My Little Guide To Tent Buying

With Camp Royale only a matter of weeks away, which is then followed by the many fabulous festivals donning the great British countryside this year, the question on your lips could very well be…. 

Which Blummin Tent Do I Buy?

Well have no fear my lovely glampers, because I have decided to help you narrow down your search with a few helpful hints on tent shopping.  Which, as I well know can get seriously frustrating, possibly cause a few crossed words with your other half and even make you lose the will to live… so let’s hope this guide helps you avoid all of the above!!

Right then, firstly, give yourself a budget. To help you decide, you will also need to consider if this lovely new tent of yours is going to be in your family for the foreseeable future? Or, are you the type of person that could loose it in a field full of tents, or even just be too darn hungover to be able to pack it up at the end of the weekend??? If you answered yes to the last two questions, then I suggest you get yourself a cheapy pop up style tent. Then there will be no tears when you come home empty handed.

Secondly, you need to make sure you take into account how many of you shall be sleeping in this canvas abode.  Tent manufacturers always like to squeeze you in and a two man pop up tent will be very cozy, literally just fitting in two people on their single (or one double) blow up beds.  However, if you do decide to go for a two man tent, maybe consider one with a porch, as you will definitely give yourself a little more room to store your bits and bobs.

Lastly, there is that all important height factor.  Do you want to crawl in and out of your tent, or would you rather walk into it and be able to stand up?

If crawling in and out isn’t a bother to you, then again a pop up would be ideal. However, if you want to be able to walk in, with a little standing space, I would highly recommend to you a tipi, it comes with the added bonus that it’s really quick to put up and take down/pack away! But, if you are tall or just simply want to have more room to stand and mooch about in, then there are lots of fabulous, affordable brands out there, but you will  be paying more for that luxury, and not forgetting, the larger the tent, the more time it will take to erect it. 

Hopefully my little guide will help you have a stress free tent buying time and whatever you decide to purchase and wherever you go.....

A Royal Occasion

If you are getting yourself all excited about the upcoming royal nuptials and desperately fancied being a part of something special on their BIG day, then dust off those union jack flags because something rather fabulous has just popped up, to help you do exactly that.

Forget the ridiculously high hotel prices in central London, thats soo yesterday! Why not camp in central London? As we all know, you can't just pitch up in a park, but you can if you book Camp Royale. YAY!!

The campsite is based on non-other than the delightful Clapham Common, ridiculously central and only 25 minutes to Buckingham Palace on the tube, so you can wave your flag to the future King and Queen of England, and feel all patriotic as they pass you in the street! 

You can camp on the common from Thursday 28th April to the Sunday, 1st May and it will cost you a mere £75 per person for the 3 nights, there is also a £4.95 booking fee on top of that.  This is what you get for your money....

A lovely cuppa (Yorkshire Tea) every morning  to warm your cockles.

 Clean, well maintained loos

 Lovely HOT showers, that will be running 24/7

A security team to keep you safe and sound

Mobile phone charge points  

GIANT screen, so you can watch the big day

There are different 'zones' to suit your needs, with a dedicated Quiet Zone, if you are a light sleeper, or just simply like the quiet of a night. A Family Zone for adults and their little nippers and then the Main Zone for the rest of you royal party animals.

If you are coming from afar and need transport to get down to London, National Express have teamed up with Camp Royale and for £105 for pitch and coach, plus the £4.95 booking fee on top of that, they will drive you there. They are running from 35 UK locations. Click here for more info...

They are also running a little competition for the best dressed guest, so get your glad rags out,  AND you can also win a prize for the most eye catching tent. I have loads of ideas on this blog to decorate your tent, check out my HOMEMADE section on how to make waterproof bunting.  If you simply can not be bothered with the faff of making your own,  then you can always drop me a line at thehappyglamper@me.com and order yourself some for £15 inc p&p, but be quick as the orders are already coming in thick and fast this year... yikes!

There is also a very spangly GLAMPING option.. but you need to have some serious wedge to afford this little luxury.  To hire out one of their 18ft tipi's, that sleep up to 6 people, you will need *gulp* £2000!!!

For that large amount of dosh, that includes beds, sheepskin rugs, your own showers and loo area, although shared with other tipi glampers. 

To find out more information on Camp Royale, click HERE to take you straight to their site.

Let me know if you go and what it was like, but in the meantime....

