Photo credit: Mister Moo. More of his Flickr stream here.

Concerns about the credit crunch and worries about a potential economic downturn escalate, consumers are looking for ways of cutting holiday costs, rather than cancelling plans altogether.

With this in mind, bookings with the Camping and Caravanning Club are already up 10 per cent on last year, with many of its 4,000 campsites already nearing capacity for the summer.

'We're seeing a strong increase in interest, with more people looking for good-value holidays, particularly families and the younger market,' said spokeswoman Ruth Walmsley.

At brasher we've always considered campers to be key audience for our products, so over the next few months watch out for more posts on what's going on, and where, in the camping scene.

To kick things off, here are 10 of the best places to camp near a beach, in the opinion of the Travel Guardian.