In the coastal city of Essaouira, our writer masters the ceremonial art of tea-pouring and learns how to make flaky chicken pastilla and gazelle horns with almond paste and orange blossom waterIt is early morning on the edge of Essaouira’s medina and the famous Atlantic winds are picking up. The sea looks tawny and wild, the sky is darkening by the...

Pods, campervans, bell tents and even Star Wars domes feature in our round-up of sites set in glorious countryside from the South Downs to the HebridesWild Canvas, one of the recent wave of pop-up campsites with a festival vibe, has a host of new additions for its fifth outing this summer. The campsite makes the most of its riverside setting on the...

A website that connects campers with landowners across the UK is opening up green spaces to anyone who fancies an off-grid night or twoThe dawn chorus is loud in the woods as I unzip my tent to peer out at the new day and a sea of bluebells. I make tea and drink it slowly, enjoying the peace. It’s a perfect start to the morning after my first solo wild...

TV presenter and naturalist Steve Backshall finds a camper truck the ideal way to give children an outdoors experience in untamed parts of northern EnglandCamping trips with a young family can be thoroughly challenging, especially in the UK, when the weather often skips from sunshine to deluge in the blink of an eye. My extra challenge is that my wife,...

Whether it’s a field with minimal facilities or a comfortable site with mod cons, our tipsters pick out enticing spots for enjoying the great outdoors from the Highlands to CornwallAt the foot of Scafell Pike, England’s highest peak, and at the northern end of one of the Lake District’s most dramatic valleys is the National Trust campsite at Wasdale...

A route tracing the unification hero’s flight across the peninsula in 1849 runs spectacularly over the Apennines then descends to the sea via a string of gorgeous Tuscan townsCrickets leaping round our feet. A butterfly at the rim of my hat. Burrs on our socks. Smells of fern and pine. The rhythmic rasp of the cicadas. And, ranged around us, a never-ending...