Everybody yurts: glamping in the UK just got even more magical
When shelter-seeking nomads first erected their rondavels of wood and felt on the steppes of Central Asia, they did not, I suspect, string them with fairy lights and install a pizza oven. But they did kick-start a trend. Albeit one that took 3,000-odd years to catch on.
“In 2006, I started a blog curating unusual accommodation around the world,” says Garri Rayner, founder of goglamping.net. “I began to notice a trend emerging for ‘glamping’, as it swiftly became known. At that time, in North America the trend was defined by high-end safari tents. In the UK, it was all about yurts.”
Yes, yurts (aka “gers”) started appearing all over the British countryside, targeting the increasing numbers of “staycationers” and those too posh to push in a tent peg. These simple circular structures enable people who hate camping to go “camping”.
Their plus-points are many. “They perfectly balance luxury and a traditional experience within nature,” says Tara Laird of glampsites.com. This means you get a proper bed and scatter cushions (yay!) but might have to walk across a meadow to use a composting loo. Also, you get space enough to swing a yak. And you don’t have to buy the endless paraphernalia required for actual camping.
Have we passed peak yurt? No. The Godfather of Glamping has upped its ger-ame. Many craftspeople are hand-making yurts on home soil to the highest eco-standards using sustainable wood and ethical textiles tailored to the British climate. There are yurts with underfloor heating, integrated kitchens, outdoor baths and wood-fired hot-tubs. There are yurts that look like Arabian boudoirs, ideal for canoodling couples. And there are yurts in outdoor playgrounds where families can pile in together and reconnect.
Tim Rees, founder of Quality Unearthed, who lived in a yurt for several years, remains loyal: “Yurts hold an almost magical quality that other structures don’t offer. Inside, the curves are reminiscent of a mandala, appealing to the senses, combined with a clear cover that offers a glimpse of the stars. They have a feeling of serenity and peace.”
It’s ger-eat: 15 fabulous stays in Britain
1. Splendid isolation
Inshriach Yurt, Cairngorms
“Inshriach was the first yurt in our collection, so holds a special place in my heart,” says Tom Dixon, of Canopy & Stars. “The setting is magical year round – guests have stayed here in -20C [-4F].” This hillside bolt-hole, overlooking the River Spey, is wilderness glamping at its cosiest, with a Victorian bed and top-notch wood burner. Elsewhere on the estate, you can steam in the horsebox sauna.
Sleeps two, from £70pn (0117 204 7830; canopyandstars.co.uk)
2. Action on the yurt step
Galloway Activity Centre, Dumfries & Galloway
Sailing, stand-up paddleboarding, windsurfing, kayaking, archery… there’s not much you can’t try at the Galloway Activity Centre. After all that, you’ll be as pooped as a steppe-roaming nomad, and ready to flop into one of the lochside yurts. Each has pull-out beds arranged around a wood burner, a small cooker, solar-powered lights, and Galloway Forest Park – the first in the UK to gain Dark Sky status – is just outside.
Sleeps six, from £93pn (01556 502011; lochken.co.uk)
3. Eco amore
Secret Yurts, Powys
“A hidden gem, perfect for couples,” says Tara Laird, of Glampsites.com. Indeed, Secret Yurts’ trio of valley-hidden gers are secluded, sustainable and downright sexy – something the Mongolians probably never envisaged. As well as great green credentials (ground-source heating, rainwater harvesting), they have king-size beds, fluffy bathrobes and a romantic twinkle of fairy lights and lanterns. They also have private bathrooms and outdoor hot tubs in which you can sip bubbles in bubbles.
Sleeps two, from £140pn (020 3637 8739; glampsites.com)
4. The hobbit with style
Trellyn Woodland Camping, Pembrokeshire
The owners of Trellyn, an idyllic campsite in a valley running right to the sea, have offered yurt stays since they handmade their first in 2005; they’re so passionate about sustainability that they’ve founded the Greener Camping Club. They also have a flair for the creative: their Starlight Yurt is themed on the illustrations of a local artist; Woodend (three yurts joined) is like something out of The Hobbit, with round doors and detailing just like Bilbo’s pad.
Sleeps four/six, from £125pn (01348 837762; trellyn.co.uk)
5. Year-round rondavel
Fron Farm Yurt Retreat, Carmarthenshire
“With an increase in demand for year-round glamping, yurts have evolved,” says Garri Rayner, of goglamping.net. “The solution? Replace the traditional Mongolian canvas-and-lattice structure with a solid wooden roundhouse.” Fron Farm, beneath the Preseli Mountains, is a forerunner of this concept – its Gwdihŵ (Owl) Yurt, made from locally sourced sustainable wood, remains toasty in winter and not only contains the standard cosy beds and wood burner but also an internal bathroom, kitchen and pizza oven.
Sleeps four/six, from £75pn (goglamping.net)
6. Capital canvas
Urban London Yurt, London
Squirrels scampering across the roof, owls hooting in the trees… and the rumble of the nearest Tube, just two minutes’ walk away. This urban yurt, equipped with sofa beds and festooned with Persian rugs and Moroccan lanterns, is tucked into a garden in Highgate, providing a glamping vibe for city slickers (don’t fret: there’s Wi-Fi). Alex Wilson, founder of hostunusual.com, says: “With prices of London hotels skyrocketing, it’s a good budget alternative”.
