Autumn glamping: activities for friends, couples and kids.

Looking for glamping activity inspiration for your autumn trips or winter staycations? We’ve written up a short — but sweet! — list of fun ideas for friends, couples, families, and the kids.

Camp Cooking Challenge!

A full-on feast around the campfire is a must for foodies- cooked over the open flames, a BBQ, or a special camping stove.

Alfresco dining might not appear atop most winter wishlists, but trust us when we say: the crispy cool air of misty outdoor mornings will have you hankering for something hot to hunker beside and helpings aplenty of cockle-warming meals. Plus, if you’re glamping with the kids, getting them to create recipe ideas is also helping them learn about flavours and cooking,

Forest Walks

Every nature lover will tell you how a forest walk with a thermos of something warm and tasty, watching the leaves change and fall, is one of the most beautiful autumn activities in the UK. Whether you’re all sharing a flagon of tea, or everyone has an individual flask with their preferred beverage (looking at you, milky tea drinkers) staying warm is easy. City dwellers in particular will enjoy the special kind of silence that falls in a forest in the evening. Make sure you have flashlights as the light can fade quickly.

Movie Night, Glamping Style 

Leaving the house behind doesn’t mean leaving Netflix behind! Some glampsites even give you projectors for alfresco movie nights. Your tent naturally doubles up as a projection screen! 

It may not technically count as a nature activity but if you are staying in the middle of nowhere then we say it counts. Just don’t forget to have everything downloaded and charged up beforehand! And if you’re watching in the tent after dark, don’t forget to zip up the insect-repellent screen (like the one on our Outback tents). Bugs will have to find another person’s iPad display to buzz around.

Style Theme 

If your besties (or your babies) are into fashion, consider styling your glamping getaway — the season suits Halloween themes and autumnal vibes but really the only limit is your imagination! Please note that this will require more packing on your part!

Autumnal Crafting

While you’re out on those fresh and invigorating walks, make sure your kids are collecting conkers, pinecones, and beautifully-coloured leaves to create seasonal decorations. Just pack thick paper and good glue and you’re all set. We find it’s a fun way to get the young ones engaged with the changing seasons of nature.

Including dried pasta for the kids to glue down is optional. (Jumping into piles of leaves is mandatory.)

Hot Chocolate Olympics

We say hot chocolate but really this could apply to anything that you can’t get enough of this season. Take four different hot chocolates (or cheese, or wine, or bacon) and between your group, decide your key metrics to judge what makes it delicious. Write out a little scoring chart. Then, each time you enjoy a hot chocolate together, score it. Highest score at the end of the weekend wins!

Pick and Carve 

Pumpkin patches are no longer exclusively a spot of American fall folly. Check to see if there’s one near your camping site (or if the on-site staff can recommend one) and start thinking about all the faces you could carve. Don’t forget that the size and weight of the pumpkin is important if you have a long walk back to the tent!

Photographic Opportunities

Autumn and Winter bring crisp skies and softer sunlight, making this time of the year ideal for nature photography. It doesn’t matter if you’re a high-end professional or a phone camera snapper — the sunsets and clear nights will have you reaching for your lens of choice either way! Experiment with short shutter speeds to capture the flames licking at wood in the campfire, or long ones to frame up the trails of the stars above . Don’t forget to tag us in the ones featuring a Lotus Belle! Speaking of which, our Stargazer tents and stargazing guide are perfect for anyone wanting to watch the nighttime skies.

Interested in campsites with campfires? Here’s 10 in Dorset to start with. More interested in lovely country pubs that have campsites attached? Have a look at these 5.

Gorgeous sunset below shared by Finching Field Camping on Instagram