March/April 2021

GLAMPSITES
CASE STUDY
Mount View
Luxury Glamping
With world beating views, this site lives up
to its marketing photography
Farmer David Wallis was
inspired by a magazine to
diversify with safari tents.
He also added a shepherd’s
hut and is working on
a bespoke cabin at his
Cornish site overlooking
St. Michael’s Mount. A mix
of accommodation helps
attract a range of customer
types but he has to be
watchful of the weather!
What’s your back story- your life before
glamping?
I was born and grew up here at Rose-in-Vale
Farm. I have worked on the farm all my life
and, although we have diversified, we still farm
potatoes and other veg throughout the year. We
started to diversify from traditional farming in
2014 when we put in our solar park. The glamping
accommodation is situated in the same field.
What made you decide to start offering
glamping accommodation?
Glamping came to me one afternoon in the
summer of 2015. I was flicking through a country
magazine and spotted safari tents. It inspired me
and I really felt like this was something we could
do. We have the land, space and one of the best
views in the world. Once the inspiration hit me,
I started to run with the idea. Two years later, in
spring 2017, we were up and running!
How did you research the business before
entering it?
Obviously the idea came from a magazine. We
did our online research and attended both the
Farm Innovation Show in October 2015 and The
National Glamping Show the following year.
Tell us about your location and site
The site overlooks Mounts Bay and has
panoramic views of St. Michael’s Mount. We
are surrounded by some of the best beaches
in Cornwall and the village we are positioned
in is a perfect Cornish retreat. We have a small
honesty shop onsite where guests can purchase
any essentials. Both tents and the shepherd’s
hut have their own private outdoor space and
hot tubs.
I would say the view is our best feature. To me
it’s unbeatable, and many of our guests share the
same opinion. However, due to the positioning of
the site we are open to the elements. I think with
any vast open view you have to expect a little bit
of wind. We aren’t nestled in a valley, if we were
we wouldn’t have our unique selling point, which
is the breathtaking view.
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