Katy Holland: Glamping - The coolest craze in canvas

A number of you have emailed to say you're going camping this summer. But if you want my advice, you'll step away from the tent poles right now – and consider glamping instead. It's the coolest craze in canvas, and it's coming soon to a campsite near you.

Making the kids sleep in a plain old tent is so last season. What you need is a yurt, the tent's more glamorous cousin and perfect for all those who are allergic to soggy sleeping bags and torchlit trots to the toilet block.

These yurts are spacious, waterproof and come complete with carpets, comfy beds and coffee tables. You'll find en-suite facilities and even the odd Jacuzzi, and they're springing up all over the place this year. (For a list, see goglamping.net or yurt-holidays.com.)

What's more, they're truly eco-friendly. Check out the solar-powered luxury yurt hotel in Andalucia (0034 951 168 040; yurthotel.com) and, brand new this month, a collection of Mongolian yurts on Dorset's Stock Gaylard Estate (01963 23511; stockgaylard.com), where deer roam free and children play in quiet meadows. Even Eurocamp (0844 406 0402; eurocamp.com) is offering safari-style tents at its camps around Europe this year.

It's time to leave that boring old tent stuffed away in the attic where it belongs. You heard it here first: we're about to become a nation of happy glampers.

k.holland@independent.co.uk

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