I’ve got a small patch of ground, very private, and was thinking that I may create a campsite. While this may sound unrelated to biking, I was thinking that where I live is close to Wales and good for biking circuits. The unique element in my proposed site is total exclusivity; there will be one pitch on around 2 acres of secluded ground. So, do you think exclusive camping is a good idea, particularly for bikers’ holidays?

Best,

Brian

What are you hoping to achieve?

Do you want to make money? If so, then no, I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Part of the camping ethos is surely the group thing, meeting other like minded folk, for the craic etc!!

Part of the camping ethos is surely the group thing, meeting other like minded folk, for the craic etc!!

AS above – need to provide toilets and showers. How much do you think you can charge?

I was not intending to have just a normal campsite, but rather our own large tent/accommodation that people hire. The idea is that people looking for an escape will enjoy total privacy, potentially with a family group or party of friends. They will have free run of the substantial site. Similarly, the camp would provide a great base for exploring the area.

All facilities appropriate for a luxury camping experience will be provided. Due to the remote nature of the site there will be no electricity.

The overall aim is to supplement the income of my small farm. I was hoping that the unique, exclusive element would justify a premium.

Best,

Brian

For a premium I’d want great facilities not a patch of land somewhere that only a few of you can use. If I wanted that I’d offer a farmer a few £ to use a patch for a few days and take my own tent. I’m not sure what you trying to target here.

look into caravan club cl sites. don’t need toilets/ facilities.

Look up the Fforest camping place near Cardigan. Not exclusive but similar concept, yurts, teepees and suchlike, appealing to towney types who can’t stand being without cappucino and who have loads of cash.

CC list similar kinds of sites. You don’t need toilets, showers etc (odd but true even on huge forestry commission sites).

It would have to be something spectacular! How much would you charge?
You also say it’s remote, how far away from other people is it?

Glamping, no nice toilets, no hot water and no electricity don’t exactly go hand in hand!

set it up as a party site for motorised adn non motorised bikers and any other clubs – take a decent deposit to ensuree they clear it up.

a site where you can have a posse camp and party round a bonfire can be hard to come by

I think it could work, depending on the location but you’d need to market it properly, and I think you’d be limiting your potential audience if you were only looking at the biking market. Someone already mentioned Fforest as a model, which i think is a pretty good one. Graig Wen in the Mawddach estuary also have a good thing going. Yurts, composting toilets, sustainability etc….

http://www.graigwen.co.uk/tent-camping-fields-2.php

Have you looked at Featherdown Farms? Even if you didn’t want to become a franchisee, it could give you some ideas:

http://www.featherdown.co.uk/index.php

This link may also be useful:

http://www.insights.org.uk/articleitem.aspx?title=Today’s%20Opportunities%20in%20Farm%20Tourism

Tandem Jeremy thats a cracking idea, would you need planning permission for that?

iirc you can do 28 days camping on your land in a year as long as you are not in a national park
EDIT:Oooh I was right HTF do i know that?
http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/gettingstarted/placestocamp/campinglegally/

I think if you advertise to the right market, you might get interest.
Try selling it as a ‘spiritual retreat’. There are books about that list retreats for those keen to get away from everything. Away from others and communing with natures sounds good. I think maybe the people on here, who tend often to be very social, are perhaps not who you should aim your main advertising at.

Think these groups? – ecology, new age, religion, alternative therapy, city people trying to escape into fantasy… bound to be advertising sites / magazines / web sites for all these people.

Try asking the question over at UKCampsites.co.uk

Whilst driving around at work last night, it can be a long drive at times, this subject bizarrely popped into my head.

The conclusion I came up with is a kind of joint suggestion of ideas above. Look at Teepee or those wooden pod things, have an area for a camp fire and provide a pile of wood in with the price. Offer it as a retreat from the ‘rat race’ you know all the bullcrap people love to hear to think they’re getting back to nature.

The thing I hate most about campsites is the other people – so in theory I am your target market… …but the benefit of camping is it is cheap – so charging a premium probably rules me out. Pods/yurts/wigwams all suit me better than camping because its less faff (for me) – they get you a premium but people looking for that will usually expect luxury like electricity, water, showers etc – and then you have to spend time cleaning and maintaining etc.

As TJ suggests there may be a market for ‘group’ camping where they wouldn’t be welcome on a normal campsite. But do you want them on your land – what can they damage / who can they piss off?

I wonder if there are any ‘adventure tour’ / mtb guide / ‘mtb holiday’ companies working in the area (or who would like to) who would see this as an opportunity – it would be much easier for you to deal with them than with every punter who fancies a weekend away.

At the end of the day though I’d be surprised if you could make as much money from this as e.g. renting for horses?

A bit of renewables on there could give you some power – low powered lights in a yurt with a wood stove or something for heating. How about…

http://www.tipis.co.uk/home.htm

As TJ suggests there may be a market for ‘group’ camping where they wouldn’t be welcome on a normal campsite. But do you want them on your land – what can they damage / who can they piss off?

Big deposit is the answer to that

Just get planning permission and sell the land or build on it.

Indoor camping would be unique LOL.