Go Ape

Camping’s not everyone’s cup of tea… but what about luxury camping?

When you’ve spent the day clambering up trees, whizzing along zip wires and swinging like a spider monkey through the canopy, it seems a shame to head back home, or worse still, to a boring old hotel… especially when you can continue your outdoor adventure.

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about camping – at least, not in the traditional sense. Banish those traumatic childhood memories of leaking tents, damp socks, and cold showers. It doesn’t have to be like that.

‘Luxury’ and ‘camping’ haven’t always gone together. But what else do you call it when a gramophone, a fully-stocked bar or a life-sized ceramic leopard greet you on arrival? You can wallow in a copper bath up in a treehouse or catch a trout for tea on your own private stretch of river at a luxury log cabin. Luxury camping, or glamping, as those in the know call it, takes the best bits of camping, and combines them with a few creature comforts. You’ll still wake to the dawn chorus and you’re still slap bang in the middle of the countryside, so you can enjoy everything mother nature has to offer – from kayaking and hiking, to blackberry picking.

After an exhausting and invigorating day exerting yourself, you can pour yourself a drink and just enjoy the magnificent scenery. And you won’t miss your flimsy rollmat and sleeping bag, when you sink into the king-sized bed, piled high with cushions. When prefixed with ‘luxury’ the definition of camping seems to shift to include all manner of outdoor retreats, from log cabins and Romany Gypsy caravans to treehouses and traditional shepherd’s huts… as well as canvas structures – think Mongolian style yurts and bell tents.

But as well as the proximity to nature, what unites all these special places is their low impact on it. The creativity employed in conjuring these magical retreats extends to their environmental approach, many offering an off-grid experience with wood-fired showers, solar panels or compost loos – even a shower made out of a kettle in a tree! Listen to the birdsong, and watch your campfire flickering away, all in a guilt-free paradise.

Thanks to our friends at Canopy & Stars for this ‘luxury’ blog post