Happy News

I would just like to reassure my devoted and much loved Happy Glampers that I haven't forgotten your gorgeous selves and will be posting very soon. 

A new addition to the glamping family! 

Apologies for the long delay, but I have a perfectly bonafide excuse and happy news that I am expecting a little glamper in the summer.  Oooh,   I can feel a whole new section coming on.. 

Happy Glamping With A Bambino...

Keep those bootiful eyes of yours peeled, as I absolutely promise to post some AMAZING new sites that I have found AND they only require you to pack your toothbrush and some knicknocks or pants if you are a fella!! These places are simply the ultimate in luxury and the place to be for a nice hot sunny glamping trip this summer. YAY! 

until then.......

Dorset Cereals Little Blog Of The Month

WINNER!

I simply can't thank you enough for all your lovely votes that helped make The Happy Glamper, WINNER of Dorset Cereals Little Blog of the Month in July.  I am over the moon.

 I won a place on the winners board, lots of delicious boxes of Dorset cereals, (which of course you're more than welcome to come round and tuck into for breakfast if you are passing by The Happy Glamper HQ), and I also received a lovely egg cup with a very cute egg cosy, which will definitely make its way into my camping kitchen hamper as I do love a boiled egg and soilders for breakfast when I go glamping.

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH
 xxxxxxx

Vintage at Goodwood

If you are a lover of glamping and all things vintage, then I simply insist you check out the festival that everyone is talking about and after the amazing success this year,  Vintage at Goodwood will be the hottest festival ticket of 2011.

  

It was the very first of a fabulous annual music and fashion led festival, that celebrated the 40s through to the 80s. Situated in the outstanding location of The Goodwood Estate in Chichester, West Sussex,  this years festival had everything you could wish for, including an amazingly cool high street that was designed like a wild west film set, with shops that included John Lewis,  Waitrose,  The Body Shop and even a coiffeurs that could give you an instant beehive so you could take your vintage self to the max!!

The music was a fabulous array of talent that has come out of Blighty over the decades, and this year Vintage At Goodwood didn't let any genre down. They covered every aspect of the 40s,50s,60s,70s and 80s, and didn't forget the inspirational figures that have made British music so recognisable over the years. The amazing line up included, The Faces, Wander Jackson, The Damned, Mica Paris, Swing Out Sister, Heaven 17, John Miller Orchestra, Danny Rampling and Norman Jay to name but a mere few, click here to see the full programme. 

Every little detail stylishly thought out,
 The Vintage at Goodwood entry wristband

With it also being a fashion led festival there were beautifully choreographed catwalks, and for all the vintage shopaholics out there,  their dreams were realised with the largest, coolest, vintage fashion bazaar known to man. As the finer details were the organisers strong point, they even made sure there was a same day alteration service, so if you did buy yourself a little vintage gem, you could make it the perfect fit too, fabulous dahling!
There literally was something for everyone,  Burlesque performances, comedy acts, dancing workshops, where you got to learn The Funky Chicken and The Twist (to name but a few). A funfair, fashion workshops and so much more that I simply can't write it all down, so click here for more details. What did one have to pay for all of this fun under one festivals roof, well it was a mere £55 per ticket for the weekend, and kids under 12 went free.

If that little lot hasn't made you want to buy your ticket 12 months in advance (although I don't think they are actually on sale yet), let me tell you about the most exciting bit for us Happy Glampers, the camping accommodation and WOW, what a choice there was! The general camping was situated next to the main event, it cost £15 per person, for the whole weekend, to pitch up your own tent. There were lots of clean, flushing lavs and a whole load of lovely showers and vanity areas too. 

The amazing beach hut style vanity areas,  so you could look utterly glamourous at all times

There were the many different glamping options of varying prices, some far more expensive than others. If you opted for the proper posh camping, it came complete with chefs cooking you breakfast using all organic produce from The Goodwood Estate.. Hello heaven!
You had the choice of Hotel Bell Tent, luxury Tipis and Yurts in the Indian reservation, Geo-Domes, Gypsy Caravans, Podpads and last but definitely not least,  Bell Pads!

