Camping in Britain no longer has to mean a waterlogged tent in a muddy field
and a dawn dash to the chemi-loo. New-style campers can choose from a vast
array of nights under canvas, from child-friendly sites with play areas and
family bathrooms, luxurious yurts complete with four-poster beds,
wood-burning stoves and roll-top baths, to the continuing allure of the lone
night under the stars in one of the nation's most beautiful, remote spots.
"Camping is cool again," says Patricia Yates, spokesperson for Visit
Britain. "The rise in festivals has meant that a lot more young people
are buying tents, while the fact that campsites are now safer, have more
amenities and the general advent of 'comfy camping' has meant that thousands
more people are choosing a camping holiday. This is particularly noticeable
in statistics relating to women."
The figures back up Yates's view: in 2003, 4.1 million people spent a night
camping in the UK, 1.5 million of whom were female. In the last statistics
from 2005, 4.9 million people spent the night in a tent or a caravan, with
the number of women rising to 2.2 million.
The statistics for 2006 will be coming out in July and are set to show an even
larger rise. Interestingly, this is most noticeable in people camping in the
UK rather than abroad, according to a Mintel Survey. Whether influenced by
the impact of global warming on our summer weather, anxiety about flying
abroad and our carbon footprints or the boom in music festivals, we Brits
are packing up our troubles in our kit bags and setting up camp.
Whatever sort of camping you opt for, many find that there is nothing better
than waking up in the fresh air, brewing up that first cup of tea on the
stove, and contemplating the view.
One word of advice however: advance bookings for the British Camping and
Caravanning Club are up by 34 per cent this year so turning up unannounced
is becoming riskier. If like our happy campers featured here, the appeal of
the British sun, not having too many carbon emissions to offset and being
close to nature tempts you to dust off your tent, it would probably be best
to reserve your spot.
Festival camper - Harry Hardie
"Glastonbury was my first festival. I must have been about 17, and I was
blown away by it. I had never seen so many people. It was back in the days
when you could climb over the fence, so we managed to get in without
tickets. I was with a group of friends and the minute we set up our tents it
started pouring with rain. One of my friends went back to his tent, only to
find it had disappeared, and after spending ages looking for it we realised
that it was there, but it was crushed under the mud. Four of us ended up
trying to sleep in one, soaking-wet tent, with water running through it. But
you know what? You just have to go with it, and say, 'Right, I'm wet, I'm
covered in mud, I have nowhere to sleep, I'm tired, but rock'n'roll.' "When
I got my student loan the first thing I thought was, 'Every man needs a good
tent.' So I went and blew most of my money on this amazing super-tent. It
has served me well ever since.
"Camping at a festival is just such a fun thing to do with your mates.
You get there, set up your tent, scoot around, drink too much cider, and
just hang out. It's a cheap and easy way to get a bunch of your good friends
together. A tent gives you so much freedom and it means you can always run
away."
Lone Camper - Bill Jenman
Troytown Campsite, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly "I first went camping when I
was 16, in Barra, in the Outer Hebrides, which was extremely wet and windy
and after a couple of days I retired to a B&B to dry out. But that
didn't put me off and I have been going ever since. There is something nice
about lying in a secure, dry tent while listening to a howling storm outside
it makes you feel something between smug and snugŠ as long as you don't
have to move the tent in the middle of the night. It is very seldom that the
weather is so wet and cold that it is not worth going.
"I once went camping in the Peak District in May and it was a lovely,
clear skies kind of day but because there were no clouds it became
absolutely freezing in the evening and my water bottle froze solid. But you
wake up in the morning, the sun comes up, you have a warm cup of tea and the
world is all right again.
I think its important to say that camping is safe for women. As a single parent I went camping alone with my baby before she could toddle. That was eight years ago and people did think I was perhaps a bit irresponsible or naive. Over the years we have gone camping many times a year, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. The freedom of camping is fantastic and probably saved my sanity on more than one occasion. I have never feared for our safety on any of our camping trips. We have stayed on established sites and have only had to take 'normal' safety precautions that we would usually take anyway.
Jane Langley, Worthing, West Sussex