So I had a conversation with my husband a few months ago, feeling sad that with 4 kids, 4 dogs etc... we cannot afford to go on holiday, and since we used to camp when we showed dogs pre-children would it be fun to try it now with the kids??
2 months later we've camped twice, going again for a long weekend on Friday, are the proud owners of two Outwell tents, an ever evolving kit including furniture, electrics etc....have bought a trailer and having the towbar fitted on the car this week before we go away, what has happened?? Anyone else ever wonder how this camping lark takes over??
BTW I do love every bit of it, having great fun, and never knew how much I loved being in wellies, chopping firewood, cultivating the perfect campfire and constructing the "perfect" tarp!! Long may it continue :)
You can surprise yourself by how much you enjoy the experience. I resisted camping for years, then drove to Rome and back with a friend, mostly camping rough. I loved it, couldn't believe how resourceful I was.
For us it was an evolution.
BC (before children) it was the two of us, a wee two man dome tent, two sleeping bags, two roll mats and a spindly little stove.
We always camped wild, and would trek for miles to find the perfect spot, so never took much if we could help it.
Now we've got three kids and a 5 metre bell tent and canopy. Our camping list spans 5 pages of A4 and takes hours to pack.
Thing is.. your children will in later life reminisce about those happy times when camping.
For all the various types of holidays our children had, the camping and caravan holiday are the ones they remember with fondness.
------------- It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.
We only went camping as something to cross off my bucket list.....3 years later....5 tents, numerous kit that appears from the tent fairies and no spare room in the house. Teens that wild camp, grandsons that have all their own kit here and a lovely, lovely site about 20 mins away that we can ring on the off chance. Oh and a tent specific for garden camping for when I need a fix. It's an addiction plain and simple!
I was not allowed to do anything that was perceived as "dangerous" when I was young by my parents, and did not start to appreciate the great outdoors until I relocated to Wiltshire in 2005/6.
I had my first camping trip in 2006 to attend a car rally, and got the bug ever since; so much so that I continued to go camping on my own after my late partner's sudden death in late 2008.
My kit has evolved since 2006, and is still evolving. Hopefully, my next tent purchase will be the last before I moved to the dark side and get a tin tent.
DK
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A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets