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Camp Katur
Photograph: Camp Katur

20 dreamy glamping sites to book for a luxury weekend away

Yurts, tipis, geodomes, bell tents and safari-style structures: these are the very best places to go glamping in the UK

Written by
Ellie Walker-Arnott
,
Lucy Lovell
&
Ed Cunningham
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Glamping is a best-of-both-worlds kind of holiday. On the one hand, you get the full benefit of the great outdoors: fresh air, flowery smells and a huge variety of ways to get active. On the other, you don’t have to muck it out in a grimy, leaky old tent with soggy bog roll and crummy facilities. Glamping offers an unbeatable combo of comfort and healthiness. Pretty sweet, we know.

And the UK is a fabulous place for a glamping holiday. Not only does the country have everything from chilly wild swimming spots and picturesque national parks to multi-day hikes through areas of spectacular natural beauty, but it’s also crammed with places that offer much more luxurious alternatives to the usual camping affair.

Bougie bell tents, decked-out tipis, wood-fired hot tubs... when it comes to properly lush glamping, the UK really does have it all. If you’re looking to ditch musky sleeping bags and broken tent poles for something much, much comfier, here’s where to start: the very best glamping sites in the UK according to us.

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Glamping sites across the UK

The flower-trimmed Kitchen Garden at Bert’s on the Llŷn Peninsula is well known for its sensational feasts, but its camping facilities are pretty hard to beat, too. Adorned with fairy lights and outdoor seating, the BYOB (bring your own bedding) tents are just a short walk from the shared pantry, which is stocked up with free tea and coffee.

You can choose between big safari tents and geodomes at this campsite, set between Bodmin Moor and the Cornish coastline. The clear-sided geodomes, like this one, are hidden away with rural views and huge king-sized beds from which to enjoy them. 

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There’s a bunch of glamping options at Campwell Woods, and you could book them all up if you had 14 like-minded pals keen to spend a few nights in a forest in the Cotswolds. Our fave is Yurtup, a two-person yurt with a solid double bed, set in the wilderness. Wander through the trees to find the wood-fired sauna, or book on to classes, from yoga to foraging and a campfire cookery how-to.  

Bunting-lined bell tents in the meadows, cocktails in the Warehouse bar and stories around the campfire: The Fire Pit is the perfect place for groups of friends to bond under the stars. Check out the events at this hip Norfolk retreat – they range from bottomless prosecco and pizza parties to yoga retreats. 

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These canvas lodges are so luxurious we’re not sure you can get away with calling a stay here camping. The four tents look out over a pretty lake, and each comes with a wood-fired hot tub, fire pit, barbecue, king-sized four poster, real bath (in a bathroom with heated floors!) and fully equipped kitchen. Roughing it this is most definitely not. 

Among the wild orchids, ancient hedgerows and streams of this 300-acre sheep farm, you’ll spy handmade wooden pods known as truffles. Honeydown’s woodland pods come with a cosy double bed, toasty wood-burning stove, indoor hammock and a selection of games and books – perfect for those rainy days. 

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Need to really get away from it all? Get lost for the weekend in the 3,000 acres of wilderness at Elmley, woven with nature trails and dotted with cosy huts and bell tents. We love the Sapling tents, which are nestled near to a woodland with stunning views across the hay meadows. Spot hares and larks from the comfort of your cosy double bed, and wonder why you ever moved to the city.

Thick duvets, hot water bottles and egyptian cotton sheets await in these super-comfy safari tents. But first you’ll want to cook up a feast on your wood-burning stove and tuck in around a candlelit dining table. (Don’t worry – there’s one secret plug socket if you really need to charge your phone.) 

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Forget airbeds, you can sleep in an incredible bed hand-crafted from tree trunks in Crafty Camping’s yurts. This one, called Coracle the Yurt, also has a wood burner and a hot ‘tree shower’, PLUS a pizza oven and a peaceful lake to explore.  

