to be feeling just a little bit sorry for ourselves re holiday disappointment?

[timetogohomenow]

Currently being battered by the wind in a tent in Cornwall at 3:30am so I accept that I may be being a bit unreasonable here but...

AIBU to be so disappointed in how our holiday is turning out? After months of sweating away at work in the heat, we come away on our first camping trip as a family and apart from one day, the weather has been utterly rubbish for the last 8 days.

Camping is not the fun holiday I remember it being... trudging through the mud to go to the toilet in a portacabin, air beds that keep deflating, showers that are not much more than dripping taps, neighbours who talk loudly into the night... not as fun as I remember it being pre-children.

DD's behaviour has been a nightmare in comparison to at home and I feel like all we've done is have a go at her. I suppose she's only 4 and excited but things like running off or not listening in potentially dangerous situations can't be tolerated. That's not been any fun.

Cornwall... a beautiful county but my god the crowds. I knew it would be busy with it being August (we had no choice to come any earlier or later) but literally everywhere we've tried to visit has been a complete ball ache to try to get parked. Some places we've just had to drive through as there was no chance of stopping. Where we're staying there's no public transport we could easily use. The traffic is terrible! The supermarkets where we are are like scenes from an apocalypse film. How the locals cope living down here I do not know.

I know I'm just being a miserable so and so and I realise how lucky we are to be in a situation where we can (just about!) afford a family holiday but AIBU to be so disappointed? We've got 4 nights left and I just feel like packing up and going home! Please tell me in years to come I'll look back on this holiday with fond memories and not lament about the time we spent probably as much as we would have going abroad to stay in a wet, miserable, busy place in a tent!

[Snog]

I feel your painOP and I've no
Idea how you have survived 8 days so far.
Wishing you some perfect weather for the next few days.

[Mosret]

Oh god, sounds awful. Could you afford to go to a b&b for the last few nights?

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

We tend not to book campsite but just go with the weather to avoid these issues. Camping with children can be great when the weather is good. Ours have grown up camping so usually roll with it and were aghast when I insisted on getting a room in a torrential downpour on the final night of a holiday once.

If the weather forecast isn't going to improve then I would bail out and head home.

[thatmustbenigelwiththebrie]

I have never been to Cornwall but everything I have ever read about it puts me off. It sounds like it's a nightmare. I don't want to travel hours from North Yorkshire to sit in a traffic jam. Could you try somewhere less busy next time?

[DinosApple]

Yanbu. Nothing worse than persistent pissing down rain in a tent.

We now avoid the south west in the summer holidays. The scenery is beautiful, but the crowds!

[GinIsIn]

YANBU. Going away in summer can be a nightmare. I live in a famously touristy bit of coast. TBH May to September we pretty much batten down the hatches and wait for everyone to go away.

[kalinkafoxtrot45]

YWNBU to bail out and enjoy the last few days of your holiday at home. This is why camping is awful.

[MartyMcFly1984]

At the very least find a soft play (different part of hell) where you can sit in the dry with a cuppa and let dd burn off some steam.

[alwaysultra]

YANBU sounds crap. Go home. I did a supernatural run yesterday in this weather it was horrible. Why are you living in a tent in it for fun?

[Kemer2018]

Yanbu. All of your reasons are why we stopped holidaying in the UK. We did it until child was 5 albeit in a tourer caravan which was more comfy than a tent.
Totally agree about parking,traffic,crowds,prices,
weather. My child took days to adjust so behaviour was tricky.

We go abroad now.....but i hate airports and flying. So there's always something!

Can you go home?

[Trooperslaneagain]

Op - we LOVE camping. We genuinely do.

Except this year in our new £7(fucking).00 tent which we bought in April. Tent leaked. Tent is now back with manufacturer and we are having a fight with them.

8 nights. First 4 ok, but DD not sleeping. Last 2 nights it rained like buggery and DH spent half the last night outside banging in tent pegs.

He was meant to be driving home, but he was so tired and having nearly put his back out carrying the fucking soaking thing to the car, I had to......My pants were soaking and I shivered all the way whilst everyone in the car had a fight about the heating/lack of and the windows kept steaming up.

DD whined all the way home until she fucking fell asleep half an hour away from home and we had 25 mins to get ready for a christening.

