Because at this working dairy farm,just outside the sleepy hamlet of Nomansland near Tiverton, campers and their kids are encouraged to take an interest in what goes on around here. The farm itself sits between the camping fields and the facilities block, so you'll inevitably wander past and find popping your head into one of the barn doors irresistible, with their welcoming labels and friendly residents.

Manor Farm is a charming, isolated Devonshire idyll located so near the M5 that campers can fall into step with the West Country's calming, unhurried way of life quickly and easily. Signposts to the farm line the main Torquay Road, and just five miles from the motorway and equidistant from the coast a steep detour promptly descends into rural calm. As you pootle along between high hedgerows the campsite jumps into view.

The National Trust didn't make a big song and dance about this site until recently when regulars put the word out about their top camping snug in Exmouth s locale, and its sudden popularity nudged the Trust into sprucing up this old favourite.

When Cornwall is too far, Dorset not far enough, and Somerset too 'inland', then Devon is the perfect West Country destination.To discover the county's true countryside charm and primeval serenity, it's better to journey as far south as possible. Feel all your cares evaporate along the scenic coastal road from Dartmouth all the way to Stokenham, home to Old Cotmore Farm, nuzzled between pretty Torcross and picture-postcard Kingsbridge.

The only clue to this campsite's existence is a hand-painted 'camping' sign that looks like it's pointing in the wrong direction.The site doesn't even have a name and is known by locals simply as 'the one run by Beryl'. Beryl herself describes the secretive site, hidden at the end of a tunnel of trees in Beeson village, as her 'unconventional camping haven'. Charming eccentricity is certainly apparent here, not only in the laissez-faire attitude to publicity, but also in the quirky names of the 20 pitches, such as Panoramic and Snug.

South Allington House may be slap bang in the middle of a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty between Start and Prawle Points along a sweep of South Devon's coastline, but the fact that you can camp in its grounds is a rather closely guarded secret - the owners don't even mention it on their website. So don't tell them we think their secretive site a bit of a camping oasis, with its facilities offering a cocoon to the least intrepid of campers, while its location in a beautiful valley surrounded by farmland will gently coax the toughest city nuts back to nature.

As camping paradises go, it's hard to beat pitching your tent as close to the beach as you can here at Maelcombe House. Beachside camping coupled with views of some of the most unspoilt, uncrowded stretches of the south coast is enough to enrapture campers here. Many enter into some kind of ecstatic trance as they stare out to sea from this small and almost perfectly rustic campsite.

Karrageen is all about giving its lucky occupants plenty of room to breathe, think, play, and relax. There's no tangle of guy ropes here, and there's even room for those multi-bedroom monstrosities that can take up a good few pitches on their own.

When someone puts love into a campsite, it shows; and Bay View Farm is one loved spot. Welcoming owners Mike and Liz have been smitten with the place since 1972 and, after finally buying the firm and opening it to campers in 1999, they've put a whole lot of love into maintaining it.

Come and have an easy Breazle time at this relaxed site surrounded by mid-Devon fields. A great place for first-time campers, South Breazle offers superb facilities and spacious pitches with individual names and separated by pretty flowers.The pitches are looped around the perimeter of a field in a horseshoe shape, within easy reach of the facilities.