My Journey
Its been quite a roller coaster ride
From the first days of Clear Sky to our current position of, and I know this sounds rather boastful, but the largest supplier of safari tents in the UK.
It was not always thus, our first year of operation we managed the grand total of one lodge, rather interestingly as a club house rather than accommodation.
My first view of anything glamping was at Isle of wight festival where we stayed in a rather nice looking Indian style tent with proper beds and even a set of drawers. I look back now and it seems so basic in today’s terms of glamping.
My role at the time was as a project manager and data analyst at Haven Holidays, a role I really enjoyed. Once you have been bitten by the hospitality bug it’s difficult to get it out of your system. One project I worked on was to try and widen out the demographic of the typical caravan holiday maker and attract people who would not normally consider this as a holiday destination. I believed that offering an upmarket accommodation experience led product with the feeling of camping with proper beds and toilets would work and it has proved to be the case.
I love sharing my experiences with the clients of Clear Sky, helping them to produce the most profitable glamping site they can - Mark Scott
Some very crude pods and cheap Pakistan tents were then available but their one huge drawback was the lack of rooms. For a family holiday they were way too small and of course when the kids go to bed you go to bed, not great.
I started to develop some criteria including integral toilets and showers, separate bedrooms and a kitchen that could rustle up a full Sunday roast. I had recently been on safari in Kenya and it was an obvious option to look at safari style tents.
To get them made however was quite the challenge. There were a couple of companies in the UK but they couldn’t make any volume and I knew we would need to be able to supply multiple lodges across multiple sites every year. I looked around the internet and having rejected the Pakistan option, found two companies in Holland who could manufacture our design and with the best canvas we could wish for.
We bought two and put them up here at the farm and started renting them out so we knew from the very beginning what was involved for our clients so we could make our service the best there was and is.
Since then, much has happened, we have grown to a full service team offering everything needed to get your site up and running from green field dream to fully occupied and earning you an income. From the initial dream through the nightmare of planning, site design installation, electrics, plumbing, and after sale marketing support.
