Strange places to camp

We all have our favourite campsite. Usually it’s a flat grassy field, by the coast or in the countryside, with clean facilities, a ready supply of hot water and, ideally, a welcoming village pub within walking distance.

Sometimes, though, all that pleasantness is simply not enough and we hanker for the chance to get back to nature. That normally entails setting up camp on the banks of a river or somewhere in the foothills of Snowdonia.

But many of the sites in this selection of alternative (ie weird) camping locations make wild camping look like a night at the Ritz.

1. ON A RAFT

Camping reader Julie Davies from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire told us how she spent three nights on a raft sleeping in a tent while floating down the Klarälven river in Sweden.



She said: “The early evening setting sun on the river while rafting for three days. Absolute peace and tranquility reading a book, drinking a cold beer and catching fish. Coincidentally, two minutes after this photo we caught a huge one!”

2. ON THE MOON

The trouble with camping on the moon is that there is no atmosphere… although there’s plenty of space. It might sound like sci-fi fantasy but in 2007, NASA announced plans to create a base camp on the moon, complete with inflatable ‘tents’.



Here’s what they say on their website:

“If Earth had a mountain so incredibly high that its peak poked through the outermost layer of our atmosphere, mountain climbers smart enough and hardy enough to reach the top would have some idea what it will be like to be camped on the moon. For those mountain climbers, it would be quiet and there would be no wind or weather to overcome. But without long and careful preparation, those mountain climbers would have no air to breathe, no food or water and no protection from the sun's radiation. All around them would be rocks and, if they were lucky, perhaps a bit of frozen ice in the crevices that never saw the sun.”

Sounds great…

3. THE SOUTH POLE

A bit closer to home than the moon, but similarly lacking in creature comforts, Antarctica is the ultimate in earth-bound extreme camping locations. Amazingly, a quick Google search shows there’s no shortage of intrepid (crazy?) campers willing to give it a go.



As this camper says: “With a thick sleeping bag, sleeping pad, therma-rest and long underwear, I was very comfortable.”

Each to their own. Incidentally, this picture was taken at midnight, so don’t forget your eye mask. 

4. THE STREETS OF LONDON

It seems these days every time you open a newspaper there are photographs of people camping out on the streets of the capital.



Whether it’s the new Harry Potter premiere, the latest iPhone launch, a Royal Wedding or Andy Murray’s latest bid for Wimbledon triumph, tents are apparently becoming an increasingly common part of the urban landscape. Wouldn’t fancy trying to hammer the pegs into the pavement though.

To read more, just click here.

5. AT A VOLCANO

Camping on the edge of a volcano isn’t everyone’s idea of a holiday hotspot. But in its favour you don’t have to pack a stove.



In June 2010, a team of scientists and explorers stepped onto the shore of the lava lake boiling in the depths of Nyiragongo Crater, in the heart of the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Photographer Olivier Grunewald got within 3ft of the lake itself! Click here for more pictures.

6. THE LIVING ROOM

Sometimes even glamping is too much effort.



See more by clicking here.

7. THE DESERT OF LIBYA

Right now, Libya is probably one of the most dangerous places in the world. So where better to pitch up your tent than in the middle of the desert near Tripoli?


 

8. THE AFGHANISTAN BORDER

Two geeks (their word, not ours) Jamie and Kai are currently on their way from Britain to Mongolia via some of the remotest and most inhospitable outposts of Asia as part of the Mongol Rally 2011.



Here they are camping in Tajikistan, a stone’s throw from the Afghanistan border. Can’t see the shower block in this picture, but I’m sure it’s there somewhere.

Read more about them by clicking here.

Have you seen got any more suggestions for strange places to camp? If you have tried it yourself, why not share them with us on the camping section of our online gallery. Just click here to start!

Or you can put your suggestions forward on our online forum - just click here.