a day ago
EXCLUSIVE I ditched London's luxury hotels to camp on my car's roof - and was surprised by the results
It was my husband Marc's idea. He'd read about car roof tents being the next big camping trend and wanted to give it a go.
But what's a roof tent? Visualise a tent that fixes to the top of a car and extends beyond it, providing a more spacious and elevated experience to a ground tent.
They come in all shapes, sizes and levels of grandeur, with prices starting from £800.
My husband's an outdoorsy, sleep-under-the-stars kind of guy.
His wife prefers boutique hotels.
But in every relationship there's give and take, so a few weeks later we arrive at East London 's Abbey Wood Club Campsite, near Greenwich, where James Lewis from the Caravan and Motorhome Club helps attach a roof tent to my Mini.
Even petite cars can carry a roof tent.
What matters more than size is the roof's surface. You don't want it to be too smooth because you'll need rails to fix the tent on to.
As James attaches the boxed up tent onto bars he's screwed to my roof (this is a fiddly, half-hour-or-so process) he explains how roof tents have seen an explosion in popularity over the last five years.
Some manufacturers have reported a 100% increase in sales in 2024, with no sign of interest slowing down.
Why? Because Brits have become a nation of outdoor enthusiasts who want to experience it in style.
A roof tent offers a superior and more robust living space to a ground tent. But what's it actually like to sleep in one?
The one I'm road-testing is made by the Australian company ARB (roof tents are particularly popular down under) and is their new Esperance 2 model which sleeps three (two adults and a child) and retails at £2,469.
Excitement builds once the box is fully fixed and ready to be opened.
I unclip right and left; then tug on the ladder and voila. It's like magic.
The tent erects in a remarkable ten seconds flat.
Jo says: 'There's a comfortable, quilted, in-built mattress. There's also a window, sky roof and lights (powered by the car battery) to help see in the dark. It's like a canvas Crowne Plaza'
Equally remarkable is climbing up that ladder to peek in.
There's a comfortable, quilted, in-built mattress. There's also a window, sky roof and lights (powered by the car battery) to help see in the dark.
It's like a canvas Crowne Plaza!
In go pillows, sheets and duvets (brought with from home) and soon enough the top of my car's been transformed into a cosy boudoir.
Sleeping quarters prepared, it's time for dinner.
Abbey Wood's a great city bolthole.
It feels like the countryside, but is on the Elizabeth Line and only a couple of stops into central London.
So we hop on the tube to Tower Hill where I've booked a table for two at The Dickens Inn in St Katharine's Docks.
It's a historic pub which was opened by the author's grandson in a neighbourhood Dickens frequently depicted in his novels.
It's the perfect spot for a romantic meal and to toast our camping adventure.
Creamy mushrooms on sourdough toast followed by grilled sea bass and fruit crumble are washed down with a bottle of Malbec and enjoyed at a table that overlooks Tower Bridge.
Everything's delicious and sets us up nicely for the return journey.
Contrary to expectations, I'm looking forward to snuggling up in that roof tent.
It's warm and welcoming and even though I'd imagined tossing and turning, within seconds I've nodded off.
It's the sound of rain that wakes me early morning, but even that isn't a dampener because here's where the benefit of being off the ground kicks in – you're more sheltered and insulated with zero risk of getting wet.
And that's because a whole vehicle separates you from the lumpy, uneven, soggy soil below. And the tinkle of rain against the canvass proves strangely soporific.
Within minutes I've been lulled back to sleep.
There's something special about waking up to the trill of birdsong in a wood with nothing but a sliver of material between you and the outdoors.
And being up on the roof means you get the same great view as if you were in a campervan or caravan, but for a fraction of the price.
Over a cup of coffee my husband and I consider scarpering while the tent's still attached to my car - possession is nine-tenths of the law and all that.
For ease of getting away in comfort, at the drop of a hat, a roof tent really does take camping to new heights.
