There are no worries about designated drivers and drink-driving limits when you camp at the Golden Lion. When the landlord calls time and you've drained the last dregs from your pint, you can just roll out the back door and into your tent.

When the current owners took over the inn the land beyond the beer garden was just a field, but they figured they could put it to better use and turned it into a small campsite. There are a couple of hardstandings and some electric hook-ups, so it can be a bit heavy on caravans, but creative uses of the shrubbery can help to camouflage them.

The pub's about midway between Camborne and Falmouth, and abuts the quiet shores of Stithians Lake, a magnet for anglers and water sports enthusiasts. So if the trip to the coast north or south is too much effort, you can buy a fishing permit or hire a windsurfboard at the nearby water sports centre. Whatever you do, it's worth working up a healthy appetite for some good pub nosh and a few fireside pints at the end of the day before it's time to roll out into the garden and try to remember which bush you hid your tent behind.



COOL FACTOR In a lovely garden by an award-winning pub. WHO'S IN? Tents, campervans, caravans, (well behaved) dogs, groups - yes.

ON SITE Pitches, including 2 hardstandings and 12 with hook-ups, across the land behind the beer garden. There are 2 neat and tidy showers and 2 toilets attached to the side of the inn, accessed by code-locked doors. No campfires.

OFF SITE The site's equidistant from Cornwall's north and south coasts, so take your pick.

Otherwise the lake offers plenty of options with all kinds of waterborne craft and conveyance available for hire. See www.swlakestrust.org.uk.

FOOD AND DRINK The pub's bar and restaurant meals have an emphasis on good-quality local produce, particularly beef and game. If you want to DIY there's a farm shop -Cornish Organics - at Four Lanes, along the road.

GETTING THERE From Redruth (off the A30) take the B3297 towards Helston and turn left at Four Lanes on to the B3280 (Stithians Lane). At the T-junction go right, heading for the lake; carry on until you see the Golden Lion on the left. PUBLIC TRANSPORT Train to Redruth, then bus no. 34 to Four Lanes. It's a 21/2-mile walk to the Golden Lion.

OPEN All year.

THE DAMAGE Tent plus 2 adults Ј12-Ј14 per night.