Go summer camping in the Lake District

It's just like Neverland,' gasped my children, Zachary, four, and Amelia, two, as we caught our first sight of five towering teepees, one of which was to be ours for the next two nights.

As I contemplated the prospect of sleeping in a field with neither a hot bath nor a bed to sink into, I heard my very own Lost Boy plotting how to find mermaids and Red Indians.

The campsite in Cumbria is set in 65 acres of National Trust land, with jaw-dropping views of Wray Castle surrounded by rolling hills and dense forests of weeping limes.

This 19th-century Gothic revival retreat is where a young Beatrix Potter dreamed up her characters, and I'm happy to report that we saw Jemima Puddle-Duck (or a very close relation) paddling in the stream as we unloaded the car and moved into our teepee.

My husband and I had crammed our car with cushions, sleeping bags and enough Twiglets to last a month; nonetheless we were relieved to see that our 18ft teepee, with its timber frame and boldly coloured canvas sides, was amply kitted out with cutlery, crockery, pots for the gas cooker, a heater, Moroccan lanterns and Aztec rugs.

As the sun set, we made up a vast bed from a double futon and extra mattresses, where the children, zipped up in sleeping bags, crashed for the night while we prepared a barbecue dinner, warmed by plenty of Brouilly.

We settled round a campfire with some fellow teepee-dwellers (friends we'd brought from London – we're not happy-go-lucky enough to be chummy with fellow campers who haven't been formally introduced) and gorged on chicken and sausages, drank schnapps, sang songs and played silly games including grown-up pass-the-parcel. By the end of the night I was wondering why we would ever stay in a hotel again.

The next morning I vaguely remembered, when the excited chatter of Zachary and Amelia ready for action after such a long rest', woke us at dawn. This meant we had lots of time to sample all the wonders of the Lake District.

We decided on a boat trip to the far side of Lake Windermere, where Brockhole's adventure playground lured with its swinging ropes, treasure hunts and kayak rides.

We snaked along the narrow roads to Ambleside, stopping for refreshments at the English Lakes Ice Cream shop, where there were an incredible 36 flavours to choose from, including brandy and apricot.

Finally, in a 100-year-old steamboat we glided alongside sailing dinghies and bright orange canoes as we approached Brockhole House.

Built in 1899 as a private residence for the Gaddum family (cousins of Miss Potter), its doors were opened in 1969 for Lake District exhibitions and tourists.