Glamping; do you know your Huts from the Pods, Cabins & Lodges? @ Rotunda Roundhouses – Unique Garden Rooms & Yurt Style Eco-Buildings

Glamping; do you know your Huts from the Pods, Cabins & Lodges?

cabins huts lodges pods glamping uk

The glamping movement which appeared seemingly out of nowhere and caught the UK by storm about ten years ago looks like it’s most definitely here to stay.   

The popularity of mini-breaks, weekend tourism trends and Brexit fears are assisting the UK Leisure and tourism industry with a very pleasant boost.  Meanwhile, consumers simultaneously delight in the folksy resurgence of ‘Best of British’ which is reflected in the explosion of micro-breweries, artisan markets, crafts producers, small scale organic farmers, manufacturers, creative/design firms and of course the joiners and craftspeople who create the plethora of structures which we all call Huts, cabins, pods or lodges to supply the burgeoning glamping industry. 

But are they all the same? Or is there a real difference between these terms?

You may find a Cabin on a more established holiday park, touring park, woodland leisure centre or remote UK location

cabin   noun 

1. a small wooden shelter or house in a wild or remote area.

The most likely descriptive phrase for a timber-framed and/or modular building. The most common term for glamping buildings.

Buildings you may find in the UK Glamping or Leisure industry which will use this term:

  • Log Cabin (Log Houses)

  • BBQ Cabins

  • Woodland Cabins

  • Wigwam Cabins (surprisingly, these look nothing like the original native American Indian Wigwams!)

Shepherds Hut – This is an old-fashioned, original style Shepherds Hut from which the modern designs have all stemmed. Contemporary Shepherds Huts are commonly clad in Cedar and boast windows!

hut    noun   

1. a small, simple, single-storey house or shelter.

Buildings you may find in the UK Glamping or Leisure industry which will use this term:

  • Shepherds Hut

pod  noun

 1.  a detachable or self-contained unit on an aircraft, spacecraft, vehicle, or vessel, having a particular function.

We’re actually not sure how the term ‘pod’ ever became synonymous with the domestic garden room & British tourism industry.  Still..,. you’ll find this term used to refer to a wide range of structures. Most often, ‘pods’ represent the budget-staycation market and can be found on campsites, hostels, touring parks and even National Trust locations.

Buildings you may find in the UK Glamping or Leisure industry which will use this term:

This is an example of Barrel Pods

  • Camping Pods

  • Glamping Pods

  • Eco-Pods

  • Log Pods

  • Barrel Pods

lodge noun

  1.  a small house at the gates of a park or in the grounds of a large house, occupied by a gatekeeper, gardener, or other employee.

As with the Cabin, these are usually timber-framed or modular buildings suitable for long or mid-term stays.

Buildings you may find in the UK Glamping or Leisure industry which will use this term:

  • Rotunda Holiday Lodge

  • Safari Lodges (These are canvas structures)

  • Tree house Lodges

  • Lakeside Lodges

So, the conclusion?

Well, with the exception of the ‘Huts’ which really only represent one style of building in the UK Glamping industry, (the Shepherds Hut);  the other terms all reflect timber-framed, modular or transportable semi-permanent holiday accommodation of varying qualities and style to suit budgets and sites.

So, if you’re looking for a unique building for your site, research your manufacturer extensively and check for quality.   Ultimately,  a lodge, pod, cabin or hut may very well be on the menu for UK Landowners to choose from but there is one building which stands head and shoulders above the rest. That is, of course, the Rotunda.   For that, we can assure you, there is no other.