General Chat

We bought a family tent last year but only spent one night in it in the garden. We want to go camping in the summer but wonder whether anyone has any tips for us as we're amateurs. Louise

My tip is send the family camping and stay at home with an indoor flush lav, hot running water and all modern conveniences! nell

I'm looking forward to trying it. The night we did a tent test run the girls slept like logs and even the dog was quiet. It's just timing it right for when the weather will be dry. Louise

Just make sure its not windy when your trying to put the tent up. Maggie

Don`t forget your toilet paper or a torch!!! oh and also the little pocket games you can buy,like connect 4 and battleships!! xxxx

Just find a decent flat campsite with all facilities,showers loos and a club house. Dont forget cooker and all utensils. Where abouts are you thinking of camping. Sue

Dont forget to wear knickers and a scarf because.... I can hardly bring myself to say this......of earwigs......ugh......lolBC

We live in Nottinghamshire so we're thinking of the North East Coast, possibly near to Alnwick. Our girls are four and seven.We all like places where it's quiet and there are as few people as possible. Louise

We love camping Louise and go as often as we can. Yes try to pitch the tent on the flattest part of the site, or you'll be rolling downhill all night. Don't put the tent up under trees, if it rains the tent will get constant drips! We always take those cheap fold up under bed storage bags. They're great for keeping your clothes from getting dampish! Don't forget the silly wee things like tin openers, refuse sacks, washing up stuff and extra gas canisters/or batteries for camp lamps. And yes, games...board or cards etc to keep the kids amused This site gives loads of useful tips http://www.ukcampsite.*co.uk/ (remember to remove the *) Christine Have a great time

dont do it Tracy

Louise Need a camping trailer for tent,cooker,chairs.blow up mattresses,boxes of untensils for cooking,table,lights/torches, Pans/kettle,sleeping bags,towels/toilet bags.bags for clothes, Dont forget a washing line and pegs cos decent campsites have washers to save you taking dirty washing home. This may sound a lot of things but I can assure you will need them all. If you need a camping trailer give me a mail through GR Sue

Thanks everyone for the advice, it's given me more to think about. We've got most of the things suggested because we have a wonderful camping shop at the top of the road. Our car will need to be of Tardis like proportions. We haven't got a tow bar so we won't need a trailer. We have roof bars, maybe we'll need a roof box. We have friends in America who go wild camping and have passed on tips too, although not leaving food in the car because of bear attacks probably doesn't apply. We don't have a big coolbox yet, are we better having two smaller ones, for easier storage? Electric hook-up cables seem to be overpriced, are there cheaper sources? We have a wonderful portable dvd player that the kids are going to use. We won't be going until it's the summer. Keep the hints flowing. Louise

Welly boots and cagoules - definitely when camping in this country! LOL A bag or plastic box to put the muddy wellies in. Hot water bottles maybe, depending on where and when you are camping. Lots of plastic carrier bags, very useful for all sorts of things! A portable or disposable BBQ, but check with the camp site - some don't allow them. We used to camp, and later caravan, when our 4 kids were small and they loved it. It was always an adventure to them. We quite often had weekends away (go Friday early evening, come back Sunday late afternoon) with 2 or 3 other families, neighbours or friends. We camped on very basic sites, one water tap and a portaloo, but have very happy memories of games of rounders etc and board games in the evenings. Kids are now aged 20 to 33 and their kids keep asking when they can come camping with us! We're chickening out of tents now though and saving for a motor caravan! We'll put an awning on it so the grandkids think they're camping! LOL Most of all, enjoy yourselves - I'm sure you'll have a great time. Sue xx

We bought a small groundsheet for outside the entrance to the tent, because when it rains the ground outside the tent is muddy so if you put a ground sheet there, it saves a lot of the mud walking inside the tent. The ground sheet outside gets cleaned by the rain or a bucket of water will do the trick. Our favourite places were the Lake District and Devon and Cornwall. We had some wonderful times and everyone is so friendly, I hope you have a great time too. June xx

Louise we live in Australia and a favourite pastime for the grey brigade here is to get away up nth. from the colder states down south we have a nice caravan with all mod cons now home theatre and toilet and shower , but I have been there and done that in the tent with the children on the mornington peninsula which is in victoria .for six weeks we had days where it was 38c and 7days of rain my chidren were 3 and 5 the whole site got a virus and every one was ill with the runs or vomiting, nobodytold me about the beds being against the tent wall and every thing was soaked the frig I hired as we had a powered site broke down and all my meat was ruined did I enjoy myself yes immensly and the children had a ball,regards lara xx

Yes stop in an Hotel!

Good camp shower...a shower head attached to a hose in a bucket of warm water then attach to bilge pump connected to car battery, of course a sturdy pole to put it on, and a tarpaulin for privacy..just Heaven!!!...beats those cold water washes anyday.....LOL Vickie (oz)

What fun for the girls.............parents? Not so sure. We only live once! Lily

Pillows and maybe a Blanket each for on top of the Sleeping Bags, it gets damn cold out there of a night time, Pastime fun games and Munchies, dustpan and brush, crumbs get everywhere and so will the insects, Enjoy yourselves, we did it a lot when the kids were little, Thank God they are all grown up!

NO ELECTRIC HOOK UP'S IN A TENT!! One thing you are certain to be, especially in the morning, is DAMP. Electricty and damp are a wonderful combination,FIZZ BANG POP and up will go half the camp site! Surely part of camping is doing without TV and electrical gadgets- isn't that what its all about? jess