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My dear old husband is 40 next month ( he's quite a few years on me !!), and I'd like to organise a 40th party for him. He relatives mum, dad, sister etc including 2 kids from previous marriage, live miles away down south and when they visit really like to make themselves at home and like to waited on hand and foot - feels like a bloomin guest house I'm running.

So that my husband and I can actually enjoy the celebration, wondered whether a camping party would be a good idea, that way they would have to look after themselves a bit or at leat muck it, plus figure will be a really memorable occasion, something to look back on.

Any ideas for a site that would be have a family group of about 10-13 (we're not really too rowdy - have kids!) and allow a party. Looking at North Wales coast, ideally Anglesey, or conwy valley, or possibly shropshire. Would ideally like a site with kids play area and nice clean facilities, great if could be near a beach....!

(Is it a tall order!!?)

Also would be great to hear your ideas/ experiences to make camping parties fun/ different/ memorable (excluding any keys in ashtrays - ha ha ha ha!)

Heaps of thanks,

Claire

Thanks Skatty - sound like we have similar thinking!!! beer, burning things and more beer! Yes, looked a bit at the search, just wondering what camp sites took parties!

Is there enough of you to book a rally field ? then you dont have to worry about upsetting the neighbours so much !

You could maybe get a few ideas of sites with rally field from our rally/meets forum

we take rallies/parties of all sizes not north wales but mid wales and near a beach...

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=5083

i had a camping party for my 40th, last year, and it was fantastic. it wasn't in the area you're looking at but i just phoned up and asked if i could have 15 pitches for a party and they said yes!
we decided on a hawaiian theme and everyone dressed up  in grass skirts etc.
we all got dressed up in the afternoon and then had a massive cook up where everyone cooked a dish and put it in the marquey for the meal, at night time we had a couple of guitars and a sing song round the campfire.
 the weather was glorious too and it all went really well, there are some pics in the gallery if you wanna take a look, but i can't do links so look under july 2005 billies birthday meet!

hi gal i tink u shud go 2 wyreside lakes and fisheries nr lancaster coz its gr8 there and staff r very friendly. wen u av a private function u get respected and u have a gr8 time coz the staff are fantastic. here is the website address. www.wyresidelakes.co.uk

good luck findinf somewhere to have your party.

It's a great Idea, I did my 50th last Easter, I think there was about 45 of us but they didn't all camp, My  sisters liked thier comfort too much so booked cottages,and statics close by.
Five car loads of family came up from Yorkshire, one of the best weekends I have had brilliant.
You will love it. The we bokked Campsite isn't any good affraid it's in Perthshire
Blair Athol we didn't say we were going to have a party just booked X amount of pitches together and stoped the music around 23:00

Lots of Pictures on My homepage.
 

Hi claire the same thoughts have been going through my mind for next August as Gavin will be 40 (I have a few years on him)but the area I'll be looking at will be east devon. Anyone who knows us out there welcome!

I'll be watching this thread for ideas now

We went to a camping wedding last year in Cornwall and it was BRILL!

Can't help with site suggestions for the area you are interested in, but some of my suggestions are:

1) Is there a theme you could think of that is close to the heart of the birthday boy? (We did a Midsummer night thing cos it was 21/6, and this included the more extravert ones dressing as fairies, and everyone having glowstick as wands - but then we are a bunch of neo-hippies.........)

2) When making your booking enquiries, explain what it is for and see how they react - the site we were on had not had a group/party thing before, but were willing to give it a go. The fact that they had brick built BBQs dotted around was great, and they let us move some picnic tables to our plot too for the evening celebrations.

3) Given your point about some of the guests needing a nudge to get off their b*ms, the invites can make it quite clear that it will be a "cook & share" experience. We had great fun on other nights doing a dish each (we did indian food one night, and italian on another) Those without culinary inclinations got to do the supermarket run in search of beer, and the washing up afterwards. Pitching in together like this was part of the fun!

4) Given the unreliability of the weather, we had 3 gazebos in line to create sufficient covered space for socialising when wet. You could do this or look into hiring a marquee (either to take there yourselves, or from a local supplier  - the site owners might have one you could use for a fee too)

Quite honestly it was a great week we had, and everyone (even the groom's rather "hyacinth" like mother) enjoyed themselves.

I say - go for it!!