Sleeps four, from £69pn (hello@hostunusual.com; hostunusual.com)
7. Stately dome
Walcot Hall Glamping, Shropshire
As well as one of the country’s finest arboretums, elegant Walcot Hall has a fine glampsite, with a range of curious tent alternatives scattered across the estate, including four yurts. New this year is the Heart of Gold yurt, a rustic-luxe version overlooking the Shropshire Hills, with its own barbecue and campfire. Top pick is spacious After the Gold Rush, which sits on the banks of its own pool, complete with a free-to-use rowing boat.
Sleeps two/four, from £100pn (coolcamping.com)
8. Canvas luxe
Selene and Boudica, Somerset
Camping at Glastonbury isn’t usually such a stylish proposition. But Selene and Boudica – new for 2019 – take Somerset field-life to a new level. Set in a butterfly-beloved wild flower meadow on an organically managed reserve, this handsome handcrafted pair afford views over the Mendips and Glastonbury Tor, and come with four-posters, antique furniture and flamboyant textiles with a hint of the East; there are also woodburners to keep things cosy and fire pits for evenings outdoors.
Sleeps two/three, from £110pn (01348 830922; qualityunearthed.co.uk)
9. Car-free nomading
Ivy Grange Farm, Suffolk
This eco-focused Suffolk farm is 10 miles from the sea, two from Brampton station – arrive by rail (they’ll pick you up) and get money off your stay; there are free on-site bikes to borrow, too. Four English-made yurts, hand-fashioned from steam-bent ash and cherry, dot the fields; newest is Swallow, snugly lined with rich-red wool. All have double beds and hand-painted furniture, as well as access to al fresco woodland showers.
Sleeps three/five, from £200 for two nights (07802 456087; ivygrangefarm.co.uk)
10. Ger-rand designs
Crafty Camping, Dorset
This adults-only glampsite amid ancient woodland, inland from the Jurassic Coast, is famed for its Woodsman’s Treehouse (shortlisted for Grand Designs’ House of the Year). But there are two yurts too, handmade with the same skills, style and sustainable practices. Poppet and Coracle are constructed from rotationally coppiced sweet chestnut. They have king-size beds, log burners, reindeer skins and, on the deck, hot water tree-showers and hammocks for lazing beneath the leaves.
Sleeps two, from £278 for two nights (01460 477771; mallinson.co.uk)
11. Exotic escape
Barefoot Yurts, East Sussex
“Staying in a yurt is about having a bit of an adventure,” says Claire Wills, of coolstays.com, “and Barefoot Yurts is a Mongolian sanctuary, hidden in England’s South East.” This canvas mini-complex comprises a spacious lounge yurt (for lolling, stargazing, playing games), a bedroom yurt (with show-stopping oak-carved bed) and an eco-cabin with kitchen and bathroom. Best is the decor: doors and rafters are hand-painted with oriental blues and intricate patterns.
Sleeps eight, from £130pn (01273 692300; coolstays.com)
12. Sustainable seclusion
Cornish Yurt Holidays, Cornwall
This trio of yurts on the fringe of Bodmin Moor is “low impact, maximum comfort”. Each lies in splendid isolation, tucked into its own woods and meadows, inaccessible by car (bags are transported by wheelbarrow) but only a short walk to the pub. The Green Man yurt is the most sequestered, hidden amid trees; Oak Wood is a cosy den of deep reds, gold serge and Kyrgyz weaving. All are handmade from wood sourced on site.
Sleeps two/six, from £203 for three nights (enquiries@glampingly.co.uk; glampingly.co.uk)
13. Bush bolt-hole
Adhurst Yurts, Hampshire
A back-to-nature retreat an hour from London, Adhurst has five yurts, made from timber grown on the South Downs estate. There’s no electricity; instead, you get solar lamps, kilims and cushions, log burners, fire bowls and a gas hob in the safari kitchen. Long-drop loos and showers are shared, but one, Willow, has an en suite bathing yurt complete with tub. The site runs bushcraft courses, from outdoor baking to shelter building.
Sleeps four, from £320 for two nights (07789 954476; adhurst.co.uk)
14. Tent-alising views
Long Valley Yurts, Cumbria
Long Valley Yurts’ Langdale site sits at the head of the Great Langdale valley, with Scafell Pike looming nearby, enticing trails leading off every which way, activities aplenty – cycling, wild swimming, moonlit canoeing – on the doorstep and three traditional pubs within a 10-minute walk. The yurts themselves have a North African vibe, with Moroccan rugs and lanterns, bright throws and fairy lights. But the view from the door is peak Lake District.
Sleeps six, from £199 for four nights (01539 267030; luxury-yurt-holidays.co.uk)
15. Farm life
Wensleydale Experience, North Yorkshire
Mixing rustic and luxe, the five yurts at Berry’s Farm are Scandi-neat, with fresh furnishings, raised decks, private hot tubs and big views of the Dales. They’re also immersed in agriculture: as well as running an award-winning farm shop, the site has started offering farm tours to educate visitors about local life – experiences might start with a full English in the café, before investigating drystone walls, feeding Highland cattle, herding sheep and even mucking out.
Sleeps five/seven, from £52pn (goglamping.net)
