ‘an important learning experience’ (especially for children). While, we believe that booking a glamping site, with all the comforts set-up ready for you, is a really efficient introduction to the absolute joy that is sleeping outdoors. All without the prep and planning needed up front, and without a slowly subsiding blow-up mattress anywhere in sight (shudder - has anyone ever, in the world ever, had a really good night’s sleep on an air bed??!).
Happy children, even happier parents
Part of the ‘glamour’ of Home Farm is its location. The joy of being less than an hour away from almost anywhere in Central London is a massive bonus. We’re time-poor, busy people. Less time travelling means more hours around a campfire with a cold drink in hand, raising a toast to a well-earned break. In fact, another time saver is that we have everything here that you need. All you really need to bring is a toothbrush and a change of clothes (even that isn’t obligatory, although a toothbrush would be nice)!
This is real glamping
At Home Farm, we are very much still about the genuine camping experience. These are proper tents, not wooden cabins with en-suite bathrooms pretending to be tents. Our yurts and bell tents are cosy and comfortable, with everything you need to make your stay easy and stress-free.
They’re placed far apart, so you can be close enough to others in your party (if you’re coming with friends/wider family), but far enough away for peace, privacy and social distancing.
We have 12 tents in total on our 4.5 acre glamping meadow, with our six modern bathrooms never too far away. Take a look at our illustrated map to help get your bearings.
Top 10 things to know before you go glamping
Over the last five years, I’ve gained a pretty good idea of what’s on your mind, especially if you’re new to Glamping. There are many questions that come up when you’re planning your trip which apply as much to our site as to any other. We’re not listed on any of the huge directories that have now sprung up around glamping (we’ve never been very good at falling in with the crowd!), but we know that there is a huge range of options all falling loosely under the term “glamping”, but all offering a very different experience.
So, whether or not you decide to come and stay with us at Home Farm, I have pulled together my Top 10 Things To Know Before You Go Glamping, below, so that you can assess the merits of all the different glampsites you’re looking at and hopefully work out which suits you best.
From charging your phone to sight-seeing days out, dining alfresco to the Great British weather, download our free Top 10 Things To Know Before You Go Glamping to make sure you and the rest of your party are prepared for an authentic UK glamping adventure, wherever you find yourself this summer.
What is Glamping?? The term “glamping” is used to cover everything from just putting the tent up for you but you have to bring everything else, to a 4 bedroom wooden cabin with central heating and mains electricity - to all extents and purposes a holiday cottage. You need to decide where you sit on the holiday scale from actual camping to hotel, and choose your accommodation accordingly. At Home Farm Glamping we have aimed to stay true to the “camping” part of the word, with proper canvas tents on their own decking platforms.
How “glam” is it? You’re probably getting the hang of this now… There is a huge range! For us the most important thing to check is what is the sleeping set up provided by the glampsite you are looking at? Are they airbeds, futons, camp beds or real beds? Is bedding provided or do you have to bring your own? Do you have to pay extra for linen or is it all included? Are they real duvets? When I set up Home Farm Glamping this was a major focus for me - I really love sleeping, and sleeping in a cosy, comfortable bed in the fresh air, waking up surrounded by the sounds of nature and being able to snuggle in and listen, is where the magic of glamping lies. Each of our tents has a proper double bed, with a proper mattress, 13.5 tog duvet and “soft as down” pillows (they’re not actual feather down, because the allergies are a minefield, but I regularly get asked if they are because they’re so soft). Ours are all fully made up with fresh linen and ready to be crawled in as soon as you’ve finished toasting your marshmallows. Do check with whoever you are booking with, because there is nothing more disheartening than starting a holiday with the unexpected discovery of an airbed.
Bathrooms!! Every newbie glamper knows this is vital! Again there is a huge sliding scale here from sites that have one unheated, outdoor shower in a drafty cubicle which serves everyone on site, to those that have immaculate en suite bathrooms with roll top baths and monogrammed soap like a luxury hotel, and you need to work out where you want to be on that scale. At Home Farm Glamping we have six bathrooms to serve our 12 tents so you should never have to queue (plus two extra loos). Each has fully plumbed showers providing limitless hot water and heated towel rails to make sure everything stays dry and cosy. We provide shower gel, soap and freshly laundered bath mats and hand towels and they are cleaned several times a day. You do have to walk from your tent to the bathrooms because we feel like that is part of the spirit of real camping, and we also ask guests to bring their own towels if possible to reduce our single use laundry footprint.
