Skye Eco Bells
Description: An off-grid campsite with a low impact ethos
Product: Finman Sleeper cabins and custom log cabin
Company: Logspan
Telephone: 01389 887205
Website: www.logspan.com
Details: Skye Eco Bells felt that the nature of the Finman Sleeper Cabin fitted well with the landscape as well as offering low impact, all year round accommodation. Manufactured using sustainably grown Russian spruce, the walls are 45mm (nearly 2”) thick and all windows and doors have full double glazing.
Logspan was able to offer a full build service and subsequently supplied further buildings including a bespoke log cabin bothy.
Feedback: “Logspan have been truly professional from our first dealings with them. We were impressed with the build quality and pricing but key to us was their attitude and friendliness. A year after our first contact we bought two cabins and had them constructed by their team. The guys did a great job and very quickly and the cabins are doing great. A year later we purchased another 5m cabin and a bespoke cabin. The price was very competitive and at every stage of the design they kept us up to speed. We again opted for their team to build the cabins and definitely made the right decision. They worked swiftly and completed the job to a high standard.
“We would have no hesitation in recommending Logspan to others and in fact we have done so already. Their customer care has been at the forefront of what they do. Working with good guys is what we are about, and Logspan fitted our needs perfectly!”
Hornton Grounds, Oxfordshire
Company: Wild Hart
Telephone: 07971 869058
Website: www.wild-hart.co.uk
Description: A beautiful farm in the Cotswolds offering bed and breakfast in a farmhouse and glamping by a lake
Product: Off-grid cabin
Details: Wild Hart’s latest construction was designed specifically for a client that wanted an off-grid cabin, the only service provided being a cold water supply.
The design consisted of a 4.5m diameter two berth cabin with kitchenette, en-suite shower room and a separate compost toilet. The hob and water heater runs on LPG gas, the hot water servicing the shower, sink and basin. There are infrared heat panels in the ceiling that run on a 12V solar system to keep up the ambient temperature of the cabin to reduce damp, and a small wood burning stove for those really cold days. Waste water is collected in a tank under the deck which is periodically emptied. The deck around the cabin provides an area to sit and enjoy the view over the lake.
Several conversations were had with the client over an eight month period to develop the design and a site visit to peg out the plan of the cabin and visualise its orientation beside the lake to give the best views.
Feedback: Owners Catherine and Graham Vint said: “Our Octopod is a supremely high quality hand crafted octagonal shaped wooden cabin and way above our expectations in visual appearance and user experience. The development of a totally off-grid structure with Nick Sneller and his team has been such a pleasure, and the enormous pleasure we and our guests get from ‘La Retraite’ is off the Richter Scale.”
Fern Wood Glamping
Description: An off-grid glamping site in the Abergavenny Hills
Products: Two off-grid ST440 Glamping Barrels
Company: Camp
Plus
Telephone: 01908 538055
Website: www.campplus.co.uk
Details: In the hills of Abergavenny, in the middle of seven acres of woodland, lies the Fern Wood glamping site. It is a venture of farmer Steve Watkins and developer Luke Harrison. They were looking at diversifying and because Fern Wood is right on the White Castle Walk, a short stay glamping accommodation seemed like a logical choice. There are no electrics anywhere nearby, so the accommodation had to be off-grid. It also had to be made of natural materials and blend in with the surroundings.
CampPlus has supplied Fern Wood with two 4.4m Glamping Barrels. A clever use of space means that each Barrel comfortably accommodates four people. The 12V LED lighting only uses 11W per Barrel so it can run off a small solar panel and battery. The Barrels are made of slow grown, FSC approved, 46mm thick Baltic Pine. The thick walls and double glazing make them comfortable even in early spring and late autumn.
Feedback: Steve Watkins, owner, said: “We looked at all kinds of pods, domes and shepherds huts but the moment we stepped inside the Barrel we loved it right away. We didn’t need to look any further. The barrels are fun, cosy and surprisingly spacious.”
Luke Harrison, development partner, said: “The Barrels are very reasonably priced, so we have a quick return on our investment. They are built to a very high standard and they fit into the landscape perfectly.”
Product Snapshots
Daddy Long Legs Launches in the Netherlands
Anthropods
07860 420763
www.anthropods.co.uk
The first Anthropod Daddy Long Legs (DLL) is ready for installation in late April this year at Camping Vreehorst in Winterswijk. This old established campsite hosts a range of different accommodation from lodges to touring caravans and is located in the North East of the Netherlands, close to the German border.
The 5m high DLL is based on the Bleriot 72 four berth on-grid model and features an LPG gas boiler, kitchen and a full wet room (WC, shower and wash basin). The DLL also has a spiral staircase up to the pod and a viewing platform to make the most of its woodland location.
Leading Franchise Opportunity
Wigwam Holidays
0131 450 7126
www.wigwamholidays.com
Wigwam Holidays is a market leader in the glamping industry, offering ‘great holidays in the great outdoors’ for nearly 25 years. Its franchise business model enables landowners to become part of one of the UK’s leading glamping accommodation brands with a ‘ready to go’ package including planning and funding support, manufacture and installation of cabins, a bespoke website and marketing.
One of the key factors of the success of the Wigwam franchise is its emphasis on branding. The Wigwam brand is recognised in the glamping business sector as one of the most successful of its type, and franchisees receive all the benefits this brings.
Side-Entry Camping Pods
Lune Valley Pods
01524 572311
www.lunevalleypods.co.uk
Lune Valley’s most luxurious pod to date, the Side-Entry pod, measures 7m x 3.4m offering more room and more light. Easily accommodating a king-size bed, this pod is perfectly designed for romantic weekend getaways. Pods feature a full glass front and windows in each end, a handmade bathroom suit and kitchen, wardrobe and dressing table, bluetooth speaker system, handmade oak table and chairs, a king-size bed and mattress, and a two seater sofa.
All Lune Valley pods are manufactured with a galvanised steel base with lifting points and are available with a choice of three roof coverings including Britmet, a lightweight tile with a 40 year guarantee.
