You've Got the Land. Have You Thought About Glamping?

Wondering how you can use your land to diversify your income? Glamping could be the answer!

Most people who end up running a glamping site didn't plan to. They had land — a field, a corner of a farm, a woodland they weren't quite sure what to do with — and at some point the question appeared: what if?



It's a good question. And if you're asking it, you're probably further along than you think.

Glamping has quietly become one of the most compelling ways to diversify land in the UK. The demand is real, the margins can be strong, and — crucially — guests are actively seeking out small, independent, personal sites over large commercial ones. The era of the big holiday park has its place, but it isn't where the interesting money is moving. What guests want increasingly is somewhere that feels like a genuine find. Somewhere with character. Somewhere run by someone who actually cares.

That's exactly what a small landowner with the right plot can offer.

The barriers are lower than most people assume. You don't need a huge capital outlay to get started. A shepherd's hut, a well-placed bell tent, a thoughtfully converted structure — the most memorable glamping stays in the UK aren't defined by scale or spend. They're defined by atmosphere, location and the sense that someone has put real thought into the experience.

What you do need is a clear-eyed approach to a few key things: planning, certification, and getting found by the right guests.

On planning — permitted development rules have evolved, and depending on your land, structure type and intended use, you may have more flexibility than you expect. It's worth getting proper advice early, but don't let the planning question stop you from exploring the idea altogether. Many of the UK's best small glamping sites started exactly where you are now.

On getting found — this is where most new sites underestimate the challenge. Having a beautiful site isn't enough if nobody knows it exists. Building visibility from scratch takes time, and in the early months, that can be the difference between a site that works financially and one that doesn't.

This is one of the reasons joining an established membership network like Wanderlust Camping Club makes sense from day one. Rather than spending your first season trying to build an audience, you're immediately visible to a community of guests who are already looking for exactly what you're offering — small, independent, curated stays off the beaten track. The marketing groundwork has been done. Your job is to deliver the experience.

If you've got land and you're wondering whether glamping could work on it, the honest answer is: it might. And the only way to find out is to start asking better questions.