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Falling in love with camping

Helen Tither
6/ 8/2008

CAMP it up in style this summer for a holiday on a shoestring. Helen Tither tells you how...

LILY Allen fell in love with camping this summer when she lived it up by dressing down at the Glastonbury festival. And if she can ditch her posh prom frocks and towering heels for some dirty old wellies so can we.

In fact, pitching a tent is the height of cool among the city fashion set, with even die-hard fashionistas like Kate Moss willing to get their skinny jeans muddy in the name of festival chic.

Plus, with all the worry about fuel prices, carbon footprints and expensive foreign jaunts, camping is the eco-cool way to holiday this year.

So, whether you are living it up at a live festival, or just dossing down for a quick weekend in Wales, it's time to embrace your inner country-loving chick and give it a go.

Luckily, Style survived the horrors of Guide camp many years ago and can give you a few top tips on all things tent related. See our five step guide to camping it up in Style (and on a shoestring, too!).

1 BE PREPARED

As any Guide who has spent the night in a sodden sleeping bag when the tent leaked will tell you, it pays to be ready for every eventuality. So, make sure you know how to pitch that tent before you set off, even if it means a few trial-runs in the back yard first.

2 KIT COUNTS

You'd be surprised how much stuff you need to live it up outdoors. So, stock up on all those bare essentials before trekking off. Thank heavens for Poundland, which opens in Manchester Arndale this week, selling all the handy bits and bobs you could need for £1.

3 SUPERMARKET CHIC

You don't have to spend a fortune on your tent - some supermarkets are even doing value range basics if you are just looking for a simple weekend getaway piece of kit. Tesco's Value range is doing a fantastic two-person camping kit for only £29.99.

4 WORK THAT FLORAL LOOK

OK, it's not our most practical piece of advice, but if you are going to give up your swanky holiday abroad in favour of a wet weekend over here, at least do it in style. We're thinking 1940s style teadresses, a la Ms Moss, with a weatherproof parka over the top for a real I-just-threw-this-together look.

5 WELLY GOOD

And, finally, that essential piece of kit - the good old Wellington boot. Don't go camping without a pair. But at least make them funky, like a pink stripy pair from Regatta, or leaf-print design from Dorothy Perkins.

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