DOZENS of campsites in the Lake District will open their gates for the Easter break this weekend as Cumbria "the camping capital" rolls out the ground sheets for a brand new season.

Camping represents a big slice of the holiday market in Cumbria with over half-a-million people every year pitching tents or staying in luxury caravans on spectacular sites in hotspots like Windermere, Coniston, Ullswater and Keswick.

Cumbria is also at the forefront of new generation of camping accommodation that trendy families and couples love such as the uber-stylish "Pod" - a continental camping hut made in the county, see http://www.thepod.info/index.htm Ten of the stylish wooden pods - insulated with sheep's wool - have been installed at the Eskdale Camping and Caravanning Club site run by Martin and Sara Merckel, and have gone down a storm - http://www.siteseeker.co.uk/aspx/details.aspx?id=9030 They were made by Cumbrian company Newfoundland Leisure Lodges based at Low Lyth Farm in the Lyth Valley, which is run by Ian and Jude Bone. Pods are also going in at sites at Great Langdale and Wasdale, and they are taking orders for them from around the country. See http://www.newfoundland-lodges.co.uk/ Cumbria also offers a stay in cosy wooden wigwams with built-in skylights to see the night stars. Sleeping up to five they are available at the award-winning Wild Rose Park near Appleby - see http://www.wildrose.co.uk/content/view/16/33/ You can even stay in an authentic Mongolian Yurt and watch red deer go by outside at a site in the tiny heart of Rydal near Grasmere http://www.lake-district-yurts.co.uk/index. Yurts are circular, framed wooden tents and mean "dwelling" in Russian.

Those wanting a more traditional experience can choose from luxury log cabins like those at Skelwith Fold, near Ambleside or remote stone camping barns such as Fell End at Woodland near Broughton or Catbells, Newlands, Keswick, see http://www.lakelandcampingbarns.co.uk/ Cumbria has over 100 sites where you can park up or pitch - as far apart as Eskdale and Appleby, and from Carlisle to Haverigg. Many popular parks such as Castlerigg Hall near Keswick, which overlooks the lakes of Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite, open for the first time this month after the long winter.

The 25-acres of countryside at Park Cliffe Camping and Caravan Estate on a hillside overlooking Windermere is always popular http://www.parkcliffe.co.uk/ while others like the National Trust's Wasdale campsite at Wastwater can expect to grow in popularity in the wake of being named Britain's Favourite View, see www.ntlakescampsites.org.uk People on the move also enjoy the freedom of being able to take their mobile homes onto campsites and hook up to the services for the night like TV's comedy duo Max and Paddy,played by Peter Kay and Patrick McGuinness.

Speaking at the launch of Cumbria Tourism's Caravan, Camping and Holiday Home Guide 2008, chief executive Ian Stephens, said the sector is vitally important to the tourism experience people can enjoy in Cumbria.

Of those visitors coming for a holiday or short break to Cumbria, 11 per cent choose to go camping - against just three per cent deciding to go camping elsewhere in England. It makes the county a number one destination for the barbecue and sleeping bag brigade.

As well as being the easiest way to get back to nature, camping is also the leading budget holiday to have in the Lakes with many sites costing from as little as under £10 a night - yet with superb facilities such as showers, toilets, cafes, swimming pools and play areas.

Mr Stephens said: "Lots of people first experience the Lake District on a family camping or caravanning holiday. As they become parents they relive the experience with their own children and the facilities and choice are better now than ever.

"This type of break is also popular with visitors from the cities who want to go back to nature and spend some time in the fresh air and the outdoors. Lots of young people are choosing camping or caravanning because its an opportunity to get away from the four walls of work or home."

Sponsored by outdoor specialists George Fisher Limited of Keswick, 20,000 copies are being produced and distributed across the country's Tourist Information Centre network.

For the first time ever, the guide also includes details about companies that offer holiday properties for sale. Copies can also be downloaded from www.golakes.co.uk