Yahoo Movies Inside Lancashire's answer to Love Island – with a two-year waiting list
Love comes from unexpected places, or so Barbara Streisand once sang. And fans of ITV’s hit reality dating show will certainly be surprised to find the UK’s answer to Love Island in rural Lancashire – about as far from sunny Mallorca as it’s possible to get.
Thanks to a British man’s lockdown project, the town of Skelmersdale, nestled in the forgotten Lancastrian countryside, is now home to Britain’s most booked, most followed and most viewed glamping site – and it bears more than a passing resemblance to the Love Island villa in the Balearics.
The Secret Garden Glamping began as Derry Green’s attempt to entertain his children during the first Covid lockdown, after his transport business ground to a halt. “I was fully expecting to go back to work but never did,” he explains when I arrive to spend the night. “The kids wanted to camp out one night and that’s how it started. We decided we’d build some decking so we could sit in the sun and as days turned into weeks and then into months I just kept building, until we had a pod with a hot tub and fire pit.”
From these humble beginnings, how did Derry’s garden become the epicentre of the growing glamping trend, and the most sought after site on UK soil? Social media provides the answer. After sharing what he’d done for his children during lockdown, Derry’s creation went viral, with headlines quickly likening his designs to those seen on ITV’s show. “People started messaging to ask if they could come and stay. I put it on Airbnb and within three days it sold out for two years in advance, every single day,” he says.
A 30,000-plus waiting list
Two years later, and with seven accommodation units now completed, the site has a waiting list of over 30,000, with some units fully booked until 2024. Plans are underway to build another five, as well as a treehouse, and to create a whole new site elsewhere in Lancashire – it would appear the honeymoon period at The Secret Garden Glamping is far from over. “As it’s gone on it has really snowballed,” says Derry. “We’re now the most viewed, most booked and most followed glamping site in the whole of England.”
On arrival it’s hard to believe that this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it location has been graced by some of reality television’s biggest names and film crews from Channel 4 and ITV. But behind the electric gates to Derry’s family home lies his creation, which now welcomes guests from across the country, many of whom have never heard of Skelmersdale – but are highly likely to be fans of Love Island.
Beyond Derry’s garden there’s several acres of woodland, which is where the site resides. The sleeping quarters – named The Retreat, The Lodge, The Hideout, The Keep, The Glen, The View and The Glade – are a mixture of static lodges, yurts and wooden pods.
The resemblance to Love Island wasn’t intentional, Derry insists. “At the time, the fit pit, the decking, the hot tub, the festoon lights, were not something I’d intended on doing to replicate the show but now that I look back it does look like a mini Love Island,” he says. “That’s what really got the ball rolling – there was nothing like that at the time.”
With over 286,000 followers on Facebook and 27,000 on Instagram, Derry is currently turning away 300 to 400 bookings each week. “If we had another 20 units they’d all be full. I just can’t build them fast enough,” he jokes.
Glamping has boomed in recent years – the global market was reportedly worth almost £2bn last year – and it’s a trend the site is trailblazing in the UK. “It’s about staying one step ahead and doing something new and launching something better,” says Derry.
Love (Island) is all around
The Glades and The View are the newest units to open and the resemblance to the ITV villa is uncanny. Behind the fencing visitors are treated to a haven of hanging foliage from the terrace, a fire pit, a giant glass-walled shower, neon signs and loungers to spend hours gossiping on, or watching the reality series. “Right now I can guarantee if I were to walk through the woodland at night I’ll be able to hear Love Island in at least three or four of the units,” laughs Derry. He’s right, by 9pm the woodland is alive with the sound of Iain Stirling’s distinctive commentary.
With guests kept in their own private, fenced-off spaces there’s not much scope for coupling up at The Secret Garden, and Derry’s customer base is made up largely of groups of friends (96 per cent female) wanting to spend the night away from their usual plus-ones. Some couples are also attracted by the site’s romantic allure, however, which is heightened under the blanket of darkness when festoon lighting trails the woodland. A few drops of rain under the shelter of the tree canopy adds a touch of magic.
Derry’s own affection for the site is palpable. He believes, despite the Instagram fame and celebrity guests, it’s the location that really sets it apart. “Within 20 miles of here there are at least 25 different glamping sites, but I don’t think there’s anything that can compare to what we do or offer, especially with the woodland,” he says. During the building process he hasn’t touched a single tree, instead they grow around the yurts and through the roofs. Even the local deer haven’t been scared off.
From the Singer sewing machine that’s been transformed into a wash basin to a horse box that’s now a bathroom, Derry’s approach to design comes from necessity rather than choice. “A lot of stuff, especially in the Lodge and the Hideout, was just what I could get my hands on during the pandemic,” he explains. “I had to find cheaper and alternative ways to do everything, but I actually think it pays off.” He’s right – there’s a quirkiness about the units that adds to the allure. “People want an experience, they’re not just booking somewhere to put their head down like they used to do,” says Derry.
Added luxe
Then there’s the luxury comforts. All the accommodation is fitted with under-floor heating, there are sound systems built into the roofs, high-speed Wi-Fi, rainfall showers, saunas and hot tubs in every unit – some electric and some powered by wood burners.
Derry and his team have just finished installing the newest addition to the collection, having transported the giant log-burning tub through a field on a neighbour’s quad bike and over a fence into position. It’s a sign of the owner's continued hands-on approach. “Originally it was just me and my mum, who did the washing in the house,” says Derry. “But now we’ve got six cleaners, Gemma, who is our site manager, and Paul, a full-time groundskeeper to look after the woodland. At this point, doing this is too much for just one pair of hands.”
Alongside the extravagance, Derry says it’s actually the little details that surprise guests the most. “It might be the chocolates that we put on the pillows in the evening, the robes that we provide, or the wood we stock for the fire pit,” he says.
Guests can purchase extras to compliment their stay too – a highlight being charcuterie boxes, filled with local cheeses, cold meats and fruit, supplied by The Little Green Platter Company and ideal for grazing while soaking in the hot tub. Birthday packages, rose petals, champagne and breakfast bundles are other special touches.
Whether Love Island is your thing or not, the project is truly inspiring – and certainly unexpected.
How to do it
Stays at The Secret Garden Glamping in The Glade cost from £175 per night (max 4 adults), with a minimum two-night stay. Single-night stays are released periodically throughout the year. Book online at thesecretgardenglamping.uk or via @thesecretgardenglamping (both Facebook and Instagram). Find out more about the local area and things to do nearby via visitlancashire.com. For more amazing places to stay see our guide to the best hotels in Lancashire.
