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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want to visit a campsite that doesn't revolve around children

79 replies

ItsANameChanger · 26/08/2014 10:35

Where you are able to stay up and have a quiet drink after 10pm without being shushed every 3 minutes?

Myself and friends went away on weekend and each morning we were woken by kids playing outside our tent at 7am, yet we were shouted at for daring to stay up past 10pm.

I know I will get roasted for this but I don't care.

OP posts:
Blu · 26/08/2014 11:53

You can't generalise.

I have been on very popular-with-families sites where kids are tearing about with glo-sticks at midnight.

At other sites the owners / managers do a patrol just after 10pm and make sure that no-one is being rowdy. Quiet talking should be OK, though. If a site allows fires (and usually those sites have tents further apart anyway) it is likely that people will want to sit round them and talk until quite late.

I went to a child-free site and honestly wasn't sure whether it would encourage and support late night noise or be offered as a haven from such. I would guess that adult sites are a good guarantee against 6.30 a.m 'run-squealing-round-everyone-else's-guy-ropes tag', though.

Blu · 26/08/2014 11:54

And on our camping trips all kids aged 5 upwards sit around the campfire chatting, too, until about 10.30.

FrozenAteMyDaughter · 26/08/2014 11:54

It's funny - I have camped loads over the years and have never really come across this problem at night. That is, with the exception of Park Farm near Bodiam in the Bad Old Days before they got rules - prior to that it was like the Wild West (and perfect for us and our pre-kids late night revelling).

Have quiet deadlines been moved forward this year? Because I thought generally the rule was quiet after 11pm and you could still sit quietly round the fire after that provided you were talking in low tones.

I guess it probably depends on the site but on the campfire-friendly/pitch anywhere ones we go to, we have never been shouted at or asked to keep quiet, although we have occasionally been joined by other adults who fancy a late night chat and a beer. Now we have children we are more aware of noise travelling anyway but it never wakes our children, let alone those pitched elsewhere.

And as for the morning waking, the ONLY answer is ear plugs. They deal with everything - loud snorers (in your tent or on the next pitch), crying babies, animals and the dawn chorus and early rising children. I never camp without them (although they do me little good in the mornings now - DD is awake, up and out of the tent the instant she hears another child speaking anywhere on the site).

SaggyAndLucy · 26/08/2014 11:56

there are plenty of places which are child free. Just do a bit of research!
Me personally, I don't mind kids.
What **I mind is people in fecking flip flops snip snapping their way to the toilet block at 5.30am!

InculKate · 26/08/2014 11:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gordyslovesheep · 26/08/2014 11:58

Yanbu I camp a lot with my three I think noise post midnight is bad but not at 10pm

I loath parents who turf their kids out at 7am to play footy outside other peoples tents I will tell them to go back to their tent !

gordyslovesheep · 26/08/2014 12:00

Oh I once had a family of three kids come into my tent and put the DVD player on at 7:30 am because they where bored!!!! My three where still asleep ... I told them to go away very quietly

weatherall · 26/08/2014 12:02

I have DCs but if I went camping I'd be keeping them up late, having a drink at 10pm and be shushing noisy neighbours DCs at 7am.

Yanbu

Original poster
ItsANameChanger · 26/08/2014 12:02

you really need to stay away from family campsites

It WASN'T a family campsite!! It was about as family specific as it was adult group specific.

That's the problem, these families think they matter most.

There are tons of kids camping sites where there is a lot more to do than what this site had - 2 swings

OP posts:
allmycats · 26/08/2014 12:03

I caravan a lot and have found that nearly all sites, adult only or not expect quiet after say 10.30 to 11.00pm. This does not mean no talking but sound does carry on sites and what seems to your group like normal talking, can really be a group of people getting louder as they talk over one another and they are not really aware of this. In a caravan it is not too bad but in a tent it is very noticable.

FrozenAteMyDaughter · 26/08/2014 12:04

I am not so sure about all of Europe InculKate. Most of the sites I have been to are as you describe but we stayed on one somewhere in Spain (I forget where exactly) and in the evening everyone was being really quite quiet, chatting, sitting outside their tents, having a few beers, no problem.

