Crafty Camping and the Guy Mallinson Woodland Workshop in Dorset

We missed our annual summer holiday last year. Bad planning on our part saw Heidi arriving into the world in April. Trust me, the only way you’d have got me on a plane within 6 months of her birth would be via heavy sedation, copious amounts of alcohol, and an in-flight nanny brave enough to attempt a bum change in an aeroplane toilet!

In fact, we didn’t manage to get away at all as a family. Craig and I managed a single naughty night away, but otherwise the back end of last year passed us by in a haze of teething, Calpol and night feeds. We are planning to head off to Egypt in February for an inclusive week in the sun, but otherwise holiday plans are disappointingly thin on the ground.

So when Craig insisted on watching Manchester United lose to Southampton this weekend, I took to the internet to find something to fill the gap until February. Like most families, January is one of our most stressful times financially, and the weather is always terrible, but a UK break is all we can manage without blowing our virtually non-existent budget.

Geodesic-designed Glamping Domes at Loch Tay Highland Lodges

Sitting here now at my desk, the rain is threatening to smash through the window and damage my laptop’s circuitry - so camping is as appealing as a stay in hospital right now. Add to this the fact that I possess pretentious qualities on a par with Ms Hopkins and can’t bear the thought of booking a caravan and looking like a Sun Holiday goer, and already we’re off to a bad start.

So when I stumbled on a blog post from Regatta (the outdoor specialists) on Top 10 Winter Alternative’s to Camping, I knew I’d struck gold. Here were a couple of glamping ideas that would offer me a proper bed and somewhere more private to ‘do my business’. Okay, some are adults-only, but some would cater perfectly for my little adventurers whilst keeping this mum in the lap of luxury to which she’s become accustomed.

Top of the list is this awesome Silver Birch Treehouse in East Lothian, Scotland. I can’t think of anything cooler for Dexter than to actually live, eat and sleep in this little beauty - it would be like jumping into a much colder, and less dangerous of The Jungle Book. There’s a Belfast sink with running water, wood-burning range, gas-powered indoor shower and indoor flushing loo to keep me happy, and hammocks and love-seats below deck to keep the kids occupied. Better yet, it’s a short stroll from a sandy beach, with a forest behind you to explore.

Silver Birch Treehouse in East Lothian, Scotland

I’m also loving the glamping domes and wigwams at Loch Tay Highland Lodges which offer an infinitely cooler version of camping (see middle pic above). The wigwam has a walk-in shower and a microwave among its many mod-cons, whereas the glamping domes offer wood-burning stoves, funky bean bags, candles, oil lamps and responsibly sourced reindeer hide rugs as though they’ve leapt from the pages of Wanderlust. Children stay at discounted prices too making this an affordable option for young families.

It goes to show that the UK has some stunning glamping destinations that offer affordable luxury even in these wet and windy off-peak months.

Now… onto convincing Craig…