If ever a campsite precisely fitted the criteria to be labelled as the perfect Cool Camping site, then this is it. Well we think it is, or at least might very well be... if there were actually precise criteria for a Cool Camping campsite. So how did we come to this illogical conclusion? A good question, and it involves unquantifiable notional nonsense like atmosphere, vibes, emotions, nags, Shrek, and a bit of hobbit-ness.Then there's the old chestnut of a cracking location, and this is perhaps that most important box to be ticked before any campsite gets a certificate of worth from Tent HQ.

If you're looking for a truly remote wilderness camping experience, pitch up at Turner Hall Farm in the Lake District's lesser-visited Duddon Valley. The most spectacular way to arrive is over the Wrynose Pass, a tortuous zigzag of a road making for an exhilarating journey that matches some of the best Lake District walks, view for view. Even if you take the longer, winding road via Broughton Mills you have to stop to open and close gates, an action loaded with the symbolism ot leaving civilisation behind.

In a small and very compact space the Lake District scenery varies from the savage to the serene, with wilderness giving way to the quaint. The area immediately around Hawkshead, and Hawkshead Hall Campsite, falls fair and square on to the serene and quaint side - the green and extremely cute Lake District of Beatrix Potter, as opposed to the high hills ofWainwright.

A night or two camping at this lakeside location is, quite frankly, unforgettable. Low Wray National Trust Campsite sits on the quieter western shore of Lake Windermere, and if the weather holds to give a decent sunrise over the lake, it can feel like the most relaxing place on earth.

Tourist traffic jams can be a bit of a problem in beautiful places, especially when the place is as enchanting as the Lake District. Fortunately, there is some respite from the lake-lovers' mayhem in the lake-less valley of Great Langdale. And sitting serenely in the heart of it is Baysbrown Farm, which nuzzles up against a steep fell on one side while the other overlooks three generously sized camping fields that gently slope down to the valley's river.

A tarn, as anyone schooled in the niceties of topography will tell you, is a lake or pool formed by a glacier. Cumbrians, however, play fast and loose with this definition and are wont to call almost any pond found in the hills a tarn. It's a relief, then, to discover that Loughrigg Tarn -'Diana's Looking Glass' according to Wordsworth - is a proper glaciated lake, albeit a small one.

Arrive here from the east on foot or bicycle and you'll have had the pleasure of conquering both the Wrynose and Hardknott passes, the latter of which is claimed by locals to be the steepest and highest road in Britain. After such a challenge, there's nothing like discovering that your campsite has cracking showers and a small shop selling wine and local beer. What's more, if you've jettisoned your tent halfway up one of the hills, you can book yourself into one of the new wooden pods.

William Wordsworth, a man with an eye for a view, loved the hamlet of Rydal so much he took up residence there. His next-door neighbours, the Le Fleming family, owned Rydal Hall and lived the life of contemplative ease one associates with the landed gentry. It's fitting, then, that their home is now a retreat centre, and much of the ample estate is one of the most cultured campsites in England.

England’s highest mountains may not be on the scale of the Alps or the Himalayas, but they are majestic in their own understated way. They also have the advantage of being readily accessible and, in most seasons, relatively easy to conquer with the help of a pair of decent walking boots, clement weather, and a thermos of hot tea.

Anyone who played King of the Castle as a child is going to love Syke Farm. While the pitches on the banks of Mill Beck are exquisite, there's something extra special about bagging a bit of space on the summit of one of the tiny hillocks. Wherever you camp, though, you're guaranteed a view of High Snockrigg, the hill that rises steeply above the site like a doting maiden aunt over a pram.