In the luscious hills surrounding the Forest of Dean, this little haven is a proper escape from the rest of the world. The yurts themselves do not disappoint: fitted with the comfiest, squishiest king-sized bed, a sofa, wood burner to keep you warm (and to fry bacon on in the morning) and dining table, Mrs Mills kits you out with everything you might possibly need, right down to the champagne flutes. She also delivers a slap-up breakfast on the first morning, with yoghurt parfait, croissants, eggs, bacon and bread. The best part though is the wood burning hot tub, and fire pit, which you can use to warm through one of Mrs Mills’ homemade pre-prepared campfire meals (we can recommend the persian curry), Bear Grylls style. 

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If bell tents and yurts still feel a little outdoorsy for your liking, take a look at this baby. You’re still technically under canvas in Gravel Pit Farm’s safari-style tents but you get perks like wi-fi, electricity, real toilets, a gas cooker and a four-poster bed. So, pretty much your flat, but in a lush Kent field. 

This pre-pitched tipi is on the banks of Oxford Canal, in the middle of a working family farm. No hard labour for you, though. All you need to do is stretch out on your sturdy wooden bed, soak in the wood-fired Swedish hot tub and toast marshmallows over your fire pit. 

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This petite retreat on a peaceful estate in Kent hopes to be more like an ‘outdoor boutique hotel’ than a campsite, and we think they’ve nailed it. Elegant bell tents are hooked up to the mains, meaning you can spam everyone on Instagram without fear of draining your battery. And forget trying to light a barbecue, wholesome meals are served at the Patio, an alfresco kitchen and bar that ensures guests never go hungry. 

The luxe bell tents on this site are set up in what was once the moat for Haveringland Hall. These days, you’ll find spacious Lotus Belle tents with proper beds, fresh linen, wood burners and camping stoves; and a ‘stargazing castle’ complete with kitchen, fire pit and king-sized bed with stunning 360-degree views. And the dreamiest part? They’re all pitched around an idyllic natural swimming pond for that refreshing morning dip. 

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Guests won’t want to ‘leaf’ the luxury treetop hideaways at By the Wye, which elevate glamping to a whole new level. Set on the border between Wales and Herefordshire, this cluster of safari tents are perched on platforms and provide total seclusion in the tree’s canopy. Inside, expect a compact kitchen, wood-burning stove, ensuite bathroom complete with fluffy towels and some (like The Ivy) even have their own barbecue.

Burnt-out campers needn’t lift a finger at Home Farm, where a breakfast box or an indulgent afternoon tea – including finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and homemade cakes – can be pre-booked and delivered straight to your bell tent. Time your visit with a supper club under the oak tree for a totally indulgent stay.     

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Peace and quiet is guaranteed in this secluded spot surrounded by old oak trees. You get a true rural experience, but with mirrors, lanterns, heated blankets and Moroccan-inspired interiors rather than sleeping bags and tent pegs.

With so much to do on this 300-acre estate, even the hot tub, log burner and stargazer ceiling might not lure you back to your geodome. From bird-watching in the meadows to walking paths around the 270-acre woodland, bushcraft training to its very own pub with open fires and Yorkshire ales, Camp Kátur is like Disneyland for glamping. 

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Campwell believes that by ‘reconnecting with nature and living more harmoniously with it, we rediscover part of ourselves’, and we’re certainly not here to argue with them. Choose from two sites: Campwell Woods and Campwell Farm. Each of the roomy bell tents have real beds, fresh linen and a wood burner to keep you warm. The loos are of the compost variety, but you’ll also find hot showers, a well-equipped kitchen and – wait for it – an indoor pool. Fancy, right?

Set just off the wild Welsh coastline, Fforest Farm is a beautifully curated hideaway that wants to bring guests closer to nature. After a day of kayaking or swimming in the sea, retreat to your bell tent – complete with private outdoor kitchen – to cook up a storm on the barbecue, or get steamy in the cedar barrel sauna, just a short walk away. 

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