My Top 10 Holiday Essentials...

By Lorna Fraser

I love camping, proper in a tent camping, preferably somewhere in the sunny French Alps. I like waking up with the birds and snuggling up in my sleeping bag when it gets dark. Here are my holiday essentials for a summer camping holiday…

Our Tent – Of course! My husband and I have a spacious Vaude tent which is really for four people but gives great living and sleeping space for two, with plenty room for our blow up mattress.

Camping Stove – there is something about open air cooking that makes food extra-tasty, especially if you are cooking with ingredients bought at the local market.

Cool Box – got to keep that Rose chilled and those beers icy-fresh and also handy for not having your butter turn to liquid form. Most campsites will have a freezer to keep your freeze-blocks solid.

Walking Boots – we like to camp in the Alps and spend the days hiking up hills or through forests. We've watched eagles soaring above us and spied on marmots playing in the high rocky outcrops.

Hat – keeps the heat off my head, disguises a bad hair day and stops the sun's glare when I am reading my book.

Sunscreen - I choose a high factor, specifically for the mountains. Camping and sunburn does not mix well.

Guide Book – useful to decide where to go next when we change our minds about our itinerary.

My Kindle – loaded up with lots of books to read and fully charged to keep me going. Saves on weight and luggage space too.

Head Torch – handy for those midnight walks!

By Lorna Fraser