Lyndon Top

Lyndon Top covers 100 acres of gently sloping grassland on the southern shore of Rutland Water, and the whole operating model is built around that lake. Pick your field, pick your corner, face the water. The grass is kept short enough that any pitch works; the warden Susan knows the site well enough that she'll quietly steer you toward Area 9 if you want the best view.

This is a true off-grid site: no electric hookups, no showers, no toilets in the conventional sense. What you do get is water taps in every area, a chemical disposal point, and grounds kept in immaculate condition. The freedom that comes with the format is the point -- arrive and spread out across a field rather than squeezing onto a numbered hardstanding. Midweek the place is tranquil; weekends are busier but the scale means it never feels cramped.

The Rutland Water Nature Reserve is a two-minute walk from the site entrance, the cycle track that runs the full circumference of the reservoir starts at the gate, and Stamford -- one of England's finest stone market towns -- is six miles east. A restaurant is a five-minute walk. Oakham and Uppingham are within easy reach for supplies. An ice cream van and sandwich van make occasional site visits, which adds more than it sounds on a hot afternoon by the lake.