Mumsnet Talk

1st trip of the year for me, meeting up with two other families (friends).
Just wondered how many are venturing out for the school holiday :-)

The February half-term? In Britain?

I've been camping in the October half-term and the Easter holidays, but February half-term???????

Yes, February half term
We did it last Feb half term had a ball. It was dryer than the washout that was Jubilee week in a tent.
Can't do Easter this year off to Egypt - governed trips by school hols ; so any chance....

In that case, I take my hat off to you. My woolly hat. In fact, you keep it. You can wear it at night.

DS1 camped last weekend. With the scouts in their Force 10 tents. He said it was fine I'm not venturing out until May.

Hell no, despite just buying a new tent which I'm keen to try out (much bigger etc)

I'm finding it cold enough in my own bed!!

Will think about it at Easter

@ ThreeBee

Fair play, OP.

I hope you have fun

Nothing would entice me to camp in miserable February.

Although today was lovely and Spring-like. You might have the right idea.

Three - have woolly hat ready, but thanks for offer.

We will all have heaters, carpets etc and are taking a firepit.

Just like summer then, but in Feb .......

Lovely sun in the sky today , hope it lasts.

@ Chippy,
If kids can do it and say it was fine then no excuse for any of us not to?
Gotta love those orange Vangos !

DS has gone with the Scouts today - he had a 4 season sleeping bag for Christmas!

Forecast here is pretty good for next week so hopefully you'll have some lovely springlike weather - and a nice quiet campsite

Oh my giddy aunt!

I must say, I'm a tad that you have the cajones to even think about it.

You'll spend the rest of your holiday looking for them though, after you're made it through the first (- degrees C) night...

No way! Even Easter is a bit early for me - it's the nighttime temperature that's the killer. We had -2 at Easter and I couldn't get warm all day after that. And with the sun going down so early it's cold early - and what do you do all evening?

Eek shivering at the thought.

I would go for night, but DH would most certainly not!

Mid march will be my first outing this year!! Counting the days!!!

I'm never cold though, duck and down duvets, 4 season bag, lots of blankets...bring it on.

"I'm never cold though, duck and down duvets, 4 season bag, lots of blankets...bring it on. "

So do you just spend the hours of say 6pm till 8am under these duvets then?

We never go before the first May Bank Holiday, and that's usually pretty chilly!

Hats off to you OP!

I would if I had any time off - but we sleep in a van - with gas heating

First weekend in March for the who household - not through choice mind you - its a pre-wedding party for my sil. Unfortunately her house is full of <ahem> older members of the family so me, dh and the dcs are camping in the garden.

They have promised me electric hook-up tho....

pausing, you get the bravery stupidity award
we did first weekend in April (never again) and had ice on tent and snow on day two. f-f-freezing. no way will I ever do February.

Not good...no :-) i have full ski wear...duvet jacket, sallopettes. I go climbing in the hills so campings part if the package.

No such thing as bad weather...bad clothing.

Also its a child free trip so not tied to the tent ;-) the pubs warm!

We are off for a couple of days. No facilities at all, including no electric/toilets. Will be camped on a beach woohoo!! Though we do live in the UAE

Well, I'm just packing up the car . Excited . Scraped the ice off the windscreen,it's going to be lovely......
Teen was caught saying he's actually excited, (& updated Facebook to say so, so it must be true) after stomping around and asking why? :-)
Back on Thursday, so only 3 nights.

Thanks for your replies- made me smile.

Meeting up with friends , they are bringing homemade cakes etc. His hubs can't get off work, I'm taking friend ( fellow vodka drinker) who's bringing homemade soup and muffins...

Matildaduck - thank you for reminding me ; blankets , I forgot.....going into car now.

Did you survive?

And more to the point, did your cojones?

Yes! we need to know, did you survive? do you still have your cojones?

I won't tell how wonderful the deserted beach was and how lovely the weather was in my neck of the woods

Sorry for delay on update.

Not only did we survive, ( and my 14 yr olds cojones too) - but had a great time.
The blankets stayed in the car unused, the fleece sleeping bag liners also went unused....I love a good 4 season sleeping bag .
I think, because I go 'out of season' I have a set up which can cope with it, and have lots of layers.

Woke up Tuesday to find the whole field, and tents and anything left outside covered in frost, but all toasty inside.

I met up with other families , we are scattered around the country but meet up to camp and socialise in school hols, this time we didn't wake up to snow - but have done before.

One of the group took a day tent complete with carpet and heater - we all took our chairs in there and met up to chat , drink , eat cake and laugh a lot in there.

Some others friends came over on Tuesday , we sat outside ( with more cake) and none of us wore coats , it was sunny.

Mr PFB , couldn't get time off work - my friend came instead with me and my 2 kids. First time camper . She loved the chilled out vibe of it all - so she has become a convert and since we got back , has booked to come on our next group meet at Whitsun ( and talked another non camper into coming .)

The kids all had fun, the youngest was 3 and they just got on with it and didn't moan about the cold.

All in all a successful trip , would I recommend it? Only if you have kit to cope with the cold.
Will I go again in February - you betcha !!!!!

The best bit - left the night time loo at home. None of us needed a night time run to the ( wonderfully warm) toilet block.

MrsWembley - are you a massive stadium fan or do you live there? I used to be in the first allowable parking road on stadium days - complete nightmare....

Good to hear your alive!

Only Two weeks to my first camp this year...bought new fleece pj's :-) can't wait......

Matildaduck - I love a good pair of fleecy pj's - only trouble is they are so comfy and warm ; you don't want to get dressed when you get up

You were right in your previous reply - no bad weather just bad clothes ....

Glad you had fun, sounds like a good time was had by all.

We always used to go camping from February/March to the October half term. The kids love it, it is such a social hobby.

Ranty - where is your neck of the woods ?
'Lovely weather / deserted beach ' sounds divine.

Ah, not a reference to the place, pausing, merely a reference to a character from an old sit-com...

Oh, and glad to hear you had a fabulous time. I'm itching to get out there now!

The UAE There are no official camping places so you just pitch up and camp. So no facilities, just a hole in the ground that you dig and cover over when you leave and lots of wet wipes, so 1 or 2 nights is the max really. Daft thing as well is come April time it is going to be too hot to go camping so we will have to stop until October.

Mrs Wembley I used to love that sit com.