At the draw dropping amount of £2000 per tent for the weekend, Hotel Bell Tent at the Kennels was the most expensive option. Each tent slept 2 adults and 2 spogs and each booking included:

*  Concierge service with a dedicated telephone number for general assistance and random requests

*  Breakfast in bed and your choice of newspaper delivered to your tent each morning

*  Unlimited use of the refreshment tent - serving tea, coffee and cool drinks all weekend

*  Posh loos for during the night

*  Dedicated locker with robes and slippers provided for the trip to and from your ‘campsite’

*  Pressing service, shoe shine and hairstylist in Locker rooms each morning

*  Laundry service

*  Dedicated transport to and from the site throughout the weekend

In the Indian reservation you could hire yourself a tipi or a yurt, 2 man yurt £500 per tent for the weekend. 2 man Tipi £600 per tent for the weekend. 6 man Tipi £1,200 per tent for the weekend. 8 man Tipi £1,600 per tent for the weekend. Included in the price was the already erected tent in a private and exclusive area in the woodland, a VIP camping assistant, fully inflated airbeds,  breakfast delivery service in the morning of a bacon butty and cuppa and not forgetting, the use of the  posh loos and showers..

Then there were the Geo-Domes, these are meant to be the future of camping!! Hmmm, not very pleasing to the eye are they?  But who knows,  they could be a grower with a little, LOT of bunting!  They slept 4 people and it costs £1000 for the weekend per tent. Not completely glamping, but the added extras of what was included in the price gave it that glamping edge, with the already erected Geo-Dome in a private and exclusive area in the woodland, a VIP camping assistant, fully inflated airbeds,  breakfast delivery service in the morning of a bacon butty and cuppa and not forgetting the posh loos and showers..

I absolutely love gypsy caravans, I think they are ridiculously gorgeous and an incredibly romantic way to glamp it up at a festival. For your one thousand english pounds, you could have hired one for the weekend. They fit in 2 adults and 2 children and all the bed linen and blankets you needed for a snuggly night sleep were provided. You also got the VIP camping assistant,  breakfast delivery service in the morning of a bacon butty and cuppa and the all important posh loos and showers.

Also on offer, were the Bell Pads. The beautiful bell tent (4mtr diameter) was already erected when you arrived on site, with 4 inflated airbeds inside. It cost  £800 for 4 people, and the price also included your VIP camping assistant,  breakfast delivery service in the morning of a bacon butty and cuppa and the all important posh loos and showers .

Lastly, you could hire yourself a cute little podpad. A friend of mine was lucky enough to stay in one said that they were very roomy inside. Each one had a solar powered charger point (12V), a light above the door and to finish it off proper guttering, just in case of that festival downpour. It cost a reasonable £500 for 2 people, and as always the price also included your VIP camping assistant, breakfast delivery service in the morning of a bacon butty and cuppa and the all important posh loos and showers.

I absolutely LOVE the concept of this festival, every little detail has been thoroughly though out and I truly think that  Vintage at Goodwood has given all the other festivals out there a blummin good run for their money.  See you there next year....

If you went to Vintage at Goodwood this year and have some pictures and would like to share your experience, I would love to hear from you.. 

Moon & Sixpence

Suffolk

We arrived at The Moon and Sixpence in Waldringfield, Woodbridge on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  Always a little nervous when staying at a new campsite, concerned that we may be pitched next to the Addams Family, its happened before you see. However on checking in, we found out that we could  chose our own pitch, which even though was a novelty, immediately sent me into panic mode and we jumped into the car and rushed off to find the best pitch before anyone else could!  We must have driven around the touring site for at least 20 minutes, stopping at different pitches and surveying them as if our life depended on it! Is this just me, or am i simply possessed by some camping demon??!! After much "debating", a possible divorce and my hubster rolling his eyes so much to the back of his head that we nearly had to take him to hospital to have them corrected, we settled on pitch 62.  It was right at the end of the field, tucked in a corner near a beautiful reed pond and the water feature gave a theraputic sound that instantly relaxed you. 

The campsite has strict rules, no screaming and absolute quiet from 9pm till 8.30am, with all children safely tucked up in their tents. There is also a no visitors allowed policy during August, which was unfortunate for us as my parents were on holiday themselves up the road!  We broke both rules! 

It wasn't an intentional 'breakin' the law, breakin' the law' (Judas Priest), I simply had a few small issues that I couldn't inwardly keep contained, them being wasps! I.HATE.THEM, and with it being wasp season, every 5 minutes I was breaking the code of silence with an ear curdling scream and running for my life! My family, especially the kids were incredibly embarrassed of me, but it is the only way I can deal with them!

