UK camping behaviour

[campingwoes]

Just been camping for a weekend away with my DH and three boys age 3-9 (UK) and want to vent about other campers and see if it's a universal experience or if we were unlucky! Pre Covid we used to camp a lot with our then toddler and haven't been since, not sure if that explains anything. Campers next to us idled their car for 45 (!!!!) minutes in the morning and the evening so they could sit in there on their phones which had presumably run out of charge. People with blaring music/bass. People with firepits (we were in an area with a ban!). Luckily the site owners were on the ball and addressed most of this but bloody hell it just felt like one entitled person after another. For info this was a basic campsite, no EHU or hot water, very lovely picturesque location in the SW. Rant over! I guess my AIBU is 'this is pretty normal behaviour in campsites across the UK and as long as the hosts address it it shouldnt bother you' (YABU) OR 'this is terrible behaviour and not typical and we were unlucky' (YANBU)

I find the adults only sites aimed at activities are best because everyone is knackered after kayaking all day, failing that the pubs with campsites are good, though again not aimed at families really. Just the two of us now

Our pet peeves from the past 10 years..

-People walking through others pitches, and not teaching children to respect others space (such as alliwing them to kick balks at tents)

• unnecessary electronic items like tvs, projectors, karaoke which impose on others.
• Allowing children to run wild without boundaries (no, your toddler free wheeling on their balance bike at 6am down a hill squealing their head off is not cute).
• People pitching in stupid places (such as on a access path to the lake, or in our designated car parking spot (rule was leave 5m to the right hand side of your tent as a parking space befire the next pitch started)

Lovely quiet site this weekend until some people decided to fly a drone - the entitlement is extreme. Hovered it over us and got upset when I flicked it the v's. Straight onto camp owner who came out and spoke to them. Honestly the site prides itself on tranquility and bird noise but some people think they skip the rules

Sounds like a normal camping experience to me.

Cant you just ask them to turn off engine and lower music?

We camped this weekend. Only 15 pitches. Everyone was so lovely, quiet and respectful. The site owners are very hands off but make the rules about noise very clear when you book and there are signs reminding people of the rules. No amplified music allowed at all - not even a radio on low. It was fabulous. There are goats , a Shetland pony and chickens roaming free so all
dogs were on leads. More campsites need to be like this.

I agree EHU is usually a bad thing- you get the screens, projectors etc. Non-EHU you tend to get people who just have the sense to bring a powerbank for phones. Although I can see with bans on cooking methods at the minute it could be be difficult to non-EHU.

I think there's been a decline in behaviour across the board (on trains, etc). People are more entitled and less considerate. I haven't camped for years, was planning on going in September but am having second thoughts now!

We camped in Scotland this summer and the tent two along from us stayed up late playing board games, playing music and making a bit of a racket. It all stopped by 11pm though which was the site's noise curfew. Next door tent was tiny and must have gone to bed about 9pm. They were obviously put out by the noise and attempted to get their own back by sitting in their car with the engine running and music blaring from about 7.30am. The weather was rubbish and their tent was too small to do anything other than sleep in, so I can understand why they would sit in their car, but having the diesel engine running was so anti-social. I was glad to go home!

We camp a few times a year , started with a site with no club pretty quiet overall, last few times went to a site with statics as well as camping , only issue was the light on the ehu was so bright (opposite tent flap) still a good site with views over the bay

We stopped camping after going to a “tranquil” site and having a pitch so close to us we could hear everything. When they arrived they set up a blow up sofa and a tv 🤦‍♀️

We’ve recently been to a site on The Lizard in Cornwall. It was our third visit and we find it the perfect balance of quiet and low key but well maintained. We had EHU but there were no blaring TVs or music late. People using it for their fridges and air fryers. All dogs and children well behaved. It was perfect. I have a very low tolerance for noise so it suited me well. Sadly no campfire this time but everyone respected the ban.

There’s a discussion about how to find sites with less likelihood of noise and CFs (Camping Fuckers) on the MN Camping Board
www.mumsnet.com/talk/camping

My dh and I were saying etiquette has dropped. Nothing that ruins the trip as such but kids up and shouting, playing loudly at 6.30am when we went this summer, one grp of 7 people openly smoking weed stank all.over as there was no wind to blow it away. Night time was fine, but we made sure we checked reviews and went to a site where the wardens are strict.
We went to one in the Cotswolds the last 2 years and sadly last year was ruined by a huge grp who blamed music and day and really late at night, the site wardens couldn't have cared less.