Glamping diversification with a twist on Yorkshire estate

The view from one of the cabins on the new glamping site at Clifton Castle Estate in the Yorkshire Dales is outstanding. Tucked within a woodland and high on a hill, visitors gaze out over rolling countryside, the winding River Ure and the historic remnants of Jervaulx Abbey.

The site, which comprises five luxury cabins, only opened for business in July 2024, but has already attracted a stream of five-star reviews and forward bookings.

A diversification project with a difference

Glamping as a diversification is nothing new. However, this project is different in that it is a collaboration between the estate and Rest + Wild, a company which operates similar sites in Shropshire and on Exmoor.

‘What is unusual about this venture is that the estate has only provided the infrastructure for the site, and it is the company which has supplied the cabins and site management,’ says Peter Casey, a surveyor in the Northallerton office of Strutt & Parker.

‘It is allowing the estate to generate an income from a piece of woodland which was visually appealing, but non-productive, without a huge investment or the day-to-day pressures of managing a tourism business.’

Rest + Wild’s positioning in the glamping market

In an increasingly saturated market for glamping, Rest + Wild stands out by focusing on beautiful design and locations with breathtaking views, offering guests much-needed space to switch off and spend time together. This philosophy has helped it amass a strong social media presence, with over 90,000 followers on Instagram.

‘The cabins themselves are at the higher end of what you can expect to see in the glamping market,’ says Peter. ‘They have the rustic feel that people expect, but also come with the luxuries you would find in a high-end hotel.’ Examples include linen bedding, rainfall shower, a hand-crafted rock basin and a large, outdoor copper bathtub.

What the estate has contributed in terms of infrastructure

The estate, owned by Nick Downshire, identified five plots in a piece of woodland which offered the best views, and had a limited impact on other activities – for example, trying to minimise the effect on agricultural and sporting tenants. One of the other reasons for choosing the location is that it is close to an existing holiday cottage business, which is owned by the estate, but let to a tenant, as it is hoped that the two businesses can work together to create new opportunities.

‘The agreement states that the estate is responsible for landscaping the plots, installing a 10 x 20m hardcore pad using estate-mined stone, and then making sure that the site is accessible by adding tracks and car parking,’ says Peter.

The estate also had to arrange for utilities to be hooked up to each of the cabins, with electricity proving to be the costliest part of this. To deal with wastewater, small treatment plants were installed, and a soakaway built to handle the ‘clean’ dirty water from the large, outdoor bathtubs.

‘Essentially, the estate has provided a site where each cabin can be dropped, plugged and plumbed-in ready to be used.’

Challenges in delivering the project

There were a number of challenges to be addressed along the way. For example, in such an exposed location, the weather did delay the works programme. In addition, there were issues to be resolved around access for guests, given the site itself does not have any footpaths crossing it and the land which adjoins it is tenanted.

‘To solve this, we have liaised with the tenants and in places sought consent from them to put in some permissive paths, which then link with the public footpath network.’

The estate has granted the company a 10-year licence to operate the site. This will generate an annual ground rent of between £3,000 and £5,000 per cabin which will be topped up by way of a profit share at the end of the financial year.

‘We are working on the basis of a two or three-year payback on the initial set-up costs,’ says Peter.

The project is also delivering wider social value, creating employment, and attracting new visitors who in turn, are spending money in the local area.

Benefits of collaborating with a glamping provider

Of course, one of the biggest benefits of choosing to partner with a business that runs the site is that the estate does not have the pressures of worrying about things like marketing, coordinating cleaners, handling changeovers or dealing with online booking systems.

‘Managing a tourism enterprise is a massive commitment – you need to have someone who can respond to any queries or emergencies almost 24/7 and that’s not something that every landowner wants to do,’ says Peter.

‘What we’ve done here is not for everyone, but our experience so far has been positive. It has been relatively low cost compared to the investment required if the estate were to fully manage the enterprise. The estate is now achieving an income on an area which hasn’t been actively managed in the past.’

This article first appeared in our latest issue of Land Business. For more download the Autumn/Winter 24 edition of Land Business.