Follow our top tips to make camping trips with your family a treat for all.

•  Make sure the trip begins as a family holiday long before the car gets packed up, by involving everybody in making decisions about where to go, when and what needs taking.

•  Involving children in tent life can mean more than fetching water and adjusting guylines. As well as where to go and what to do, use the opportunity of outdoor cooking to involve the youngsters in sorting out meals and shopping.

•  Encourage children to take some responsibility for their own stuff. As they get older, encourage youngsters to use their own camping gear and to be responsible for it.

•  Pack an emergency supply of clothing for those times when the almost inevitable accidents will happen; some extra warm stuff will be appreciated even on summer evenings when it can get a bit chilly. Pull together a basic first aid kit with plenty of plasters, antiseptic cream, insect repellent and sun screen for good measure. Better to be safe than sorry!

•  'Pitch up and all pitch in' is good advice for camping families. If you make setting up camp into a game you can all share the fun and it is good practise for if the children go camping with a school or club in the future. Colour coded poles, tent sleeves and quick-pitch styles make pitching a tent easy for every age and ability. Just remember, there's no rush (unless it's raining), take your time, involve the kids and have a few laughs.

•  Although the outdoor life may be the main focus of the holiday, it is tiring to be on the go all the time. Pack a variety of favourite toys and games with a few surprises to liven things up. For smaller children, familiar bedtime snuggle toys are comforting.

•  Capture memories and share the fun at home; photos can help to keep a great holiday vivid for ages. Everybody can make contributions to a holiday scrapbook - the combination of writing, photos, postcards, brochures, ticket stubs and so on creates a unique family souvenir unique to you!






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