Yurt glamping in the UK

Whether you want to camp in style along the coast, enjoy a romantic getaway in the Lake District, or escape to a secluded getaway in the Welsh countryside or the Scottish Highlands, the UK is ground zero for glampers—and yurts are one of the best luxury glamping options in the country. They may hail from Mongolia but most yurts these days are found right here in the UK, with yurt glamping sites available all across the country, in England, Wales and Scotland. As the glamping boom brings rise to all sorts of weird and wonderful accommodation options—gypsy caravans, glamping domes, shepherd’s huts—what better way to enjoy an authentic glamping experience than camping in a classic yurt? These cute and cosy nomadic dwellings have long been a staple of the glamping scene, and the latest versions come with all the home comforts and mod cons you can dream up. There’s often heating and air-conditioning to keep you warm and dry through the seasons, comfy beds and boho-chic furnishings to elevate your glamping experience, and wifi so you can get back to nature and stay connected. Some even come with a hot tub and campfire.

A traditional yurt (or ger, as they were originally called in Mongolia) is a round tent structure covered with skins, canvas, or felt, typically used as a portable home by Mongolian nomads and roving travellers in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure is created with a latticework of wood or bamboo to create a sturdy shell, along with a door frame and long ribs or rafters that stretch to the centre of the ceiling's circular crown (or wheel). Today, yurts can be found all over the world as fun and comfy glamping accomodation.

Lots of extras are added to the structures too, such as insulation, a wooden base platform, and a whole host of luxury furnishings. Many of the yurts you’ll find at glamping sites today will be far from nomadic—think king-sized beds, en-suite bathrooms, working kitchens, and cosy living spaces—plus, in wintertime, wood-burning stoves have replaced campfires to keep glampers toasty and warm. Traditionally, the ceiling's central ring was left open to allow smoke from fires to leave the yurt interior. Nowadays, in modern glamping yurts, this central crown is typically covered by perspex or plexiglass to add extra protection from the elements but still allow for stargazing from bed!

Yurts of yesteryear may have been simple, temporary structures but in the world of 21st-century glamping yurts are about luxury living, family space, and the chance to enjoy the great outdoors in the utmost comfort. Unlike some glamping structures, yurts are specifically designed for a very wide range of climates. Originally used by nomads in Mongolia and Central Asia, they’re crafted to withstand harsh winters as well as hot, arid summers. The result is a form of accommodation that, here in the UK, will keep you cosy in every type of weather. From cosy winter days around a wood-burner to warm summer months when you can fling open the canvas walls and let the outside in, these incredible glamping structures. Along with the romance of the traditional designs—think intricate paintwork, exposed lattice, and a central crown that lets you stargaze from inside—yurts are also wonderfully practical structures. Inside, they offer an immense amount of space for king-sized beds, vast Turkish rugs, scattered cushions, and fully equipped kitchens, while the circular shape is sociable and helps reflect heat inwards at all times. For an open family space and warm environment, glamping in a yurt is hard to beat.

1. There’s loads of open space, which is great for families.
2. Light and airy in summer, glamping yurts are also designed to keep you cosy in winter.
3. Simple and versatile, they offer room for variation in decor and details at every site.
4. Yurt rentals are often full of traditional romance with wonderful woodwork on show.
5. You can’t beat cosy nights around a wood-burner!