Recently we did something only parents who miss the outdoors can do when they are also simultaneously dealing with (between them) back injuries and all the thrills of a third trimester pregnancy. We went glamping in the highlands.
Travelling can be tiring in itself and at the end of the day your body and mind need optimal rest because that is the basic biological needs that keep us healthy and energetic. Otherwise you would be booking yourself in for “real rest” after being worn out and done in on a holiday—not our intention!
It was both fantastic and a bag of surprises. The cool and relaxed environment of the highlands was compromised by a few design flaws.
Why people are loving glamping
Whether it is called glam camping, luxurious, posh, luxe camping, luxury boutique camping, there is a trend for an experience under canvas, which focuses on the environment, respects nature, and keeps it as high quality and as local and artisan as possible.
The aim is usually to offer a comfortable, accessible way to spend time reconnecting to nature and partake in its health benefits—without adding any stress, which can happen occasionally with traditional camping.
Where we stayed was more camp than glamp, though. Indeed, as its name (which I’m deciding to omit) suggested.
It’s been a while since we’ve stayed “on the land” with the small ones so these factors stood out during our stay.
We hope these biological factors are also helpful for you to consider and understand what makes being outdoors in nature so healing, as well as the possible detractors and discomforts in any environment that can compromise your level of rejuvenation and rest.
Before going into the factors, it might be helpful to have a sense of how the place was laid out.
The tents were located side by side and most of them faced inwards to a communal round area. The others were further up the hill. The toilets were cubicles situated together, and downward some metres away from the tents. Plastic sheeting helped keep the load of the highlands’ heavy rainfall off the tent itself and black garden netting kept the glare off. Garden patches made up the walkway up a tiered gentle slope to the tents. These factors helped us expect that the glamping site was geared towards being social (they have many groups and families), that could explain their priorities for how area is designed.
The orientation of the light sources
The camping ground is a public space regularly booked by families, so we understand the liberal use of light probably for safety reasons. However, these lights were bright! Bright LED bulbs have unnatural spikes in the blue wavelength that suppresses melatonin—the very hormone that wants to kick in at dusk for optimal rest and rejuvenation. The lighting clashes with the gentle hues of sundown, and forced a brightness over the grounds well into the night. Our tent opening faced one of these flood lights directly. It was impossible getting to sleep until Papa cleverly used the duvets as blackout curtains instead. We also used our hoodies and extra clothes as eye masks. Long sleeves and pants and socks help cover the body to keep the dark environment for the best release of melatonin.
Orientation of the fire pits
The communal spaces and offerings for a steamboat and hotpot helped set a friendly and social vibe. Perfect for a cool mountain camping! The smoke, however, wafted into the tents. No one wants to deal with smarting eyes and stuffed noses in a tent…
The toilets were lit
Similar to the point about the bright lights above… Taking a loo break at night was blinding. It took a while getting back to sleep.
Ambient noise levels
The quaint spot was marred by surrounding traffic that continued well into midnight. Do people really enjoy camping by traffic roads?
Choice of bedding
This factor may come across as a matter of comfort and lifestyle over health. However, the quality of the sheets has a direct impact on the quality of your sleep. No one is expecting a five-star style sheet and mattress combo at most campgrounds, but the rough polyester was uncomfortable and sticky to lay on in the humid weather.
Would the polyester sheets withstand mold better, I wondered, as the mattresses were directly placed on the cold humid ground.
Using strongly-fragranced washing detergent put another dampener on the fresh outdoor experience. We wanted the fresh air, and joked that we will now also remember the scent of the detergent in the tent.
Privacy
Our neighbours were very considerate and most had retired into their tents by 11pm. Still the challenge of the space meant the tents were mere metres from one another. One could hear what was going on in the next tent (and on their TVs). How can privacy in a small space be protected?
Material of the tent
This factor is a tricky one as the choices of tents suitable for families, yet suitable for a very wet and cool climate can be limited in the market. The tents are relatively new — the campsite is not more than a year old or so, however they are already growing moldy on the outside. If anyone has suggestions on tents and outdoor setups that can take our extreme humidity, it would be so useful to know.
Waste grey water disposal
Waste water flows by a rivulet on the side down to...an external drain. I can see they tried their logical best with the location of the pipe placements carrying it out to the side and down the entire one side of the site. The smell was not the best, and we weren’t sure how the waste was going.
Last thoughts: Roughing it out need not be too rough in the outdoors
To creatively think about how to sleep and rest better is something I enjoy thinking about in every new spot I travel to, whether a swanky hotel or a rustic “glamping” spot. This is especially when we bring the littles along. Because travel can be tiring, and the outdoors can be a mix of potentially great recuperation and great elemental challenges.
Thus, the experience of a glamping site was an interesting case study.
By no means do I mean this as a full review of the glamping site and experience itself. I didn’t try the cooking experience myself and I didn’t go for the spa in a bus.
But I was intrigued by how the principles of building biology apply even more in such an outdoor environment. Thus, I hope this article was helpful for you to consider when you next go camping or glamping, to make the utmost of your outdoor adventure.