From treehouses and tipis to unplugged cabins and retro buses, these cosy glamping spots across the UK promise memorable adventures amid stunning countryside. Xenia Taliotis heads out to explore
This article was taken from the July 2025 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.
The set-up Chillderness, located on the Red Kite Estate in the Welsh Cambrian mountains, have several quirky rentals, including Earth Conker, an aerodynamic pod designed by automotive/aerospace engineer Jag Virdie, which sits on a rocky outcrop with incredible views across the hills. There are also two spherical tree tents – with treetop kitchens – which hang deep in the forest, right by a stream. Whichever you choose, you’ll find yourself living in nature. Fill the tub at the tent with mountain water and take a cold plunge, or heat it up for a starlit soak. Earth Conker is similarly well-equipped but has a kingsize bed, an indoor kitchen and a pizza oven.
Camp rations Bring your own: Chillderness provide an escape from urban living, so the nearest shop is 10 minutes’ drive away in Newbridge-on-Wye. Among the town’s pubs, the Golden Lion Inn stands out for its home-cooked staples.
Earth Conker or tree tent (sleep two) from £145. Pets welcome (Earth Conker only). chillderness.co.uk
Image credit: chillderness.co.uk
The set-up It would be disappointing if a retreat located on yonder hill failed to be anything less than perfect, but thank goodness Mallinson’s is as dreamy as its location. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, these three gorgeous, adults-only, two-person treehouses, designed by woodworker Guy Mallinson and leading architect Keith Brownlie, all come with a hot tub, hammock, wood-fired pizza oven, Nespresso coffee machine and biodegradable toiletries. Each one has its own unique features to help you make your choice: Woodman’s has a sauna 9m up in the trees, plus a slide; Pinhouse comes with a two-person swing; and Dazzle has a cargo-net day bed over the stream.
Camp rations A 3km walk will take you to 16th-century coaching inn The Tytherleigh Arms. Other outstanding options include vegan, veggie and gluten-free Tierra Kitchen in Lyme Regis, and Axminster’s River Cottage Café (founded by Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall), serving organic local produce. You can also order frozen pizza dough from the team for home-made meals. Just remember to buy the toppings.
Treehouses (sleep two) from £790 for two nights. Adults only. No pets. mallinson.co.uk
Image credit: mallinson.co.uk
The set-up This 120-pitch National Trust campsite covers all bases, providing accommodation in tents, pods – ranging from basic to furnished – tipis and bell tents, which have woodburners, and parking for campervans and motorhomes. For outdoorsy types, the location is heavenly. Many come to climb Scafell Pike, England’s tallest mountain, but there’s also rock climbing at Napes Needle, Tophet Wall and Central Buttress, kayaking and paddleboarding at Wastwater – England’s deepest lake, super cycling routes, plus many beautiful trails along riverbanks, through valleys and past waterfalls. Facilities include electric charging for cars, accessible bathrooms and a shop for basics.
Camp rations Wasdale’s appeal is its remoteness – it’s 20 minutes on foot to the closest pub, the Wasdale Head Inn, where you can get a great camper’s breakfast. Gosforth – 20 minutes by road – has some good restaurants, including The Bake One, serving excellent Lebanese food. Or come equipped, hunker down and use your own raised barbecue for the whole outdoors experience.
Pods (sleep four) from £168 for two nights. Tipis (sleep three) from £366 for three nights. Pets welcome. nationaltrust.org.uk
Image credit: Robin Kitchin
The set-up Unplugged have several off-grid cabins around the country, with the simple idea of providing a space for people to detox from who’s doing what on social media, and make the most of the peace, quiet and entertainment that nature provides. Their newest cabin, Elsa, on Cornwall’s Bodmin Moor – a designated National Landscape with Dark Sky status – is a jewel, with a well-equipped kitchen, hot shower, hot tub, games and an instant camera, so you can leave your phone alone. Toiletries, towels, tea, coffee and a selection of games are provided. But the most fun is probably to be had outside – hiking trails, beaches and woods can easily be reached by car.
Camp rations The excellent Coombeshead Farm sell ham – made from their own mangalitza and middlewhite pigs – plus baked goods and much more. They also run bread and cookery workshops. Their restaurant, open until November, serves a four-course dinner (£65) and three-course Sunday lunch (£50). For superb Porthilly oysters, visit Prawn on The Lawn in Padstow.
Cabin (sleeps two) from £520 for three nights. Pets welcome. unplugged.rest/elsa
Image credit: Rebecca Hope
The set-up Pippa and Tom Godber-Ford Moore’s gorgeous farm, with captivating views of the Mendip Hills and Glastonbury, is the perfect getaway for everyone, it seems. If you want to play the days away with your partner, go to… Pennard Hill Farm; if you’d like to party with friends go to… Pennard Hill; and, if you’d like to enjoy tranquil time alone, then go to… Pennard Hill. All options are covered by a choice of three cottages,a tent that hangs between two trees – a vast safari tent and a cabin (plus, anyone planning Glastonbury 2026 should note, there’s also a special festival package that includes on-site accommodation in yurts with ice-baths, saunas and more).
