Glamping on the Isle of Wight

In short: 44 of the campsites we list on the Isle of Wight have some kind of glamping, from pre-pitched bell tents in summer fields to yurts with wood burners and safari tents with their own kitchens and showers. The cheapest options are unfurnished pods and bring-your-own-bedding bell tents; the dearest are the hot-tub cabins and big family safari tents, which often let by the short break or week.

Bell tent13 campsitesYurt6 campsitesShepherd's hut7 campsitesCamping pod6 campsitesSafari tent10 campsitesTreehouse3 campsitesCabin8 campsitesVintage caravan2 campsites

What counts as glamping?

Glamping covers anything where the shelter is there when you arrive. That ranges from a canvas bell tent on bare grass, where you still bring a sleeping bag and walk to the shower block, to a cabin with a kitchen, a bathroom and a hot tub on the deck. The word on its own tells you very little, so the useful questions are always the same:

• Is bedding included? Several Island bell tents and pods are unfurnished or ask you to bring duvets, pillows and towels.
• Where's the loo? Some units have a private shower room; many share the campsite's toilet block.
• Is there power and heat? A wood burner or electric heater makes a big difference in April or October.
• How are you cooking? Anything from your own camping stove to a full kitchen.

Each campsite page lists what's in each unit, and we only show what the campsite or a reliable listing confirms.

Each type explained

Bell tents

Round canvas tents with a central pole, pitched for you before you arrive. They're the most common kind of glamping on the Island and many sit on ordinary campsites, so you share the facilities. Check what's inside: at Sunrise Hill near Brading there's been a bring-your-own-kit bell tent and a furnished one with beds made up and cooking kit, while Trooper's View at Shorwell and Camp Corve near Chale ask you to bring your own bedding. All bell tents.

Yurts

Round, roomy and usually heated with a wood burner, which makes them good for spring and autumn. The Island's yurts tend to be self-contained. The Garlic Farm yurts at Newchurch are en-suite, with wood-fired hot tubs on some. Bank End Farm at St Lawrence has two yurts with their own kitchen cabin and shower room, a walk from Steephill Cove. Kids Love Yurts near Newport is set up for young families with bunks, toys and a play area. All yurts.

Shepherd's huts

Wooden huts on wheels, mostly for two. Some are basic: the hut at Godshill Park Farm has no plumbing or electricity inside, with a private shower room and kettle in the stable block. Others are fully kitted out: Kingates Farm near Whitwell has a kitchen, shower room, wood burner and a hot tub. All shepherd's huts.

Camping pods

Small wooden or fibreglass shelters, the closest glamping gets to camping prices. Most Island pods are unfurnished: you bring the same sleeping kit as for a tent, but you get solid walls, a lockable door and usually a power socket. Old Barn at Apse Heath, Grange Farm at Brighstone and Retro Staycations near Ryde all have pods like this. All pods.

Safari tents

Big framed canvas tents on a wooden deck, usually with separate bedrooms and a kitchen. At the big holiday parks they share the toilet block; on the smaller farm sites they tend to have their own shower and loo. Sibbecks Farm near Whitwell has two in a wild meadow with a stream, and Wight Classic Camping at Shalfleet has two in a private wood, stocked with the farm's own cakes. Tapnell Farm near Yarmouth has the widest range, with free entry to the farm park next door. All safari tents.

Treehouses, cabins and the unusual

Into the Woods near Wootton has two treehouses and a cluster of shepherd's huts, each booked exclusively with its own kitchen and bathroom. Tiny Homes Holidays near Cowes has off-grid cabins in a wildflower meadow. Retro Staycations lets restored American Airstreams, and Windmill Campersite near Carisbrooke has a former rescue helicopter, a UFO and a converted milk float among its huts. See treehouses, cabins and vintage caravans.

What glamping costs

Glamping prices are usually per unit, not per person, so a safari tent or yurt that sleeps five or six works out far cheaper per head than its nightly price suggests. The chart below only includes glamping-only sites, so the price is for a glamping unit rather than a tent pitch.

• Pods and simple bell tents on ordinary campsites are the cheapest. Our data has unfurnished pods at Old Barn from about £54 a night and at Grange Farm from about £37 in low season.
• Furnished yurts, huts and safari tents usually cost somewhere around £70 to £180 a night, more in August.
• Big family units and hot-tub cabins are often sold by the short break or week, with a minimum stay of two or three nights, and seven in the school holidays at some sites.

As with tent pitches, prices fall sharply outside the school holidays, and many glamping sites stay open later in the year than ordinary campsites: 10 of the glamping sites we list are open all year. Our guide to camping out of season covers the ones with wood burners.

Where the glamping is

Glamping is spread across the Island, with clusters around Newport and Wootton in the middle, the West Wight around Yarmouth and Shalfleet, and the south coast between Chale and Ventnor.

For a beach on the doorstep, look at the north-east coast, where Priory Bay Yurts are a few dozen metres from the sand at Priory Bay. For walking, the south coast sites around Niton and St Lawrence are close to the Coastal Path. For dark skies, the rural south and west are best: see dark-sky campsites.

Choosing the right one

• Couples: shepherd's huts and small cabins, many with hot tubs. See campsites for couples and hot tubs.
• Families: safari tents and yurts with separate sleeping areas. Kids Love Yurts and the bigger farm sites with play areas are built for it. More in our guide to camping with children.
• Dogs: 28 of the glamping sites take dogs, though often only in some units. See camping with dogs.
• Campfires: many glamping units come with their own fire pit, and some include logs. See campsites with campfires.
• No car: glamping is the easiest way to camp without carrying a tent. 16 glamping sites are near a bus route; see camping without a car.

Browse every glamping site on the Isle of Wight, or use the map to find one near where you want to be.