The team's favourite glamping places for kids

On the edge of Exmoor, Flora safari tent is a spacious and fully accessible space that was the perfect setting for Senior Business Development Manager Lisa and her family. They went for their first holiday since her partner Jon became a wheelchair user following a stroke, and Lisa says:

“It was made much easier than I thought it would be by the well-considered space and wonderful owners who offered lots of advice and recommendations”.

Lisa’s children loved their personal session meeting the animals on the farm and the freedom of running to the honesty shop to help themselves to items and record it in the logbook. The whole family loved the private electric hot tub and watching the sunset from the comfy outdoor seats on the deck. With board games, woodland and wildlife there’s plenty to do on site, while the beaches of North Devon and Exmoor National Park are within easy reach.

If you asked your kids to draw a magical woodland camp, the end result would probably look a lot like Turner’s Woodland Suite in Devon. The sweet little free-roaming pigs might be the only surprise detail their imaginations don’t conjure up! Surrounded by trees, there’s some phone signal but no wifi, so you can totally immerse yourselves in simple outdoor living with a homemade yurt for your bedroom and a separate living/kitchen hut. Solutions Architect Russell stayed here with the kids and the dog, all of whom loved the treehouse shower halfway up an ancient oak. He says:

“Our dog ran around underneath the shower trying to catch the drips which the kids found hilarious! We enjoyed proper family time with cosy nights in and days running wild in the woodland”. 

When they’re not splashing around at a great height, the kids can roam free, building dens in the trees and playing football, badminton and tennis in the fields.

One Cat Farm is a glamping site hidden in a beautiful valley in West Wales, near the coast, with four cosy cabins and a shared communal barn. Marketing Manager Ellen ran out of fingers when we asked her to list the things she and her kids loved about it. The tree swing was a definite highlight along with befriending other children in the neighbouring cabins and wild swimming and rowing on the pond. Ellen says the site came into its own in the evenings: 

“The site is on the edge of a Dark Sky Reserve, it was literally jaw-dropping and unlike any night sky I had seen before. The owners even provided a walkie-talkie so that we could put the kids to bed and go back to the outdoor baths with a bottle of wine. They had thought of everything!”.

Inside the cabin, the huge picture windows provide a cinematic view of the blanket of stars overhead although the beds are so comfy you might not be able to keep your eyes open for long.

Travel back in time to the Iron Age in Cornwall for a stay in a carefully reconstructed roundhouse close to the remains of a real Iron Age settlement. Solutions Architect, Russell and his partner took their two little kids for a relaxing getaway and said the surroundings seemed to cast a magical spell over them. He says: 

“It was actually quite bizarre, the effect it had on the kids’ moods was remarkable. They morphed into prehistoric kids, entertained by simply being there and relaxing in the setting. We hardly had to parent them at all, I’ll never forget it!”.

While enjoying the novelty of hands-off parenting, you can also sit outside by the firebowl and watch for shooting stars and the Milky Way under unpolluted skies. For a day out, the beaches and galleries of St Ives are only a 15-minute drive away and The Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan are close by.

The Tardis-like space at Ragnarr in North Cornwall had everything SEO Manager Leila needed for a relaxing break with her partner, his daughter and their dog. As well as a fold away king-size bed in the main area of the shepherd’s hut, there’s also a sleigh bed that sleeps one child in an adjoining room and even a quirky cinema space, with a projector and fairy lights. Leila says: 

“Matilda and our dog loved playing fetch together in the secluded garden and running around in nature. We all loved the hot tub and Matilda interpreted it as ‘bath time’ which made her suitably relaxed for bed and she had a very good night’s sleep! It was our favourite space to stay as a family”.

Ragnarr is in a National Landscape with Dartmoor, Bodmin and the Camel Trail on the doorstep for endless outdoor adventures.

Pack your golden robes and cardboard crowns – imagination games come into their own when you’re staying in your very own Welsh castle fit for the most discerning mini King or and Queen. Our Revenue and Performance Manager, Kelly, said the look on her children’s faces as they walked into the space was something she’ll never forget. She stayed there during October half term, so the fort was surrounded by amber, gold and red-hued leaves and the valley below filled with mystical fog that slowly cleared as the family ate their breakfast. She says: 

“Oaken was one of our favourite places we have ever stayed. It was so comfortable, luxurious and the view from the hot tub was spectacular! It takes no time to heat up, so the kids were in and out of it morning, noon and night”.

Nearby, the historic town of Ludlow makes a great day out to visit the castle and many foodie events and festivals.