Open Air Business April 2017

GLAMPSITES
CASE STUDY
Tor View
Shepherds
Huts
This
two-unit site pays
homage to a family
connection to shepherding
As the owner of the first glampsite in the country to be awarded VisitEngland’s
Gold Award, Philip Russell knows a thing or two about what it takes to keep visitors
happy. Open Air Business finds out more about his approach to quality and his
personal connection to shepherd’s huts.
What made you decide to
start offering glamping
accommodation?
My grandfather, Leonard Candy,
was a shepherd, and my family
home includes a grazing field.
Around 2006 I became obsessed
with the idea of opening a luxury
shepherd’s hut retreat. My first hut,
‘Len’ (named after my grandfather)
was a self-build, which was built by
myself and craftsmen on-site during
the winter of 2012. It was completed
in spring 2013 and welcomed its
first guests in May of that year.
How did you research the
business before entering it?
Because we had been running
The Old Milking Parlour holiday
accommodation for six years
prior to opening Tor View, we had
experience of managing guest
accommodation. We stayed in other
huts to see how they operated,
and also engaged the services of a
surveyor to help with planning.
Tell us about your location and
site
Tor View is located on the Mendip
Hills, near Wells, and is within easy
travelling distance of several tourist
areas including Wells, Glastonbury,
Cheddar Gorge, and Bath. Maesbury
Castle, an Iron Age fort, is within
walking distance.
The site is south facing on a hill
and enjoys views of Glastonbury
Tor, the Somerset Levels, and, on
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