Camping Ettiquette

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

I’m camping this weekend, two tents, two children, two dogs.

This is the first time we’ve each brought our dogs and searched for a long time and through lots of reviews until we found this place... spoke to the owner who said he only takes a certain amount of bookings to make sure you’re all a bit seperate and no one bothers anyone else.

Last night it was amazing... it’s almost like you’re camping totally alone. I can see a group of tents in the distance and the top of another through the trees but it does feel very secluded.

When we arrived the owner was at the gate and told us to drive and find an empty space. I assume he says this to everyone..

Today a new family arrive, and park and pitch up right next to us. And I mean Right next to us. Some of their ropes even cross over with my friends tent. Their table and chairs are right in the siteline of ours, I can even hear their drink open!

To make it worse, their kids seem terrified of dogs. Our dogs aren’t on leads and have been running around ‘our camp’ really happy. Now we’ve had to get the crate out.

AIBU? I’m kind of pissed off. I wish I’d brought hungry hippos or some really loud scream inducing game but unfortunately playing cards and magiclip dolls are all I have..!

I watched this with interest yesterday - we’ve had some CF experiences when camping (the large 40th birthday group who pitched up right in front of us then asked to borrow loads of our stuff...) but nothing quite so bizarre. I’m guessing you didn’t end up confronting them but hope you do say something to the owner so CF neighbours know they’ve been out of order.

Oh, and definitely uncrate the dogs 🐕

LEM I've camped in a big field About 15 minutes walk from Penzance train station, across road from the beach. Loads of space! You can pitch anywhere.

Also very handily it is next to a 24hr Tesco but you can't see it from the campsite due to the trees.

It's walking distance to st Michaels Mount, Mousehole and we caught a train to St Ives and a bus to an amazing open air theatre built into the cliffs. Great location! We went by train from London as we don't have a car!

It's called Ponsandene and it was really cheap. Just has a toilet block and the owner sells wood for fires.

@LEMtheoriginal Hopefully the attached pic works. The site is open between 28th July- 28th Aug only, and this was us last summer (my kids are giant flowers, obvsss). Literally the only tents in one huge field, and they have three/four fields. Little farm shop all the way up the hill where you can buy sausages and eggs etc. It's my happy place.

I hope you have a chance to speak to the owner? We are avid campers and this has unfortunately happened to us twice now. Both lovely campsites, but we won't go back as the owners just couldn't manage the "more difficult types". It's the sign of a good site, when the manager won't allow that type of stupidity.

The one where we went out, came back & a plonker had not only crossed lines but the wall of their tent was actually touching ours was the worst - screaming child all night, so no I didn't put my kids to bed at a decent time & we played very loud cards games till midnight. They lasted 2 nights, we then enjoyed the rest of our week :)

Ps they also had a whole field to pitch in - maybe they thought tents had to be so close - to prop each other up

From the photo that doesn't even look like a campground, it just looks like a big empty field!
A campground ought to have sites marked out, preferably some trees for shade, picnic tables and electric/water points provided for each site.

... thus avoiding problems like this.

It's always recommended not to be that close because it's a fire risk. Perhaps you should talk to the owners

"Best thread for ages"

I think I must be missing some pages, ICantCopeAnymore. As far as I can see, nothing has actually happened.

OP is camping with her family and friends. Another family have pitched too closely to the spot OP's group are pitched on, which OP's group are not pleased about (rightly so, I would think).
Everyone has gotten on with their lives (with absolutely no direct or indirect complaint, no comment and no conversation).

What did I miss?

I will hope for more today!

Freaklikeme: that depends on your favoured style of camping. I can’t stand the ‘marked pitches in rows’ sites. The wilder field campsites offer loads more space, and a free choice of places to pitch, shade, Woods, Meadow etc. And the whole point is that you are far away from other people. And not restricted to the size of a pitch. You can pitch in a big circle with friends or go off to a secluded isolated corner. And can have a proper campfire a safe distance from your tent.

These sites almost never have any EHU. And frequently have compost toilets and no hot water

The Op’s Neighbours clearly do not understand this!

ScrubTheDecks I can picture it ending up like Glastonbury (shudder)! Not for me.

We've just come back from wild camping in the van next to a large loch. Only one other group there and they went exactly halfway round away from us. Twas bliss.

My guess is that they are a family of serial killers. The OP and her party are currently being roasted on their BBQ.

Point of order - red wine should be drunk at 15-18 degrees. On a hot day, in a tent, the coolbox is the best place for it

I always stick mine in the fridge for a couple of hours in the afternoon when the weather’s warm. It’s much nicer cool.

Maybe the owner pointed over in your direction when telling them where to pitch - saying "over in that field over there where the other tents are". They interpreted this as "over in that field right next to the other tents" - ie. missing the point that they could have pitched anywhere.

Not a lot you can do now apart from speak to them, the campsite owner or move, as has been suggested.

But next time, for heaven's sake, if people turn up and start pitching a tent right next to yours tell them directly straightaway that they need to pitch further away due to the fire regulations and that they have the whole of the field to choose from.
Passive aggressive comments don't really help and it may have wound them up.

Freak, when I see pictures of tents at festivals, wedged in together with barely room to walk between, it gives me the heebies.

I've seen videos of tent fires, and modern polyester tents go up in seconds. The thought of that happening where there are no fire breaks is just horrendous, and then when you add in the possibility of a fair few of the occupants being pissed and/or stoned, it just seems like madness.

Campsites with rows and electric hook up give a very different experience to the campsite that the OP has chosen.
There is no excuse for what the CF neighbours have done.
At festivals with no space between tents there should also be a rule in place about no cooking at the tent: hence the classic cheapskate festivalleers breakfast of cereal bars, juice boxes and pepperamis

Freaklikme: it isn’t remotely like Glastonbury because as you can see there is a vast empty field, on a hot half term w/e, and the owner only takes 10 bookings. Most of the ‘back to basics ‘ sites are like this and it is the low density that attracts people.

And when we camp in a group with friends we still pitch our tents further apart than they would be on a more regulated campsite.

I'd have said something when they started pitching right there. I also would not be putting my dog in a crate it on a lead. Fuck them.

What happened overnight/today op?

I'd have said something when they started pitching right there. I also would not be putting my dog in a crate it on a lead. Fuck them.

What happened overnight/today op?

@Shantotto Do you recall if Ponsandene is dog friendly? It sounds perfect for us, but only if we can take the hound.

So was anything said? Can't believe you didn't march over to them and ask them why they needed to set up camp so close to you?! Or at the very least, asked the owner to have them move. Such weird behaviour, I also think you tent is where they normally go and they feel possessive ownership of that plot. Oddballs for sure!

@BibiThree It was a couple of years ago so I can't remember exactly but I'm sure I did see dogs! Website is very basic so worth giving them a ring.

www.ponsandane.co.uk

Just remembered it's only open July and August. We went middle of July and it was quiet. Apart from one night a gang of teens turned up and made a racket for a while, but the next day they sheepishly walked around to every tent apologising!

@Shantotto Thanks, I'll take a look and ring them to make sure. It looks lovely there.