Diversify your land ? - The Glamping/Camping business

Glamping*Helen · Sep 5, 2013

Hello,

I will introduce myself, I am not a farmer. The closest I ever came was being a younger farmer being pulled around by lambs and calves at the Kent county show (Homewood school farm 1995). I do have a natural interest in my surrounding landscape and the animals within it and how I fit in. For a long time I have dreamt of owning a small patch of land and running a business from it. This has grown into the 'Glamping/camping' business plan, that will house a small animal holding (chickens, goats, duck etc).

As I am not from a farming family/family with land my question to you all out there is....

Do land owners ever think about diversifying into camping?

Would a farmer let out a field that has a water supply to a budding Glamping business?

Has anyone or known anyone that has branched out into Glamping?

Any thoughts are very grateful

Y Fan Wen · Sep 5, 2013

I had to google for 'glamping'.

IANTO · Sep 5, 2013

Helen,

Probably the largest business in this field is Fforest Farm, Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire - but only a couple of miles from Cardigan Town.

See: http://www.coldatnight.co.uk/

They are a Big Business.

Fforest is 200 acres, and they also own a Property in Penbryn, Cardiganshire where there are more Pods, two Victorian or Georgian Warehouses on the Pembrokeshire side of the river in Cardigan, and it appears have acquired several properties on the Cardigan side of the bridge.

http://pizzatipi.co.uk/

There are a few others, who have diversified into Tepees and Pods, and there is one person I know of, who manufactures Pods.

Location is everything.

You need find Land in a location, where there is a demand for this type of accommodation.

My instinct tells me, that you need to fairly close to the Coast.

Do your Homework first, and then look for land in your Target Areas.

IANTO

Goweresque · Sep 5, 2013

My sister has gone into it in a small way on her farm down in Wales - she has two Log Pods, from these guys: http://www.thepod.info/

Been very successful as far as I'm aware. It helped (in an odd way) that her first year was last summer - it was so wet that people who had gone traditional camping got fed up with getting wet through, and booked a pod instead. I think she charges £20/night for the small one and £25/night for the large one. She has a toilet/shower block made to look like a shepherds hut as well. All the reviews she's had have been very positive. People have loved the fact its a working farm - with real farm stuff going on around them - one camper was from Holland and spent several days helping my brother-in-law pick stones off his ploughing, just for the love of being in the open air. He lived in a concrete jungle back in Holland with not a blade of grass to be seen, so the open countryside and fresh air was heaven to him.

Penmoel · Sep 6, 2013

IANTO said:
Helen,

Probably the largest business in this field is Fforest Farm, Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire - but only a couple of miles from Cardigan Town.

See: http://www.coldatnight.co.uk/

They are a Big Business.

Fforest is 200 acres, and they also own a Property in Penbryn, Cardiganshire where there are more Pods, two Victorian or Georgian Warehouses on the Pembrokeshire side of the river in Cardigan, and it appears have acquired several properties on the Cardigan side of the bridge.

http://pizzatipi.co.uk/

There are a few others, who have diversified into Tepees and Pods, and there is one person I know of, who manufactures Pods.

Location is everything.

You need find Land in a location, where there is a demand for this type of accommodation.

My instinct tells me, that you need to fairly close to the Coast.

Do your Homework first, and then look for land in your Target Areas.

IANTO

That's quite some business there @IANTO , did not know that was there. One of our neighbours does it on a much smaller scale, good luck to them

DFC · Sep 10, 2013

Look at the feather down campsite franchise on the Internet. A couple of years ago we helped prepare our local site ready for the glamour g tents. They have go e from strength to strength and have been fully booked since!!

Any other info just shout

Old Tip · Dec 1, 2013

Planning is one of the major hurdles if the site doesn't have it already it is hard and costly to get. Also local need and access to the site plus location all adds to the mix as does keeping the neighbours on side.

Good Luck

Old Tip · Dec 1, 2013

Goweresque said:
My sister has gone into it in a small way on her farm down in Wales - she has two Log Pods, from these guys: http://www.thepod.info/

Been very successful as far as I'm aware. It helped (in an odd way) that her first year was last summer - it was so wet that people who had gone traditional camping got fed up with getting wet through, and booked a pod instead. I think she charges £20/night for the small one and £25/night for the large one. She has a toilet/shower block made to look like a shepherds hut as well. All the reviews she's had have been very positive. People have loved the fact its a working farm - with real farm stuff going on around them - one camper was from Holland and spent several days helping my brother-in-law pick stones off his ploughing, just for the love of being in the open air. He lived in a concrete jungle back in Holland with not a blade of grass to be seen, so the open countryside and fresh air was heaven to him.

