Get the glamping look

Kate Simon suggests how to jazz up your camping holiday with a little glamping style.

Fancy a night under the stars but still harbouring bad memories of the last camping experience? Glamping – glamorous camping – might be your answer to injecting luxury into your stay.

• Treat for your tootsies with a (faux) sheepskin rug laid next to your bed. Patterned dhurries are another eye-catching choice. And no glampsite is complete without a few bright cushions strewn around. Choose covers with sequins and tassels to give your tent a touch of the Arabian Nights.

• Choose plastic or tin crockery with bold patterns. And pay attention to your choice of (plastic) glassware - a few Champagne flutes are a must for toasting life in the great outdoors with a glass of fizz.

• Hang onto pretty glass jars that might double as vases for posies of wildflowers (make sure you don’t pick endangered blooms). It will provide an attractive centrepiece for a table set with directors’ chairs, just outside the tent door.  

• Create your own bunting. Gather oddments of material - geometrics, spots and flowers are top choices of pattern - cut them into triangles and stitch in a row, points hanging down, to a length of sturdy tape. Drape them along guy ropes and around the skirt of your tent. 

• If you plan to take valuables like jewellery or a camera to capture the luxury in time, check your contents insurance as cover may extend to some items when you take them with you. This could give you some extra peace of mind and help with 'the relaxing'. Note that most policies require you to select 'personal possessions'.

• For the ultimate glamping look, next time you update your camping equipment, buy a bell tent. These canvas beauties never go out of style because they not only look good but offer great protection from the elements, too. Alternatively, choose one of the contemporary tents now on sale, available decorated in everything from clouds to cowhide.

Luxury achieved, all that's left to do is find some great glamping spots.

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