Here is proof of my fear of wasps, a moment captured by my husband (to his joy), when I jumped into the safety of a freezing cold pool to escape a rather large one. Me 1 - Wasps 0

Once the tent was set up and I had located the can of Raid for protection, we all went for a facilities inspection. A to the MAZING! A lovely Norwegian lodge that houses, 3 shower rooms and 2 bathrooms (some of them have loos in too),  6 separate toilets,  a huge laundry room and a fantastic washing up room and they all have radio 2 playing, which I have to say is quite comforting if you need a midnight tinkle!

There are plenty of things to do on site to keep the kids occupied,  a play park, a zip wire, tyre swings, a private lake and beach.  Off site there are many places to visit. We went to the unspoilt seaside town of Aldeburgh, which is my new favourite place in the world and I want to live there. They have many fabulous places to do a little retail therapy, and the best place to get lunch is at The Fish and Chip shop where you will always find a queue outside, but its well worth the wait. 

We spent our one rainy day in Framlingham,  in a delightful pub called The Crown Hotel. Amazing food and the staff were simply the nicest, friendliest people,  we all came away totally relaxed and had very content bellies. 

Our other find was The Friday Street Farm  shop, in Saxmundham. There are lots of lovely farm shops in suffolk, but this is the one where we found the most delicious smoked meats, I highly recommend the smoked turkey and their smoked bacon. 

All in all  we had a wonderful time and I was sad to leave... 

If you like my little blog, I would love for you to vote for me in The Dorset Cereals competition, just click on the link below... thank you so much x

Glamping It To The Max....

The other day I was having a little nosey on Facebook and reading down the home page, when I saw a status update that caught my eye! "Glamping to the max. Bell tents a go go!" As you can imagine,  my eyes popped out on stalks and I immediately wanted to know more. So I clicked on said friends page and to my delight I was greeted with snap shots of beautiful bell tents, towering tipis and bunting galore that made my heart go all a flutter....

For many years now,  a group of fabulous friends gather at  Romney Farm Campsite in Kent, for what's known to them as 'Mellis Fest',  a birthday celebration and a good excuse to have a jolly good themed knees up under the stars. This years party theme was Cowboys 'n' Indians, and Heather, good wife of  birthday boy Mellis, decided to glamp it up to the max by hiring one of  RedTipi's amazing tents and mark the occasion in style. It was a completely hassle free way to go glamping,  as all they had to do was just turn up on site and move into their weekend retreat as everything else was done for them. She opted for the wedding package which included, 

The tipi being delivered to the location and set up  

A king size futon made up with thick duvet and pillows

Floor coverings like rugs and sheepskins.

Candles and lanterns to gently light the Tipi

A fire in our purpose built fire bowl, or wood burner.

Chilled champagne (Bolli no less) and glasses

A discreet chest containing all you need to make tea/coffee in the morning.

If you would like to hire a tipi, here are some of the places that do just that. Tipi hire cost starts from £560 for a weekend..

RedTipi

Hearthworks

Black Dog Tipis

Stunning Tents 

Heather and Mellis weren't the only one to camp in style, Mani and Amanda bought along their rather beautful bell tent. These tents were originally used as military kit in the 19th century, but now they are THE most desirable tent of the land. Uber chic and pleasing to the eye, especially when decorated in an abundance of bunting and fairy lights,  they make you just simply want to dive in and snuggle down!

Surprisingly enough they really aren't as expensive to buy as you may have first thought, starting prices from  £299 for a 4metre diameter with separate ground sheet, check out the websites below for more information...

belltent.co.uk (hire and to buy)

Hotel Bell Tent (hire only) 

Out In The Open (hire only)

Canvas and Cast (to buy)

Melis Fest finishes in style with a day of frolicking on Camber Sands dunes. A stunning stretch of beach that has miles and miles of golden sands when the tide is out. Not too far from the historic town of Rye, where you can tread the enchanted cobbled streets, take in the beautifully preserved historic houses of the Tudor and Georgian times or just simply treat yourself to a scrummy cream tea at one of their many quant tea rooms.

If you have a glamping weekend you would like to share, please contact me at thehappyglamper@me.com.

If you like my blog, I would LOVE for you to vote for me in a little competition, please click on the link below.. thank you kindly xx