Gill Head is a lovely little working hill farm that's been run by the same family for generations. Ensconced within the Lake District National Park, yet far removed from the tourist hordes, it offers space for tents and caravans, as well as B&B rooms and six rather funky timber camping pods.

Ullswater isn't exactly lacking in campsites. It has all kinds, from large and loud commercial parks to quieter farms and hidden spots. But Waterside House is one of our favourites; there's something easy-going yet professional about the place that makes you feel relaxed and in safe hands.

The 73 miles of Emperor Hadrian's monumental, Pict-proof stone wall is Northumberland's most famous landmark. Though its military barracks are long gone, the ruins of this historic structure remain impressively atmospheric. It's easy to imagine how the soldiers must have felt, keeping watch at the very outpost of the civilised world. The wall is now a World Heritage Site, but you can still camp just a mile or so from one of the most dramatic sections at Hadrian's Wall Campsite.

Demesne Farm's patch of flat green sits on the outskirts of the sleepy, blink-and-you'll-miss-it village of Bellingham. In fact, it's the location of this rural retreat coupled with having the Pennine Way right on the doorstep that make it so popular. Demesne Farm is first and foremost a haven for walkers and cyclists who, after a long day spent tackling the Pennines, need a pastoral pillow on which to rest their weary heads. The campsite isn't large — just one field given over to campers — but it feels bigger as it looks out over a wide expanse of rural England that glows golden as the sun falls.

Time itself seems to operate in an entirely different dimension in this north-eastern oasis of tranquillity and beauty. Or is it just that this remote coastal strip remains as it has been for hundreds of years, and that the only real signs of development are a collection of amazing fortresses built nearly 1,000 years ago?

Sitting atop the North Pennine's, Highside Farm's smallholding has only five pitches, so its miniature size almost guarantees you'll have plenty of peace and quiet. And if that isn't enough to whet your appetite, the extensive views from your tent across the valley to Lunedale andTeesdale surely will.

Spiers House campsite has been through a few changes since we last featured it in Cool Camping. Refurbished fully, it now boasts a fancy cafe and reception, a swanky loo block, and several luxury huts with hot tubs and real beds. Some pitches have also been taken over by Eurocamp, but don't worry - for all the cosmetic changes, the heart of the site hasn't changed.

Robin Hoods Bay, near Whitby in North Yorkshire, is an area steeped in romance and intrigue. Its very name is a mystery: there's nothing to link this place with the infamous green-clad hero of Sherwood Forest, but the name stands as an inexplicable suggestion of some legendary past.

Yeehah! Camp Pinewood goes one better than other tipi sites, offering cowboy shacks and bell tents, too. Here you can enjoy the Wild West theme with some home comforts in one of four 'authentic' and eight 'modern' tipis. They share one of the three camping areas along with two cowboy cavalry tents and four shacks. All tents are equipped with futons and cube beds, rugs, outside decking with picnic benches, and the luxury of electricity (so not exactly the cowboy lifestyle, but we don't mind).

Crow's Nest is a tale of two campsites. The first is a large holiday park with a bar, cafe, fish-and-chip shop, indoor swimming pool, and row upon row of static caravans. Not exacdy Cool Camping. But venture a little further, and in sharp contrast you'll find a large tents-only field with panoramic views over the sea and across the Yorkshire Wolds and Vale of Pickering. A children's playground forms a handy boundary between the two very different areas.