The site had a policy of silence at midnight and at midnight on the dot, they turned the loud hailer on and someone bellowed "SILENCIO" across the entire site. Cue a chorus of crying babies. What the site thought it was doing I have no idea. Needless to say, we checked out the next day.

Original poster
ItsANameChanger · 26/08/2014 12:04

there are plenty of places which are child free. Just do a bit of research

I have done my research. There are 4 Adult only sites in my chosen area, 3 of which are caravanning club only

OP posts:
GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 26/08/2014 12:05

Perhaps avoid the school holidays?

InculKate · 26/08/2014 12:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Summerisle1 · 26/08/2014 12:16

Funny you should mention Park Farm at Bodiam FrozenAteMyDaughter only that's our band campsite of choice now. I can easily see how it must have been like the Wild West before any rules were introduced but now they seem to have got the balance right. They expect things to quieten down by 11 - but that doesn't mean silence, it means quiet chatting around the campfire and music off - and are definitely encouraging people to pitch in "like-minded" areas. Which with 18 acres isn't difficult.

As I've said upthread, picking your site carefully seems to be the key here and if you are unfortunate enough to get a difficult and unreasonable neighbour then consider moving your pitch. I know it's inconvenient but I'd rather be inconvenienced than have my holiday ruined.

HesterShaw · 26/08/2014 12:21

YASSSSSSSNOBU.

People with children often think everyone else's world should revolve around them as well. It's like the non-child-producers either have a choice between remaining silent after 8.30pm, or going to a stag/hens campsite where they will be kept up the entire night by squeals and drunken roaring. Why should you not chat normally? Loads of children could sleep through an earthquake, only their parents are terrified of them waking.

whois · 26/08/2014 12:32

I think there should be moderation ok both sides. Don't let little jimmy scream his head off and run through my pitch at 7am, but equally don't be too loud at night.

There is no way I'd want to go to an 'adults only groups encouraged' campsite as I don't want to be somewhere full of stag and hen dos and people playing music!

It is totally acceptable to be sitting outside your tent talking in quiet voices up to about midnight I think. Drunk laughing and loud braying should be avoided though.

Most of the campfire friendly sites are pretty chilled. I stayed in one at the weekend which was was marketed as a middle ground. Great for kids to run around during the day but it was fine to sit up with the campfire at night too. No music or party though.

A few weeks ago I had to properly shout at a group of kids - they kept running through our pitch between the fire and the camp chairs (as in very bloody close to the fire!). There were acres of wood land to play in, no need to be by my tent. I told then not to twice, then went nuclear at them.

I reserve a special place in hell for parents who let their little shits play on other peoples pitches.

museumum · 26/08/2014 12:35

It sounds like your issue was with the one lady in the tent next to you. Why should the rest of us with families have to camp next to her? We sit outside and chat while our son sleeps (campervan not tent but similar as it has a soft top).

Last time we camped the family next to us arrived at midnight and made a full performance out of putting the tent up bellowing instructions at each other, THEN their kids were up at 6 and woke our son before 7 too!!!

museumum · 26/08/2014 12:35

It sounds like your issue was with the one lady in the tent next to you. Why should the rest of us with families have to camp next to her? We sit outside and chat while our son sleeps (campervan not tent but similar as it has a soft top).

Last time we camped the family next to us arrived at midnight and made a full performance out of putting the tent up bellowing instructions at each other, THEN their kids were up at 6 and woke our son before 7 too!!!

museumum · 26/08/2014 12:35

It sounds like your issue was with the one lady in the tent next to you. Why should the rest of us with families have to camp next to her? We sit outside and chat while our son sleeps (campervan not tent but similar as it has a soft top).

Last time we camped the family next to us arrived at midnight and made a full performance out of putting the tent up bellowing instructions at each other, THEN their kids were up at 6 and woke our son before 7 too!!!

museumum · 26/08/2014 12:36

offs mumsnet! sort yourself out!

FreakinScaryCaaw · 26/08/2014 12:44

Have you tried festivals?

Dp and I had planned to go to a nice adult only one behind a pub but it's getting a bit nippy now. Maybe next year?

InculKate · 26/08/2014 12:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FreakinScaryCaaw · 26/08/2014 12:58

I did mean 'little' festivals Wink

InculKate · 26/08/2014 13:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.