to ask what you are supposed to DO on a camping holiday in the UK??

[BalconyBill]

I mean, I know there's the day setting up the tent and the mornings/lunchtimes/evenings trying to cook for a family over a match, but..

Where's the relaxation? The laying in the sun? The chilling in a hammock? The swimming (in warm water)?

I just don't get it

YABU. There's the fighting off insects, tripping over guy ropes, trying to dry out soggy clothes - endless fun really.

We relax with really long hikes and long pub lunches....

Drink wine

And the absolute joy at getting away from people who need constant entertainment

Walking.
Visiting local attractions.
Sit out drinking wine when the weather permits.

I used to feel exactly like you. We're off camping next weekend with a bunch of other families and I'm looking forward to -

• arriving to a load of kids all running around barefoot and rolling down the hill all the long evening
• sitting around a firepit, starting off with chat about holidays and quite quickly as we have a few beers talking about real stuff and catching up properly on people's lives while watching the stars come out
• deep sleep in the cool velvet dark, punctuated by starry trips to the loo
• fresh morning air and nothing much to do except sit around with a coffee
• long ramble on an ancient green lane during the day
• not really seeing very much of the kids except for occasional visits to inform us what they are up to in the woods
• no/minimal insect issues

You can lie in the sun, and chill in a hammock (bring your own, obviously). Swimming? Well, you may have to travel for to the nearest town for that, admittedly, but we used to use a campsite on the edge of a small town and the heated indoor pool was within easy cycling distance.

You can read, play cards, walk nowhere in particular, and just do nothing.

But if it's not your thing, don't go.

Campfires (in the right campsite), relaxing under the stars, occasionally removing small mammals from the tent, listening to the sounds at night, day trips...
I love camping, a beach holiday is not for me at all. Fortunately the more people who don't like camping the more space there is for those of us that do! Which of course is the same for the beaches as well

Oh and the smart people take swimwear and Suss out where the nearest public swimming pool is. A trip out and a hot shower in one!

oh and just to say, there is no cooking over a match for me - I will be enjoying trout cooked over the firepit and a range of salads, and a full on breakfast from the gas cooker. A wild camper I am not, though I can sort of see the attraction of that too.

In general, camping in the UK is not like Guide camp unless you want it to be.

Walking, cycling, playing on the beach, paddling in rock pools, sitting by the tent while the children play with whoever they've found, visiting interesting places. Loads of stuff - theres certainly no time that I think I'm bored

The best bit about camping (especially with a large group) is that you don't have to DO anything! Kids amuse themselves, adults drink tea all day and wine all evening. Bliss

I love it, we're off tomorrow afternoon for a camping weekend. As long as you have the right clothes and equipment it can be really cosy and comfy. We choose nice quiet campsites with beautiful scenery, nice pubs within walking distance, a short drive to a beach or forest and always have an amazing fun time. It helps that we live on the Devon/Cornwall border so can get to some wonderful campsites without having to go very far at all. Once the tent is up I find it a very relaxing break. You can't really compare it to a holiday abroad because they are so very different.

One of my favourite camping experiences was watching mole hills being pushed up before my very eyes

Took moley almost a bottle of wine to get about 50ft across the field

Your OP is exactly why I don't do it as an adult.

As a child we were dragged, sorry - happily taken, every summer by our parents. Its all they could afford. I just remember it being miserable. Mostly it was cold, grey, wet, windy. I spent hours inside the tent reading my book. I have hardly any happy memories of camping!

I haven't subjected my own DC to it, although it's tempting sometimes to show how holidays were in my day. Hurrrummmph.

Joan I'm with you on the cooking. A decent camp stove is worth it's weight in gold and for our last trip we bought a collapsible firepit. The jacket potatoes cooked in it were the best I've ever tasted.
Loving the thought of watching moles even they are very cute PITA's! I once had to remove a hedgehog that was sniffing round DS's sleeping pod and trying to get in. They are hugely cute close up

You can do exactly the same on a camping holiday as you would on any other holiday. Except you're often in better locations, or nearer to beaches or good views.
Do you really need us to list what you can do on a holiday??
Yabu, and if your post is genuine, seriously missing out.

No idea. I camped last year to visit family, but don't see the appeal.

Its cold wet, boring and awkward.

Family live near the coast and wet swimming stuff is a nightmare in a tent.

Give me a static caravan with a loo, a shower and heater to dry stuff - Please.

Or better still a hotel by the med.

OK I'm spoilt, we have a big garden in the country, so a lot of why people camp. Sitting out side on summers evenings, eating and cooking outdoirs and space for DCs to run about we have anyway. It comes complete with fridge and comfy beds too.

I dont really get it myself, which is why I don't do it but then I probably enjoy some things that other people don't get.

I think the key is to go with at least one other - and preferably several other - families with kids so that the kids all hang around together in a big gang. They adore it.

Woah! Some strong reactions.

Yes, it is a genuine post - it is not something I have ever experienced. I have camped for 'events' - festivals and sporting things and did a PGL in my teens, but almost all holidays have been abroad somewhere hot where your day shifts because of the heat so you get up late and breakfast and dinner (sometimes even lunch) are very long, lazy affairs. Days are spent dozing, reading, chatting, out on boats, (slow) sightseeing due to the heat...(Yes, I have been very lucky!).

I have to admit I love the idea of watching a mole make hills all day! Definitely don't need advice on what to do on holiday !