Glamping News November '21

AWAZE BOLSTERS UK PORTFOLIO WITH QUALITY ACQUISITION

One of Europe’s leading vacation rentals and holiday park business, Awaze has further expanded its UK property portfolio with the purchase of Quality Cottages and sister brand Quality Unearthed.

The acquisition of what was the UK’s fourth largest independent cottage holiday provider adds an extra 671 high-end units to the selfcatering specialist’s growing UK inventory, with most of the Quality Cottages properties situated within five miles of the Welsh coast.

All the newly-added accommodation will be marketed to domestic and international audiences through Awaze’s key brands – Hoseasons, cottages.com and Novasol.

“We’re always excited to add regional businesses like this to the Awaze portfolio and look forward to building on the strong relationships they already have with the local communities they support,” said Henrik Kjellberg, CEO of Awaze.

“In Quality Cottages we now have a significantly greater presence along the ever-popular Welsh coast, while the acquisition of Quality Unearthed means we can continue to surprise and delight those among our three million customers a year who are looking for something a little different from their staycation.”

Quality Cottages was founded and run by Leonard and Margaret Rees. The pair started by converting farm buildings into holiday cottages before expanding the business across Wales as an agency for other holiday home owners.

Quality Unearthed specializes in quirky UK glamping accommodation, such as tree houses, eco pods, wagons and yurts, and was founded by the couple’s son Tim in 2011 - fifty years on from the beginnings of their own business in 1961.

“My family and I deliberated long and hard about selling our businesses, but we are very pleased to have been bought by Awaze,” said Tim, adding: “They impressed us with their professional and personal touch and clearly appreciated the value of the local knowledge we have developed over the last 60 years. They also have the expertise and scale to deliver even better results for our owners, staff and guests well into the future, and we wish them every success.”

Awaze’s latest acquisitions follow the recent purchase of three other holiday companies based in the UK and Denmark - Sussex, Hampshire and the South Downs specialist Amberley House, Cornwall-based Portscatho Holidays and Danish operator Bornholmtours. They also follow the creation of a new tech hub for the business in Manchester in late 2020 and the recruitment of new teams to deliver digital excellence.

“2021 has seen unprecedented demand for managed vacation rentals right across Europe and we continue to look for further opportunities to grow our business and brands,” Kjellberg added.

For more information about Awaze visit

www.awaze.com

ECO CABIN ENTHUSIAST LOOKING FOR HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

If you are operating or building a resort based on the concept of architecturally designed cabins – then there’s someone who would love to give you a hand in return for a learning experience.

Ian Macmillan is ultimately planning his own cabin resort in Canada and would welcome the chance to work for someone else on a voluntary basis, in order to learn the ropes.

“I’m ultimately looking for mentorship opportunities either in the development, construction, or operation stages,” he says. “I love to immerse myself and get my hands dirty, so it would be great to be a fly on the wall and lend a hand where I can.

“I’d likely be looking to volunteer but can also offer services in kind. I’m an accomplished cinematographer and filmmaker and an experienced photographer. So, I’d be happy to capture promotional material in exchange for the opportunity to shadow someone in the field,” he adds.

Ian is particularly interested in finding a project that offers architecturally designed cabins. Examples of existing properties that spring to mind are the Treehotel in Sweden, Pedras Salgadas in Portugal, and Manshausen or the Juvet Landscape Hotel in Norway. “In regards to my own project, I’m in the early development stages now and making a land purchase in the spring in Eastern Canada. The goal is to develop the property in conjunction with a television series that showcases eco-conscious building practises and climate positive design,” says Ian.

Ian Macmillan

If you think you can help – please email Ian at ian.a.macmillan@gmail.com

SOUTH-WEST BUSINESS WINS TOP RURAL AWARD

Crown and Canopy was named best South West Best Rural Professional Services Business and the winner of the South West Sustainability and Environmental Impact Award at the regional finals of the Rural Business Awards in partnership with Amazon, which took place virtually this year.

Following the impressive achievement at the regional final, Crown and Canopy will now go on to represent the South West at the national final of the Rural Business Awards in February 2022.

Crown and Canopy are leading UK glamping industry specialists, providing a comprehensive range of glamping consultancy, design and build services. Established over 10 years ago, the business has flourished alongside the glamping industry, supporting landowners, farmers, and estate owners in rural areas across the UK to diversify and establish sustainable outdoor tourist accommodation. The small, dedicated team are involved in every aspect of glamping, offering a full suite of consultancy services from site appraisal through to full planning and grant applications, designing and building retreats, and researching and publishing industry wide annual data on market trends, nightly rates, and industry growth. The Rural Business Awards 2021/2022, in partnership with Amazon, will mark the Awards’ seventh year of celebrating the success of businesses across the UK’s rural economy. The Awards are organised by rural business for rural business with the aim of celebrating the achievements of rural businesses and developing a strong network for rural business owners.

