Dream Glamping… it sounds a bit like a festival doesn’t it? It looks a bit like one too with a few key elements missing; there’s no stage; no pumping music and definitely no crowds. “I suppose it’s a bit like the VIP chill-out area at Glastonbury,” says Lucy, one of the expert event organisers behind this pop-up glamping site. That sums it up nicely. This is a bell tent camping site with stunning sea views, a stylish tented bar for the adults and an outdoor cinema for the kids.
This is what happens when you let a bunch of experienced event organisers loose in a field. There’s festoon lighting, communal campfires, on-site catering and staff who keep everything running smoothly. These are not your average campsite wardens who’ve chosen an outdoor lifestyle but work-hungry execs from a high-end events company. When all their events were cancelled in 2020, they decided to put their skills and their kit to good use by running a pop-up glamping site. The CEO and the managing director helped pitch tents, the senior operations team welcomed guests and everyone had a good time. So good, in fact, that Dream Glamping is returning for 2021 in a new and idyllic location.
This year, they are setting up their 31 bell tents on an organic farm high on a Devonshire clifftop. The location and the layout affords each tent a safe sea view. You’re a couple of fields, a footpath and a number of fences away from the cliff edge but that can’t detract from the scene that awaits every morning when you unzip the tent to receive your campsite breakfast. This is glamping for glampers; beds are made, electricity provided and breakfast is served. Over at the bar; campfires are lit, films are screened and drinks are poured.
It’s not just the hospitality that makes this place dreamy, it’s also its south coast location. Aside from the view, the space, sights and sounds of the surrounding farm; there’s the beach. The closest is a mere ten-minute walk away on the South West Coast Path (which, by the way, runs close by the site) but, for a nicer spot, we’d suggest you go further. Three miles east is elegant Sidmouth and the same distance west is charming Budleigh Salterton; both a lovely walk if your legs are long enough and a very short drive if they’re not. Hire paddleboards, eat Devonshire ice cream and then make your way back to Dream Glamping for a G&T at sunset. Campfires are lit, films are screened, drinks are poured and memories are made.