Wherever you travel, make it a home from home. Jane Gallagher looks at the growing trend for camping AS A child growing up in the 70s I remember there were people who camped and people who didn’t. The people who didn’t lead glamorous lives enjoying exotic holidays in Pontins, Butlins or, if they were very lucky, Spain. The people who camped had dads who wore socks with their sandals, baggy shorts and came back from holiday as pasty and white as before they went. My only experience of camping was a wet weekend in Wales. The tent flooded. There was a hike to get to the (dirty) toilet block and the local shop was miles away with very peculiar opening hours. Even church on the Sunday was a welcome break. Yet, three decades on, closet campers are coming out of the canvas. With the growth in popularity of music festivals where the likes of Kate Moss and Jodie Kidd are snapped in their wellies on the way back to their (luxury) campsite camping is suddenly cool. Celebrity camping fans include Sienna Miller, designer Alice Temperley, Alex James and Kim Wilde. It’s also green, very green. As we all keep a watchful eye over our shoulder for that carbon footprint, camping leaves barely a trace compared to that great big crater left by luxury long haul holidays overseas. And the other good news is that it’s good for the economy. Local camping stores from independent shops to large chains are reporting record sales and even Tesco is now getting in on the act. “Happy camping is a whole world of fun,” says writer Tess Carr, who has been enjoying camping holidays since she was a babe in arms. “It’s not just pitching a tent and bedding down for the night; there’s so much more to it than that. “For us it’s a way of life – slowing down, living at nature’s pace, enjoying friends and families, the excitement, the freedom, seeing stars on a clear night, running to be first in the sea, waking up in the morning to hear laughter.” But with a seductive new book called Happy Campers full of dreamy pictures detailing those mythical endless British summers to sell, she would say that wouldn’t she? But, it appears, she is not alone. While Annie Turner may not have a book to sell, she is definitely a life-long camping devotee. “I first started camping as a child, with my dad and older brother. We were a one-parent family and camping was cheap, fun and convenient to fit into free time,” says Annie, 41, an operations director at Paul Yaffe Fusion Art in Birkdale. “Over the years, we had a range of tents and camper vans and spent fantastic holidays. “I then resumed camping when my daughter, Becca, who is just about to turn 18, was four. “We both love the freedom and complete control over any activities we chose to do, or not to do. We go camping all over the place, but one of our favourite places is the New Forest in Hampshire with loads of stuff for kids and teenagers and only about 15 minutes drive from the centre of the Forest itself, which is breathtaking. “Festivals are also very much part of the camping year and, if you choose the smaller ones, they are very family orientated. We love Cropredy in Oxfordshire, which goes on for four days and we’ve been there every year for the last 14 years. It’s a kind of tradition now. “Festivals can get a bit mucky as they are usually organised in fields rather than campsites, so the amenities are basic but who cares. “The best bits are being outdoors, having full control of what you want to do and spending real quality time with family members and also being able to move to another campsite, if the first one is rubbish.” KAREN DEAS started camping in her back garden at the age of 10. By 1999, she was preparing for the camping trip of a lifetime across Australia. “I have always loved camping but the best trip has to be when I went to Australia with my friends,” says Karen, 30, a PR consultant for Anderson’s Bar, in Liverpool city centre. “There were four of us travelling in a camper van but we took it in turns each night with two of us sleeping in the van and the other two in the tent. “Camping certainly makes you appreciate the finer things in life but at the same time it makes you appreciate nature and it teaches you how to let go from day-to-day social pressure.” Although it wasn’t all plain sailing. “Camping is great fun but not without its difficulties. The worst time was when we had to set up in the dark in a barren bush area because we were miles from a caravan site and needed to rest for the day. When we woke, to our horror, we had set up by a lake and we had no idea if there were crocodiles or not.” And while roughing it may not be everyone’s idea of a good holiday, it is exactly that which appeals to hairdresser Tania Pennell, 23, a stylist at Gavin Alexandra, in Formby. “I was introduced to camping about two years ago by my boyfriend, Phil, who is a big fan. Usually, we go to the Lake District and my favourite spot is in Grasmere. “My working life is very hectic and it is wonderful to get away from it all and just enjoy the slower pace of life. “We tend to go away for short breaks. It isn’t much fun when it is raining so we just wait for a spell of good weather when we are off and pack up and go. That is the beauty of camping. You don’t need much stuff, you can do it at very short notice. “There is something special about staying out at night and just looking up at the stars or waking up in the morning and looking out over the lake – I love it.” | 
