As far as hair-raising experiences go, this has got to be right up there.

This tent was spotted suspended over a sheer cliff on Portland during the Easter break.

The photo was taken by David Pead of Portland at around 9.15am on Easter Sunday.

Mr Pead saw this green-coloured tent pitched on a cliff at Freshwater Bay, on the eastern side of the isle, just south of Church Ope Cove.

It was greeted with much concern by social media users after being posted on a Facebook community group.

The tent is hard to make out at first but can be seen 'pitched' a few metres below the cliff edge.

Mr Pead said: “I have lived on Portland for five years but this is the first time I have seen this.

“It was an overnight camper. They tether the tent to ropes and scale down the cliff and sleep in it.

“Luckily it was a calm night for him but must have been rather noisy with the waves.”

Cliff camping is becoming increasingly popular with adrenaline junkies who can purchase overnight experiences spending ‘an unforgettable night on the side of a cliff, suspended over the sea in Pembrokeshire, Swanage or North Devon, or the Dorset coast.’

Climbers are also getting in on the act, with the experience of camping on a portaledge - a deployable hanging tent system - while scaling a cliff thought to be one of the most in-demand experiences around.

As long as the portaledge is set up right, there's no way to roll off it because climbers sleep in their harnesses, fastened to the wall with an independent rope and there's always something to catch them.

However, Mr Pead’s photo of the cliff camper provoked a strong reaction from some social media users, with one branding the camper an ‘idiot’.

They said: ‘You should get some nice pictures of the coastguard helicopter when it comes to rescue the idiot.’

Another commented ‘It takes guts to sleep in one of those’ and another wrote ‘I'd be frightened when my bladder plays up’.

Another wrote ‘Imagine forgetting you’re in a tent and getting up for a wee in the night!’ and another person commented ‘this is my camping nightmare’.

Mr Pead said he never expected such a reaction after putting what he thought was a light-hearted photo on Facebook.

He said: “I just can't believe how such a small thing like this has inspired people to comment on it - we all must be so bored!”

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said coastguards didn't receive any calls about the cliff camper on Portland.

The MCA issued the following safety advice: “Cliffs along the UK coastline are continually eroding, with pieces falling from them that can be just a few small rocks or as large as a car. 

"We recommend people stay well away from cliff edges, stick to designated paths and follow all safety warnings in place.

"Don’t risk any shortcuts and only climb up or down cliffs if you are properly equipped and trained. Stay aware, stay well back and stay safe.”