There is nothing quite like staying out in the great outdoors, sleeping out under the stars, and being at one with nature, writes Andy Bloss.

Welcome to the world of glamping - glamour and camping combined to provide what can only be described as a luxury camping experience.

You can forget about leaky tents, earwigs and other bugs crawling in during the night and uncomfortable sleeping bags and mats.

Instead you can expect warm rugs, snug duvets and some rather quirky sleeping quarters.

Nada Matti, business development manager at Sawday’s Canopy and Stars who specialise in finding glamping locations in England and Europe, says it is something that has become more popular in the last few years.

She says: "For us, glamping, luxury camping, whatever you call it, is about more than just staying in a treehouse, or a log cabin or a yurt, or anything in between. It’s about a completely different way of going on holiday.

"It’s about everything from hiking to hammocking; from seclusion and romantic escapes, to family outings and merry chaos. It’s basically staying in the outdoors comfortably."

The glamping experience could be traced back to the Victorian era, when many of the upper classes went on safari in Africa where they stayed in massive tents with servants waiting on them day and night.

Perhaps there are not as many servants for those who decide to glamp nowadays but it is certainly on the rise according to those in the industry.

In recent years it has become more popular because celebs have brought in luxury tents for festivals. At Glastonbury you can splash out £499 for a "pop up hotel" glamping experience and no, that does not include tickets.

Go to canopyandstars.co.uk for more information. If you want to spruce up your tent with some glamping products then go to boutiquecamping.com.

 


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