A Potted History of Camping

Camping for recreation is a surprisingly modern idea. It began in late Victorian Britain, and the man usually credited with starting it was a travelling tailor named Thomas Hiram Holding, who founded the first camping club in 1901. What started as a niche pastime for adventurous young men is now one of the nation's favourite family holidays.

People tend to have fixed opinions about camping. They either love it or they will tell you, often without ever having pitched a tent, that it is not for them. The numbers say the lovers are winning. Camping has grown steadily for more than a century, and it has never been a more popular way to get away. This piece is part of our guide to camping at the UK's heritage sites, and at Camping Sites in Britain we think a little history makes the next trip more fun.

The father of modern camping

Thomas Hiram Holding is widely regarded as the father and founder of modern recreational camping. As a boy he crossed much of the United States with his parents by wagon train, including the American prairies, on the way to the Oregon Territory. That journey gave him a love of the outdoors that stayed with him for life.

By the time he was a young man he was very well travelled. In the 1880s he took a canoe on a camping trip through Scotland, then went camping and cycling in Ireland. Those trips convinced him that camping could be a pursuit in its own right, not just a means of getting from one place to the next.

In 1901 Holding founded the Association of Cycle Campers, the first club of its kind. In 1908 he wrote the first edition of The Camper's Handbook, the book that set out how to camp lightly and well. The association had just 13 members at the start, and only a handful turned up to the first meeting, but the membership carried some famous names. Later the club merged with others and grew into the organisation we know today as the Camping and Caravanning Club. The change of name reflected how camping itself was changing, as caravans became more common and some members chose to upgrade while still visiting the same sites.

Camping associations

The Camping and Caravanning Club was not the only body to form in these early years. Founded in 1907, the Caravan Club of Great Britain and Ireland brought together people who were keen on caravan life as a recreational activity. Its aim was practical, helping to supply vans and equipment and drawing up lists of suitable sites.

That club has changed its name more than once too. It became The Caravan Club in 1959, then The Caravan and Motorhome Club in 2017, reflecting the growing number of members who owned motorhomes rather than caravans. Both clubs shared a common goal that still holds today, producing a vetted list of campsites so members could find the right spot for their needs. Our own directory carries on that tradition.

The first campsites

One of the earliest commercial campsites was Cunningham's Camp at Howstrake on the Isle of Man, which opened around 1894. At first it took only male campers and ran through the summer season alone, but it grew quickly in both size and numbers.

By the turn of the century it is believed that more than 600 people a week were staying there. Four acres of land were added in 1904 to make room for a further 1,500 tents and a 100-foot marquee that served as the dining hall. It was, in effect, a holiday resort under canvas, decades before camping went mainstream.

How camping grew

Camping's popularity has climbed steadily for more than a hundred years, with only the First World War pausing its growth. The 1930s brought a real boom, driven by the fashionable idea of getting healthier and more in tune with nature. The first international camping federation was founded in 1932.

Many early sites offered ready-pitched tents and facilities. Owning your own tent only became normal once more people had cars to carry the gear. Until the 1950s and early 1960s the boarding house was still the default British holiday, but its rigid rules and lack of freedom, combined with much lighter and better tents, saw camping surge. For the growing number of car owners, the caravan became a viable alternative.

The 1970s saw people across the world trade the boarding house for the campsite. The VW camper van, first built in the late 1940s, became a symbol of the era and earned its nickname as the hippie bus. More recently two things have pulled new campers in. The first is the music festival, which introduced thousands of people to sleeping under canvas, often for the first time. The second is glamping, camping with the comforts of home kept firmly in place.

Glamping was designed for people who like the idea of camping but do not want to give up proper beds and a few home comforts. It has broadened the appeal enormously. Camping today offers far more freedom than a boarding house ever did, it is something the whole family can do together, and it remains relatively inexpensive. If you fancy following in Holding's footsteps, our directory of campsites is a good place to start.

Frequently asked questions

Who invented camping?

Thomas Hiram Holding, a British travelling tailor, is credited with inventing modern recreational camping. He founded the Association of Cycle Campers in 1901 and wrote The Camper's Handbook in 1908, earning him the title the father of modern camping.

When did camping become popular?

Camping caught on among young Victorians in the late 1800s, then boomed in the 1930s as an outdoor health craze. It became a mainstream family holiday from the 1950s and 1960s onwards, as tents grew lighter and more families owned cars.

What is the oldest camping club?

The Camping and Caravanning Club is the oldest, tracing its roots to the Association of Cycle Campers founded by Thomas Hiram Holding in 1901. The Caravan Club, now the Caravan and Motorhome Club, followed in 1907.

What was one of the first campsites in Britain?

Cunningham's Camp at Howstrake on the Isle of Man, opened around 1894, was one of the earliest. It started as a summer camp for men and grew to hold more than 1,500 tents and a 100-foot dining marquee within a decade.

What is glamping?

Glamping is camping with the comforts of home kept in place, such as proper beds, heating and furnished tents or pods. It emerged in recent years to attract people who love the outdoors but do not want to rough it, and it has widened camping's appeal.

The short version

Camping as we know it began with Thomas Hiram Holding in 1901, grew through the boarding-house years into the family holiday of choice, and now spans everything from a basic tent to a fully kitted glamping pod. The story is still being written every summer. To pick up where the pioneers left off, browse our campsite directory or read more about camping at the UK's heritage sites.