Monday, September 7, 2015

Demystifying myths about camping and caravanning in a damp corner of the northern hemisphere is a challenge


It’s not all good, I’ll grant you. Pitched up at the foot of the Dales in a three-day downpour surrounded by grazing Fresians, puddles and damp ditches can be depressing. 

But the combination of lake, wetsuit, boats, fishing rods and campsite amounts to fun in any weather. Canoeing, sailing, surfing, swimming and snorkelling don’t rely on sunshine – they rely on access to a beach or riverbank. And that’s what the campsites in this book have. 



They get you out there. Until now, most have been kept secret and treasured by the people ‘in the know’. And for good reason. No one wants to discover a waterside gem only to see it become over-run with hundreds of tents, campervans, windbreaks, people and 24-hour noise. So, I spent five years looking. Looking for those secret hideaways. I did it by trawling around coasts, rivers and lakes.