Hidden in Plain Sight: Building Our Off-Grid Glamping Corner
If you’d wandered past our glamping field today, you might have missed half of what’s actually there. Tucked against the treeline at East View Riding Centre, our water tank and shower tent are now wrapped in camouflage netting — and honestly, they blend in so well they practically vanish into the Ashdown Forest backdrop.
It wasn’t just for looks (though we won’t deny it looks pretty good). Going fully off-grid for our bell tent glamping setup means the practical bits — the shower tent, the water storage, the solar panel keeping it all powered — need to sit somewhere close by. But nobody wants a view of plumbing and plastic tanks when they’ve come for a peaceful stay under canvas. Draping everything in camo netting was our answer: it keeps the essential infrastructure exactly where it needs to be, without it dominating the landscape. From the bell tent itself, all you see now is trees.
A Day of Ironing Out the Details
Today was one of those proper hands-on days. Getting the water tank positioned, the shower tent pitched at the right angle, and the solar panel angled to catch the sun all took more trial and error than expected. Off-grid glamping sounds simple in theory — bell tent, LPG shower, composting loo, solar power — but making it actually work smoothly for guests takes a fair bit of fiddling. Cabling routes, tent guy lines, netting that stays put in the wind rather than flapping about — it all adds up.
It’s the kind of day that won’t show up in a single photo, but it’s exactly the groundwork that makes the glamping experience feel effortless once guests arrive.
Next Up: Furnishing the Bell Tent
With the off-grid utilities sorted, tomorrow’s job is turning the inside of the bell tent into somewhere genuinely comfortable — proper furniture and rugs that suit the vintage, hands-on character we’re going for at EVRC. Think warm textures underfoot and pieces that feel considered rather than thrown together, in keeping with the glamping experience we want people to remember.
We’ll be sharing progress as the bell tent comes together — from bare canvas to a proper home-away-from-home on the edge of Ashdown Forest.
Fancy staying with us once it’s ready? Keep an eye on our socials, or head to eastviewridingcentre.uk for booking updates.
