On the spot camping trends for 2011 from Pitchup.com

Glamping is back big time, but not as you know it… The yurt fad continues – but it’s more about new kinds of accommodation for those who are just too posh to pitch.

Leave the guy ropes and groundsheets behind and tuck yourself away in a Camping Pod, like the timber types at The Quiet Site in Penrith. Nothing beats the feeling of coming back to soft carpet under your toes after a long day in the great outdoors.

If you like your luxury retreat to come with an exclusive view, then a short break in a five-star tree house is your best bet. The Treehouse in Somerset has a choice of three separate decking areas and a cedar hot tub looking out over the surrounding countryside, perfect for romantic canopied moments under the stars.

Or capture the kids’ imaginations with a Hobbit-inspired stay in one of the Microlodges at Noah's Ark Caravan Park in Perth. These little round cabins are a massive hit with children and adults alike, offering dry, warm and welcoming accommodation in and out of season. 

And perhaps saving the best until last, The Dome Garden in Gloucestershire offers the ultimate glamping extravaganza. It’s like staying in your own mini light-filled Eden Project, but with the indulgent addition of stunning interiors and a magnificent backdrop of towering trees.

If staying put just isn’t your thing, how about a spot of quirky caravanning? Perfect for those keen to keep on rolling…

Probably best not to drive these on the motorway but the beautiful gypsy wagons of The Gypsy Caravan Company make gorgeously rustic retreats for any traveller at heart. Leaving the horses behind, The English Caravan Company's quintessentially English types, modelled on designs from the '30s through to the '50s, are beautifully updated with stylish interiors and the very latest technical specifications and technology. T@B caravans from Springbank Leisure put the ‘ooo’ back into the caravan cool factor. The seamless eye-catching aluminium shells make for amazingly compact designs that mean these models really stand out of the crowd.

No trip, luxury or otherwise, is complete without the kit to fit. Pitchup.com has selected some of the best to assist in your attempts to be at one with nature. Where better to start than at the bottom? The Brown Corporation literally does just that, and has an eclectic range of flat-pack toilets to ensure you’re never caught short in the great outdoors.

If you’ve woken in the night feeling a little…lonely, the Sexy Hotness Sleeping Bag from Alite Designs is the answer to all your problems. Zips on both sides allow you to connect together as many sleeping bags as desired.

Ever wondered what it might be like to be a cocooned caterpillar? Discover for yourself in a Hennessy Hammock, and you might just find the moths want to join the nature-friendly party. Light up your site with style using Campist’s Soul Cell solar-powered lanterns, and Solar Centre’s Solar Fairy Lights.

For the latest camping trends visit www.pitchup.com/about/media.

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About Pitchup.com

Winner of Best Travel Information Site at the 2010 Travolution awards, Pitchup.com is the most comprehensive website in the camping and caravanning sector. Launched in July 2009, the site features 5,000 campsites and holiday parks in the UK and Ireland, including many in hard-to-find locations. The website enables users to search and book using more than 80 search criteria to fine-tune their holiday requirements, and features mapping technology to make getting there simple too. The site also lists accommodation near nine National Parks, hundreds of beaches, 17 World Heritage Sites and the main UK festivals and can view nearby Good Pub Guide pubs, National Trust properties and National Cycle Network routes.

Issued by Flagship Consulting

For further media information please contact:

Casey Mead  020 7886 8450 casey.mead@flagshipconsulting.co.uk

Lewis Shields  020 7886 8449 lewis.shields@flagshipconsulting.co.uk

Laetitia Redbond  020 7886 8457 laetitia.redbond@flagshipconsulting.co.uk