Glamping at Bressingham Gardens

The family behind the world-renowned Bressingham Gardens have opened up a glamping meadow for guests. Lucky visitors are now able to settle into bell tents pitched in a tree-lined, wildlife-watching wonderland within Bressingham’s 17 acres of landscaped Norfolk greenery. The gardens are home to an incredible 8,000 plant species, but when it comes to glamping, the numbers are impressive in the other direction. There are just two bell tents, offering peaceful adults-only breaks among the blooms.

Bressingham’s holiday accommodation began with its gorgeous Georgian Mansion being rented out for stays. After seeing its success, host Matt Bloom wanted to provide smaller and more back-to-basics accommodation firmly planted within the flora. As such, two bell tents have been pitched in a relatively undisturbed meadow; the grass kept unmowed save for the pathways, allowing the surrounding wildlife to flourish. There’s a traditional and lunar bell tent here, both furnished with the latter boasting more headroom. All conveniences are supplied — kettle and cafetiere for tea and coffee, stove for cooking, cutlery and the like — while a wood-burning stove and firepit keep things nice and toasty both inside and out. There’s a compost loo but no shower and the tents are off-grid though a fully-charged battery pack will power lighting inside your tent with solar lights outside.

But it’s Bressingham Garden itself that’s the real star of the show. The ongoing passion project of three generations of the Bloom family, this beautiful place is free to explore for those glamping. Here, guests are able to enjoy the wide array of European perennial plants displayed in the rolling Dell Garden, the conifers and heathers gathered in the wonderfully named Foggy Bottom Garden and the autumnal redwood in Adrian’s Wood. Be sure to set your alarm for an early morning, too, as then you’ll have the best chance of spotting the wilder life living here, from the robins, swallows and sparrowhawks, to the rabbits, hares and stoats.