Part one: How glamping cuts down your packing (and unpacking, and repacking, and cleaning and putting away!)

A quick internet search will soon reveal a long list of essential items for a successful camping trip. Here’s a summary of the things that are most often included on these lists...

Shelter and bedding
Lighting
Entertainment
Fuel – logs or gas – or both
Firelighting equipment - and possibly firefighting equipment?
Cooking equipment
Condiments such as cooking oil
Tea and coffee
Food
Washing up equipment
Towels
Tea towels

I absolutely LOVE camping, and have done since I was a child, but the packing of the car, unpacking, set up, take down, repacking of the car and putting away of everything, not to mention the space required to store it all, can be a bit of a bore!

This is where glamping comes in. A holiday at Great Farm will instantly make your list so much shorter! Really, you just need yourselves, your clothes and personal effects, and some food. In fact, you can even take food off the list if you like, and leave us to supply you with a delicious breakfast hamper or perhaps a lovely grazing platter. Many of our guests travel so lightly that they arrive on foot or by bike!

Part two

The start of a few days in nature can go a couple of ways... if you are camping, you will arrive at the campsite, choose a spot, unpack the car, pitch your tent, set up your stove and cooking area, make your beds, set up a seating area, and then hopefully have a cup of tea. Or if things haven’t gone well, down a glass or two of wine and wonder who to blame for the fact that the tent poles aren’t in the bag with the tent!

With a glamping holiday you can pretty much head straight to the last step – everything is ready for you, a bed with crisp linen to jump in to, and a selection of tea coffee and biscuits ready to tuck in to. I am a huge fan of camping, and still like to dust the tent down a couple of times a year, but it really is hard to beat turning up at a lovely glamping spot to experience all the best things about camping with none of the hard work!

Another huge advantage of glamping is that it makes for a very comfortable holiday in spring or autumn when the days are shorter and the nights are colder. I really love the thought of cosying up next to a fire or woodburner with a good book, or wrapping up in a blanket to watch the weather in a warm and dry place. Glamping holidays in the rain are actually the perfect excuse to have a guilt free shut down – too wet to go for a walk? Never mind, how about a board game next to the woodburner?