It used to be the cheap and cheerful bucket-and- spade holiday, but camping has suddenly turned in to the coolest and most glamorous way to unwind. However, it is no longer a case of packing up the estate car to the roof with sleeping bags, crockery and the mouldy canvas tent that has been in the family for years.

Clever campers head to the growing numbers of stylish alternative campsites where knocking in your own tent pegs is a thing of the past and ground sheets are topped with luxurious Turkish rugs.

Whether you choose a teepee, yurt or supersized tent, “camping made easy” is arguably the most stylish holiday to book this summer.

“Alternative camping has become cool, glamorous and celebrity entwined, but in the same breath we are also becoming more sought after because it is the ultimate eco-friendly and sustainable holiday,” says Elizabeth Tom, who runs Cornish Tipi Holidays at Tregildrans Quarry, on the north coast of Cornwall, near Port Isaac.

Tregildrans Quarry was the first teepee holiday site in Britain, and in the 13 years that Tom has been in business she has seen a marked change in the typical camper. “Originally our customers were less mainstream — sort of closet hippies who wore pinstripe during the week and headed to festivals at the weekend,” she says.

“However, our new customers might never entertain the idea of heading to Glastonbury but they still want to experience the back-to-nature feel of a teepee.”

Tregildrans Quarry is a magical 16-acre site that houses 40 teepees, erected in two village fields for more sociable campers or in clearings of just one or two tents for those who prefer seclusion.

There is even a new wood-and-canvas pavilion for weddings.The teepees are equipped with traditional tin camping kitchen essentials, Turkish rugs, lanterns and a campfire set up outside. Unlike the rabbit- hutch feel of traditional tents, there is plenty of space inside to stand up and move around. Showers are run by gas and solar power and the loos actually flush.

At Tregildrans Quarry, the only essential to take is bedding but at Yurtcamp in Devon you get a full-sized bed and duvets thrown in, along with the use of a hairdryer. At Feather Down in Malvern, the “super-tents” have wood-burning stoves, bunk beds for children and chicken coups for hire to ensure fresh eggs every day.

Naturally, with this ease comes at a price. Cool camping does not mean “bargain break”. Although these sites are still good value compared with boutique hotels, there is little change from £300 when you book a short stay.

“We don’t pretend to be cheap and cheerful,” Tom says. “We have full-time staff to tend to every need and a freshwater lake stocked with rainbow trout that our guests can catch and cook, so we can’t be compared with some farmer’s field with sites at £5 a night.”

However, when you are providing this level of comfort to so-called glampers (glamorous campers) , you get some pretty demanding guests.

Elizabeth says one camper last year complained that her Nicole Farhi cashmere sweater had been eaten by a field mouse and wanted the mouse killed and compensation for the sweater. “We have some very well-dressed campers,” says Tom.

“But problems arise when they buy into the romance, uniqueness and natural feel of the holiday and then find that the reality is not quite what they expected.”

Whether booking a teepee, yurt or elegant tent, campers have to be realistic about what these holidays entail. The British weather is notoriously unreliable and central heating is not an option. Many sites have no electricity and, other than unloading your gear on arrival and reloading to leave, cars are banned.

“Not allowing cars to be driven around the site means that small children can roam safely,” Tom says. “We also believe that cooking over a crackling campfire is part of the whole experience and encourage it. But we try to set as few rules as possible.”

Despite its stylishness, however, the usual camping holiday rules still apply. Be prepared for any eventuality that the British climate might throw at you, go with an adventurous spirit — and leave your designer cashmere at home.