AIBU to let them camp on an island overnight?

[chomalungma]

(Inspired by another thread)

We are on holiday in the Lake District. Lovely cottage. DH is working away. DC's have seen a lovely island and want to go camping there for a few nights. Light a campfire, cook for themselves. They'll get there by sailing boat. Youngest is 6 and oldest is 14.

Would you let them go?

Ransome's personal life was interesting

look him up
and read the books to your kids
or for yourself

Hugh Brogan's biography is good, as are the books by Christina Hardyment.

And there's a delightful book written about children adventuring on Dartmoor, inspired by Ransome's stories, The Far Distant Oxus - Ransome got his publishers, Jonathan Cape, to publish it, and a series of sequels.

Looking back at the fiction I read as a child, I learned a huge amount, without realising it - about different parts of the UK and other countries, about the countryside, about boats and ponies and ballet and the theatre and music and all kinds of things. And about the fact that other people's lives were different from mine.

I know the family youkre thinking of, and the youngest is 7, not 6😁

@GreatAuntMaria

Looking back at the fiction I read as a child, I learned a huge amount, without realising it - about different parts of the UK and other countries, about the countryside, about boats and ponies and ballet and the theatre and music and all kinds of things. And about the fact that other people's lives were different from mine.

From my books, the coast looked like it was full of smugglers and boarding school seemed great fun with lots of midnight feasts.

And you could take your pets with you at boarding schools

The island may well be private property so off limits. Also I would not want children that age lighting fires anywhere near trees/shrubs.

Is this the famous five?!?

Also I would not want children that age lighting fires anywhere near trees/shrubs

Don't worry, it's not like there's many trees on the island. It's not the Amazon. There are some Swallows though.

Oh dear.

If anyone on this thread is also a fan of Antonia Forest there is a fanfic called Roger and the Marlows which sees Roger and Rowan embarking on a relationship.

www.fanfiction.net/s/11281870/1/Roger-and-the-Marlows

Are Dagenham and ftm serious?

Although actually, as a child with my siblings I was lighting fires and camping out in the woods from the age of about 11. We'd take our horses out & go for hours. We're all still alive & unharmed! (Clearly not duffers ...)

The island may well be private property so off limits.

It's not, but camping is almost certainly not allowed.

On one occasion when we went there, we noticed a stash of chocolate coins - and then repositioned a stick arrow pointing to it that we'd accidentally dislodged.

A short time later a little treasure hunter duly appeared.

No way!

Haha, I take your fictional Swallows and Amazons and raise you Lord of the Flies.

Have you asked Aunt Fanny what she thinks?

Haha, I take your fictional Swallows and Amazons and raise you Lord of the Flies.

That's sort of thing only happens if they don't have a Susan.

From my books, the coast looked like it was full of smugglers

It's interesting- all the books I read as a child had such different coastlines from the one I knew in rl. Blyton's Cornish coast was so unlike anything I'd ever seen...except in my Rupert annuals! Ransome's Norfolk coast was different again.
I grew up with Southport, Blackpool, and Morecambe- completely flat, tide two miles out, orange/brown sand.
The first time I went to Suffolk with white sand and dunes was a real eye opener. My first experience of the Cornish coast was Tintagel and Bude, and The Gower blew my mind.

My friends and I made a pact that if any one of us failed our 11+ we'd all ask our parents to send us to Mallory Towers. Unfortunately we all passed

Ransome's Norfolk coast was different again.

It's Essex for Secret Water up to Suffolk for We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea. Did they get to the coast in the Coots books?

An adult must go with them. The 6 year old will orob want to come back in the night and that would involve then sailing back to you in the dark. Also it takes a second to gave an accident plus you don't know the island and who may be there. No no no . Totally unsafe

And still they keep coming.

you don't know the island and who may be there

That's true enough!
Don't worry about the night sailing, they can manage that fine.

@Twinkled

An adult must go with them. The 6 year old will orob want to come back in the night and that would involve then sailing back to you in the dark. Also it takes a second to gave an accident plus you don't know the island and who may be there. No no no . Totally unsafe

It's ok. He's 7 He can't swim though apparently. I should have know that. As well as his age.

And still they keep coming.

My sister and I went to Peel Island alone at about that age, had a picnic and then went home. We sailed across but we have swum it too when we were a bit older. 🙂