A north Cumbrian glamping site is celebrating after being awarded a top tourism accolade.
Thornfield Camping Cabins, just outside Dalston, has been given a Visit England Gold Award accreditation after it was assessed by an inspector.
Karen and Andrew Shepherd opened Thornfield, which has six en suite glamping pods, in 2016. They bought a bungalow with around an acre of waste ground in 2013.
Karen said: “We gradually brought the waste ground back to life to create a tranquil environment with a woodland backdrop and open views to the East fellside, Carlisle and the Scottish border.
“Our view was to create a business which could provide Andrew with full-time employment in order to move away from working on the family farm as the farming lifestyle was not sustainable long term due to health reasons.
“Achieving the Visit England gold award accreditation is what we have been working so hard over the years to achieve. We are a small team who are dedicated and committed to ensuring that we provide the highest standard of accommodation for our guests.
“A Visit England assessor spent most of the day working through the cabins and the whole site facilities grading different areas against set criteria. It was a little bit like the hotel inspector, very nerve wracking at times as he didn’t really give any idea on the day how we had done but we were over the moon when we were informed of the grading we were given.
“We are delighted to be awarded this accolade as myself, my husband and our team have worked so hard over the past seven years to get the business to the standard it is today. It is an absolute pleasure to be running a successful business which in turn provides great satisfaction, local employment and also brings trade to the businesses in our village of Dalston and the surrounding area.”
