Let me set the scene; a balmy early evening in July sat by the campfire, my VW van pitched close by, a glass of vino in hand after a dip in the river – dreamy, right? Well almost, behind me are many other vans, and tents, and kids, …and dogs – it seems everyone had the same idea as me after lockdown – let’s go staycation camping… at this point, I wondered how many landowners with orchards and driveways and farms, would consider allowing me to camp away from the madding crowd on their land, with respect for the outdoors and of course their privacy? Should I go on a recce and just knock? Mmm, not keen…
Thankfully a couple of years earlier a visionary team in the Netherlands called ‘Campspace’ had this very idea and subsequently have begun global domination of those very orchards, driveways, and farm spaces!
This is pure genius, where unique and privately owned environments welcome adventurers, campers, families and staycationers (that’s me) in their spaces, with the peace of mind that Campspace and its Scouts have made the connection safe and reliable for you.
Campspace offers breathtaking locations for your van, motorhome and tent in exclusive and otherwise unattainable locations with rivers, lakes and views… (it also offers teepees, yurts and shepherds huts so that you don’t even have to lift a tent peg!)
The stand-out asset for me is privacy, as many of the hosts allow only
one or two guests/pitches in their spaces, some of which are hectares in size. So you can virtually wild camp (showers and toilet facilities are more common than not) and the UK has so much to offer in its every corner.
One also meets some incredibly interesting hosts, who only want two things – you to enjoy their space as much as they do and to leave it as you found it!
Campspace allows everyone the ability to reconnect with nature, rivers, the coast, the hills, livestock, fresh produce, new humans, and most importantly their own soul – what more can you ask for after such trying times – thank you Campspace for the freedom …to just be!