Food!! Such an important part of a holiday!! Make sure you check whether the accommodation you are looking at provides facilities for you to cook with, or are they an added extra? For example some glampsites advertise bbqs, but you have to pay extra for them and bring your own charcoal. Also check if there is somewhere to boil water - in Britain, with variable weather, hot water is key to happiness and you want to make sure you have easy access. Everyone knows that one of the downsides of hotels is the additional costs that mount up because you can’t cook a basic bowl of pasta or provide cold milk for cereal to keep the kids happy. At Home Farm everyone has their own bbq and a supply of charcoal, and we have fridges and basic cooking equipment in our communal barn so you can be entirely self-catering if you want. We also have the option to book delicious meals through our on site chef, Jean-Luc. Check out his menu on our website.
The Great British Climate.. One question I have to admit I struggle with but regularly get asked is “when is it most likely to be sunny?”!! This is beyond me i’m afraid, in five years of running Home Farm no summers are ever alike. So instead you need to be checking what happens if it rains? Can you still bbq? Is there somewhere dry you can sit? Will your tent be warm enough? You have to come prepared for rain and cold in England, no matter how glorious the weather seems to be it can change in an instance and there is nothing worse than being cold and wet. Most glamping sites should have some undercover space to get cosy and avoid the soggy tent misery of normal camping. We have a huge cattle barn that has an open-ridge roof allowing us to light a big cosy campfire undercover, and giving you space to show off your bbq skills whatever the weather. We have hot water bottles for everyone, and the huge hot water urn is on constantly so you can snuggle up with a cup of tea and a book, or play an energetic game of table tennis to get the circulation going!
Charging.. Always an important question in these techy times. Does your glampsite have electricity or will you have to pay to charge your phone? Can you plug in a hair dryer should you want to? Is there wifi? At Home Farm we always hope you will find the space to get away from your devices, and our tents are electricity-free. They do however have lights and lanterns so you aren’t reduced to crawling around with a torch, and there are many charging points in our big barn. We don’t have wifi, but being only 13 miles from Marble Arch we do have 4G!
Is help at hand? Often people considering glamping may never have slept outdoors before, and no matter how well prepared you are there will be questions you haven’t even considered that only occur to you once you arrive. Check that the glampsites you are looking at will have someone to help if you need it. At Home Farm Glamping one of the team will meet you and show you to your tent, giving you a brief outline of everything you need to know, and they are always on call if you need help planning a walk around the estate, or even a hand getting the bbq or campfire to light.
Your surroundings… Where will you actually be staying? Is it a working farm? Someone’s garden? A normal campsite with some glamping pitches mixed in? Is your accommodation by itself or surrounded by others? At Home Farm Glamping you will be in a huge meadow, surrounded by trees with a lovely view across our farmland on one side.
Pets? If they’re a vital part of your holiday, make sure you check that dogs are welcome. We love dogs, we just ask you to let us know in case anyone has allergies or isn’t keen on dogs it helps us keep everyone happy.
What is there to do? Are there plenty of things around the site to allow you to spend time without spending any more money if you don’t want to? Nice walks, places to discover, beauty spots nearby. Are there activities you can organise on site? Are they local activities to take the kids too if needed? At Home Farm Glamping we are 7 miles from the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour and 9 miles from Wembley Stadium. Of course, we also have plenty of space on our beautiful historic estate for you to roam around. We’ve got a table tennis table, a croquet set and a hundred other pieces of miscellaneous sporting equipment. Order a picnic hamper from Jean-Luc and you could spend a whole day lying under a tree with a book relaxing. Or if that sounds too slow paced why not explore our hilltop fort? Or arrange a bushcraft session with Justin? After all there is nothing better than a child who knows how to start a fire with nothing but a few twigs and some cotton wool!!
I hope my Top 10 Things To Know Before You Go Glamping have helped you paint a picture of the wide range of options out there.
We are all looking forward to reopening Home Farm Glamping again in July to welcome you all. If you would like to stay connected to the outdoors you can subscribe to our newsletters, our blog and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.