How to Set Up a Profitable Glamping Site: A Step-by-Step Guide for Landowners and Farmers

11 Oct

Where to Begin?

You’ve got some land and you’re considering whether setting up a glamping site could be the right way to diversify your income—but you’re not sure if it’s suitable or profitable for your situation. To walk you through the realities of glamping, here’s everything you need to know, from the upfront costs and setup to the potential profits, whether you’re looking at a more rustic setup or a high-end retreat. Our goal is to help you make an informed decision about whether this could be the right next step for your land, and give you a clear idea of the rewards you might reap for your hard work.

Is Your Site Suitable?

Not all glamping sites are created equally. Some of you may naturally have the upper hand simply due to your location. If you are near popular destinations such as national parks, beaches, or picturesque walking trails, half the battle is already won. But haven’t won the postcode lottery? This doesn’t mean the dream is over—in fact, it means you’ll need to think creatively to make your own destination stand out.

Here are a few creative ideas:

Farm Experiences: If you have animals or don’t mind caring for a few, an animal experience with a cabin overlooking the animals' field can attract families. You can offer feeding windows where guests can interact with the animals, as well as outdoor seating to enjoy watching them.
Tranquil Retreat: Seeking something more stripped back? Less can be more, especially with the right marketing. Highlight features such as an off-grid stay with an outdoor fire pit, a coffee station, and a journal for guests. This makes a perfect couples' retreat for high-powered individuals looking to switch off. Outdoor baths, saunas, and hot tubs could add further relaxation.
Sporting Stays: If you can gain planning for fishing ponds, off-road bike tracks, or walking trails, you’ll attract sporting enthusiasts. Data shows that fishing, hiking, and cycling are the top three activities for people aged 30-55, who are often willing to pay a premium for stays that cater to their hobbies.
Holistic/Nature Retreats: Do you have woodland or a dark-sky location? These are perfect for star-gazing or tree-bathing experiences. People seeking reconnection with nature are drawn to such retreats, which often involve little infrastructure but meet guests' needs for peace and immersion in nature.

Think About The Amenities

Once you know what your site will promote, ensure you have suitable amenities on-site or nearby, such as pubs, cafes, or restaurants. These add value to a guest’s stay. Also, assess your site’s natural beauty: is it peaceful? Does it offer breathtaking views? Can you add quiet seating areas for reading?

Accessibility is also key. Even remote locations can be attractive if marketed as off-grid escapes, but guests will need to know how easy it is to reach the site.

How Successful Could My Glamping Site Become?

It’s all in the research

Consider market research into what your target audience is willing to pay for specific features. Understanding your area, what is currently on offer, how much they are charging is vital to understanding what you could gain.

What Not to Do: It might seem logical to replicate nearby sites offering tipis or shepherds huts, but unless those sites are fully booked, you’ll just end up competing for the same customers. Following the crowd could leave you struggling to attract new business.

What to Do:Consider what you can do differently. Can you offer breakfast hampers, BBQ packs, or fire pits? What about lounge seating for stargazing or on-site activities? The right ambiance can boost your nightly rates and occupancy.

Once you have decided on the concept of your site, you can begin to look at the potential costs and earnings of running a glamping site.

How Much Could I Earn?

To gauge how much you could earn, pick three sites to use for comparison: one similar to what you’d like to create, one basic site, and one nearby competitor. The average occupancy rate in the UK is 60% (219 days per year).

Here’s a rough calculation of potential revenue:

Site One (High-End): £210/night (summer), £150/night (winter)

Total revenue: £39,450/year

Site Two (Mid-Level): £180/night (summer), £100/night (winter)

Total revenue: £30,700/year

Site Three (Budget): £120/night (summer), £75/night (winter)

Total revenue: £21,375/year

For argument's sake, there are equal amounts of stays in the summer as there are in the winter. The revenue for each of these sites would be:

Site One

£210 x 110 summer stays = £23,100

£150 x 109 winter stays =£16,350

Total Revenue £23,100 + £16,350 = £39,450

Site Two

£180 x 110 summer stays =£19,800

£100 x 109 winter stays =£10,900

Total Revenue 19800 + 10900 = £30,700

Site Three

£120 x 110 summer stays =13200

£75 x 109 winter stays =8175

Total Revenue £13,200 + £8,175 = £21,375

Now we have an idea of how much revenue could be made from each of these locations, we’ll want to take into account how much it would cost to run a glamping site.

