Best of British: camping holidays

Blackberry Wood, Sussex


This much talked about campsite thoroughly deserves its good reputation. And at 25 minutes' drive from Brighton at the foot of the South Downs, it's very convenient if you happen to live in London. Pitches are set in private clearings with names like Minty, Fruity and Boho. The native deciduous woodland is magical and the fact that camp fires are positively encouraged is testament to the friendly owners' love of proper camping and toasted marshmallows.

Price: £5 per tent, £7 per person per night (high season).
Facilities: Toilets, basic energy saving showers, logs for sale, bonfire pits.
Website: www.blackberrywood.com 

Camping wild, Dartmoor and Scotland

Dartmoor National Park is the last place in England where you can legally camp wild. Spending one or two nights on the open land here is perfectly acceptable provided that you choose your spot sensibly. Don't pitch your tent on farmland, on moorland enclosed by walls, within 100m (328ft) of a road, on flood plains or on archaeological sites. Camping beneath scarred tors as the wind rakes across the moors is great fun and you'll share your campsite with wild ponies.

In the Scottish highlands and islands, there's no greater pleasure than sharing the heather-sprayed hillsides and shimmering lochs with a loved one under canvas. Just don't forget your torch, midge net and repellent - the small, biting insects can make spring and early summer miserable if you don't have the right kit. Be sure to check you're not camping on private land.

Price: Free.
Facilities: None.
Websites: www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk and www.outdooraccess-scotland.com 

Great Langdale National Trust Campsite, Lake District


Sitting rather smugly a saunter from some of the most sublime scenery in the Lake District, Great Langdale's a cracker. As you'd expect from the National Trust, the whole thing's wonderfully efficient, well-appointed and rather tasteful. Find a woodland pitch in the lee of the postcard-friendly Langdale Pikes and then set off to explore some of the best walks in the Lakes.

Price: £10.50 per pitch (includes one vehicle, one person and a small tent) (high season).
Facilities: Toilets, showers, basins, laundry, drying room, washing-up facilities, disabled facilities, electric hook-ups, kids' playground, shop.
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-localtoyou/w-northwest/w-lakedistrict-feature/w-northwest-lakedistrict_camping/w-northwest-lakedistrict_camping-langdale.htm 

Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, near Swansea

A room with a view - well, a tent with one, anyway. This campsite peers gingerly down over Three Cliffs Bay, an arc of sand embraced by green-topped cliffs. It truly has one of the best views of any campsite in the UK. It can get blustery on the exposed cliff-top so bang your pegs in deeply to avoid losing your tent and your dignity.

Prices: £15 per small two-man tent.
Facilities: Toilets, showers, laundry, washing-up facilities, disabled facilities, electric hook-ups, shop.
Website: www.threecliffsbay.com 

Glenbrittle, Isle of Skye, northwest Skye


Placed between the lapping waters of Loch Brittle and the Tolkien-esque rocks of the Black Cuillin mountain range, Glenbrittle campsite is pure magic. Scale the rocks, stalk red deer or swim in the fairy pools - vivid blue swimming holes at the foot of the Cuillins.

Price: £5 per adult per night.
Facilities: Toilets, showers, shop.
Website: www.dunvegancastle.com 

Vintage Vacations, Isle of Wight 

Bequiffed 1950s enthusiasts take note. There's no need to let the pompadour droop on a camping trip. Vintage Vacations offers American trailers and slick Airstream caravans for fun, surprisingly comfortable breaks. The Airstream is a cool classic - if James Dean were a caravan (sorry, Jimmy!), he'd be one of these. Silver, smooth and so shiny you can fix your 'do in the reflection on their aluminium skins, the 10 caravans occupy a farmer's field on the Isle of Wight.