Guide to ready-tent holidays

Some call them ready-pitched; others call them pre-pitched. Either way, there's been a recent boom in holidays offering tent accommodation. For many years, the emphasis was on Europe with holidays in sunshine. If the sun proved elusive, there was the consolation of different and cheaper food and drink. These days, there are now opportunities all over the UK and in many styles of unit. From a couple of tents in the corner of a field to Mongolian-style yurts, there is a wide range of options to choose from. You can weave in cycle hire, learn a new skill or chill out tending an open fire. All in all, they have been a rather neglected resource for new and experienced campers alike.

Holiday parks, especially by the sea, offer plenty of entertainment for all the family and it is the wide range of facilities and activities that is the real appeal. At the other end of the spectrum are the smaller rural sites with a handful of tents for hire where the emphasis is on relaxing and outdoor pursuits. Having a range of alternatives is great – as long as you know what they mean and what you and your family enjoy. Check brochures and websites carefully to work out the total cost, what is included and what you need to bring.

Heading abroad, the holiday packages offered by larger companies may include making your travel arrangements, having a rep on site to deal with problems and help make your stay a happy one. Sites to choose from range from the small family-run in or near mountains to large seaside family-oriented parks with all the razzmatazz of a holiday camp. With everything included, including bedding, then travelling is relatively painless.

One of the most intriguing developments has been the growth of small independent sites offering tents in the form of tipis and yurts. Locations are often quite private, even intimate, and they offer a different style of camping, partly because of the chance to cook and sit around open fires. Happily, their appeal is supported by up-to-date loos and washing facilities. Options like these are often linked to an ‘eco’ outlook, possibly with courses offering the chance to learn about a wide range of themes, once regarded as alternative but now becoming mainstream.

There are many options where the tents are simpler, the cost more affordable and the emphasis is on enjoying a more active holiday. Some offer substantial frame tents complete with tables, chairs, airbeds, lights, stove and barbecue. Others provide modern tents as the shell to unload your own gear. That is part of the appeal. From ‘the full monty’, newcomers can work their way along the spectrum to owning their own camping outfit, picking up info and advice along the way before taking the plunge.

There is something of a trend for experienced campers to opt for ready-pitched holidays, especially short breaks. As one happy camper converted to ready-pitched holidays put it, “The real bonus was in leaving in the rain at the end of a holiday without the aggro of packing a wet tent and gear before the long drive home.”

Without the need to pack all the camping gear for a family then other travel options open up, particularly by train. Or with families and friends piling into one car and trimming costs rather than heading off in a mini convoy. One group of friends from Sheffield has hired a mini-bus every other year for a weeklong ready-pitched tent holiday in Cornwall. Without the need to load up tents and other kit, there is plenty of room for bikes, games and toys. A mega-shop at a supermarket shortly after pitching up ensures no shortage of great communal meals and a bar that never closes. Some of them only ever camp on these trips. They love it but have no interest in becoming regular campers. This way, everybody piles in on the same basis with no chance of one-upmanship.

But what can you expect. We chatted to Ian Peet of Go Camping UK, which he established in 2006 with his wife Denise. Their aim was to create and share the camping experiences they had enjoyed on their own and with their family.

Ian says: “We aim to deliver a warm and welcoming personal experience to cyclists and campers with help on hand and friendly advice available should you need it. From small beginnings, the company has rapidly expanded and now offers a variety of camping and cycling holidays throughout Norfolk and Suffolk. For 2010, we will launch our latest product - a new venture at Yaxham Waters in Norfolk that will provide a unique campsite venue with a marquee along with the tents for social events.

We are based in East Anglia and, unlike the western side of the country, our weather was fantastic last year. It rained only once during August which made a nice change to the previous two years! Our holidays provide relatively cheap summer family accommodation, a lot cheaper than cottages and foreign holidays and most of our families who are trying out camping for the first time really enjoy themselves. The magic of camping is still experienced in a pre-pitched tent without the hassle of doing it yourself. Kids have freedom, make friends and parents have peace, quiet and time to relax knowing their children are happy playing.

We have noticed a lot of our customers are either former campers (getting older and taking the grandchildren away) or existing campers who can't be bothered to pitch their own. We sell a huge amount of three- and four-day breaks, far more than seven-night holidays, probably so that people can dip their toes and experience camping when they are not too sure. Most customers using pre-pitched tents are new to camping but may have some experience of it. Often, we have one parent who used to camp who married someone who didn't and it is a way of introducing the other (non camper) and the children to camping without them moaning about mud, sleeping on the floor, etc.

Pre-pitched tents give the feel of camping without going as far as ‘glamping’ but certainly removing the hassle of traditional camping. The advantages over normal camping include - no drying the tent, extensive equipment packing and unpacking, cramped spaces, make do furniture and so on. We have comfortable beds, lighting, electric fridges - all things you could not fit in the boot of a car. You need no home storage space or mass of equipment and the price of our holidays works out to just over double the cost of taking your own tent so it is not that expensive either. It’s why we have campers who are using pre-pitched rather than their own tents.

One further advantage is that new campers get the chance to avoid common novice mistakes. They get to see what other campers are doing, what their tents are like and which tents are useless! They get to know if the whole thing is for them and have the chance to meet other campers who are usually more than willing to share their opinions of their tent, their equipment, their experiences…”

• Total cost/deposit/terms
• Character of site
• Local attractions
• Site facilities
• Size/location of pitches
• Electric hook-up
• Distance from washblock and loos
• Towels and sheets available
• Type of beds
• Seating options
• Bike hire available
• Open fire facility
• Lighting/heating
• Fridge in tent
• Barbecue
• Parking
• Public transport options