Open Air Business June/July 2018

GLAMPSITES
It is possible, with favourable
conditions and position, to create
a woodland with bluebells and
all that comes with a wooded
area in as little as 12 years from a
potato field. We incorporate it all,
the good and the challenging that
“rewilding” has to offer, including
brambles, moles, bats, bees and
kids - all are welcome here (except
dogs).
Location plays a part in our
success being in the National Park
and so close to beaches, hills,
castles etc. but it’s the other stuff
you can control and influence that
keeps people coming back. The
campsite and experience evolves
yearly to keep repeat customers
interested and also to attract new
visitors.
For a period of time I joined
forces with Gary Loch of Ty Parke
(another glamping site) and we
specified and designed several
other glamping site setups and
oversaw the manufacture and
installation of yurts and geodesic
domes under our own brand.
How did you tackle getting
planning?
We are in the Pembrokeshire Coast
National Park, so full planning
opportunity is practically zero.
But there is another way… by
becoming part of an exempted
camping organisation which
negates planning for the change of
use of the land.
We became a ‘Members Only
Certified Site’ (CS) and joined the
Camping and Caravanning Club
in 2004. We were, for our part,
the very first CS site in the UK to
operate yurts and tipis. It meant
that everyone who stayed with us
had to be a member of the club
and this allowed us to operate for
an extended period beyond the 28
days legally.
More recently, through our
own enthusiasm for creating
great campsites and glamping
holidays, we set up our own
exempted organisation with the
owners of Ty Parke, that focuses
on putting hard cash back into
the environment that our visitors
enjoy, and so the Greener Camping
Club was founded in 2014.
How did you finance the project?
We have mostly self funded the
project and re-invested year on
year to get to where we are. This
business has evolved and enjoyed
steady growth and profits. We
did receive one batch of regional
tourism support for the sauna and
pizza oven as it was then perceived