All About...Yurts

Stay in a Yurt

Have you had enough of camping holidays, where you are unable to stand up and move around due to the small tents?  Well, staying in a yurt may be just what the doctor ordered!

A yurt holiday offers sophisticated camping with many home comforts and plenty of room to relax.  It’s no wonder that they have made such a successful transition from the steps of Central Asia to the foot hills of the Home Counties and beyond!

So what exactly is a yurt?

Well, a yurt is a portable, wood-framed dwelling structure covered in layers of fabric and a sheep’s wool felt.  Easily dismantled, a yurt is designed to be carried compactly by camels or yaks. One general misconception about Yurts is that people believe them to be Mongolian.  This is not true, although similar to the Mongolian Ger the Yurt is in fact Turkic (a collection of ethnic groups that live in northern, central and western Asia, north-western China and parts of eastern Europe.)

How big is a Yurt?

Whilst they may look small from the outside Yurts can provide plenty of space inside.  Many have wood burning stoves in the middle providing year round warmth and a convenient place to boils a kettle or prepare a meal.  Other facilities sometimes include a kitchen hut nearby providing more traditional home from home comforts.  However, these can sometimes be shared facilities although there are plenty of places offering pirate kitchen huts. Bathroom facilities are a little more traditional “campsite” with the majority of places offering a communal block.  However, with a wide variety of places now offering Yurt holidays to suite most budgets it’s worth checking how the facilities are provided.

What is it like to stay in a Yurt?

Yurts provide communal living, so not always the best choice for families with teenagers who demand their privacy – unless of course you have two Yurts.  However, once inside, a Yurt provides a sense of Nomadic luxury.  Many have double beds and traditional furniture which, whilst still simple compared to a hotel, is the lap of luxury in the camping world.

Yurts are one of Glamping's big successes and with such a wide variety of places offering this Nomadic homestead you can be sure to find the perfect site if you have children, pets or just looking for a romantic break away for two.