This week, with the summer holidays upon us, we're going camping! There are nearly 8,000 campsites in France, with close to 900,000 separate spots to pitch a tent. The love affair between the French and this cheap but cheerful form of holiday has a long history – we take a closer look. There's also been a recent surge in sales of camping cars, with more than 500,000 such vehicles now in circulation in France. They allow the owner to hit the open road and the sack in the very same space.