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!

I've done both, most of the time we go off somewhere but sometimes we stay at the camp and play games or relax and read (especially if we'd done a big hike the day before)

I don't think there's a right or wrong way. Going in a big group means it's great to hang about the campsite as kids all play together, everyone chats etc. Likewise if there's a small group using the campsite as a place to sleep works too.

Do you do a campfire with the kids? For me that's a must with camping, even if you're out all day and DDs favourite part - building the fire, toasting marshmallows etc

Childfree I liked camping just to camp. Go with a group of friends, hang out, chat, get drunk. Would be boring for a week but great fun for a couple of nights.

With DD I would have to go out and do things

Sometimes its just nice to chill for the day on the campsite. Play football, frisbee, bat and ball etc then some card games.

We mostly use campsites as a base but have paid a bit more for a pool/kids playground as well. We keep days out a bit shorter some days as kids like to make friends on site and the adults enjoy some quiet time with a drink and a book. I’d be exhausted if we were out until 8/9 every day. DH is a good camp cook so most nights we have a decent meal on site as well.

What do you do in the day op?

I only go camping as a group so we can all sit around and drink and chat at night while the teenagers sit together. Played when younger. The days would be spent the same as if we were self catering. I hate camping though and only go as persuaded by dd and my friends. Hate the trek to the toilet.

Not the point of the thread. But is off ground touch.. tiggy on high? That's what we call it anyway. Where height is the den/safe. Tiggy on high.

You sound as thought you are doing it perfectly op!

We camp because it's cheap and often hang out on the campsite because my middle dc is disabled. But we choose a site with a pool and swings so there is stuff for the other two to do.

I like to sit and crochet and tidy up/organise. I am very dull

You camp in your own with two under-sevens so you are a mega-camper! And there’s no right or wrong way really.

That’s why OP used inverted commas around the word ‘wrong’. She doesn’t actually think she’s incorrect, she’s just wondering about other possible ways of doing it.

This reminds me of when we started camping. I never ever wanted to do it but OH wanted to so I joined a website/forum camping thing to ask advice etc.

My plan was a bell tent so that it would be like a hotel room, we had a toilet, portable shower, kitchen area and wood burning stove., we had almost proper beds, I went to a lot of trouble to be comfortable and warm

But people on that camping forum were aghast and felt that this wasnt in the spirit of camping where you go because you want to 'go camping'

Dont get me wrong, nice sitting out in front of the bbq at night, we had a fire bowl as well but we were up and out every day exploring places, going out for the day, lots of pub lunches, pub dinners or takeaways as well, not just the camping meals (usually cheese biscuits and wine at night)

There are definitely different ways of doing camping.

With all the complaining on MN about holiday cottage rules, equipment, cleaning times etc, at least you know where you are with your own set up

Absolutely, if I hadnt hated the mud so much when it was wet and the amount of set up it all took (I wouldnt compromise), we would still continue

We only ever went to places which were just a field, guaranteed way of just being on our own.

The thing with camping is you can do it your own way.

We camp in France only (dh hated camping in this country). We find an area that looks interesting for us to explore then I find us as nice a campsite with what we want on it as I can. I prefer riverside pitches, the dog comes too.

We explore the area and eat out either lunch or evening meal.

What I like about camping is that it takes us away from our everyday stuff, we slow down and have more time for each other. I do adore my tents, think it reminds me of my old wendy house lol

For us the biggest luxury is that we have our own pitch, the kids (then teens) were on their pitch next to us with their own tents. So, yes I put up 3 tents (6 berth, 4 berth and a 3 berth).

We have a big trailer as we also "comfy camp" with carpets, fans, table top fridge, table top freezer, oven, camp stove, tables, comfy camping chairs, outside carpets, canopies. I have 4 camp kitchens, horizontal space is helpful. I enjoy cooking when we camp.

We can afford far more expensive holidays and we have done those, we also have several properties in this country that we could use for our holidays and do but for me I just enjoy camping so much, my dh likes elements of it (more time, enforced slow pace, the actual driving!!).

My kids say that my whole camping and tent thing is my mid life crisis, maybe it is, not sure, I don't really care.

We've not been away since 2018 for various reasons, we've just started talking about going on holiday, they all want to go to France, camping. They say its because we can take the dog with us lol.

My favourite bit about camping is the challenge of doing it with as little stuff as possible. Every trip: take less. Packing everything including the kitchen sink is stressful. If it doesn’t fit it the backpack then it doesn’t come (and I include the tent in that). I still have luxuries like proper coffee and a pillow.

@Workawayxx they probably can’t afford the car, it likely to be “on finance” which is the best marketing of our generation, a rebranding of debt.

I have friends who go camping to drink all day & let the kids run feral. It's not my style, but they all love it. I only camp if the hotels are beyond my budget/all booked.

The most recent site we went to we spent a lot of time on the site. The kids spent a lot of time playing football and cricket with the other children. They also did rock climbing and assault course type thing. If it's a basic site then we will go off exploring the area.

I don't camp at all - my but sister and her husband and do, and they take my DD along with them.
They do the usual things like walk the dogs, go to the beach etc but my DD has made some amazing friends when they just relax on the campsite.
Her being 'bored ' means she approaches kids she wouldn't normally (too shy) and asks them to play. Last year they had to drag her inside at 10:30pm as a group of 8-15 kids had got together to play football. My DD loved it and didn't want to leave her friends.

They are taking her away in July and she is already excited at the thought of making more friends

We camp in a totally different way. We have a caravan and go to the same Dorset site for 15+ years. Ds's love it, have friends, and so don't want to leave the site. 100 pitches, great facilities, park and loads of walks, places for children to play, free. We only go off site every 2nd or 3rd day. Say they the beach, or water park.

We always did a mixture but booked so,wanted with a pool onsite.

So odd whole days out and sometimes would chill in tent for morning and then pool in afternoon, or pool twice in the day and chill in between.

We like to sit and play cards too and board games.

I don't honk there's a "right" way. Everyone has different ways of holidaying.

Even when we've gone to hotels abroad there's people who go out everyday and those who never venture from the hotel pool except maybe to a beach down the road!

We camp with friends a lot so the children entertain themselves and we often join in (ie French cricket, dibble, kubb). We tend to spend some of the day on site because there are often large open spaces to play.

Depends on the campsite

There is nothing better than a campsite in France near a beach or a river, cold wine in a fridge, BBQ going, or just enjoying cheese and grapes and chilling. Or going for a croissant in the morning. Sometimes we have lazy campsite days.

Now - change that to a cold UK campsite...and that's why we have pubs.

Wow....

I've seen some people have some separate tents for cooking etc.

When we camped as kids we went to a site where there was a stream, woods, massive field... my mum and her friends would all bring their kids and we'd all just go off and go feral together (fond memories of building dams, sword fights with sticks, swimming in the stream). We'd go for a walk up the crags with parents too. But we tended not to leave the campsite - we entertained ourselves, even if it was just me and my sister.

So maybe the plan is to find friends to do it with? As a single parent my mum would have been bored without that I think!

We camp with a group of friends with children of various ages. Children form feral pack and go off together playing (ball, frisby, climbing trees/swimming in river etc). Adults take turns to keep eye on kids/cook bbqs/washup/chill with book or chat. After dinner kids go to bed and adults sit around a fire drinking and chatting til the small hours. Repeat for 3-4 days.

Much more rarely we canp with just our family, and then it's much more like your style - tent is just a place to sleep and off to beach/wherever during the day. We'd probably have a pub meal/fish and chips or a sandwich for tea though instead of a pot noodle.

What do you do for an entire day until 8/9pm?