"My favourite time is at dawn. You are woken up by the dawn chorus, watch the sunrise and then just go back to sleep in your cosy sleeping bag, having had a beautiful experience. It is actually very romantic. I have been on the odd romantic camping weekend and, if you pick the right spot, you can actually turn a tent into quite a pleasant boudoir. I can produce some gourmet meals and with a couple of bottles of wine, it can be a lovely evening.

"Wild camping, like that, sleeping in the woods or finding a nice quiet hole in the middle of a moor is very spiritual, and I love being in the middle of nowhere on my own. The only time I have had a close encounter was when I was bivvying in Dartmoor and in my dreams I remember thinking, 'That sounds like a herd of horses galloping towards me!' I sat bolt upright in bed and sure enough there was a herd of horses galloping towards me. They swerved off 10 metres either side of me, but then I just went back to sleep."

Luxury Campers - Richard & Karin Walters

Hunger Hill Yurt Holidays, Devon

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BACKGROUND

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• Under the stars in a Cornish yurt

"Staying in a yurt is stunningly luxurious camping. You have all the advantages of a tent and a bed and breakfast but it is much more romantic and you get a sense of being at one with nature.

"Arriving on the site you walk through the beautiful countryside and then when you enter the yurt you immediately become aware that it is round. It is such an unusually shaped space to be in, it almost gives you a sense of wholeness. In the centre there is a small wood-burning stove that provides tons of heat, a gas burner where you can make tea, a large double bed with lovely bed linen on it, Turkish carpets cover the floor and there are candles all around; it is just magical.

"The top of the yurt is see-through, and that makes lying down at night the most stunningly beautiful experience. I love lying there next to my wife looking at the stars. It is incredibly romantic.

"Just being away from the TV is liberating. It is so much better than being in a hotel, because you are still out in the elements 24 hours a day, but the fire keeps you warm. So you get into the rhythm and romance of nature.

"I am an acupuncturist and my wife is a natural childbirth teacher. We are by no means hippies, but I think it is very important to feel in tune with nature. We go abroad as well but the stunning beauty of England, not having to travel far or use huge amounts of fossil fuels and harm the environment, as well as the setting of Hunger Hill, makes this a real treat.

You get all the magic of somewhere different without the hassle of travelling for a day to get there. And unlike normal camping you don't have to pack loads of equipment." www.hollinsfarmcampsite.co.uk

Family Campers - Karen, Rob, Jack (3), Toby (1)

Eskdale Campsite, Cumbria

"My husband and I have been going camping for years. We have been all over the UK, often wild camping at a spot where there was a fresh water supply but nothing else.

"Since the kids have come along, although our camping trips haven't been as frequent, or in places quite as wild, we still like to get them out and about, and they are just mad for it. Jack has been camping since he was about 6 months old, and he loves it because for him it is just a big adventure. He gets so excited about sleeping in a tent outside and all of us being in there together.

"Even Toby loves it. He is just about on his feet, so he toddles around in his wellies like his big brother, rolls around in the middle of the tent in the sleeping bag like his big brother and sits outside on his little stool eating his sausages like his big brother. There are also always kids around and my two love playing football, riding their bikes and playing with the dogs ­ although, at first we were silly enough to try to put them to sleep at their usual bedtime, but with children running around, making noise up until nine o'clock, we had to accept that we needed to adjust our expectations.

"Camping with the children does mean, though, that we have to go to organised campsites, like this one which is a franchise of the Camping and Caravanning Club, as there are certain things they need, such as hot water in plenty of supply. It is also vital that it is a safe environment for them. But most sites are self-contained, very safe in terms of cars, and everybody is a member or has to give their details in.

"At the moment we go on a holiday abroad and then arrange our camping trips at the last minute for weekends, but when the children start school we will make camping our main holiday. As a family we are aware of our carbon footprint and we are trying to cut down on the flights we take."

For a list of great campsites and camping holidays, visit www.timesonline.co.uk/camping

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