Camping is suddenly very cool, so much so that almost every family I know is
at least thinking of giving it a go this summer. I'd love to take my family
camping too (if only because every else is doing it), but the trouble is I
haven't camped since I was a Girl Guide so I haven't a clue how to camp with
kids.
Apart from the two little tents I found on ebay (a bargain at £10 each), what
do I need to take? And how do you find a decent campsite? Will there be
flushing loos and hot showers?
For those of you with similar queries we've found five seasoned campers to
answer these questions and more, so that you'll feel more confident about
making that first trip with kids.
START SMALL
Sharon, partner Keith and seven-year-old son Dylan are seasoned campers and
spend most of their summer holidays in a tent, but Sharon recommends
first-timers start small with just one or two nights away and gradually
build up to a longer holiday with more equipment.
"Borrow everything to begin with and get someone to show you how to put
up the tent before you go," said Sharon. "And remember that if a
tent is supposed to sleep six it really only sleeps four comfortably, and if
you're going for longer than a couple of nights you really need a tent big
enough to stand up in."
The very least you'll need for a short trip, she said, are blow up mattresses,
sleeping bags or duvets, pillows, a small burner and a cool box, unless you
pick a campsite with shops and restaurants.
Sharon makes campsite cooking easier by making meals, like curries, at home
and freezing them. "Pop them in a cooler box and simply reheat them
later," she said.
She also takes plastic bags for rubbish and dirty clothes, and a big blue Ikea
bag for carrying pots and pans to the washing up area and packing up dirty
towels and linen for the journey home.
"Look for campsites in areas with things for the children if the
weather's bad," added Sharon. "Indoor swimming pools, museums,
that sort of thing. If you've got these within driving distance you don't
need a campsite with activities, though we always take our swingball!"
CAREFUL PLANNING
Caroline has camped since she was a few months old and now takes
eight-year-old daughter Ella and five-year-old son Joseph on several trips a
year. "It's the best kind of holiday for kids," she said, "but
you need to plan carefully or it can end up being a drag for the parents."
For Caroline, the key to a successful camping rip is choosing the right site. "We
don't really like those with lots of facilities like restaurants, pools and
kids clubs but I do like to have a hot shower and flushing toilets, while
some of my friends prefer just a field with a tap."
The great thing about camping is that there are sites to suit all tastes. If
you want the Eurocamp-style with posh showers, kids activities and swimming
pools, you can find them; if you just want to pitch your tent in a field,
there are plenty of farmers who'll let you, and there's lots of choice in
between.
You just need to decide what sort of camper you are and do your research.
Caroline's husband Chris finds most of the campsites they use on
www.ukcampsite.co.uk, which lists sites by area and by facilities, and so
far it hasn't let him down. "We've never ended up anywhere we weren't
happy with," he said. "I sometimes just Google "family camping"
plus something like "river" or "coast" and find sites
that way."
Chris's top tip is to read what other visitors have said about a campsite
before you book. "We nearly booked a site recently until I read a
comment that said it had a fair ground right next door, which would have
been a disaster for us."
Camping is now so popular that gone are the days when you could just rock up
at any site and get a pitch. Unless you're going to the back of beyond, you
really need to book at least a couple of weeks in advance, or aim to go
midweek and arrive early in the day.
To cut down on the preparation, Caroline advises keeping camping stuff in
plastic boxes that you can load into the car at short notice. "It might
mean buying two of everything, like can openers and cork screws, but it's
worth it."
BABY COMES TOO
Ella and Jonty took daughter Jemima camping when she was just eight weeks old. "It's
actually really easy camping with such a young baby, especially if you're
breast-feeding," said Ella. "You don't need to take much stuff at
all, not even a travel cot. Just make a bed out of a pile of blankets."
The washing up bowl or bucket can double up as a baby bath and the only
other thing you need is a stack of nappies and wet wipes.
"When the children get older, they like to have their own camping gear,
like little head lamps," added Ella. "Millets do a great range of
kids stuff and it gets them excited about camping."
She also advises giving young children little jobs to do, like counting the
tent pegs, to keep them busy while the grown-ups set up camp.
Though Ella and Jonty started camping with a small, crawl-in tent, they've
just upgraded to a family-sized tent with three sleeping compartments and a
communal area in the middle. "It's good to have somewhere to sit when
it's raining, especially in the evening and the children are asleep, and
somewhere dry to keep your clothes and stuff."
Little things you might not have thought about but which will make your trip
more successful include pegs and a length of rope for drying damp clothes, a
mirror (especially if you wear contact lenses) and loo roll, said Ella.
"Also flip flops for the shower and plenty of warm clothes because even
when it's hot during the day it can get cold in the evening. We also take a
box of games to keep the children entertained when it's wet - and a pack of
cards for the adults!"
FAMILY FESTIVALS
Think your music festival days are over now you're a parent? Then think again.
Graeme and Francoise have taken their three kids to the three-day WOMAD
(World of Music and Dance) festival in Reading every summer since they were
born and later this month (Aug 18) they are taking all of them to the
Beautiful Days festival in Devon.
"These festivals are very child-friendly, particularly because they have
family camping enclosures that are separate from the main field," said
Francoise. "Also they have workshops, such as circus skills, for the
kids and fun-fairs."
But do the kids like the music? "They do at WOMAD because it's mainly
Asian and African with a nice beat, which the kids love to dance to. We take
a big rug and let them sit and listen to the music or dance till they fall
asleep, then we carry them back to the tent.
"But I wouldn't take them to festivals like the Big Chill, which isn't so
child-friendly, or Glastonbury, which is too big."
One of the great things about festivals is that there are plenty of food
stalls, so there's no need to cook if you don't want to. "You can get
kids food such as bangers and mash or a big plate of pasta for about £4,"
said Francoise. "I never bother to cook. I just take fruit, some
snacks, lots of sunscreen and hats (there's never any shade), plus sleeping
bags and a tent. That's all."
You do need to book ahead, though, as festivals sell out early. "Try to
book in early spring," added Francoise. Find more festivals on
www.myvillage.com
FIRST TIME BUT NOT SO HAPPY CAMPERS
John McNally and partner Louise admit that their first camping trip with three
young children was not entirely successful. They returned soggy (it poured
with rain), sleep deprived (all five were crammed into two tiny tents) and
exhausted (John spent the weekend chained to the stove).
"When I flick the holiday switch in my brain I think of relaxing and
possibly reading a few good books, I don't imagine myself sitting in a field
huddled over a bottle of red wine," said John. "But that said, the
kids had the best time ever; I was just too wired at the time to realise it."
So what went wrong? "We should have taken a much bigger tent, because if
you're six feet five like me it's impossible to sleep in a two-man tent,"
said John. "Also, we ended up in an over-flow field with chemical loos,
miles from the proper toilets and the showers. If you've got kids, you
should make sure you pitch your tent comfortably close to the facilities.
"The other thing you need if you're going to cook every meal time is a
proper cooking range - it's a slog cooking three meals a day over a two-ring
stove."
So would he go back? "I would because the kids had such a great time -
but I'd take a massive tent and check the weather forecast beforehand."
