Camping is the new big thing it would seem. With people looking for a cheaper option when it comes to going away, tents are getting more and more popular.

So Escape decided to jump on the bandwagon and sent Jo Barnes on a trip to West Wales… We always used to go on camping holidays as children - West Wales, Scotland, France - the orange and blue family tent was packed into the car along with everything we would need and off we would go.

As a grown up I’ve camped a few times in a two-man tent but haven’t done the full-on family holiday under canvas. So it was about time I gave it a go.

I’d been toying with the idea of buying a tent for a while and now that it is the ‘in’ thing to do, I thought, why not go for it.

So, we took a trip to a local camping store (Go Outdoors).

Looked at what they had on offer and after some great advice from an extremely helpful and knowledgeable assistant, we decided a six-man pod-style tent was just what we we were after – then it was home to scour the internet for the perfect camp site.

It didn’t take long to find exactly what we were looking for. A grassy field with clean but basic facilities, away from large caravan sites bursting with people but close to the sea and the wonderful coastal towns of Ceredigion.

Of course, a tent is just the start of the adventure. You need bedding, cooking facilities and utensils, clothes for all eventualities.

You could go completely bonkers buying all sorts of weird and wonderful camping equipment but it’s best to keep things simple and work out exactly what you need.

So, notwithstanding what I've just said, with car packed to the gunwales and a couple of excited teenagers on board we were off.

The bank holiday roads were surprisingly clear and it took next to no time to reach our destination – the idyllic Ty Rhos camp site near New Quay.

We pitched the tent (after first practising in the backgarden so we didn’t look like complete novices) and headed off into town to lap up the atmosphere and enjoy some delightfully fresh fish and chips and a beer at The Penwig.

This part of Wales is beautiful. There are plenty of beaches for everyone – we discovered a deserted one with rock pools, a waterfall and fantastic rock formations ideal for a bit of rock climbing.

Our site was a great place to explore the area from. We walked a bit of the Ceredigion Coastal Path, discovered the delights of New Quay, took a trip down the coast to Cardigan.

There we literally stumbled across Barley Saturday, Cardigan’s annual stallion show which also included a much-appreciated classic car and tractor display which goes right through the centre of the lovely old town watched, it would seem, by the entire population of Cardigan town.

We also took in a visit to St David’s to suss out sites for a future camping and surfing trip and also looked in on, where else, Newport!

Dog friendly Ty Rhos camp site has only been open three years but is already on the radar of the clued up camper and caravanner.

Andy, the wonderfully convivial Welsh-speaking farmer-owner, told us that on one night last season he had an incredible 125 people staying!

When we were there it was a lot fewer – five tents and six caravans – so there was plenty of space to play French cricket and football in the field without annoying the other campers.

If you enjoy getting back to nature, this is somewhere you should visit. Sheep with their lambs and a horse took up half the field and three ducks took charge, quacking greetings to us campers as they paraded in convoy around the site each day.

Now, we could’ve wandered down the road to the local pub for food each evening but we’d come equipped. It was barbeque time.

Delicious meat from local butchers was enjoyed in the spring sunshine and then it was time to play some more or read before getting tucked up in one of the three bedrooms our voluminous Hi Gear Sahara 6 provided.

Being high up and so close to the coast it was no surprise that the site could become breezy at times, and on our last night the wind really picked up and gave the tent (and the occupants) a good test (which we and it passed with flying colours).

As easy to take down and pack away as it was to put up, the tent will soon be used again – I just have to find another delightful location before we head off again once more.