Top 5 unique glamping stays

Glamping is booming and the UK has some of the best opportunities for a rural escape in the quirkiest of accommodation

By Ruth

Glamping continues to be a booming industry. And it’s not just the effect of the pandemic. More and more people are discovering the joys of exploring the great outdoors without needing to compromise on accommodation. People no longer need to carry bag-loads of equipment and sleep in a damp tent on a roll mat to experience nature and outdoor adventure. You can escape to the middle of nowhere, sleep under the stars and wake up cosy in your bed. At the same time, you can toast marshmallows, stomp about in wellies and spot deer wandering at dusk. Glamping is the best of both worlds and it is here to stay.

As the industry becomes more popular, the number of glamping opportunities continues to increase. But while some listings showcase creativity and incredible engineering, others simply show a budget makeover of a garden shed. So where do you start if you want to book a special weekend away? How do you find the best of the boltholes? The most iconic?

Let us give you some help….

Iconic and unusual accommodation: our top 5 glamping breaks

Skoolie Stays

Well yes, we know Skoolie Stays is ours but given our customer feedback we feel wholly justified in saying that our converted American school bus ticks all the boxes for a unique break.

Based on the cliffs at Beachy Head in the South Downs National Park, we have both a beautiful and private location. The bus itself has been beautifully converted – a labour of love – with eye-catching design, original features and sustainable materials. It sleeps 4 in a king-size bed and two bunks and has a full kitchen and bathroom. Guests have been blown away by the attention to detail and the clever use of space – and all this in an American school bus. That’s a pretty iconic base for your holiday!

Up in the trees

Our next favourite place to stay after American school buses, is treehouses. These homes in the canopy remain the most popular of glamping units across the UK. Many of them are just built on low stilts in woodland, but the Living Room Treehouses really do take you into the trees.

Just like the Skoolie Stays bus, each treehouse sleeps 2-4 and is completely off-grid with a lovely log burner in the living area and an outdoor terrace. It’s location is amazing too, with incredible walks nearby. And, just like the bus, it is great fun for kids but blissful for two!

Swinging in the breeze

Sticking with life in the trees, the Lost Meadow tree pod doesn’t just offer you the canopy, it appears to suspend you from it! It’s a little bit more basic than the treehouse, but that iconic shape makes it pretty special.

It sleeps 2, so perfect for romantic breaks, and is the ideal place to watch wildlife on the woodland floor.

Back to nature

The tree-pod embraced the sphere and so does our next glamping choice – the Earth Conker. Again, it is off-grid and expertly engineered for comfort. Many of you will recongise it as it was featured on George Clarke’s ‘Amazing Spaces’.

As with the Skoolie, stays here are geared towards shutting off from technology and enjoying the surrounding nature. If you can’t quite relax without keeping your phone on charge, or you want to listen to some tunes, there are electric points, a Bluetooth soundbar and lighting to set the perfect mood.

Back to the future

Our last choice takes you away from nature and into the future. If you thought the tree pod was other-worldly, try the spaceship at Apple camping. Inspired by the Futuro houses of the 1960’s, the owners have styled the glamping pod to feel like something from the future.

Unlike the Skoolie, it is on a campsite, so you are not completely on your own. That may not worry you though. After all, when you switch on the smoke machine so that you can recreate the full lunar landing experience, you want an awe-struck audience!

From Firle to Beachy Head

After an incredible first season, it was time for the Skoolie to hit the road again

By Ruth

Classic America meets iconic England with our new location atop the white cliffs of the South Downs National Park

Last week we moved the Skoolie to our new location at Beachy Head. The sun was out and the drive over Seven Sisters, past the silvery swirls of the Cuckmere river, was stunning. As we drove through small villages, cars honked us and people waved, thrilled by the sight of an American yellow school bus on their road. We felt pretty happy. Our last Firle guest had given us a 5 star review, continuing our run of lovely feedback from guests, and a news alert had popped up to tell us that not only had we featured in the i newspaper as an autumn break, we were in the Guardian travel tips for winter glamping too. Not bad for a first season!

But what comes next?

All the fun at Firle

A fantastic first season on the farm

We moved to Firle Estate, near Lewes, in June. They were keen to try glamping and we were more than happy to move into their beautiful spot (all 7000 acres of it) that spans the South Downs. We got some strange looks as we turned down the tiny lanes in our enormous yellow bus, but we are used to turning heads on the road – everywhere we go, people stop and stare!

