A yurt nestled in a valley, a wooden pod in the forest, or a hut by the beach. This is glamping; a hybrid word that blends ‘glamour’ and ‘camping’. It’s a concept that offers visitors a retreat into nature without the effort of pitching a tent, getting cold and worrying about said tent blowing away. It combines the benefits of traditional camping; escaping daily life and embracing the wild world, while not forgoing the home comforts. Over the past five years, Google trends data shows a steady rise in search interest around ‘glamping’ in the UK. And, during the past 12 months, this equates to 49,500 average Google searches each month. Even our taste in TV programmes has started to reflect our appetite for escaping into nature. George Clark’s Amazing Spaces – recently reaching seven series – and Dick Strawbridge’s Cabins in Wild, highlight not just popularity for visiting alternative accommodation, but building these places ourselves.

Camping purists would argue that glamping is cheating. A real toilet, a wood burning stove and a proper bed? That’s not real camping, they’d say. Is it really mandatory to suffer the hardships in order to fully experience nature? Of course not! In fact, the benefits of glamping are very much the same as those of camping, but with the added bonus of comfortable, stress-free surroundings.

Discover slow living inspired reasons to try glamping and find out why unplugging in the wild isn’t mutually exclusive with pitching a tent.

 

3 Guilt-Free Benefits of Glamping

1. Enjoying Slow Travel

Glamping is a great way to experience slow travel. Often, we try to pack in as many sites as possible into short breaks, to ‘make the most’ of our annual leave. Carl Honore, speaker, writer, and at the forefront of the slow living moment, summarises: “When we travel in roadrunner mode, we miss the small details that make each place thrilling and unique. We lose the joy of the journey. And at the end of it all, when every box on our To Do list has been checked, we return home even more exhausted than when we left.”

Glamping spots are often rural and remote, encouraging you to take in the sights, smells and sounds around you. After all, just because there are no sites to visit, doesn’t mean there is nothing to see.

2. Experiencing Boredom

“The concept of staying and being somewhere beautiful will always be popular and we believe that in modern life it has never been more important,” says Tom Dixon, managing director of Canopy & Stars, in an article for The Telegraph.

In the digital era, it’s not always easy to find downtime, or even realise that we need to. With an increasing number of apps and devices craving our attention, both at home and at work, it’s more challenging than ever to unplug. Discourse around how smartphone and tech overuse affects us is increasing (Forbes even called 2018 the year of digital detox), and there’s one particular consequence of our screen habit that glamping offers a great antidote for; our diminishing ability to experience boredom.

When was the last time you felt truly bored? Chances are that for most of us our phones are our go-to during awkward or quiet moments. In her TEDTalk ‘How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas’, Manoush Zomorodi explains that when we’re bored we ignite the ‘default mode’ in our body. This is when we do ‘auto-biographical planning’. In other words, we reflect on the big moments in our lives, take note, create a personal narrative, set goals and we decide how to reach them. Sounds quite important, right? To put this into perspective, Zomorodi asked the listeners of her podcast to take part in her project ‘Bored and Brilliant’, which challenged them to cut down their screen time over the course of a week. Of the 20,000 participants, 70% said they had experienced more time to think. She explains, “By doing nothing, you are actually being your most productive and creative self”. And CEO of digital detox app Space, Georgie Powell, confirms in a Guardian article: “It’s so powerful to be truly bored: nothing in your head and nothing in your hands, so you can daydream. I really think that’s when great ideas come.”

They say that ‘there’s no Wi-Fi in the forest, but you’ll find a better connection’. While many glamping spots do offer Wi-Fi, choosing to experience boredom, or just solitude, could help you reconnect and dream up big ideas.

3. Reconnecting with Nature

One of the biggest draws to camping and glamping alike is the promise of a tranquil setting. Be it by the coast, in a meadow, in the woods, or alongside a stream, glamping allows a closer connection to the natural world and all its scents and sounds. It’s no secret that getting some fresh air is good for us – it’s what our parents have been telling us since we were kids. But, for urbanites in need of a reminder, the Wildlife Trusts and the University of Derby conducted a ’30 Days Wild’ challenge where participants were asked to ‘do something wild’ everyday for a month. Participants describing their health as ‘Excellent’ increased by 30% after the 30 days were up, which adds to increasing research that nature is important for wellbeing, happiness and life satisfaction. Plus, glamping in beautiful scenery lends itself to walking and hiking, or in other words, free feel-good exercise.

