Barn-hopping: cheaper than youth hostels!

There’s a great piece in today’s Sunday Times travel section, about holidaying in the beautiful Lake District and staying in barns. 

It’s a new initiative, set up by Lakeland Camping Barns. The facilities are basic, but you get a roof over your heads and beautiful surroundings. Best of all, the tariff is just £7 per person, per night. That’s less than youth hostels charge! Cooked breakfasts are extra – and families with under-fives are welcomed.

Check it out:

Sarah Chaplin-Brice met us at the door saying: “I will show you the facilities. It takes 19 seconds. There’s the dining area, loo, shower, and you sleep upstairs. That’s it. Ha. Ha. Ha!”

Trevor the turkey strutted in the field beyond the barn door. A log-stove hogged one corner and outside ran a stream I could actually hear. Upstairs, eight shiny mattresses stood on end like so many soldiers. Around me, rough stone walls. Slate roof. Wooden floor. Chilled air. Skylight. Nineteen seconds.

Welcome to the world of camping barns. The accommodation is basic, but you stay dry if it rains and although facilities are meagre, the locations of these magnificently gaunt buildings are remote and beautiful. And the cost? Well, that’s the other thing: £7 a night. How can you lose?

The Sunday Times

Lakeland Camping Barns