Speaking after picking up the prestigious award, Edward from Crown and Canopy said: “We are overjoyed to win two categories in the South West region. We are passionate about the development and survival of rural communities in the UK and are so grateful to be recognised for the work we do. We always aim to bring a holistic approach, thinking about the social, cultural and environmental needs of each project, and it’s fantastic that Amazon and the Rural Business Awards are championing this approach to business in the rural sector and we’re so proud to be a part of it.”

Director and Co-Founder of The Rural Business Awards, Jemma Clifford, added: “We are very proud to be hosting the seventh annual Rural Business Awards in partnership with Amazon, especially after the past 18 months. On behalf of the Rural Business Awards team, I would like to say congratulations to Crown and Canopy for this very well-deserved win and wish them all the best ahead of the national final.”

The Rural Business Awards is the brainchild of Leicestershire businesswomen Anna Price and Jemma Clifford, who wanted to showcase the wealth of entrepreneurial talent in rural areas of Britain.

The Awards are organised by rural business for rural business, with winners in the 13 categories - ranging from Best Rural Start Up and Best Rural Diversification Project; through to Best Rural Professional Services Business and Best Rural Innovation - decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, rural public sector agencies, and rural charitable organisations.

The Rural Business Awards is hosting a series of regional finals in the North, East, Midlands, South West, Wales and Northern Ireland, throughout October 2021, ahead of the National Final next February.

To find out more about Crown and Canopy, go to www.crownandcanopy.co.uk or to learn about the Rural Business Awards visit

www.ruralbusinessawards.co.uk

TRANQUIL SPACES WITH HAZELWOOD HUTS

Hazelwood Huts

Hazelwood Huts are a family-owned business based in South Wales who pride themselves on designing and manufacturing high quality bespoke Glamping and Shepherd’s Huts.

Their specialist team of joiners build quality timber structures that can be used for domestic and commercial use. The huts are perfect for glamping holiday accommodation, home workspaces, family playrooms and social spaces for your garden. Starting at £12,950 ‘The Cwtch’ is a Traditional Shepherd’s Hut built to sit in that perfect spot in the garden to use for entertaining friends and family, or a tranquil space out of the house to use as home office for the ‘new normal’ of working from home, or even as an extra space for the little ones to play in, Hazelwood Huts build to the customers chosen specifications, so each hut is unique.

‘The Hideaway’ is their large Glamping Hut. Specialist joiners work with you to build your dream glamping hut for personal use or for your holiday accommodation business or even home studio workspace. Starting from £19,950 Hazelwood Huts offer a wide range of optional extras to choose from that are fully fitted by their specialist joiners to help you create your perfect space.

‘The Getaway’ is a fully mobile, towable, road legal Glamping Hut and perfect for that adventurous Glamping experience. The fully towable and braked chassis allows you to take your Hazelwood Hut anywhere the open road will lead you! Starting from £22,950 Hazelwood Huts work with their customers to create the ideal, unique mobile glamping hut they’ve always wanted. All Hazelwood Huts come with a birth date certificate and a complimentary wooden name plaque which are fitted externally to the hut.

Visit our website www.hazelwoodhuts. co.uk/glamp to find out more about our huts, download the latest pricing brochure and view photos and videos showcasing their bespoke structures which are built at our workshop in Wales.

GLAMPING STOVE ADVANCEMENT with the Adventurer 5

Charlton and Jenrick have been designing and manufacturing domestic fires, fireplaces and stoves for over 35 years and have used their expertise to introduce a big advancement in glamping stoves - the Adventurer 5.

Adventurer 5

The new stove and its associated heat shielding kits means that adapting portable or normal domestic stoves into glamping accommodation is a thing of the past. You can be assured of safe, straightforward and efficient installations with less dependence on installers experience when it comes to siting, fluing and fire protection measures. Adventurer 5 also provides low emissions credentials in full and easy compliance with the latest Ecodesign and DEFRA exemption standards for stoves and achieves the new maximum Level 5 clearSkies certification. Installations are therefore not only far safer but also much kinder on the environment and surroundings as well.

The Adventurer is much more than just a high quality, characterful, 86% efficient wood stove. Its 4” (100mm) flue connector and compact dimensions will fit into most small spaces. A fabulous range of accessories are available to enhance and complement the nominal 4.5kW stove including an insulated lift-off oven that can be used in combination with the standard fit large and effective stainless steel hot-plate to prepare a multitude of tasty meals. The hot plate is big enough to accommodate full 30cm pans and the oven swallows 22cm casseroles or half size baking trays - unlike many cooking stoves which are impractically small or simply don’t produce enough heat. Left or right-side warming shelves are really useful and a fiddle rail adds improved pan or kettle safety as well as a touch of class. An optional stainless splashback can be used when frying to eliminate some of the inevitable clearing up that goes with cooking delicious food.