For those who like the idea of getting back to nature, unplugging and getting a little headspace, but need a decent loo and bed, glamping is a great way to escape. It comes in many shapes and sizes, and ranges from sites to fully secluded spots, so it’s likely you’ll find your perfect pitch. Be it shepherd’s hut or pod, why not give glamping a try for you next adventure? Let’s ditch the glamping guilt!

Chatting with colleagues recently, we realised how London changes your perception of distance. You type in where you’re going in Citymapper and off you go – even if it’s over an hour away by tube and bus, you’re likely to go the distance as a Londoner. 50 minutes for a drink with a friend? Doable. But before moving to the capital, travelling 50 minutes for a casual drink in the evening would have felt ridiculous. This means that my perceptions of day trips have also changed. Travel for an hour and you can swap city for countryside? I’m all in. In fact, as someone who grew up in a small village, planning slow escapes at the weekend are near essential.

Provence’s lavender fields have been on my bucket list for some time. So, when I discovered that the beautiful British lavender fields that were popping up on Instagram were just over an hour away by car from West London, it was time for a day trip. Bonus if you live in North London, it’s practically on your doorstep. Here’s a look at Hitchin Lavender Farm in Hertfordshire and why it makes a great slow escape from the city.

Stop and Smell the… Lavender

Hitchin Lavender is an assault on the senses. First, you stand in awe of the swathes of purple trailing down the hill as you queue to pay. Then, as you’re given your scissors and bag and eagerly enter the cutting field, the aroma hits you. It’s intensified every time you push past the sprawling bushes. After a while spent taking photos and taking in the view, you quietly make your way up to the top of the field, snipping as you go. After a while you’ll slowly begin to hear a deep hum as thousands of friendly bees dance around the bushes. It’s a nature haven.

Although Hitchin Lavender was busy, the experience was relaxing, encouraging a little spontaneous mindfulness even. After all, to fill one of their bags to the brim takes quite a lot of snipping. Once the obligatory photos are out of the way, all you’re thinking is: ” how can I fit more lavender in my bag?” and “what can I make with my lavender?” When you’re done picturing yourself in a farmhouse kitchen making lavender biscuits, there are sunflowers to visit. Though, these weren’t ready for cutting when I visited, I imagine they’ll give the lavender a run for its money in late summer.

Of course, as well as taking home your carefully picked stems, there is a lavender themed shop with almost-every-variety-of-lavender-ever and many different flower-infused gifts. It’s beautifully presented in a rustic 17th-century barn, alongside the cafe which has indoor and outdoor seating. The lavender raspberry jam is delicious.

This family-run farm is nothing short of Country Living-chic. In fact, there are signs advertising out-of-hours events, such as yoga, meditation and a sundown cinema. Sounds like bliss, right? And in case you were wondering, they do weddings…

Lavender Logistics

Prices: £6 per adult, £3 for 5-14 year-olds and free for under 5s. This includes filling a bag full of lavender with their borrowed scissors. When the sunflowers are ready to be cut, they’re priced at 50p a stem. Check their social feeds for sunflower news.

Opening Times: 10am to 5pm everyday until the end of August with late openings on Tuesday and Friday.

Getting There: There’s ample parking and it’s not far from the A1M. If you’re getting the train, they recommend Kings Cross to Hitchin and then taking an Uber or taxi, though do keep an eye out for any buses or coaches as this is a popular destination.

In short, Hitchin Lavender is a perfect rural escape from London. It’s great for all ages, it’s good value and uplifting. If you feel that your £6 bag of lavender isn’t quite enough and your boot is begging to be filled to the brim, extra bags are £4. After all, what could be better than being surrounded by flowers? This slow activity really doesn’t finish when you leave the farm; there are so many ways to use your cut lavender and fill your home with relaxing scents.