On the way up, I told DH we were getting divorced and DD was going to boarding school. He agreed

Short version: if it's really that bad, cut your losses and hunker up at home with jammies, movies and popcorn and a shit load of gin

[gerbilgirl]

Not sure what part of Cornwall you are staying in but the weather has really not been that bad! There is so much to do and ours kids love going to the beach or out for a walk even if it's a bit wet - just need wellies and a waterproof jacket! You could pop in somewhere after for a cosy hot chocolate 😀

There are so many attractions to do even if the sun isn't shining - our 4 and 7 year olds enjoy Eden, the museum in Truro, Owl Sanctuary, Newquay Zoo and Aquarium, there are also cinemas (wtw do £5 a ticket on Mondays!) indoor play areas as well as trampoline parks (although you will need an under 5 session for a 4 year old)!

I think you need to try and make the last few days of your holiday as fun and memorable as you can, Cornwall is a beautiful county and the weather shouldn't be affecting your enjoyment as much as it appears - maybe see if you can get into a b and b for a couple of nights as maybe the sleeping in a tent is getting you down.

Also don't worry about us locals as we are used to how our County is at this time of year and wouldn't have it any other way - also silly season is nearly over so it will all go back to normal soon 😁

[pictish]

Cornwall in August was only ever going to be an overcrowded shitfest, so a lesson learned there. I’d never consider it.

As for the camping, while we do scaled down proper wild camping...I just love family campsite camping. Do you have EHU with heaters and lights and stuff? Get yourself a super comfy 10cm self inflating mat instead of an airbed - those things always deflate. Have your films downloaded and curl up with a cocoa while the rain drums on your tent roof. Blissfully cosy and fun. Get out and explore when it stops. It’s what you make it.

[Shoxfordian]

Yeah Cornwall in August over the bank holiday weekend was always going to be busy and horrible. Yabu not to realise this before you went. Also camping is shit.

[notsohippychick]

Ah that sounds horrible. I’d call it a day, come home and spent the rest of the holiday on Day trips near your house.

No point in struggling on if you’re miserable!

[bubbles108]

Go home and have some lunches out, play dates for your DD, day trips to make up for the horrible holiday. And sleep in your own bed. Bliss

[Efferlunt]

3 days is my limit for camping. Go home.

I’ve read loads about Cornwall being stuffed this year, I guess with the pound holidays abroad are less attractive. It was horribly expensive where we where so considering the U.K. next year along with everyone else.

[KERALA1]

People wax lyrical about Cornwall to the extent it's seen as the "proper" place to holiday and anywhere else is "wrong". Don't see it myself summer holidays to me must include sun and if that's not guaranteed forget it.

[RhiWrites]

Our family remembers the holiday in Cornwall where it rained solidly for two weeks. My mum said fuck it we’re going to Italy next year and we did.

And we weren’t even in a tent!

[Fruitbatdancer]

Yanbu. We are just back from Scotland, whonafter weeks of the best weather ever it rained all pissing week. Don’t try to go to places and park, find a spot u like (walkable ideally) buy good snacks and gin. And remind yourself one day you’ll laugh about this.

[SabineUndine]

I appreciate your disappointment re the weather but you complain about the crowds and the number of cars when your adding to both. Cornwall is wonderful and I go there every year but use public transport and would never dream of going in August as the weather is unreliable then.

[MissWimpyDimple]

Camping is amazing but 3 nights is max I can cope with. Close to home is ideal. A field is a field after all!

4 is tricky as the whole point of camping is freedom and 4 is just a bit too young for that.

I'd go home. Try again when you know the weather will be good and go near to home.

[Twotailed]

YANBU, that sounds pretty awful.

I would try and salvage some things to remember for next time. It seems like you’re away for a long time to be camping so maybe a shorter trip would be better! And I agree about crowds in Cornwall - I would try somewhere less busy next time. The west coast of Scotland has some of the best beaches in the world, and a fraction of the tourists.

It does sound from your OP that your DD is having a good time, so take comfort from the fact that you are giving her happy memories!

[OneStepSideways]

I'd go home! Sorry your holiday is a disaster. It may be some comfort that your DD will remember all the fun/new/exciting bits and you'll reminisce laughing in a year or two.

Nearly every camping trip I've been on has gone wrong. Either heavy rain or getting lost or ants in the tent or waking shivering at 3am and having to lie wrapped in a coat and the picnic blanket until dawn.

Next time trying a static caravan so you have your own loo and kettle, and shelter.

[Yogagirl123]

YANBU, Camping is not a holiday even if the weather is good, I would have been home after the first night. Book into a B&B, you should you able to get somewhere tonight.