A Stake in the Ground
The British festival scene is the best in the world. We make sure the campsites are too.
Festivals bring together the best of British. Creativity and nature, weather in all its unpredictable glory, a celebration of old traditions, new music and cultural playfulness. Friends, feasting and fun times. In fact, we’re so good at outdoor parties that we have taken the humble tent and designed a whole host of luxurious glamping alternatives to cater for all English escapades. Tipis and boutique bell tents, deluxe yurts and mobile suites. All tastes, budgets and sizes guarantee that those who sleep – and those that don’t – can rest their weary limbs.
The beautiful vintage canvas accommodation that makeup Yurtel’s boutique campsites are a celebration in themselves of great British traditions. For over 15 years we have sourced, designed and built luxury yurts, Canvas suites, boutique bells and Bedouin tents for discerning festivalgoers at the UK’s finest, including Glastonbury, Wilderness, Latitude and Port Eliot.
Setting the tone for a stylish glamping experience means perfecting every detail. Which for us starts with every tent peg we use. Ours are handcrafted, using the finest quality English Ash, by a British family run business that has been making authentic, strong, beautiful tent pegs since 1920.
Phil and Glynn Morgan are third generation craftsmen, who learnt their trade from their grandfather and father before them. Given knives that suited their style of carving at 9 years old, they follow the tradition of selecting the best timber, cleaving it, and hand carving with the grain to produce a strong peg, with a notch and point that will sustain a mallet hit and penetrate the ground without splintering.
Despite advancements in camping kit, the wooden tent peg is, without doubt, the best. Naturally swelling in the ground when it absorbs moisture, it results in a more solid and stable hold. Ash dries hard and fast, so from a fresh, green winter fell, it quickly provides a solid stay for any deluxe bell tent or bohemian camping site.
From selling tent pegs by the gross after WWII, H W Morgan was commissioned by the MOD to produce 40,400 pegs for the Falklands War. Designed to cope with the sandy soil, each 20inch peg was part of the cargo of the Atlantic Conveyor that sunk on its way to the islands.
Selling now to private clients, tipi fields at Glastonbury and glamping tent hire companies, they still produce 500 pegs every day. The rise of British festivals and boutique outdoor accommodation has kept up the demand for beautifully crafted, traditional artisan products. However, this little piece of history may go the way of many cottage industries. With no future generation to take on the family business; the knowledge, skill and artistry may yet become a thing of the past.
For now, we can celebrate great British craftsmanship and the time honoured tradition of getting three sheets to the wind, without your tent joining you.