Typical Running Costs:

Cleaning Fees: £40-55 per 2 night stay (Will you handle cleaning or hire someone?)
Utility Costs: £30-£50 per month
Marketing Costs: Your Own Website (£30-50pcm) Airbnb/ Canopy & Stars / Cook Stays around 14-16% of the revenue

Example of running costs

Example One

You run your own website and use Google ads and free SEO to develop your website. You list your cabin on local sites that link directly to your website saving you money from management booking systems. You also clean the model yourself and your model has solar so your energy bills are low.

Running Costs for Example One

Cleaning: £80pcm x 12 months = £960 (products, washing machine & dry, ironing)

Electricity: £0 in the summer months £25-30 winter months x 6 months = £180

Google Ad Spend / General Marketing Spend: £100-£200pcm x 12 months = £2400

Total Costs = £3,540

Example Two

You have zero time to manage and clean your holiday let so you hire a cleaner and market your model on Airbnb that is being rented out for £150 per night. You also have a model that is gas and electrically powered.

Running Costs for Example Two

Cleaning: £50 x 109 (2 night stays) = £5,450

Electricity: £30pcm x 12 months = £360

Gas (includes safety tests, delivery & bottles): £2,760

Airbnb Fees: £150 - 15% fee = £22.5 per stay x 109 (2 night stays) = £2,452

Total Costs = £11,022

Please be aware that there may be additional costs from breakfast items to water usage as well as coal for barbeques to free gifts*

As you can see from the examples, whether you have no time or ample time to run your glamping site, there is an opportunity to make a healthy income from a holiday let. The rule of thumb is always to choose the most energy efficient model you can gain with the longest lifespan as well as working out your free hours and how much they are worth. For example, if you hired someone to wash and iron the bedding could you spend an hour simply emptying bins and mopping the floors?

Gas or Electric? Which one is more expensive?

Running costs will differ depending on the chosen model. Some tents, tipis and shepherds huts will run off gas and electricity with them being highly energy intensive in cold/bad weather.

Gas in itself can cost a lot more than electricity as you’ll not only need the certifications, but the gas supply costs from delivering to annual certification checks will add more onto your costs than an electric only model.

Isn’t an electric only model more costly due to the rising costs in electricity? If you were to purchase a model that isn’t energy efficient then yes, it could cost you as much as the gas model but with less hassle of the bookings of propane bottles as much as closing your stays for annual gas checks. To win from both sides, choose a glamping model that can withstand the winters to ensure you will increase your winter stays.

What Style of Glamping Model Should I Put on My Land?

Options for accommodation range widely. Choosing a model that fits in with the ethos of your site will ensure you attract the right customer. For example, if you are seeking a sporting style or outdoorsy style glamping site then tipis and safari tents could be a real winner. For those seeking a luxury or timeless stay for longevity then an off grid cabin could work wonders for you. If you’re after something a little more rustic then a shepherd's hut facing an animal sanctuary could be an incredible stay for many.

For high-end accommodations, consider solutions that allow for year-round stays, as well as eco-friendly features like solar panels and composting toilets to appeal to the sustainable travel market.

Did you know: Many UK residents opt for winter getaways during the festive season with Airbnb reporting that domestic bookings spike in popular destinations between November and December. Coastal areas like Norfolk and Pembrokeshire, as well as scenic spots like the Scottish Highlands, are especially popular.

There is also growing interest in cosy, rural escapes during winter, including cabins and lodges, which are becoming trendy options for families and couples seeking festive retreats. Sites like York, Bath, and Cairngorms National Park are especially popular for their wintery charm.

Can I Finance a Cabin/Holiday Let?

