Are some people actually this oblivious?

[TinyTroubleMaker]

OK so I'm on a campsite run by a well known membership body. We've been on site a while and used other sites. People are usually pretty sedate. Here so far, it gets dark around 8-9, people are quiet and respectful of others, everything goes quiet, everyone goes to sleep. Anyone who is up is more or less silent. Might sound boring to some but it works, means everyone gets a good rest and it's pleasant.

Tonight, a group arrived I think then went out. At twenty to eleven, they've returned and 1. Driven their van with headlights shining into tents waking everyone up. I can hear my neighbours awake by this 2. Kept engine running for what seems like quite a while 3. Slammed all the doors on their vehicle repeatedly 4. Got children out and let them yell everything they have to say loudly, without quietening them because others are asleep 5. Parents (or I think 2 women with 4 or so kids) not at all keeping their voices down either in talking to the kids 6. Once inside their tent / caravan continuing to say everything at top of voices which on a campsite carries at night 7. Still outside 30 minutes on, keeping half the campsite awake. Compared to every other camper I've experienced on this trip and other trips this summer, they have really poor manners.

It should be obvious every tent around them is dark, people are sleeping, and this behaviour is therefore going to wake multiple people. Within a certain area, say 15 tents at least with average 3-4 people each. More tents beyond that probably.

So, either they know this and think they are more important than literally everyone around them (and genuinely believe it's necessary to carry on at they are without even attempting to lower voices) or they are so oblivious that they actually can't figure out how anti social they are being.

I am so grateful we've had such fantastic fellow campers for days and days now but so disappointing to have to deal with this near the end of our stay.

Not sure what the AIBU is exactly, other than - can people really be this oblivious to their effect on others?

As an 18 year old we were those people and got thrown out of the campsite.. for coming home late and being noisy.. however now in my ripe old age I’d be fuming 😤

I think some people just don’t care, some are thoughtless and some just don’t think it matters. I’ve experienced neighbours like this. Their attitude was they don’t mind if you make a noise, so it’s fair enough....except you wouldn’t....and anyway they wouldn’t hear it over their own noise

I think this year a lot of people are camping that don’t usually do so and aren’t as used to being considerate human beings about it. We went the first week of the holidays and whilst we usually go to family places and expect a little bit of chatter until around midnight at worst full blown noise and shouting past that would just be unacceptable. I would have actually spoken to the site manager and asked that someone pop round to the offending campers and remind them to be a bit more courteous to fellow campers. But yes it was a bit more noisy on our trip this year than it has been on previous years too. I have two children now 9 and 12 but have camped since they were toddlers and they have never been allowed to run about shouting and ruining everyone else’s peace and quiet. Actually one year we stayed at a site run by a well known membership body that was generally not a family site but didn’t explicitly say no kids. We got evils when we pulled up with the kids and started unpacking but when we checked out and returned our facilities key the manager said that they’d actually had comments about how quiet and well behaved my children were. Which as a parent is always shocking and a pleasure to hear because you just know the second you get them in the car they will start being loud and bickering like demons 😂

How awful!
We tend to go to adult only, tranquil sites, boring for some, but after years of mad busy holidays with children, we like the quiet life in our motorhome, we have become the people we swore we would never be, Lol!
Even festivals we stay in hotels now.

All selfish...but headlights are necessary in the dark or it would run over your tent.

These sound like the same people that drive in the 3rd lane of a 4 lane motorway despite not overtaking anything at all or having anything they are going faster than in the other 2 lanes. They only care about themselves. I'd complain to the site manager and get others to do so too.

@Passthecake30

I’ve never been camping, but 8-9 sounds early to expect people to be in bed or keeping very quiet, on their holiday.

Yes I thought this too, especially for people without young children. However it is reasonable to expect the volume to go down after 11pm.