We were given access to three locations across Firle and guests had access to some incredible rural locations, gorgeous sunsets and delightful walks across the Estate to reach the array of pubs, tea-rooms and farm shops that were on offer. The glowing reviews suggest they loved it!

Moving on to something new

So why have we left? Well, all good things must come to an end. Our agreement with Firle was created so that we could offer off-grid camping on unused farmland. But no corner of a farm has empty space for long. Sheep had to be moved to different fields, rams separated, crops cut, seeds sown and shooting traps set. As our booking calendar became increasingly busy, it became a complicated process trying to work out where and when we could move.

We made the decision to try and find a new location. We wanted one that offered us the same level of access to the stunning South Downs, with some equally great eateries and activities on our doorstep, but that also felt off-grid. We also wanted to increase our outdoors offering to guests. At Firle we had to be mindful of crops and farm buildings . For our new location, we wanted space for kids to run around and adults to set up hammocks or sit around a firepit to toast marshmallows.

Bringing an iconic vehicle to an iconic location

As soon as Visit Eastbourne showed us Black Robin Farm, we could see the potential. Our own field with views of the sea, less than a mile from the stunning white cliffs of Beachy Head and the South Downs Way, within walking distance of Eastbourne’s amenities. It was perfect.

The Visit Eastbourne team were just as excited about the idea of moving the Skoolie as us. For them, our tiny home offered tourists and residents an opportunity for high-end glamping at one of their most visited tourist destinations. It also fit their vision of an environmentally-conscious glamping solution, it’s solar panels and sheep’s wool insulation making it a year-round option for those who like to escape without abandoning all the comforts of home . Besides, they had fallen in love with the epoxy countertop and the big bug-eye mirrors by then!

We are already live on the Visit Eastbourne site and will soon be coming out in their accommodation brochure for 2022.

From one location to....almost nowhere

The day came for the big move and we turned on the engine. As the revs turned over, we surveyed the first obstacle – getting out of the field. Firle had received an obscene amount of rain over the past few weeks and our spot, at the bottom corner of a field, had been getting boggier and boggier. Normally, wellies suffice to get you through a muddy field, but you can’t put those on a 14-ton vehicle.

As soon as we tried to manoeuvre out of the field, we found our wheels spinning. Disaster. Or it could have been. Luckily for us, the farmer is lovely and sent one of his boys down with a tractor to tow us out the field. Problem averted!

But first a little pit stop....

During the initial build, our friends at Lanoguard had sponsored the application of their chemical-free rust treatment, derived from lanolin, to the bottom of the bus. Knowing we were off to the salty sea air of Beachy Head, they offered to reapply, suggesting we park up at Newhaven Beach so they could film it for their social media.

A stop-over by the beach? Who could resist!

After cleaning the underbody of the bus at a local garage (it was pretty muddy!), we parked up at the beach in time for sunset. It was lovely down by the water, listening to waves lap beside us. It reminded me of the times we parked on the beach in Texas at Padre Island. Sigh.

To the distant cliffs!

The drive to Eastbourne was the furthest we would had driven the bus ourselves since it arrived. Each bus is built to different specs – some are good for the mountains, others are better for the cities. Our Florida bus was one that stopped and started a lot – i.e. it didn’t get up much speed. There also aren’t many hills in that part of Florida. We could see the cliffs looming over Seven Sisters. How would it fare?

Thankfully, it was fine. It chugged slowly up the hills and descended gracefully! We made it to Eastbourne’s heritage coast, via the single file bridge at Cuckmere Valley, and one of the most beautiful views over the snaking Cuckmere river. We had no trouble with the field, not a bog in sight – I guess when you are a the top of a cliff then the water runs down!

Safely in our new home

We are now happily parked up in our field at Black Robin Farm, the deck down for sunset drinks and morning coffees. It really is a beautiful spot and we feel very lucky to have access to such a stunning part of the South Downs.

Top 5 unique glamping stays

By Ruth

Iconic and unusual accommodation: our top 5 glamping breaks

Skoolie Stays

Up in the trees

Swinging in the breeze

Back to nature

Back to the future

From Firle to Beachy Head

By Ruth

Classic America meets iconic England with our new location atop the white cliffs of the South Downs National Park

All the fun at Firle

A fantastic first season on the farm

Moving on to something new

Bringing an iconic vehicle to an iconic location

From one location to....almost nowhere

But first a little pit stop....

To the distant cliffs!

Safely in our new home

Tempted by your own Skoolie Stay? Get in touch and we can get you booked up!