Message Forums

Hi, i'm new to this site!    My husband wants to go camping (i've come round to the idea!) - along with our 2 children.  Can anyone help me with recommending any campsites which have tents available to hire?   We just want to try it out before spending lots of money on all the equipment.  I have heard of 'ready tents' in France but cant find any info for sites in the UK.  We would be happy to travel to Norfolk/Dorset/Devon. 

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you all!

Joteddy

hi there joteddy

i think trevornick in cornwall do tents i think they r euro tents have a look at there website

tracy

Your right tracy!

They also hire stuff out: http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=2685 if you want to try REAL camping. Although, I booked two months ago for the school holidays and just managed to get in the overflow field, so they might be full.

Broad Meadow House in Cornwall was listed in the Guardian Guide to Camping at the weekend. They have 3 Coleman hi-tech dome tents, see http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=6825

Thank you all so much for your replies!  However, after finding out just how expensive it would be to use a 'ready tent' we have decided to go for it and buy one!  (my husband almost fell over when I told him it would be £260 for 3 nights to hire a tent!!).  So, would someone please be able to help me with a 'list' of the basics that I need to buy?   (although I've seen there is a separate section for 'buying a tent').  We are planning a 2 night trip along with probably the rest of the UK (!) leaving this next Friday.  We will be choosing a site with a shop/cafe so we wont need to have all our meals in the tent.

On the subject of sites, we were initially thinking Norfolk (we live in Royston, Herts) but do you think we're best sticking closer to home for our first trip? 

I'm excited but nervous because I want us all to enjoy it!

Look forward to hearing from you all, thanks again,

Joteddy

Hi Joteddy

We are starting camping again after a 10 year break raising kids. I've printed out the list of items to take with us from here: http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=7 and am adding to it as things pop into my head.

We're off in a couple of weeks to a site just 15 minutes drive from home, that way I can go home for everything we forget and if the kids don't take to it, we can quickly pack up and leave.

Thanks, I've just printed that list too.  I may aswell take our entire kitchen after reading it.  So camping must be ok if you're going back to it after all those years!

I'm looking at Suffolk at the moment - about an hour from us - if not, it will be Cambridgeshire which is even closer. 

We're lucky, a five minute walk gets us into the peak district and until I started looking I had no idea how many hundreds of sites there are so close.

We're only starting camping again because the kids want to, although I must admit we did love it the last time we did it. There's something about cooking a full English outside a tent, then chatting to the husbands doing the washing up after. (Your husband does know he'll be responsible washing up, fetching/emptying water, etc)

One of the kids cousins went camping last year for the first time, he told ours that it was the best holiday he'd ever been on in his life, and he's been to Mexico, his dad had apartment in Ibiza and he's done all the Disneys, etc, so it must be good.

Only thing the wife isn't looking forward to is de-sanding the kids without a bath when we do the beach holiday in the school break. But I recon a Solar shower and the kids 2-man dingy should do the trick (add this to your list of things to take).

Beware that a lot of parks will already be booked up for the Bank Holiday, so make sure you at least phone ahead to check the availability.

Hi again,

Well we've gone and done it!  Went out today and bought a Wynnster Phoenix 4 and all the other bits & bobs that we'll need.  Just got to borrow some plastic cutlery off my mum & dad and then we're away!

Little bit concerned - my husband phoned the campsite to book a pitch half expecting them to be fully booked as like you say it is bank holiday weekend - however the woman he spoke to said "just turn up, we'll have room for you".  Now our friends have already booked - but they have caravans - there's around 20 people plus us 4.  Do you think we should ring them again just to double check?  Dont want to load the car up, get the kids all excited and then turn up to be turned away!!