Camping

Could you tow a small caravan? Got to be more comfortable than a tent, but surely not as expensive as a motor home.

My problem with camping would be trying to get up off the ground every morning!!!!

A couple of my friends have trailer tents, slightly more comfortable than the basic camping gear. They leave them packed up ready to go whenever they have a few days and the weather allows.
Both bought second hand.

Trailer tents are very good, easy to store and tow. You sleep off the ground and slightly more substantial than a tent

Some friends of ours bought a trailer caravan! They say it is brilliant, better than the trailer tent they had but I expect more expensive.

Thanks for the replies. I have already made the decision no crawling around - I'd never get up from an air bed. DH says camp beds would be the answer. Hadn't thought about a trailer tent but definitely worth considering. Lots to think about!

Camping is now rightly called 'glamping' with electric hook ups, clean and modern shower blocks, onsite shops, etc..

Yes, there are other more primative sites available but they are for the intrepid young.

Most importantly, get decent beds - my preference are the roll up, self inflating ones, the deeper and more expensive the better. Don't skimp on this. Don't buy those awful blow-up beds as you'll just roll into each other or off onto the ground.

Go to somewhere like GoOutdoors and look at everything that's available. Or ...some campsites now have 'pods' and, while you still need bedding and cooking gear, you don't need a tent and they are lovely and cosy.

Safety tip: do not use one of those disposable BBQs in your tent or pod and never take it inside when it's gone out either.

Also buy an event shelter so you have somewhere to sit under if it trains or gets too hot. And buy decent camping chairs too.

WOW Anya what great advice thankyou. The possibilities are endless and I definitely like the sound of glamping. We will look very carefully to make sure we make the right decision.

The very thought of camping makes me shudder, but good luck to you if you're hardy enough!

My friend's husband likes to go fishing. There are lots of fishing lakes here.
They have a big van and have fitted it out with beds, small cupboards, even a toilet of some kind - don't ask!
They take a camping stove for heating water, they don't cook, just take ready to eat food,and go off for 2-3 days at a time. They're 73 and 78 and he's an amputee.
So if they can do it, anyone can.

Go on the camping and caravaning website lots of info on trailer tents etc. Good club to join. Club sites also certified locations to stay on.

These days, you can buy quite spacious tents that have lots of headroom yet pack away in a very compact bag. However, to me, a comfortable bed is a major consideration. If DH is happy to tow a smallish trailer, you could take quite substantial mattresses with you, in addition to a few other creature comforts that wouldn't fit in a car alone.

Many years,ago we camped with a borrowed trailer tent. It was ok but rained the whole time.a few years later we bought a second hand tent, a big one with separate areas and kitchen window. Also an awning. We spent the second day digging a trench around,it to direct the flow of rainwater away as much as possible. We sold it !!

Oh dear Coolgran I don't blame you! Trust me if the forecast is rain we will not be going ? We are looking at glamping -thankyou Anya. Looks quite good especially the pods but we shall see. I will let you know how it goes!

Have fun, so very glad my camping days are over.

Been there and done that! Never again!

Been there, done that, and would love to do it again. If only?. Good luck to you and enjoy the wonderful freedom of it all.

Been there and still doing it. We have gone the opposite way to most folk. Started off with a large tent and gradually accumulated so many items it became a mission unpacking afterwards. Nowadays we only take a small tent, high enough to stand up in, just big enough for a double bed in the sleeping area and a small area for our stuff. Everything goes in our small trailer, which stays packed over the summer months, and goes on the back of our motorbike. Love it, yes get creaky knees and have to roll out of bed, but the fresh air and freedom. There's nothing like it, although mostly we go away for long weekends these days, not long holidays. The downside for us is getting up at night, usually more than once these days, otherwise go for it, and enjoy.

shandi that's exactly it......just accept that you will have to 'roll out of bed' and you're a camper.

When our children were teenagers we used to go backpacking, mostly on the Derbyshire and Yorkshire moors. We did that for a few years, you certainly get close to nature.
We took dehydrated meals, which were ok.
I put my foot down eventually, too primitive, and we graduated to Youth Hostels, then to a holiday house in the Lakes. And eventually to a small cottage of our own in Scotland.
The children benefitted from it a lot, and they all still love the outdoors.

We have had caravans for nearly thirty years now and we will continue to have one for as long as I am able to tow it. But I know that it is not the answer for everyone, and camping is really a young person's game, I think. Motorhomes are expensive (to buy and to maintain) - so I would also recommend a trailer-tent. They are relatively inexpensive to buy, easy to tow behind an ordinary family car, and offer all the advantages of camping without the "roughing it" feeling of tent camping.

Why not hire one for a week or two and try it out before you commit yourselves?

Camping can be fun, if the weather is good. DH and I were quite keen, in days gone by, but now the communal bathroom arrangements make me shudder!

DSs are still keen, too many years in scouts! DILs not so keen.

Communal bathroom arrangements - behind a bush then a splash in the stream!