Win One of Five Glamping Holidays

Guardian Holidays Offers, in partnership with award-winning glamping, camping and caravanning site Pitchup.com, are offering you the chance to win one of five glamping holidays, from yurts on a Wiltshire alpaca farm to wigwams in Perthshire. Bed down in comfort for free with a prize at one of these five sites:

Little Upton Boutique Belltents, Cornwall: Starsky and Hutch the alpacas, open-air theatre and free-range sausages and eggs are all on offer, with fully-furnished bell tents on raised decking with balcony and outdoor dining furniture. Prize is for a two-night stay for up to four people (and dog), subject to availability and not including bank holidays. Prize must be taken before mid-September 2013.

Eco Retreats Tipis and Yurts, Powys: Choose between a family tipi or a family yurt (sleeps 2 adults and 2 children) on an eco-friendly site with healing sessions, reiki, meditation and organic hampers all available on site (extra charges apply). The prize is for a two-night stay up to the value of £215, or can be used as a £215 discount on a more expensive stay. Subject to availability and valid until 31 October 2013.

Loch Tay Highland Lodges, Perthshire: A two-night stay in a heated wigwam overlooking Loch Tay, on a glamping park with cycle hire, fishing, watersports, archery and wifi. Fishing boats are available for hire to land salmon or trout on the loch. The prize is for up to four people and can be taken at any time subject to availability and excluding bank holidays, Christmas and New Year.

Under the Milk Wood, Pembrokeshire: Pre-erected bell tents with vintage furnishing and fairy lights, on a peaceful Welsh farm with farm shop, breakfasts and butcher’s for BBQ supplies – all within ten minutes’ drive of the Pembrokeshire coastline. The prize is for a weekend (Friday and Saturday nights) in a bell tent for up to four people between 21st June – 31st August. It excludes bank holiday weekends) and is subject to availability.

Alpaca Yurts Holidays, Wiltshire: Stay on the edge of the Cotswolds among a herd of forty alpacas, in a luxury fully-furnished yurt with fresh flowers, log burner, private decking and private semi-tented kitchen. Extras available on site include breakfast delivered to the yurt door, packed lunches and craft courses. The prize is for a weekend (Friday and Saturday nights) during August, September or October 2013 in the ‘Machu Picchu’ luxury yurt for four adults, subject to availability.

To enter the contest, click here and fill out the form.

Beauty Essentials for Camping – or Glamping

BY SOPHIA PANYCH

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, the official start of summer, and my boyfriend is making me go camping. If you know me, you know that I don’t really “do” camping. I’m a beauty editor. I love my beauty products. I love being clean. I love showering. And I love going to the bathroom sitting on something that flushes, made of pristine white porcelain. Girls like me are the reason they created the term “glamping.” So if you’re in the same boat during the holiday, here’s what you should bring to survive the great outdoors.

Sarah Potempa Cordless Flat Iron. Plug this baby in before you leave for the weekend and you get 30 minutes of consecutive heating time. Or, you can purchase the car charger (!) that comes with it and you can slip away to the car to give it some more juice.

Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream. Moisturizer? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Concealer? Check. This one product leaves your skin feeling smooth and protected, and there’s actually enough pigment in it to conceal discoloration and zits.

Pacifica Coconut Cleansing Wipes. Infused with coconut water, these cleansing wipes remove dirt and oil, while leaving behind a faint scent of delicious coconut. I’ll be using these not only on my face at night and in the morning, but on my feet and underarms as well.

Nexxus Youth Renewal Dry Shampoo. Washing your hair is nearly impossible while camping, let alone styling it, so your best bet is a can of dry shampoo. I like the formula and scent of Nexxus’ new dry shampoo. Blow-out your hair (or have someone else do it) before you leave. Then spritz a light mist of dry shampoo into your roots and the top half of your hair every morning to absorb any oil that might have built up. (But if you’re in the wilderness for longer than just the weekend, then I’m sorry girlfriend, a ponytail is your only hope.)

Neutrogena Revitalizing Sheer Tint Lip Balm SPF 20. These tiny sticks not only hydrate parched lips and protect them from the sun, but they also leave behind a sheer touch of color that doesn’t look the least-bit makeup-y. They can also double as a pretty cream blush if you want a subtle flush while making s’mores.

L’Oréal Paris Sublime Sun Advanced Sunscreen Oil Spray SPF 50. I like the idea of a sunscreen oil spray. And this new formula is non-greasy so you don’t have to worry about leaves and dirt sticking to you. In addition, it has the necessary broad spectrum coverage you need, it nourishes dry skin, and can be used on face and body.

Juara Candlenut Hand and Body Balm. I’m neurotic about not having dry hands—they always have to be moisturized or I’ll go crazy. So it’s absolutely necessary for me to have hand cream wherever I go. This one doubles as a body cream to slather on elbows and knees if need be.

Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus IR3535 Expedition SPF 30 Aerosol Spray. For most of us who don’t like camping, bugs are the primary reason why. I know they won’t kill me, and I know they’re more scared of me then I am of them, but in the end, I don’t care. I don’t want them near me. A misting of this stuff will keep pesky mosquitoes and gnats away with an added bonus of UV protection. Sweet!

Blue Forest Tree Houses – Glamping at Amberley Castle

Luxurious and eco-friendly, Blue Forest creates imaginative and playful tree houses, lodges and educational facilities seem to be designed to bring out every adult’s wide-eyed inner child. Blue Forest has designed many incredible structures that celebrate the warmth, coziness and sustainability of wood, honoring the material itself and of course, its source.

Blue Forest’s best-known treehouse is located on the grounds of the Amberley Castle Country Hotel. It’s used as a wonderful glamping getaway space for hotel guests, and also as a multi-purpose venue for corporate entertainment, meals, weddings and private parties.