Camping and public transport

I have not personally done this, but my brother did it two years ago for about 3 months. He did use our cousin's place in Cologne, Germany as a base. He camped various places in Switzerland, Amsterdam, Paris, Provence, and I think he also camped in Germany. Although campgrounds are not IN town, he said it was easy to get to town from them.

I haven't been camping yet over here, but in Belgium and the Netherlands, I have seen troops of scouts riding trains with all their camping gear. I don't know where they were headed, but apparently some place accessible to public transit.

"not roughing it, tenting, and communing with nature." Actually, there are some areas in the Odenwald mountains close to where I live where you can do this type of camping, but it would be nearly impossible to get there without a car. And you can't have open flames.

I've "camped" in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland, using a rented VW California pop-up camper, and tent-camped with a rented car. In my experience (which is not comprehensive) many campgrounds in France - notably the "Municipal" ones - are within easy walking distance of the town that operates them. No other country in Europe - to my knowledge - has municipal campgrounds. Again, in my experience only, the campgrounds in Germany, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland are less likely to be within easy walking distance of a town. You can probably pull this off with a good amount of research. Here's a start: http://www.abccamping.com/indexuk.htm. This site is an exhaustive database of French campgrounds, and the municipal ones are labeled as such. You'll have to cross-reference with train stops on your route. There are references for campgrounds in the other western European countries, but some available only in printed form, and some that show only particular campgrounds - like the ones with nightclubs and swimming pools. Virtually every campground you might visit will have toilet, sink, and showering facilities in a central building - usually quite modern and in good condition. Many times, food is available. At the campground nearest Rothenburg in Germany, the proprietor takes your order for pastry to be delivered every morning! Often-times the campsites will be separated by hedges, and can offer some privacy. It will not, as has been observed, be a "wilderness" experience in any case. All that said, I can't recall ever encountering a "backpacker" at a campground in the countries I've visited. Most everyone is either car/tent- or caravan-camping.