The grass is greener with Pitchup.com!

Pitchup.com has some great accommodation options near the UK’s best garden and flower shows this spring and summer

Prices starting from £20 per person per night for two people

Springtime is just around the corner and thousands of keen gardeners will be planning a mini break to visit one of the UK’s top horticultural shows. But where is best to stay?

Nearby hotels tend to book up quickly, and can be expensive. But there is an alternative. Book a night or two in a cosy pod, yurt or log cabin that’s been handpicked by outdoor accommodation specialist Pitchup.com to save money AND be close to nature.

Gardening fans love being in the great outdoors, so Pitchup.com’s selection of accommodation in scenic locations will suit them right down to the ground. All accommodation selected is cosy and well-insulated, and some include added extras such as pre-bookable food packs, meaning guests don’t have to load up the car with everything but the kitchen sink. Some also have pools, Jacuzzis and spas on site.

Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, said: “With interest in gardening 'growing’ at a huge pace Pitchup.com is already seeing an increase in bookings to sites with cosy accommodation within easy reach of some of the best gardening shows in the UK.

“Accommodation is at a fraction of the cost of hotels – meaning more money to splash out on the latest must-have gardening gadget or rare perennial. And, because most yurts, pods and cabins are incredibly well-equipped, gardeners can pack lightly – meaning more space in the boot to transport all their new buys home!”

Harrogate Spring Flower Show, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate 20-27 April, 2014 
Hillcrest Park, Richmond, from £30 per person per night

Glamp it up in the comfy pods at Hillcrest Park, Richmond, about half an hour’s drive from Harrogate. The well-insulated, heated pods are comfy and warm whatever the weather, and have a lamp and electric sockets. There’s a laundry on site plus a large exercise area for dogs and the helpful owners will even arrange for delivery of little essentials, if booked in advance. Choose from a standard pod, for two adults and two children under 10, or a larger, family pod for four.

Price: Four nights in the family pod starts from £240 for up to four people, checking in on April 18. That’s £30 per person per night, based on two sharing, or £15 per person per night for four. Deposit: £36.

Spring Gardening Show, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire, May 8-11, 2014
Out to Grass, Malvern, from £33.75 per person per night

Set in the beautiful countryside of Worcestershire and only a stone's throw from the Malvern Hills, Out to Grass is a lovely site on a family run farm. There are picturesque walks through the woodlands and campfires are allowed, as are dogs.  The cosy yurts have bedding, firewood and tea-making facilities. Visitors can also pre-order barbecue packs from the farm shop to ensure they have all that is needed for an evening cook-out. Every Friday evening there’s a camp stew around the communal fire followed by roasted marshmallows and hot chocolate.

Price: Four nights in a yurt with four single beds starts from £270 for two adults, checking in on May 8, with bedding, firewood and tea-making facilities included. That’s £33.75 per person per night, based on two sharing, or less than £17 per person per night for four. Deposit: £40.50.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital Grounds, London, May 20-22, 2014
Old Thorns Manor Hotel, Liphook, Hampshire, from £40.50 per person per night

This is an upmarket hotel that also has luxury pods in its well-maintained grounds. It’s just over an hour from London by car or train and a considerably less expensive option than choosing to stay in London’s Chelsea. Pod guests have access to the hotel’s main facilities, including the Elevation Health and Fitness area – complete with 20-metre pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room and first-class gym – and the Spa at Old Thorns, which has the very latest treatments from Decleor. There’s also a 400-acre championship golf course, the Atrium Champagne and Cocktail Bar and lots of lovely walks nearby. Camping pods are available during the show with a double bed for two adults, a sofa, flat-screen TV with Freeview and facilities to make tea and coffee.

Price: From £324 for four nights, checking in on May 20, for two people. That works out at £40.50 per person per night. Deposit: £48.60.

Gardening Scotland, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, May 30-June 1, 2014
Harvieston Huts, Edinburgh, from £20 per person per night

The wooden ‘Kocoons’ at Harvieston Huts are secure, waterproofpods on the secluded Kirkhill Mansion estate just a few miles from Edinburgh. Each Kocoon has plenty of headroom, a fabulous insulated padded interior, two comfortable single bunks, a window for ventilation and solar powered LED lights. There are also a couple of jacuzzis on site. Price: £80 for two people for two nights’ accommodation, checking in on May 30, or £20 per person per night. Deposit: £12.

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, Tatton Park, Cheshire, July 23-27, 2014
Rivendale Caravan and Leisure Park, Ashburton, Derbyshire, from £20 per person per night

Set among 37 acres of pasture and woodland Rivendale has camping pods sleeping up to four and pitches for tourers and motorhomes. The park has various wildlife ponds and a fly fishing lake which won a David Bellamy commendation for environmental excellence. Campfires and barbecues are allowed and there’s a bar, restaurant and café on site.

Price: Four nights in a camping pod for up to four people starts from £160, checking in on July 28. That’s £20 per person, per night based on two sharing, or just £10 per person per night for four. Deposit: £24.

Note: headline prices are based on two people sharing and in some instances can work out cheaper if you have more people. Prices and availability correct at time of writing.

For more information visit http://www.pitchup.com

ends

Media information:

Cass Helstrip, Samantha Marsh or Jardine Howlett at White Tiger PR

Cass.helstrip@whitetigerpr.com 07968 255464

Samantha.marsh@whitetigerpr.com 07711 265666

Jardine.howlett@whitetigerpr.com 07866 508737

Notes to editors

Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com is a free guide to all types of outdoor accommodation in the UK, Ireland and France. The site provides users with a simple platform in which they can search and book an outdoor holiday with total ease. The customer experience from landing on the home page through to booking a holiday can be completed in as little as four pages. The site also goes beyond traditional searches by allowing users to search for accommodation based on more than 80 criteria, such as adults only and campfires allowed, and view nearby events, Good Pub Guide pubs and VisitBritain attractions. Users can also search on the offers page to find the best deals available. Pitchup.com features over 5,000 UK wide camping and caravanning sites/parks with France recently added into the equation. It enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from the major brands right through to one off campsites and unique outdoor accommodation options, which may not have previously had a web presence.