The short answer is yes. Depending on whether you are seeking a business loan or asset financing, you’ll be offered tailored financing options specifically to accommodate small to medium glamping site projects.

Your Options

Lombard Asset Finance: Specialises in financing assets like cabins, holiday lodges, and other leisure accommodations. They offer flexible terms and can tailor loans to suit your business model.
Shire Leasing: Offers flexible business loans and asset finance, including options for property-related investments like glamping sites or eco-accommodations.
Funding Circle: Offers small business loans from £10,000 to £500,000, with terms up to 10 years. It’s a good option if you want fast approval and manageable monthly repayments.
Hodge Bank: Provides commercial property loans, including holiday park financing, with longer repayment terms. They offer loans starting from £50,000, and their terms can be as long as 10 years.
Hitachi Capital: Offers finance solutions specifically for outdoor and leisure sectors, including flexible options for glamping sites and holiday accommodation.
British Business Bank: Offers government-backed loans for SMEs, which may be useful for expanding into glamping or eco-lodge accommodation.

How Much Should I Budget?

The big question, should you buy one high quality glamping model or should you buy two budget friendly models? This is quite a common question which in the end is your decision. Two models means double the marketing, double the running costs and double the time to manage the lets as well as amplifying your efforts to fill both models. By choosing a more budget friendly model, you may end up with a model that blends in with the rest of the guest stays in your area reducing your nightly price. However, with a unique or luxury style model at a premium price you’ll be commanding a high yield which could become full quite quickly.

Tip: A cabin that is full creates desirability with people on waitlists or booking ahead in advance to ensure they can stay at your location!

As a summary of what is available on the market, here’s what you could expect to purchase:

Under £30,000: Tipis and Tents are a great way to get something on the ground on a budget. They typically last 7-10 years and will give you a good feel of what it is like to run a glamping business. Things to factor are the regular maintenance as material is more likely to rip and costly to repair.

£30,000-£45,000: Shepherd huts generally the most cost effective models to purchase. However, they may not last as long with you needing to complete regular restoration work. Also, they may cost less to set up, but be sure to factor in utility costs.

£45,000-£90,000: A luxury cabin that’s off-grid can charge double the nightly rate—up to 50% or more—especially if marketed as a year-round stay. Choosing a timeless design (unlike the shepherds huts that are slowly being phased out) will ensure that your glamping site remains on trend for the decades to come.

Tip: Rustic sites with minimal infrastructure and eco-friendly features are often more affordable to maintain, while being highly desirable for nature lovers.

Contemporary White Skylark 1 bedroom cabin

Steps to Setting Up a Glamping Site

Requirements On Site

The exciting part is planning the concept! Start by researching other competitors' sites to see how you could make yourself stand out from them. It’s a great excuse to treat yourself to a few nightly stays in the area to experience the customer service. Consider how they communicate with you, how you enter and leave the cabin, what facilities are on site, what is offered inside the stay and if you’d pay the same, less or more if you were to stay inside this home again.

Planning

Once you have a good idea of what model and offering you would like on site, prior to deep diving into the design phase, we would recommend speaking with a local planning consultant or emailing your local council to understand what is possible on your land. Take in as much information as possible as you may get both positive and negative responses. If you wish to have a free 20 minute consultation with our team, we are always happy to guide you with what options could be available to you.

Design & Layout

Should you get a positive response, the fun now begins! From choosing your target audience—families, couples to making notes of points of interest including cafes, shops and restaurants in your area. Couples might enjoy firepits and long hiking trails, while families may look for child-friendly activities nearby.

Extras

The small details are the factors that set you apart from other glamping sites? Don’t believe me? Check out a local Facebook glamping group and you’ll find a tonne of glamping site owners feeling short changed from their highly profitable shepherds hut during Covid-19 times that is now empty most of the time. When you dig deeper, there is nothing on site and it only made a quick rise in UK stays due to no one being able to leave. Now the world is back to normal, the usual effort needs to be put in if you want to make a profit!

