Top tips for camping in the rain puh-lease

[tigana]

Because we are going this weekend.
To Cornwall.
And the ILs are coming too, staying in a B&B, but still coming.
And MIL will moan about the weather and somehow make it sound as if it is DH's fault.

[nikkid21]

Dump the kids on MIL and you and dh hit the pub

Not helpful I know but you can pretend that's what you are doing when you retreat to your happy place rather than scream.

[CountessDracula]

cancel anad book into a hotel?

[tigana]

Will make best of it.
Will pack wellies and macs.
and spare trousers and socks and shoes...and maybe some cocoa.
and lemsip.

[Flibbertyjibbet]

Do you really need to ask?

My top tip for camping in the rain:

Stay at home and don't plan any more camping trips any further in advance than a 5 day weather forcast can predict.

[OverMyDeadBody]

accept that absolutely everythin, and I meaneverything, will get wet sodon't even try to keep things dry.

Embrace the rain, make games out of being wet in the rain, rather than being miserable because of it, and chances are you'll have a much better time.

Spend lots of time in pubs having lunches that last all afternoon.

Hit the beaches. It doesn't matter if it's raining there as the aim is to be wet anyway right! Wear wetsuits, or even just full waterproofs, and run in and out of the waves, get wet, embrace it, as I alreasy said.

I do sympathise though, I spent ten days camping in devon last summer and it rained every single day! DS's feet where permenantly wrinkly from being in wet wellies.

[PrettyCandles]

If the campsite is grassy, or at least not too stoney, let the LOs run around in waterproofs, shorts and barefoot. Skin dries faster than clothing! And bare feet bring less mud into tents than wellies do. We have a no shoes in the tent rule - all footwear is taken off in the porch. If they have warm tops they won't be cold. Though your ILs may well be shocked.

If you have space in the tent, bring a clothes airer. Invaluable when you have wet coats.

[OverMyDeadBody]

oh, and order take-aways like pizza, don't even attempt to do any cooking.

Take lots of cocoa and big flasks.

Take lots of cupa-soup type things, for instant warmth.

[OverMyDeadBody]

and what PrettyCandles said.

Take a football too, great for keeping kids busy in the rain (and adults too, if they aren't stick-in-the-mud types)

[tigana]

If it weren't for the fact that the ILs are booked into a B&B I suspect we would have cancelled by now.
Although last bh weather forecast said it was going to rain all weekend and it was actually quite nice..[hopelessly optimistic]

[Lucycat]

I'd tell the ILs to amuse themselves and you ahve a lovely time in the rain!

Nothing nicer than bacon butties and good coffee sitting in the awning of your tent while it rains.

Can't you tell we're off to Devon tomorrow (5am bleurgh)

[spudmasher]

We are meant to be camping tomorrow for a couple of nights and I was just about to start a thread pondering whether to bother or not. The forecast is awful. Tigana has a lot more at stake than me - no in laws and camping only and hour away from home but I just can't bare the thought of being cold and wet.....
Feel like such a killjoy if I pull out - kids are really looking forward to it and we really need to spend time together as a family.
Had a terrible time last year- flooded tent which we had to abandon at 5 in the morning- just awful.
I just don't know what to do.....

[PortBlacksandResident]

Look as if you're having a bloody good time.

Better still, have a bloody good time.

ILs can't argue with a bloody good time as much as they'd like to.

[Fullmoonfiend]

oh lord, we camped for 2 weeks last summer in torrential rain and gales luckily with nice weather inbetween the storms )
Google before you go: find indoor play places, museums, swimming pools, bowling alleys, nice child-friendly pubs etc and print them out. That way when MIL starts to whinge, you produce a nice dry list of options

[piratecat]

where abouts in cornwall are you going?

[Ripeberry]

We are going camping as well but in N.Wales, so hopefully will escape the rain
We are taking our bus...yes bus to a transport/steam rally up there and we are going to camp in a tent next to it.
If we do get wet, then at least we have a whole bus!

[nikkid21]

We're commited to going down to Weymouth tomorrow regardless of the forecast. Have booked and paid for 4 nights and plan to stay the whole week unless the tent blows down.

Currently in Farnborough, Hants where the forecast said rain all afternoon but it's warm and sunny outside now. Hoping that everyone else decides not to go but then forecast is miraculously wrong and we have the campsite to ourselves.

Serious ides for rainy weather

Uno / pack of cards
As above - I throw the lo outside in wetsuits and they have a whale of a time. How often does a five year old get told that it's ok to make mudpies with a molehill?
Have googled and printed off details of every soft play centre in the local area so we can have a couple of hours to drink coffee in the warm. Also farms with indoor play stuff as you can nip in and out between showers.

[Lucycat]

ooh Ripeberry - your bus is sooooo cool!

is it all fitted out a la Summer Holiday with the Shads strumming along in the back?

[Ecmo]

buy rock pegs. the ones with the ridges down the sides. They will stay in if it gets windy and a storm tether thing maybe helpful too.

We survived a gale overnight in Wales about 3 years ago but there were only a handful of tents left in the morning.

We're going away in our caravan this weekend but prob won't put our awning up. We're staying on someones drive anyway!