5 tiny campsites to squeeze into

Quay Road, Charlestown, St Austell, Cornwall PL25 3NX; www.broadmeadowhouse.com

Broad Meadow has two geese, one furnished and flashy Karsten tent and plenty of space for people bringing their own canvas. Since the owners limit the number of campers on site to a dozen, you get the distinct feeling of being one of an incredibly privileged few. This is especially true if you order a delicious breakfast basket (and fresh smoothie) to be brought to your tent.

Basking sharks and grey seals are sometimes spotted in the bay while peregrine falcons, sparrowhawks and buzzards contest the air space above. Swallows skim the surface of the field and are so used to company that they come quite close to feed.

In tiny Charlestown there’s some easy coasteering to be had; a gig club that allows beginners to have a go at rowing on novice nights; and, for those who want to go it alone, sea kayaks and other water vessels can be hired.

Kildale, Whitby, Yorkshire YO21 2RN; www.kildalebarn.co.uk

Park Farm in Kildale enjoys one of the most sublime views you’ll ever find on the UK’s shores, and on a clear day you can look out across to Tan Hill and the Yorkshire Dales.

The campsite itself is a tiny triangle of sloping grassland bordered on two sides by a low drystone wall, with a hawthorn hedge on the third. A few cooking-apple trees give some additional shelter, particularly at the snug foot of the field.

Captain Cook was born and raised in these parts (scenes for a film about his life were shot on the farm) and a walk up to the Captain Cook monument on Easby Moor (1.75 miles) is highly recommended, if only for the astonishing photo opportunities.