I’m not a camper but I’d think nothing of going out on my holiday and returning at 11. You can’t drive back in pitch blackness so you need the lights. And 4 kids will generate some noise. I think YABU to expect silence after 8pm on a camping site over the school holidays!

A lot of family camp sites start the quiet time from 10pm. People still socialise but the noise comes down a notch. The ones ive stayed at patrol after 10pm too. Its not total silence, just being mindful of other users.

I have never been to a campsite where people go to bed at 8 or 9!!!

I have found that waiting for a short lull in their noise and yelling; "We can all hear every word you are saying, (even if you can't) has worked quite well in similar circumstances.
I had to skim a bit so sorry if this has already been mentioned

We don’t camp now but I did as a teen with my family. There was some good entertainment to be had other families blazing rows and out of control kids. Dh cannot bear to be near other people on holiday so we are a self catering only family!

Organise an early morning dance class with other tents, if they complain explain it happens regularly as you are all morning people who appreciate a good night sleep and love to exercise at sunrise

Dance would agree the situation has changed the demographic a little. It's a shame but having done a few trips this summer this type of person / behaviour is still rare, thankfully.

People on holiday shouldn't go to bed early

I'll go to bed as early as I want thanks. In my secluded stone wall cottage.

No, like many they just don't care. I have at least 3 sets of close neighbours who shout in their gardens after midnight regularly, have parties and bbqs most weekends till late, rev car and motorbike engines late at night - complaining makes no difference, they are just selfish bstards like the people at your camp site - they only way I can feel any better about this is to get up early on Sunday mornings and hoover extensively and put on the washing machine - passive aggressive but makes me feel a bit better - many people are just aseholes

It’s thoughtless. People like that have no respect for others. Anyway it’s not polite to behave like that. I get it’s a campsite and your bound to hear noise but at midnight that’s unsocial time. I think you should be a bit quieter in the daytime too especially like mornings and early evening when people will be using the tent. Nobody wants to hear talking like they’re right next to you. I certainly wouldn’t want people to here word for word what I was saying. It’s common sense quiet early morning late evening and the rest of the time not overly noisy. I bet they wouldn’t like noise if they wanted quiet but then they seem the sort that are so noisy it drowns out other noise so they wouldn’t notice.

I camp a lot and would hate a site where everyone goes silent between 8 and 9! My kids don't even start thinking about going to bed until after 9 when we are camping!

Yes, lots of noise at midnight is inconsiderate but even arriving back at 10:40pm with headlights on I don't think is that bad, if people have have been out for dinner or whatever then they will be coming back at that time and, as others have said, obviously they will need their headlights on so they don't run over everyone's tents!

Can you report them to campsite managers? They are being selfish and thoughtless!

Do people really think that others should be quiet on holiday by 8-9 o’clock? Campings probably not for you if you have little ones who have to have silence to sleep plus really you go to bed at the time as does everyone one of the other tents

No-one expects silence at 8-9, or any other time, but usually if you have to do something you do it with a bit of consideration for others - particularly if it's gone 11 and tents are dark and quiet.
It is possible to sit out with a drink and quiet chat and not disturb others as the night settles in.
There are plenty of places to party late if that's what you want, often on site, and most sites have car parking at the entrance if you get back late.

Well, it's rude and thoughtless but sometimes people - especially if they've had a drink - forget that other people are around too.

Can't someone employed by the camp site have a quiet word with them?

I have been camping many many times over 4 decades and have never known a site silent by 9PM. Usually at this time people are sitting outside their tents having a drink, fire basket, music, even a bit if a sing a long. If I'd come back to a silent site at 10.40 I'd have assumed people were still out for the evening, not asleep, and could easily have been guilty of too much noise. If this really is the etiquette on these sites perhaps the management should make it clear its lights out when it gets dark, as I'd think people expecting to be in bed for 9 on holiday would be a minority, and people new to the site won't realise.

I would never camp again. Too many people who don't consider others. In my opinion it's not much of a holiday but better than nothing if you don't have much money.