Glamping Business

[MeganMogs]

We are starting a glamping business with Bell Tents arriving soon. We have a few ideas for hard standing but just wondering what other people may be doing?

We have been looking at the temporary road tracks for access, as we are only open seasonally for the first two years

Also any helpful advice on toilet blocks, we are thinking of individual built ones for the bell tents and then general camping will have the blocks.

Any general advice would be much appreciated for beginners! Just looking to being in some extra revenue hopefully. Thank you

 

[tullah]

Biggest obstacle and crazy expense is planning permission. If you jfdi then as sure as hell the woke and envious in your village will report it. Plus everyone is doing it now.

 

[Rossymons]

We had a go last year with wild camping under the exemption. Turns out we did need planning in the end and we were way underbooked. Thankfully I spent no money but well aware others got burnt on it.

As you're offering bell tents people will probably be expecting more than just a compost toilet. You can get a shower/toilet block on hire but I bet costs are stupid now. Plus how do you make it not look like a building site?

We were to use gravel to form a decent base. We have plenty of shillet on farm but what happens when it rains? Its surprising how many people go camping completely unprepared for mud these days.

I'm on good terms with a couple local tree surgeons so we had a path made from wood chip given to us. That maybe something to look at?

They'll want to charge their phones as well so they'll need electricity for that.

Without knowing your booking rates I'd imagine you would do well to hit anywhere near them in your first year. Bell tents and pods are everywhere right now so what can you do to stand out? You need to offer something different

 

[Lakes Nash]

expense now and eveybody's having ago!, we were going the pod route, but they have gone up, plus everybody expects hotel facilities with an outdoorsy feel, sacked it off, Mowing it for hay! less hassle

 

[Juggler]

We did it for a couple of years, 2014 to 2016 - It was a PITA to be honest, no one wants to stay more than a night or two, the changeovers are a nightmare, windy weather will leave you wondering what awaits you the following day, and if someone damages one (which happened to us) it can play havoc with your bookings, personally wouldn't bother with Bell tents, neither would my Wife and she's the most positive 'can do' person I know!

 

[Lakes Nash]

We were going to do it, pods and camping, having priced for pods last year, with all the costs of materials going up, as said, the punter wants hotel facilities in the open countryside, toilets/showers, infrastructure of parking, planning etc and then the people etc coming, breaking, noise, litter etc, just sacked it off, would be good, or would it!!!

 

[Nearly]

At least caravans take their sht home with them.
Labour costs soon take any income from short stays.
2 holiday cottages here.1 week stay min.

 

[Dart Valley Bespoke]

Hi. If you are still stuck for toilet blocks, we build portable off grid composting loo and shower cubicles. A great solution for pop up campsites etc. They look the part too. Drop me a message if you would like more info. Thanks

 

[brynseiri]

Erm….where do I begin? It’s all to do with location. We are a stones throw from Conwy town, which is tourist Mecca, to the point it’s coming a year round thing. So, a glamping or holiday let enterprise would be the natural choice. However, in wales, there’s a few obstacles that restrict you doing this off the cuff. You need a caravan site certificate, from the council, to operate as a camping/ glamping/ lodge business, and on the front of that application from is a tick box for planning permission, with the line “certification cannot be obtained without planning permission”. Great big huge fines etc for operating without. And my chosen architect told me “mate, if I rocked up to just a field with cows and sheep in it, I could tell you no way, but you don’t know how lucky you are right now…”Fortunately, by luck rather than judgement, my grandparents were landed in 1975 with a brand new static caravan, that an uncle bought, so he could be across the yard for care. He lasted two years, and, because it was the 1970’s, hiabs, telehandlers and the like weren’t common, so moving a static involved a crane, so it had to stay… then a good neighbour who owns the largest touring site in Northern Europe rang, asking if he could send late arrivals that he had no space for. So was born a holiday let business that was full for 20 years just by word of mouth. Wasn’t great, as the old folks just charged bingo money, however, as my grandfather was a big hit with these people, they all wanted holiday snaps with this old farmer. Roll on 25 years of the static being idle, we scored planning on a replacement basis, with all them pictures of the old fella stood next to what looked like bananarama, mullet haircuts, brand new E reg cavaliers etc as evidence of paying guests. So approved, no hassle, slightly better siting of the new pod, and I’m at the groundwork’s phase as we speak. Yes pods have gone up, but not too steeply, yes people expect them to be nice, and things like hot tubs and fire pits and screening for privacy. But it’s at a price, if of course, it’s in the right spot…
Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes, the technology exists to heat hot tubs cheaply, and people do seem to want these things. But you need to pick your market. If we were further up the valley by 5 miles I wouldn’t entertain it. People glamp for convenience. They want privacy, 2 minutes from popular tourist towns, beaches, snowdonia, and of course 2 minutes from major roads. We’ve done it before, in fact we did it before anyone else round here, I have the pictures to prove it, and we’ll do it again, so we know what we’re walking in to.
best of luck, in my humble opinion, don’t do things cheap, invest in the technology to save your costs up front, electric and heating, do your research. And remember, it’s easy for others to tell you how to invest.

 

[# Robin]

Wife’s got a small site, bell tents on sand base in a mown grass field. if you can I’d recommend a bell tent with some sort of zipped in ground sheet to avoid beetle-gate rather than Velcro.
Toilet block is a cabin 100yards away with showers in a converted horse trailer alongside both using our cesspit

 

[Cobber Kain]

I have agreed site to build a new steel frame portal frame building on my land that is adjacent to the family land.
With Health and Safety in mind I intended to include wash facilities.
After the grain has gone it will be used to store and maintain equipment and keep the combine undercover.
How di I stand if I let caravans on the site and give them access to the facilities?

 

[George from SJM Planning]

I have agreed site to build a new steel frame portal frame building on my land that is adjacent to the family land.
With Health and Safety in mind I intended to include wash facilities.
After the grain has gone it will be used to store and maintain equipment and keep the combine undercover.
How di I stand if I let caravans on the site and give them access to the facilities?

Did you get full planning or just prior approval for the building?
If it was Prior Approval then as soon as you use it for anything other than agriculture then the council could ask for the building to be removed (if within 10 years of construction) or a retrospective planning application.
If it was full planning then one of the planning conditions will state the limitations on use. If you wish to deviate from those uses then you will need to apply to vary the condition.

 

[Hooby Farmer]

I'm a bit late to the party. How did your first season go? Our site is 90% bell tents and yurts, if you've any questions about the general day today ask away. We've seen it all