Camp rations Pennard hosts fortnightly, regeneratively farmed, three-course feasts in its 150-year-old barn. The menu varies, but might include culatello (dry-cured ham) and coppa (cured pork neck) made from the farm’s rare-breed Mangalitza pigs. Pippa says there are ‘hundreds of restaurants nearby’, including Michelin-starred Osip in Bruton.
Tree tent (sleeps two) from £130. Cabin (sleeps two) from £205. Minimum two-night stay. Pets welcome. pennardhillfarm.co.uk
Image credit: pennardhillfarm.co.uk
The set-up Close to the Tarka Trail, one of England’s longest traffic-free paths, this delightful cluster of five architectdesigned, egg-shaped wooden domes – called ‘truffles’ – are hidden away in 6 hectares of woodland. Individually furnished with upcycled furniture, they all provide serenity and seclusion – one is by a pond, another surrounded by orchids and scarlet elf cups. All have woodburners, hammocks, double beds (extra beds can be added for children), an outdoor kitchen area with gas hob, firepit, barbecue and pizza oven. Each one has its own private toilet and shower in a building a very short walk from the dome.
Camp rations Devon’s smallest town, Hatherleigh, is 10-15 minutes away on foot. There, you’ll find a little supermarket, an art gallery and the popular Electric Bakery (its goods sell out, so order in advance). The George Inn is recommended for its locally sourced menu, while the Tally Ho serves traditional pub food and its own home-brewed ales.
Domes (sleep two) from £149 (minimum two nights). No pets. honeydown.com
Image credit: honeydown.com
The set-up Sitting on a ridge at the top of a wildflower meadow, with great views of the landscape and open skies, this 8m former circus wagon has been given a new lease of life as a beautifully furnished off-grid lodge. Owners Victoria and Chris are justly proud of their three glamping properties, and have taken great care in their form and function. This one has a double bed, a woodburning stove (unlimited wood is supplied at no extra cost), a well-equipped kitchen, a hot tub and a fire-bowl for barbecues. Games, binoculars and even a guitar are at your disposal.
Camp rations Many attractions are on hand: flea markets, historic trails and food-based activities, including Ludlow’s weekly farmers’ market, cheese tours at Monkland Cheese Dairy and tastings at Dunkertons Organic Cider. Excellent restaurants and pubs are in abundance, but if you want to eat in the wagon without having to cook, Victoria can supply dinners, breakfasts and lunch hampers.
Stargazers Wagon (sleeps two) from £120 (minimum two nights). No pets. herefordshirehideaways.co.uk
Image credit: Herefordshire Hideaways
The set-up After spending lockdown in a converted American school bus – a ‘skoolie’ – in the US, Ruth and Guy Wimpory decided to bring one back to the UK with them. They have refurbished it themselves to create a welcoming, spacious teak-lined home, which they’ve parked in a field surrounded by ancient woodland and rolling hills, just 1.5km from the chalk cliffs of Beachy Head. It’s got a full kitchen, shower room and bedroom with kingsize bed; plus foldaway bunk beds, a lounge, log-burner, deck, firepit, hot-tub and outdoor seating. What it doesn’t have is wifi, so use your off-grid break to stretch your legs, lungs and mind and reconnect with nature in the most refreshing way.
Camp rations Order breakfast and cheese hampers from Ruth; walk across to 16th-century The White Lion Inn in Thakeham, do a wine-tasting at Kinsbrook Vineyard, or a beer-tasting at Arundel and Greyhound Breweries. The Sportsman Inn, overlooking the Amberley Wildbrooks Nature Reserve, is a favourite of Ruth and Guy, renowned for its cracking Sunday lunch.
Skoolie (sleeps up to four) from £110 (minimum two nights). No pets. skooliestays.co.uk
Image credit: Skoolie Stays
The set-up The award-winning Artisan Bakehouse hold several baking masterclasses so you can combine your stay at their Shepherd’s Hut with learning to make bread or pastries. The oak hut is a beauty set between an old oak tree and surrounded by pines within 2 hectares of gardens and woodland, and with views to the South Downs National Park. Its cosy interiors include a kingsize bed, TV, shower room, a lounge and fully equipped kitchen. Outside, there’s a firepit and barbecue. Our best advice? Forget the TV and enjoy the birds, rabbits and deer that will come to say hello.
Camp rations A breakfast hamper will welcome you on arrival. There’s a pop-up café at the bakery, plus occasional supper clubs and cookery classes. You can help yourself to just-laid eggs, fruit and veg. A ten-minute drive will take you to several beaches, and Petworth House and Arundel are also within easy reach. Arundel’s farmers’ market is held on the third Saturday of every month.
Shepherd’s Hut (sleeps two) from £325 for two nights. No pets. Full-day baking workshops, including lunch, from £165pp. theartisanbakehouse.com
Image credit: Simon Grinyer
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