Camping with a festival spirit

These days, you don’t have to head to the big music festivals to find a campsite with a family-festival atmosphere. You can find it on the banks of the River Great Ouse instead — specifically on the stretch that meanders through the stately parkland of Bedfordshire’s Turvey House Estate. When August arrives here, so does Wild Canvas Camping. Their beautifully furnished pitches and Bell Tents arrive in this riverside setting and, thanks to a concoction of delicious on-site food, bar, activities for all ages and small-scale live bands and DJ sessions, they manage to create a family festival feel — without the festival crowds.

Weekdays on site are quiet and peaceful. At weekends, things ramp up a notch. There's an ever-changing rota of things to do but typical activities include yoga, paddle boarding, kids nature clubs and arts & crafts sessions with a talent show and dress-up kids disco. There are plenty of free activities while others are paid for and you can keep the family fed thanks to the pop-up ‘Soulfull Inspirations’ cafe and visting food-trucks. But, of course, you don't have to take part in anything if you don't want to. You can simply kick back and enjoy the space of the campsite and, of course, an evening around a campfire, which are happily welcomed here provided they're raised off the grass.

The setting itself takes some beating. These riverside meadows have been out of bounds to the public for hundreds of years and wildlife flourishes here. Kingfishers flash past, dragonflies flit across the water and swans glide noiselessly by. The river, which flows languidly along the edge of the campsite, is great for a paddle on a hot summer’s day and there are several good footpaths on the doorstep, including the North Bedfordshire Heritage Trail. When the sun's out and the kids are larking around by the river, when it's setting and you're listening to chilled out tunes by the bar or when it's gone to bed and you're enjoying the campfire, you'll be grateful that canvas camping has gone wild in Bedfordshire.