Or have I been doing camping 'wrong'?

[Starupinthelightningsky]

I have always camped, usually in small campsites with very cheap, light gear as I have a small car and am usually on my own with two under sevens.
I camp generally due to the price; we can go away lots for £20 quid a night, kids aren't bothered by food at all and I don't enjoy going for meals. We just wake up, eat some breakfast and go out for the day, come back at 8/9pm, heat some water for a pot noodle and go to sleep.
The more people I speak to, the more I realise that maybe camping itself is what you're meant to enjoy and that some don't go off the campsites much, at least not everyday.
No judgement here but what are you supposed to do all day? Drink? Sit in camping chairs? Is there enough to do for small children? Is it because I don't have another adult there, is that the key? I can just imagine I'd be expected to play pretend all day, or worse, play off ground touch for hours?
Also, people who can afford to go self catering but camp? Why?? I mean I do enjoy the fact we can pack up and move on but some days (weather) usually I would choose a beautiful holiday home over a small four man tent.
Sorry if this sounds judgey, just feel like the curtain has been lifted and maybe I've been missing out!

We've never hung around the site, and we camp as two adults, no DC. It's just a base for us.

I camp all the time and we never hang around the campsite. I really enjoy the actual camping bit, but that's mornings evenings and sleeping, not the whole day. We go for walks or go climbing

It all depends on the campsite, I think. If you have kids of the age who will amuse themselves/play with other kids, then you might be very happy reading, sunbathing, listening to music, knitting.

We like camping in groups and having meals together, but usually go off site in the morning and again in the afternoon for walks or beach visits. I've never gone camping just for camping, but we also don't rush out the tent asap

I think you've got camping right.

It depends on the place and the type of campsite. A basic one then, yes we would go off site.

one that’s more like a holiday camp (swimming pools, pla grounds, activities, etc) then we would do a bit of both.

if we camp with other families, yes we hang around camp more. As the kids go off and play with eachother or we do ball games, stuff as a group on our ‘area’

i treat camping like any other holiday. It depends on the destination!

Depends on the campsite. We go some places specifically for the activities. Others its just the base. The kids like a bit of time running feral too.

When we go away just our family (2 adults and 2 DC) we do exactly the same as you.

When we go with a group of friends we spend a lot more time hanging around at the campsite, as we can sit around talking to friends while the kids play with the other children.

I'm puzzled.

Isn't camping about your own preferences?

How can there be a right or wrong way to do it?

Just pitch your tent and have fun your way.

We did a bit of both. When DH came we did day trips and touristy things. When I took the kids on my own, I usually picked a site that I knew would have lots of kids and a swing, even once a trampoline, then I chilled by the tent and read and they played with a huge rotating gang of children and came back periodically for food and drink. Both worked. We enjoyed both in different ways.

you are doing just fine.

we can afford self-catering but like the wildness of camping. it is hard to find a campsite with a bit of solitude (not tents 5m from the next tent), but when we find it, then it is great. And kids can't have screen in a tent whereas in a holiday house they just watch netflix again.

My kids LOVE camping, would happily hang around a (quiet) campsite most of the time and are most put out that I’ve been put off by one too many rainy holidays. Their main argument against me getting a smaller car is that it means definitely no camping.

@thistimelastweek I suppose maybe I thought I was stressing myself out running around when I should be enjoying the moment. I feel a lot of anxiety about not enjoying holidays enough or not valuing the time off with the kids enough!

I know people that have all the top gear, don’t go off camp as they stay there drinking. They’ll pick a park with a good playground and stay there all weekend.

we aren’t that type of camper tbh, DH and I will sit outside in some camping chairs but only because our children are the kind who only sleep after putting up a good fight. If we stay in the tent they’d be up waffling crap till 1am

@AnathemaPulsifer ahh yes the rain. I wish I was someone that could just enjoy doing things in the rain (like my mum) but I just can't!

I went camping with a friend who just wanted to sit about the campsite all day drinking cups of tea and chatting. I wanted to get out and do stuff like you.

We were camping over the Jubilee weekend.

I picked that as an option as was originally meant to be doing something else which fell through and by the time we went to book the hotels and self catering that were left were either too expensive or didn't look good.

We used it as a base so we could go walking during the day and were out for lunch and dinner. There did seem to be some people who sat outside there tents all day with music blaring loudly, which seemed a bit boring to me, but it takes all sorts I suppose.

I generally prefer a quiet, basic site. We do stuff off-site mostly. I usually pack a book so if we have any short days out, I can sit and read while the kids run about.

I enjoy the camping-ness of camping and sometimes make an activity in itself if cooking over my campfire etc. When the kids were young they used to play in the woods (always go to wild / woodland type sites) but we would always go out for the day, beach, a walk, exploring the area, various activities.

Do what suits you best!

I only camp for the camping part: if we go away with tents it’s with big groups of friends and most of the point is to set up shop all together (we usually find a private site for this, or wild camp) and then spend the day getting steadily drunk and hanging out, with maybe a long amble about the countryside to a pub thrown in. I’d never camp in the sense of going on holiday and using my tent as my sleeping accommodation and a base for going sightseeing from, I’d feel too grubby and unkempt.

I waited until my kids were 7 and 9 so they could complete some water safety courses and take some paddleboard and kayak lessons before I started taking them.
We just drive to a loch or a beach, pitch the tent and then we spend the day paddle boarding or on the blow up kayaks. Or we'll go somewhere that's a bit of a hike from the car and then it's the walk that's the activity and the den building and playing etc. We take a tripod campfire thing to keep the fire off the ground so we can do the campfire thing. Wherever we are in Scotland, we read a ghost story or myth/legend or exciting history story from the area.

It's nice to get away from attractions and "things to do" and just enjoy the water and the quiet and the freedom.

We've upgraded to a caravan but we also still go off site most days and usually camp at quite basic sites.

Once a year we go to busier sites with swimming pools etc because it gives us a break from entertaining the kids. Can't stand the evening entertainment stuff on sites though so we usually play cards or monopoly in the caravan!

Daytimes we like to go to the beach, go out on the SUP, sail, visit museums, local attractions.

We went on holiday with our friends and didn't go to one museum. Our kids thought it was weird!

We do eat out for lunch a fair bit but mostly bbq in the evenings.

Camping - oh no! My parents used to take us camping for 3 weeks in Europe every summer. It was a nightmare - a complete nightmare. They had usually fallen out by the time we reached the corner of our road!

I only camped once with OH and children and it was so freezing at night that we wore our knickers on our heads to keep our ears warm!

We regard camping as accommodation, not as an activity in itself.

That said, getting back to the site and boiling water for a pot noodle before bed sounds dire to me.

I think you should do whatever works for you and it changes as kids get older. We go camping as it's cheaper too although have now bought a decent air beam tent and a little trailer. DP gutted a caravan so has a gas fridge, oven etc, he also has some wallpapering tables and I had a camping table and some other bits so we have quite a lot of stuff now. Last time we cooked a roast dinner and had haagen dazs in the freezer compartment of the fridge.

When I was by myself with DS aged 3 I had a less extensive set up though - just a gas ring and we just cooked pasta, bought fish and chips etc. I think it also depends on the age of your kids. When DS got to about 7/8, he met other kids and was happy to go off playing (we stayed in a small campsite at that point) so DP and I would read our books and relax a bit. I'd generally want to go somewhere every day though even if just the beach.

I agree that choosing camping for just enjoying it as an activity is definitely a thing though - we met people (2 couples, no kids) with new £60K audi 4x4s and all the latest gear - they seemed to just enjoy the camping process. DP and I said if we could afford cars like that, we'd be in a hotel!