50 COOL CAMPSITES
Alde Garden
COOL SUMMER Queen of Cool Claire Tupholme runs down 50 of the quirkiest, most stylish and laid back campsites in Britain.
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What makes a campsite cool? It’s not easy to define – but you’ll almost certainly recognise a cool site when you find one. It’s all about the attitude of the people and the mood they set. For a start, everyone tends to be a little more laid back and relaxed. And then there’s the little extras that set cool sites apart, like home made artisan bread, fresh eggs from the resident hens, communal
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pizza ovens, wood-fired saunas. All designed to add something different to your stay. It’s also about style and comfort. The layout will be quirky and eccentric. You won’t find row after row of hard-standings – instead tents will tend to be pitched randomly on an open field. You’ll probably find a few more canvas bell tents onsite and cool campers will be tempted to try out alternative forms of accommodation like yurts and tipis. They
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also prefer to sit around a campfire sharing stories of an evening rather than hitting the clubhouse. Facilities aren’t quite as important – although families will still expect them to be clean and to have a ready supply of hot water. And they’d prefer the facilities to be eco-friendly. While there might not be an adventure playpark for the kids, there should be plenty of space for them to run free, woods to explore or a stream to paddle in.