By Lucy Corkhill
21st May 2012
Camping is the perfect opportunity to spend time closer to nature and one another: listening to birdsong; building a fire and cooking over it; exploring the surrounding countryside; stargazing; telling campfire stories; whittling; foraging; spotting wildlife and curling up together – all perfect things to do with Dad. Whether you decide to try out one of the campsites below, or just to pitch a tent in the garden, why not spend an off-grid Father’s Day sharing special experiences together.
Plan-it Earth , Penzance
Winners of a gold Green Tourism badge, Plan-it Earth offers a great space for wild camping – in their peaceful woodland field. Complete with wood-burning shower cabin, compost toilet, herons, barn owls, bats and space for you to have your own camp fire, there’s even bell tents to hire if you don’t have a tent. Camping with your own tent is £5 per person per night. Check out their website for other exciting things happening on site, including green education.
Hidden Valley Yurts, Monmouthshire
Quite literally hidden away from the rest of the world by beautiful trees and situated by a gurgling stream (pictured), you can really feel close to nature in one of these yurts. There are five altogether, two sleeping five and the other three accommodating up to seven. With walls made from pure sheep’s wool, wood-burning stoves and kindling provided, you’ll have a magical break even if this rainy weather continues! There are beds, rugs and wall-hangings to make these yurts feel like a home from home in glorious countryside.
Rubha Phoil Eco Camping, Isle of Skye
With ten secluded tent pitches offering fantastic woodland and coastal views, this is truly a place to hide away. This peaceful campsite situated in woodland maintained to permaculture principles allows visitors to stay on this beautiful peninsula with minimal impact on the magnificent natural habitat. There’s even a bothy, beach cave, wildlife hide and forest garden walk to explore.
Lundy Island, off the Devon coast
Lundy lies off the coast of North Devon, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bristol Channel with nothing between it and America. It’s a granite outcrop, three and a half miles long and half a mile wide. In the hubbub of the modern world it is a place apart, peaceful and unspoilt. If it’s star-gazing and bird-watching you’re after, this is the place to escape to. Call the Lundy shore office on 01271 863636 to ask about camping on the island.
