Alternative camping trips that let you ditch your tent

We’re not sure whether sleeping in a beach hut counts as camping but we like the idea so much we’re going with it. Mudeford Spit is a sandbank with the Solent on one side and Christchurch Harbour on the other, meaning you will wake each morning to views of the Isle of Wight. Don’t expect mod cons – a majority of these huts are little more than glorified garden sheds, measuring just 4.5m by 3m.

‘There is no electricity or water supply in the huts although the communal toilet blocks have both,’ says Paul McCabe, who has owned a hut for more than 20 years and enjoys the back-to-basics living. ‘However, more solar panels are being added, so some huts are adding televisions, and in recent years new, wealthy incomers have rebuilt chic larger huts.’