May/June 2021

GLAMPSITES
are listening for it!
We have 40 acres of beautiful Devon
woodland, with lots of lovely walks, a
full size assault course, and a zip line.
There is also table tennis, swings, seesaws
and a sand pit plus a large field
on which impromptu games of football,
cricket and rounders are played.
We have the onsite independently
run fully licensed Woodland Cafe, run
by a very experienced chap called
Stuart, who serves fabulous local food
and drink at sensible prices including
BBQs and pizzas.
There is plenty to do in the local area
too, with Dartmoor on our doorstep
(fantastic for pony trekking, river
swimming and rock scrambling) and
the wonderful south Devon coastline is
just eight miles away.
How did you tackle getting planning?
Planning was a piece of cake as the
site was previously a lovely miniature
“I HAVE OFTEN
THOUGHT
THAT
YURTCAMP
DEVON
WOULD BE
GREAT FOR
WAKES, BUT
HAVE NEVER
DONE ANY
MARKETING
FOR THEM”
railway tourist attraction that went
bust about 16 years ago. When I bought
the site, all that was left was miles of
derelict track and fabulous bridges and
tunnels. There were also some lovely
wooden buildings which have all been
used to create Yurtcamp Devon.
Having been approached by many
way out and crazy schemes, the
planners loved my glamping site
idea, and literally rolled out the red
carpet! I got planning permission for 49
yurts, but now have 22, which is in my
opinion about right. I wouldn't want to
spoil the site by having too many.
We became licensed to hold civil
ceremonies 10 years ago and have
since had about 100 weddings. It works
really well as we offer site exclusivity
from midday Friday to midday Sunday
for the couple and their families and
friends to have a full weekend to get
together and celebrate.
I have often thought that Yurtcamp
Devon would be great for wakes, but
have never done any marketing for
them. Similarly with corporate events
and team building, which we have
done a bit with, but nothing like the
number that we could probably do
with effective marketing. I suppose the
bottom line is that I am busy enough
with things we are already very popular
for, without adding to them!
How did you finance the project?
I used savings.
What glamping accommodation do
you offer and why did you choose it?
We offer yurts. I love the design of a
Mongolian yurt, but wanted to create
a more contemporary version that was
suited to the British climate.
The smaller yurts are ideal for
couples, and the larger yurts ideal for
up to six to accommodate family and
friends. Each yurt has a log burner and
is fully equipped for cooking, sleeping
and relaxing in, and has access to
an outdoor fire pit for campfires and
barbecues.
Most of our yurts are situated in
small groups offering a pleasant village
atmosphere while allowing guests
their own space. For those seeking
more solitude we also have yurts
sited remotely in a tranquil woodland
setting.
The toilet and shower block has
separate male, female and disabled
facilities including toilets, hot showers,
hairdryers and mirrors, plus plenty of
hot water!
What occupancy levels do you
achieve?
We are open most of the year and
are usually quite busy over New Year.
In normal times our occupancy is
between 30 per cent (off peak periods)
and 95 per cent (peak periods). Our
prices depend on the season, and
whilst we offer two night stays, our
prices encourage longer stays.
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 33