How to improve holidays with children

All this rain has brought back childhood memories of summers gone by, of drenched picnics and sodden sandcastles, of damp caravans and leaky tents. There's nothing like a British family camping holiday, and I'm certainly not going to let my little rays of sunshine miss out on the experience.

But if we're going to enjoy the great outdoors, we may as well do it in style. To appreciate the summer in all its glory, I've found a wonderful safari-type camp – in Tenby. Set in coastal woodland overlooking the bay, tentedlodges. co.uk (07985 169101) opened last year, providing families with the perfect place to appreciate the elements and still stay cosy. No leaky canvas here – it's luxury all the way: each tent has wooden beds, comfy mattresses and fitted sheets and duvets as well as private barbecues.

For outdoor fun in Derbyshire, there's a brand new kids' offering from Greenwood Days (01332 864529; greenwooddays. co.uk) in the National Forest. Stay in a timber lodge, where you and your brood will get back to nature and pick up all sorts of woodland skills.

You can always cheat and stay in a converted barn. Enjoy the great outdoors from the comfort of Black Barn in Suffolk, new this season with Rural Retreats (01386 701177; ruralretreats.co. uk). It may not exactly be camping, but with the beaches of Aldeburgh and Walberswick just a stone's throw away, you'll still get to build sodden sandcastles and enjoy a drenched picnic or two - weather permitting.