How to choose A GLAMPING HOLIDAY

For many reasons, we of course know that our Yurt Village or Shepherd's Huts will not be suitable to meet the needs of everyone's glamping holiday.  For one, we might not be in the right area and also there may not be opportunities to do the activities that you would like to do (we are in the Hampshire countryside, which is great for walking, with nice views and country pubs but really wouldn't be so good if you want to go mountain climbing).
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So, how is best to choose your Glamping break?  Firstly, as with all decisions, it is good to zone out a little and consider the context of what you are looking for.  Is it, for example, a family holiday?  A getaway with your partner?  A sporting or activity break that rocks your boat (talking about boats, maybe it's more of a sailing holiday that you are looking for).  And when you're doing this - don't be selfish.  Consider what your partner or children want.  Perhaps your partner is a keen angler - in which case a break in one of our Shepherd's Huts by Meon Springs Fly Fishery would rate highly in your consideration.  Although it might be that your partner really prefers luxury comforts - in which case, you would probably fare better to take them on a spa holiday. 

When it comes to Glamping, there are many shapes and structures to choose from.  Each with there advantages and disadvantages.  Below is a list of some of them, with a few comments, which you may or may not have considered.​

Structure	Comments
Tent	In its most basic form, Glamping could consist of a posh tent.  This would make a simple and low cost holiday, albeit with the work and effort required to put the tent up and transport all the paraphanalia that goes with camping.  There are some great online websites where you can find campsites, such as www.pitchup.com and campsites.co.uk.  One site we hear really good reports about is Blackberry Wood in Sussex, although we haven't camped there ourselves.
Bell Tents	Glamping up from a tent would be to purchase or hire a Bell Tent.  If you purchase your own Bell Tent, you will have the hassle of carting it around and putting it up yourself - not impossible if you don't mind a bit of hard work.   If you would rather the work taken out of it, you would be best to look for a Bell Tent site.  That said - a word of caution.  If the weather is even a little inclement, the romantic pictures that made you choose the location on the website might not say anything about the flapping canvas, mud and soggyness (if that's a word) that you could experience in anything other than beautiful Summer weather.  There are a number of ways to find Bell Tent sites around the country.  Indeed, even at Meon Springs, we have an option to hire out a Bell Tent site and undertake a weekend of Bushcraft activities, with Embers Bushcraft, exclusively for you deep in one of our woods.  This experience works well for families and for stag/hen dos.
Safari Tents	Now -these are very posh tents and there are outfits such as Featherdown Farms that generally do them very well.  Indeed a couple of neighbours of ours in Hampshire have an array of Safari Tent options.  Take a look at Cedar Valley or Brocklands Farm. ​ Safari Tent holidays are very good for young families.  However, they don't get you completely away from the "flappiness" if the weather is bad.  That said, is there any family that actually gets away from "flappiness" from time to time.
Yurts	Yurt Holidays - now that's a thing we could talk about for a long time.  At Meon Springs, we have six Mongolian Yurts in our Yurt Village and have been offering them out for holidays since before the time that "Glamping" was actually a word. Yurts are great for families.  Particularly young families.  Their round, unique structure and colourful patterning creates something that children find quite magical. Do they flap - well yes, a little.  But their origin from the Steppes of Mongolia means that they are designed to handle a wind.  And that they do, very well.
Pods	Now pods are the first "non flappy" glamping accommodation structure that we are going to talk about.  And they come in many shapes and sizes.  ​If you wish to stay in a top end, award winning pod in Hampshire, I would suggest contact my friends Sam & Naomi Burge, who run The Pigsty (honestly it is anything but a Pigsty) just outside of Winchester.  It is the poshest Pod that you ever did see.
Shepherd's Huts	Shepherd's Huts are another glamping structure close to our hearts.  Here at Meon Springs, we have six of them of varying shapes and sizes.  One of them (Hawthorn) is a "duo" arrangement of two huts with one set of facilities (outside).  The others have all the facilities in the huts themselves. The Shepherd's Huts are always busy with people.  Particularly couples, where one likes fly fishing and the other just wants to chill out and enjoy the Hampshire countryside.