to have felt like pushing this noisy family over a cliff!

[5Foot5]

I accept that I may just be a grumpy old misanthrope and probably IABU but I just wanted to get this off my chest!

We have just returned from a lovely, lovely week in the Lake District. We had smashing weather and lots of superb walks. (Fortunately several miles away from where recent, tragic events took place.) However, on one of our walking days I was incensed by the noisy behaviour of one particular family group.

There were lots and lots of fellow walkers out this week - not surprising with it being half term and such good weather - and many people, including ourselves, were walking with their kids. But this particular group behaved as if they owned the whole bloody mountain! I think it was two families walking together as there were four adults, five or six kids and at least one dog. They set off from the same place as us at roughly the same time and seemed to be doing approximately the same circuit so we kept encountering them throughout the day. First we would pass them having a rest and then they would pass us. But you could hear this wretched crowd coming from a great distance as they were constantly yelling, shouting and whooping encouragement to each other. I mean they just never, ever seemed to shut up and it was always at full volume.

The adults were much, much worse then the kids at this and it just went on and on. So there you are sitting on top of a lofty peak trying to enjoy the beauty and majesty of the view around you - but all you can hear is this endless babble of:

"Oh X I am so proud of you you have done so well!",
"I have the biscuits, who would like a biscuit? Biscuits anyone?",
"Team photo now - Y and Z put your drinks down, boys stop frowning, girls further this way..."

and so on, you get the picture.

Of course it is a good thing to take your kids on long walks and certainly encouragement is needed but why oh why do some people feel they need to bray at the top of their voices the whole damn time regardless of the fact that they are surrounded by other people trying to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the countryside! Is this their normal out of doors voice do you suppose? Or is it done because they think that talking in loud, hearty voices demonstrates to other people what a good time they are all having?

Aaagh!

Eventually Mr 5foot5 found us a path down the mountain slightly different to the route that the noisies were taking and to our relief we got in the pub at the bottom and out again just before they arrived!

perhaps they were just exhilerated to be together for the experience?

I don't see my DB and DSIL, and their DC's enough, we always get very excitable when we get together.

And that's great quattro - but I bet you are not consistently, boringly, intrusively loud?

I think that would be for someone else to judge.

Sometimes I can let that sort of white noise wash over me, in an open situation for instance - a game of rounders on a windy beach.

At other times - last week new neighbours and their 2 year old toddler were having a bbq and kept blasting that Journey song over and over out of their living room window. It totally wound me up, and I wanted to scream.

Moving to Switzerland in a month, where you can't even vacuum at lunch time, so will have to become more noise aware!

What violethill said. Silence is a wonderful thing, and children ought to be taught to appreciate it.

There's nothing wrong with a bit of boisterousness (is that a word?) but people often are, imo, unnecessarily noisy, and when you are in beautiful surroundings, I think it's only fair to try and keep the really disturbing noise to a minimum.

I wouldn't expect, or want, a large party of adults and children to make no noise whatsoever, however. I know how the OP feels, though. Continuous 'braying' can be so utterly wearing. Especially if you're a quiet type...

Yabu. Ok they were noisy, but it sounds noisy in a good way. We have 4 dc and a dog and I panic about how noisy they can be at times when we are out, but they are usually noisy when they are having a good time.

At least you weren't stuck in a train with them.

I am a quiet type, but My young children aren't when we are out and about.

You were in open space and I think they can pretty well make as much noise as they wanted.Sometimes noise can be liberating. When I'm all tense and stressy about our noise, which probably isn't that bad, dh says relax they're having fun.

YANBU, it sounds like a couple of holidays I went on with my parents and their friends when I was little, in the 1980's. My dad would suddenly come over all grating middle class "Oh darling, finish your Brie! You know you eat it all the time at home! hahahahahah"

They were probably being over hearty to try and overcome the slight tensions that had arisen as 2 families away on holiday together. Either that or they were showing off to each other.

I don't think that anyone objects to the DCs who are excited and noisy-they are just being children. What they object to is the sort of parent who won't keep quiet-it is the running commentary, the sort of 'jolly campers' who can't believe that anyone is having fun unless they are constantly told they are having fun-that grate on the nerves.