Consider extras that don’t cost a lot, think stargazing spaces to woodland walks. Free journals, quirky novels and retro games are all perfect ways for your guests to have fun. While hot tubs can be appealing, they are expensive to maintain. Instead, consider offering smaller but memorable touches, like welcome packs with local products, or BBQ kits for evening meals under the stars.

Marketing & Sales Plan

For many this is the most difficult decision. Do you reap 100% of the rewards for completing 100% of the work yourself or do you hire in the experts to do it for you?

Doing it yourself? Is this as scary as it sounds? Well, you'd be surprised at modern day technology where you can set up a website in as little as a day by using a pre designed template. Self-managed marketing via social media can be highly effective with regular updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Using Canva, you can create a logo as well as social media posts where templates are also available for you to play around with. If you’ve got a good enough phone, you can snap photos of your model to upload online and Google ads and marketing can be done either via self learning or you can speak to an expert to set you up for a few months with you continuing from their programming. In addition, a booking system can be added onto your website with a small fee for taking the card payments online. The system will let you know when someone has booked, when they have cancelled and even any additional requests that they may have. If this sounds like too much, simply google “online booking systems for my website” and you’ll find a plethora of booking systems that can be integrated for you for a small fee. The benefits are that your brand is unlike paid platforms that take all the credit for your wonderful guest stay.

100% Managed? If you have zero time to manage a glamping site but Fred, the local farmer, insists that you should also set up a fully managed holiday let as it is bringing him ample profit then you’d be right to listen to him. Whilst you do gain a much lower yield than you would if you managed it yourself, gaining money for someone else’s hard work also has its benefits. To learn more about fully managed glamping sites we would recommend contacting Cool Stays, Canopy & Stars, Airbnb and Hoeseasons for bigger sites. Most of these companies will come out to the site to take photos, will write blogs and social posts for your site as well as creating ads and booking/managing your glamping site for their fee. It means you don’t need to do much other than organise the cleaner to turn up when a stay has been booked and of course to welcome the additional income!

Something in between? There’s always an inbetween mode where you can begin a website with some basic marketing as well as placing your model on Airbnb to gain some exposure. The quicker you gain reviews and repeat custom, the quicker your occupancy will increase. Marketing your own site can be a slow grind to begin but overtime as you gain more photos, reviews and loyal customers you’ll start to reap the rewards from your website, leaving Airbnb to gain a higher yield from your guest stays.

Launch Strategy: Regardless of which business model you choose, you’ll want to build anticipation before the launch of your stay. The best way to do this is to ensure you have set up social media platforms to document your journey. From photos of before and after to videoing the model being positioned onto the land, you’ll be teasing your customers, building excitement and encouraging early bookings. Leverage the power of storytelling to engage potential customers.

Additional Considerations for Landowners/Farmers

We left the boring bits until last but they are important factors in understanding a glamping site if for you. Before you get going, you may want to email your local council to understand if you would likely gain permission for what you are seeking to do. In addition, from 2026 many businesses will have to complete carbon calculations to show how much their business is contributing to the UK’s emissions. This means that it might be wise to get started early and to learn a little more about sustainable glamping pods and eco cabins.

Other things to consider are as follows:

Legal Aspects: Beyond planning permission, be aware of health and safety regulations, including fire safety and waste disposal. It’s essential to have insurance in place, covering both public liability and the accommodation itself.
Seasonality & Insulation: Most glamping sites face reduced occupancy during colder months. Think about heating solutions to extend your season and keep revenue flowing year-round.
Sustainability: Eco-friendly features such as composting toilets and solar-powered lighting can attract the growing market of eco-conscious travellers, while reducing your operational costs.
Local Collaboration: Partner with local businesses to offer discounts or unique experiences to your guests. A collaboration with a local pub or activity provider (e.g., horse riding, fishing) can add extra value to your guests’ stay.

That’s it from us. As always, we do our best to provide you with as much information as possible to ensure that you are well informed should you decide to choose our models for your glamping site. If you have any questions whether they be about planning, groundworks or questions about our models, please feel free to call our office line on 01260545348 or email info@thchomes.co.uk