Does she have a website ???

J B · Dec 2, 2013

DFC said:
Look at the feather down campsite franchise on the Internet.

http://www.featherdown.co.uk/

Our near neighbours do it and I believe they are quite successful.

RCS-EPoS · Dec 12, 2013

The feather down tents look rather nice. I'd be tempted to go on holiday in one. They have a safari/adventurer feel to them.

Dawb · Jun 4, 2014

I've helped a company called glamping bussiness called Jollydays over a number of years and seen them grow into a thriving and profitable business.

I was asked to help because I used to have a marquee company and know quite a bit about marquees and tents.

From an outsiders point of view I would make the following observations.

Quite a few people have jumped on to the band wagon in the last few years!
You need to make your camping experience "special" it's the added "x" factor that people are looking for.
People are going to expect a "Hotel" in a tent!

Before you start you must consider how many "Hotel" facilities you are going to provide for example.

Are the toilet and shower facilities going to be glamorous or grim?
Do you need to make a reception / shop / cafe / bar / lounge for your guests.
Are you going to have a member of staff available 24/7 to look after the guests needs / safety?
Are you going to provide bedding, towels etc Who is going to wash them?
Who is going to clean the tents after your guests have gone and make them ready for the next guests?

The other reality check is just how long are your tents going to last? I would suggest that after a tent has been up for a season that they are no longer "glamorous"! Factor in the cost of replacing the tents every year which will make a large dent in your profits. However they have a resale value!
Some helpful web site for you
www.custom-canvas-structures.co.uk - The company who made the bespoke marquees
Accommodation-and-camping-tents-and-marquees a place to buy and sell Glamping tents
Toilet trailers
Portable shower units

Hampton · Jun 4, 2014

Wife booked us into a place near Barnstaple last year.
She always wanted to go camping and I have always refused, but have to say we had a great time.
Great weather was a big plus, cooked food on BBQ each evening, had two bedrooms, fully plumbed, log burner with oven and hot plate, dining table and chairs, and chesterfield sofa and armchair.

Their was a shower unit and small shop thing where they added to your bill at end, and chickens laying free eggs each morning which the little boy loved.

Would do it again, but like any uk holiday, the weather makes it.

digger don · Jan 19, 2015

Hi! Dose anyone know if there is any funding to do this in wales??
Thanks..

farmerwhite · Feb 4, 2015

If any of you who have camping, glamping, shepherds huts or any other form of accommodation on your farm & would like help promoting your business in order to get extra bookings then email me [email protected]. Or if you are thinking about starting a business and need some help promoting it then please don't hesitate to contact me.

Juggler · Feb 5, 2015

We tried it last year with a couple of 5m Bell tents, seemed to prove popular so will try it again this year and see how it goes.

Frodo · Feb 5, 2015

Juggler said:
We tried it last year with a couple of 5m Bell tents, seemed to prove popular so will try it again this year and see how it goes.

How much work is it? With 2 tents is there enough return for the hassle? I quite fancy the idea of having a couple, but fear that I would spend most of the summer waiting for people to come/leave and not really make any money.

Juggler · Feb 5, 2015

Yes there is a bit of that, my mrs is a teacher and wanted something of her own as a little business to try during the summer hols, it was ok, but we wont be retiring any time soon on it, we supplied bedding etc and a lot of time goes into cleaning the tents and washing bedding.
We're going to do minimum number of nights stay this year to cut down on the changeovers.
Also, ideally, i think we'll need to get new tents every year because they lose that crisp new look by year 2.

evabanks · May 6, 2015

Is anyone going to the Farm Innovation Show this year or the Glamping Show? There's a lot of good advice there for new glamping businesses or anyone just thinking about it....

digger don · May 12, 2015

Hi where

evabanks said:
Is anyone going to the Farm Innovation Show this year or the Glamping Show? There's a lot of good advice there for new glamping businesses or anyone just thinking about it....

Is that held please??

Juggler · May 13, 2015

25th & 26th September , stoneleigh according to Google!

I'll go I think, thanks for the heads-up @evabanks

Diversify your land ? - The Glamping/Camping business

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