Hi,new here.
I did a lot of camping 15-20 years ago and loved almost every minute of it. Last week a neighbour asked me if i would be interested in buying "some" camping gear. I ended up parting with £400 for all his gear including a trailer. There is far to much gear to list and how things have changed, we have electric hook ups and ovens lighting, heaters, the list is endless. The tent is a Hi Gear Carado 4 with the extension canopy which makes it 24 foot x 10 foot ish.so we have booked our first week away for the middle of August but due to the size of the tent and the fact that we want electric we will be on a field with touring vans. My wife and myself find this a bit intimidating. For reasons neither of can explain, so is just us? Should we really be worried about something so trivial when we are taking 3 children under 10 and a 5 month old puppy lol.
What is it you find intimidating about being amongst the vans?
I wouldn't like it either, but that's purely because it would mess up my chi being surrounded by metal. Vans aren't the prettiest neighbours.
Personally I'd look for a site that could fit me in somewhere rather more pleasing, but if you are set on going to that particular site then do...don't feel intimidated.
To be honest neither of us are entirely sure why it worries us.. We have a static caravan our selves, I think its just because everything has changed so much since either of us went camping last. I guess we are just being daft! I'm sure there is no good reason why it would be a problem. I should be more concerned with the puppy escaping or eating the tent.
There's no need to feel intimidated amongst people in touring caravans as the majority of caravanners started out camping themselves anyway including us. We went on a site only last month in Dorset whereby there were both tents and caravans on the same campsite field and I chatted as much to the tent campers as I did to the ones in the touring caravans. At the end of the day everyone is sharing the same interest disregards what unit they have and you may find that there was nothing to worry about.
It's not as bad as it seems. Some caravanner's are actually quite normal! Some are even pleasant enough to talk to!
Not for the first time, a couple of months ago, we were the only tent on a site surrounded by about a dozen 'vans. Nobody batted an eyelid, and we even had two separate neighbours comment on our "lovely tent". I'm certain they weren't being patronising, either!
Yes, you may come across the odd one who seems a bit uppity, and they may even look down their noses at you or won't even make eye contact with you (it does happen!), but then, not all tent campers make ideal neighbours either, for one reason or another! I guess it's the same wherever you go in life, on or off a camp site.
Best bit of advice though, is to practice putting your tent up before you go (room in your garden?). You may have an audience, and we don't want these 'vanners thinking that tent pitching is difficult, or that they have "a far superior unit"!
Oh... and no farting or belching... they will hear you, and you will give us all a bad rep!
Same advice here - we were pitched next to motorhomes earlier this month as we wanted EHU
it wasnt an issue (there were 3 or 4 tents mixed in amongst motor homes and we were all very friendly towards one another - at the end of the day you all have a common love of being outdoors
we even got shown round one of the motor homes by a lovely couple who were trying out their new unit for the first time, they also liked our tent (they used to own a tent until they slipped over to the dark side lol)
We have been to a site before where it was mostly caravans around our tent. No one seemed to be concerned that we were in a tent and they weren't. I am sure you will be fine. You might find most caravanners started in a tent as we did. We bought our "van" last year. I sometimes miss our tent and find myself admiring the other tents on the field.
When we were battling to put the tent up in North Wales a couple of weeks ago we were surrounded by a mix of tents, caravans and motorhomes. We were really struggling at times due to the strength of the wind and it was a guy from the motorhome next to us that braved the conditions to offer some help and a welcome cup of tea! The tenters very much kept themselves to themselves!
------------- May 2015 - Arrow Bank 4 nights
July 2015 - Manorafon 4 nights
August 2015 - Piccadilly Caravan park 3 nights
August 2015 - Wheal Rodney 11 nights
Cant say it bothers us at all, have been a few times when weve been the only tent - tends to happen when the weather is not great haha - but always found caravanners to be just as friendly as tenters :) and they make good windbreaks and also youre less likely to disturb each other haha :)
------------- June 2015: seaview international 2 nights
July 2015: little winnick 2 nights
August 2015: lower polladras 5 nights
august 2015: tollgate farm 5 nights
august 2015: oakdown 3 nights
September 2015: tregarton park
family of 6 with young children
I am sure that you will all have a wonderful time, don't worry!
I get what you are saying about being in a field with only caravans, but how do you know that you will be the only tent, there are plenty of large tents that would potentially be in the same situation.
Just a tip regarding the puppy, we always take two tie out stakes and tethers with us for our dog, one goes outside the tent for fine weather, the other ensures that the dog remains tethered inside the tent at night or whatever but can still move around freely inside the tent, that way you know the dog is safe, especially with three young children to see to you will have quite enough to do!
We usually thread the tether through the EHU access hole in the tent and stake it out outside at a suitable distance. If necessary we knot the tether to the required length inside.
Just relax and enjoy the experience, you will muddle through as we all do!
------------- Enjoying life beyond kids, new love, living on a boat and a new lease of life in my mid 50s! Never too old to reinvent yourself.....
Mum to five - 4 girls, 31,28,25 and 22 and one boy, 20
Engaged! Wedding June 2020!
Thanks all for the encouraging words. I think as much as anything else it's a combination of taking the kids the dog and a load of gear that i haven't used before lol we have a 3x4 foot trailer that came in the deal but I'm pretty much certain we are going to need a roof box as well and theres only 2 weeks untill we go. I'm sure all will pan out ok once we get set up.
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
Topic: First time for a long time
