Get More Space Glamping with a Bell Tent
The 2021 holiday season in the UK looks set to be a good one, with many people opting for a holiday at home rather than abroad due to travel restrictions. This means that availability is at an all-time low as more and more people book camping, glamping and other self-catering holidays they can be sure won’t involve costly and lengthy quarantine periods. For larger groups and big families this could be a problem, as there may not be the availability they are used to, so they may have to get creative with their accommodation options.
At the time of writing, one popular holiday cottage booking site reported that 80% of their options are booked up for the foreseeable future, with a huge glut of bookings being made for the first two weeks that households can holiday in self-contained accommodation. Feather Down, which runs safari tent glamping options across the UK has also reported that they are nearly sold out for this initial period, with summer bookings double the numbers of last year.
Over the peak summer period it is expected that most restrictions will be relaxed and indoor socialising between families will have the go-ahead, meaning a big family holiday is a possibility. One really great way around this issue is to combine glamping with a holiday cottage that has a large enough garden to take a bell tent. Bell tents can be hired from many companies around the UK and most will even set it up and take it down for you, making it a really low-effort way of having a glamping break. Some families may have intended to book a couple of pitches next to each other, or a large self-catering place that can accommodate every branch of the family, but availability is very limited so this may not be possible.
The option of having a bell tent erected in the garden of a holiday rental instantly adds bedrooms and a sense of fun – you might find squabbles break out over who gets to sleep in the tent! This extra accommodation allows two groups to maintain some social distancing, and can be a fantastic way to solve the problem of what to do on a rainy day. Move the beds and luggage to one side of the tent and turn it into a temporary games room or a quiet space for reading – you can tailor it to the needs of your group. Having the tent door open allows for ventilation, which is an essential aspect of being Covid-safe.
It’s also a great way to dip your toes in the glamping experience if it’s something new for you; running water and a flushing toilet are available in the main house, as are proper cooking and bathing facilities. For the reluctant glamper this is a lovely way of trying out the experience without committing to a full-on glamping holiday. These reluctant glampers will probably be converted, and become fans of the glamping lifestyle so that next year you can try something a little wilder; the glamping market has such a wide variety that there are options which are really like staying in a boutique hotel, but you can go as wild as you dare.