Under normal circumstances Building Regulations don’t apply to glamping accommodation but doesn’t absolve the installer/owner/ operator of providing a safe and effective stove installation for users. C&J fully address this in the Adventurer 5 and its accessory packages. Specifically designed to avoid a number of problems with installation in timber or other non-permanent spaces, the Adventurer 5 is available with two bespoke heat shielding options which have been independently safety tested to EN13240 for peace of mind. Hearths are taken care of with the freestanding heatshield kit and a marine hearth to BS 8511, which can also be used in non-domestic accommodation, adds extra stability and safety when used with the attached heatshield kit. Hand cutting and securing fireproof boarding, tiling and other handmade features using expensive labour has become obsolete.

Environmental considerations are often of high priority for glamping providers and the Adventurer 5 is a state-of-the-art solution for low smoke emissions which is DEFRA exempt for burning wood in designated smoke control areas. Going significantly beyond the domestic 2022 Ecodesign regulations which limits stove flue emissions, Adventurer 5 achieves Level 5 clearSkies certification. ClearSkies is the new objective & independent emissions and energy performance certification mark for solid fuel stoves and fireplaces. See https://www.clearskiesmark.org/ for more details. By specifying the Adventurer, you can be assured to be using one of the very best environmentally performing appliances available.

A supremely practical appliance design producing between 3.5 and 5.5kW of heat output, clean burning and an excellent fire view is already incredibly popular and can help customers make a decisive choice of accommodation. The Adventurer 5 combines the best of both worlds, a clean burning, permanent, long-lasting, quality appliance with a plethora of special options for glamping accommodation - the Adventurer is sure to enhance any glamping project.

MODERN MATERIALS with a Rural Feel

White Dove Shepherd Huts are a family-based business founded by Paul Cunningham. Based in the centre of Lancashire, their passion is ensuring that every glamping site owner that comes to them leaves with the hut of their dreams.

White Dove Shepherd's Hut

Paul has been running a successful joinery manufacturing business for over 20 years, spending much of that time manufacturing external and internal timber frames. His son, Sean, is also an experienced and fully qualified joiner; they’ve worked together in the joinery manufacturing business for over 11 years. Paul’s other son, Martin, runs his own steel manufacturing business, creating the steel chassis. By working together, they are able to offer shepherds huts that are bespoke from the very start.

White Dove Shepherd huts don’t believe in standard huts or putting their huts into categories. They manufacture and create unique huts to suit all of their customer’s needs, from home offices to glamping pods and everything in between. Visit White Dove Shepherd Huts with your ideas and plans and they’ll do their very best to accommodate your ideal hut. Think of it like a blank canvas: they’ll put your ideas together, go through it all with you and bring your dream to reality.

White Dove Shepherd Huts

At White Dove Shepherd Huts, it takes around 5 or 6 weeks to build a hut, depending on the final layout and internal finish. They are then delivered to the site complete, with usually a small amount of work to be done once in final location.

The construction of the White Doves Shepherd Huts starts with real quality and craftsmen who give them proper attention to detail - from the bespoke steel chassis for every individual hut to the finished colours. A lot of pride is taken in the making of all their shepherd huts, giving extensive scope on design and layout. They can also manufacture bespoke furniture in their fully equipped joiners workshop to a very high standard.

White Dove Shepherd Huts

A strong timber base using C24 grade structural timber gives the base for each hut, and a roofing system of curved corrugated galvanised 0.7 steel with dripstop (condensation-controlled fleece). White Dove Shepherd Huts are built to last in all types of weather, fully insulated to be cool in summer and warm in winter with double glazed sealed windows and doors. All of their huts are designed and built to be used all year round. The steel galvanised curved roof and external steel walls come with a 200-micron resistant top coat. If well cared for and maintained, the huts should last for 20+ years. Performance warranty is up to 30 years dependant on colour and location. Once painted, the external timber comes with 10 years protection.

Based in the UK, White Dove Shepherd Huts are always on hand to help out their clients should any damage or accidents occur that may need a repair. Client support is foremost in their relationship.

White Dove Shepherd Huts

White Dove Shepherd Huts are built by craftsmen and hand built traditionally in the heart of Lancashire using locally sourced material from start to finish. Using modern materials but still giving you the rural feel and heritage of the shepherd hut. To find out more, visit whitedoveshepherdhuts.co.uk