Richard Mason retires his tent and retreats gratefully from the rain in a cosy pet and family-friendly pod

As I plough through my 30s and youthful exuberance makes its inevitable plod towards mid-life sensibility, I have rather lost my appetite for camping. I was all for it in my late teens and early twenties, making sometimes twice-yearly jaunts to the Lake District in the car rammed with everything you could conceivably need for a weekend where all that separates you and the stars is a single sheet of canvas.

The weather, unpredictable in the Lakes as you can expect, never used to bother me. In fact, it would add to the fun.

But the joke started to wear thin when every single camping trip seemed to be heralded by deathly black clouds, a rumble of thunder and then three days of incessant rain. The final straw came when my tent leaked during one such downpour, prompting me to put the whole lot in the bin and went to sleep in the car instead.

The love affair was over. Until now. Because something that resembles a traditional gipsy caravan has made waves in the camping world. I had once poured scorn on these camping pods, sniffily saying “it’s not real camping”. But it can be as good as the real thing, as I found recently.

We ventured over to the southern tip of the Lake District, just outside Milnthorpe, about a half-hour’s drive from Kendal, to a site named Fell End.

It strikes the right balance between remote and convenient, with the aforementioned Kendal and Lancaster not far away, but sufficiently disconnected from the hustle and bustle of urban life. On site are a number of pods, which have space for one car to park outside, and can sleep two children and two adults. We had a pet-friendly pod to accommodate our dog, who was apparently delighted to be joining us on a holiday for once.

Unpacking took less than an hour, which is an improvement on the long, drawn-out affairs of erecting a tent and unfurling the usual assorted gubbins to go with it.

The pod is probably about the size of a single hotel room. In camping terms that’s huge, and of course the other difference is you have the headroom not usually afforded to you in a tent. Outside is an ample veranda where most of the cooking took place. Under an umbrella, I must add, as it tipped it down for three out of the four days we were there.

A storage radiator is provided, and the pods are insulated, so we were very cosy in there. There’s an electricity point, so you can feasibly bring along your laptop or iPad and stick a few films on there if the weather is, as we found it to be, inclement.

The site itself is a mix of pods and static caravans, and is improved immeasurably by a large, modern leisure facility with a pool, gymnasium and bar. We spent our days going for an early swim, attempting to make brunch in the pouring rain, then heading out to see the sights. Arnside, a pretty village overlooking the eery Morecambe Bay, is five miles away and is worth a wander around, while Lancaster and Kendal can while away a few hours easily. Kendal and Windermere are not too far away at all, although we steered clear on this occasion because the more touristy areas of the Lakes resemble Benidorm in Berghaus during the summer months.

Since our stay, the park haa launched some Woodland Retreats, which we had a peek at while nobody was looking. They are luxurious wooden and glass cubes that have a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen – albeit tiny versions.

It’s safe to say they have converted me. The tent is in permanent retirement.

  • Richard Mason was a guest of Pure Leisure (pureleisuregroup.com/parks/fell-end)

The camping pods cost £80 for two nights (min two night stay) and accommodate up to two adults and two children (under 14). There are pet friendly units available, all are available all year round (except for January when the park closes).

Fell End is one of 11 sites owned by Pure Leisure Group in the UK, and one of five in the North Lancashire/South Lakes area. It's a five-star park, with a Gold David Bellamy Award for conservation and a Green Apple Award for environmental best practice.