I love nature, but as I get older, I love my creature comforts. So how can I spent a holiday completely within nature, without getting a bad back sleeping on a bumpy ground?
Imagine my delight when I discovered 'glamping'!
Thinking this was a word used for 'hip' campers and referring to a demographic of people I could now never hope to fit into, I couldn't be more wrong and was pleasantly surprised when I visited the San Juan Islands off Seattle's coastline in the summer of 2015.
Glamping is Glamorous Camping, and you don't need to be a hippie, or a 20 something cool festival goer. I glamped in Moran State Park, Orcas Island and the wonder of being there in the first place was also highlighted by the fact I was afforded the opportunity to stay in a canvas wall tent with cedar deck platform with queen sized bed, duvet, towels and shampoos and shower gels. In fact, as us Brits say, it's 'posh' camping.
You do share the bathroom with other campers, but that's not an issue.
I write more about my experience here, with links in text to Wanderlust Camps who operate the glampsites on Moran State Park, Washington State and also how to reach the San Juan Islands.
Moran State Park glamping is more rustic; a glamorous tent in the wilderness, perfect for solo travellers or couples. On San Juan Island I stayed at Lakedale Resort: again in a glamping tent, but think 'Dirty Dancing' resort style activities. Great for families with kids of all ages.
I wonder if it's possible to fall in love with a place? I certainly did; the San Juan Islands and, in fact, the Pacific Northwest as a whole is, quite simply, stunning.
If you, too, enjoy sleeping under the stars, surrounded by nature, but don't want to forgo your comforts, then glamping could just be the right choice for you.