woolley grange
Woolley Grange Hotel, Wiltshire

The hot-ticket staycation this summer looks set to be Woolley Grange’s new glamping site, promising all the thrills of a camping adventure combined with the amenities of a boutique hotel. The eight luxury tents offer glamping at its most glam; think breakfast hampers delivered to your door, daily crèche sessions and zen spa treatments on tap.

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Junior travel contributor Zoey Goto took her three-year-old daughter to road test sleeping under the stars in style.

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Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel: Check In

If you’ve previously stayed at any of the Luxury Family Hotels (alongside Woolley Grange, the group also owns New Park Manor, The Ickworth, Moonfleet Manor and Fowey Hall Hotel) you’ll know that their USP is creating a child-centric, home-away-from-home for families.

And thankfully the Woolley Grange camp-out experience is no different. Glampers have access to all the hotel facilities including childcare sessions at the Den crèche, baby equipment hire, indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools and heavenly Elemis spa sessions.

There’s plenty to keep kids entertained around the 14 acres of grounds, from a trampoline and wellie-throwing station on the lawn, to a mini farm with rabbits, chickens and geese, plus a beautiful walled garden that looks plucked straight from the pages of a Beatrix Potter book.

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Rolling meadows and picturesque creamy brick villages surrounds the hotel; with Bradford-on-Avon just down the road (the train station is a 5-minute taxi journey) and the city of Bath a 15-minute drive away.

READ MORE >> 9 brilliant things to do in Bristol and Bath with kids

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Luxury Family Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel, Wiltshire

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Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel: The Tents

For their temporary glamp-site, which runs until the end of September, Woolley Grange has teamed up with The Pop-Up Hotel - the people behind Glastonbury festival’s ultra-luxe VIP accommodation. The Woolley Grange glamping suites are located in a field surrounded by woodland, just a hop, skip and a jump from the main hotel. Design-wise, it’s African safari tent meets Scandi-chic lodge, with wooden walls and flooring combined with a canvas roof.

Inside, you’ll find a master bedroom with a double bed dressed in plush white sheets, a lounge area decorated with freshly cut flowers, a plump sofa and cozy lighting, and an ensuite bathroom with a toasty warm shower and fluffy bathrobes.

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Luxury Family Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel, Wiltshire
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Leave those washrags at home - bathrooms are stocked with Junior fave Bramley. (Luxury Family Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel, Wiltshire)
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As lovely as the décor is, it’s the children’s bedroom that really steals the show. Alongside two single beds and a shelf of classic books for bedtime reading, there’s a genius wooden hatch that can be lifted for bird watching sessions, plus a bird identification guide. Be warmed - even if you didn’t arrive with a budding twitcher, you’ll probably be leaving with one!

Kids Bedroom bird watching hatch

Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel: The Food

We started each day with wicker hampers mysteriously arriving on our deck, packed with breakfast treats such as overnight oats, croissants, granola, fresh fruit and a flask of steaming coffee – a much-needed pick-me-up, as we were up with the birds at daybreak!

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The glamp-site has its own breezy café area called the Hideout, overlooking a field where children can run wild while the adults take their time over leisurely lunches, afternoon cakes and evening meals. Inside the café, as with all the spaces in the hotel, kids aren’t just tolerated; they’re welcomed with open arms. Tables are booked under children’s names, there are mini-me portions of the adult meals, plus no one bats an eyelid should a toddler have an epic meltdown mid-meal. It all adds up to create a refreshingly relaxing atmosphere for family dining.

Food-wise, head chef and former Masterchef: The Professionals semi-finalist Dean Westcar has created a menu with a big emphasis on seasonal and locally produced ingredients, much of which are grown in the hotel’s walled garden. The Hideout offers a different style of cuisine for each night of the week, ranging from paella and stone-baked sourdough pizza to BBQ and curry nights. The Hideout banana split, cooked on the BBQ and oozing with melted chocolate and ice cream, has since gained legendary status in my daughter’s memory!

As night fell we retired to the orange glow of the firepit to relax in deckchairs, toasting marshmallows and sipping on mugs of hot chocolate, before hitting the hay and being serenaded to sleep by the hooting of owls.

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The Hideout at Woolley Grange Hotel
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Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel: The Lowdown

The real beauty of glamping at Woolley Grange is that it takes all the bits that make camping a childhood right of passage (sleeping under the stars, being close to nature, songs around the campfire and waking up to birdsong) but weeds out the less lovely parts (bid a fond farewell to cold showers and deflating air mattresses!).

In a pretty meadow in Wiltshire, Woolley Grange has managed to create a really special experience for families, and we left as card-carrying-happy-glampers who can’t wait to return.

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Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel: Junior's Top Tips

  • Pack plenty of layers. Although it was glorious sunshine during our visit, as night falls it plummets to slipper-socks-in-bed temperatures.
  • Leave your toiletries at home, as there’s gorgeous smelling Bramley shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and moisturiser waiting in the ensuite bathroom.
  • The tents also include an umbrella and a torch, for nighttime adventures.

Junior Fact File: Glamping at Woolley Grange Hotel

Despite the staycation boom, Woolley Grange glamping still has some availability, especially if you’re looking to take younger children midweek.

Their pre-school mini-break package includes two 90-minute crèche sessions per day, a 55-minute spa treatment, daily swim session, daily breakfast hamper and Little B by Bramley mini suitcase gift. >> Rates from £749 for a two-night stay.

Standard glamping rates start from £375 for one night on a B&B basis (midweek, term time), rising to £575 per night on a B&B basis for peak summer dates. >> Prices are based on four or five people sharing a suite, with a two-night minimum stay during peak periods.

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