i really want a big bell tent

[cazzybabs]

... so there is me and dh and 4 kids ... can I get a bell tent? Or do I need to cull a child?

There's a lady on UKCampsite who has a 6m bell, which looks like tons of room - link here to pictures of it - hope that works! (it's very, very glampy, looks absolutely gorgeous, way beyond my means!)

All that pinkness is hurting my eyes!! Works better when the lights off. Plus the dog.

Shocking taste aside , it does look nice and spacious. One thing I would consider when ds / dc(?) older, is the privacy issue. I would imagine teenage boys would prefer their own space vs sharing with parents & toddlers, for example. If similar age though, I would think it's doable and should be fun.

I'm a huge bell tent fan, but perhaps something to consider?

Actually, skip that horrible "shocking taste" comment. Bad Sal. Obv others will feel the same about my stuff.

I think what she has done inside that tent is absolutely gorgeous.
Really really nice, wish I had one and the means to transport it all!

It does look very comfortable, I have to say. Can imagine drinking lots of red wine and catching up with all the reading I never get time for... Love the dog, hate the colour (but my issue, didn't even as a child).

She has an in-tent stove Sal iirc

She MUST also have some sort of cattle transporter trailer to fit all that stuff in.

She's a lovely poster btw. I have a lot of time for her posts, she is a worse kit addict than you though if that is possible.

A stove, you say? Hmm, perhaps should revisit that set-up... Have read her thread properly (mainly as I felt guilty for being such a b**ch), and she does seem lovely - also staying for longer, so the whole unpacking thing probably more relaxed.

The main question, however, remains: Now does she have a hammock??

Ps: Apparently all of that fits into one trailer, so Val's obviously good at packing!

Yeah but there are trailers and trailers aren't there?

She has a smaller white bell with flowers on which I think I've seen an evening shot with a stove in.

Hahaha. White flowery one sounds very pretty, will do a search.

I've seen pictures of her flowery one, it's really lovely. Iirc doesn't she pitch her tents by herself? They are always perfect and I love the awning. I've got a tiny bell tent, a bit over 3m and I've never found a way of fixing an awning to it.

Oh wow, have just looked at her profile. Never mind the tent - love that windbreak.

I'm probably a bit similar to you, Mollie. Usually takes us longer to get the tarp perfect than pitching the tent itself.

I got a tarp and the first and only time I tried to put last year it up my Ds (then 5) asked me to stop as it was embarrassing him. It was a massive impossible to control nylon thing. I'm looking at a canvas tarp now in the hope that something more solid might be easier to pitch.

That's funny. Wait until he's a teenager and you'd probably need to drop him around the corner whilst pitching! We've got a cotton tarp, and have nothing to compare it with, but we're still a bit useless. Looks all right when done, but a faff. I suspect it might just be because we're a bit rubbish with it...

I have thought of the privacy issue - but I think that is a long way off ... so by then may need to take multiple tents anyway! The bell tent people reckon 5m is big enough for 6 people but soulpad people don't ... are they different sizes? We are going to stay in a soulpad in July so maybe I'll know more then :)

We were in cornwall at half term, someone there had a 5m bell with 2 adults, 3 children (not young or small!) and 3 dogs (again not small) and they said they were very comfortable.

There is the emporer on belltent.co.uk called the dessert I think on Obelink. That is truly massive, you could probably lose each other in there!

So yes you can have a bell tent without culling your children!