Camping alone

[vicarlady]

I'm just trying to decide which tent to buy for a week at New Wine (Christian Festival) on Newark showground.

I could buy - or possibly borrow - someting for the week, keeping costs as low as possible. On the other hand, I could spend more and buy someting i would use again and again.

The big question is: I feel quite taken with the idea of camping trips. How safe/reasonable is it for a woman of mature years (60) to camp alone? I guess I would use organised sites rather than the middle of nowhere. It isn't about the practicalities - it's the safety aspect that is the issue. I have to convince my four children that it isn't a totally mad idea!!

Any comments/opinions/recommendatons most welcome

J.

I go camping along and don't feel unsafe in anyway, there's usually enough other campers around if you're on an organized site. I'd suggest buying some kind of dry bag for your valuables, somewhere to put your phone and purse in when you're in the shower.

I haven't camped alone for years (been with DH for 17 years) but when we camp we often see single people (we tend to go to smaller, quieter campsites, certainly never those with 'clubhouses' or pools etc.

Also- we tend to go to areas that are good for walking, so lots of people there alone to hike during the day.

If you have places you want to see, then it seems like a great idea. All the sites we've stayed on have felt safe- can not think of a single time I've felt anxious to be honest. I have camped wild too and I probably wouldn't do that alone though.

What are your interests? If it's outdoor pursuits (hill walking, etc) then I can recommend the Outdoors Magic website, they have a forum, and there's loads of people on there who do solo trips the whole time, and often have meet-ups for day walks (usually lakes or peak district etc) so you can have some company, or keep yourself to yourself.

Lots of solo campers tend to use bikes to- pedal and motor varieties... would you drive or bike?

I would imagine, given you're going to a Christian Festival, that you'll probably be in the safest place possible :)

However, as you're talking about going on other trips, I think if you research your campsites well (read loads of reviews, ask on here etc.) and possibly go for ones where the owner/warden lives onsite, then you should be fine.

It tends to be the more 'holiday camp' type sites that are rowdier, the place we went to at the Bank Holiday (Long Meadow) was Boden-on-The-New-Forest and very safe and friendly, the wardens were absolutely lovely and very helpful.

A tent you can put up single-handed (and put away again, I have heard wildly-differing reports on the ease of putting a pop up down again!) is a must. I like bell tents (am very biased!), they are very quick to take up and down, you can buy a small one for one person fairly reasonably and if looked after it will last a lifetime. Plus they're pretty :)

Hth

Btw- if you were pitched by us, and looked like a nice lady vicar- we would most likely ask that you join us for evening meal (hopefully you wouldn't be annoyed or offended at that)!

Though the 2 noisy mini-swankers might grate a little

UKCampsite website has lots of review of sites btw, so you can see which ones to avoid plump for.

i've camped regularly with children from 3-10 with no other adult and always felt safe (and to be honest, apart from making lots of noise they wouldn't be much protection). I have always spoken to the owners of wherever I'm going and explained that i dont' want a pitch thats isolated (quite an unsual request i imagine). to be honest i feel safer camping amongst others than i do sleeping in our house (if we didn't have a burglar alarm which i put on at night)

My dsis has camped alone with young children for years and has never had any difficulties. She would never go off the beaten track though.

Thank you for your replies. Should be enough 'evidence' here to convine my - grown up - children I am safe to go off alone!

I've just got back from a camping weekend with my DS10.

Same as the other re going to small well run camp sites. I always feel safe on camp sites (feels far safer than staying in hostels for some reasons).

I have a teepee tent which is really easy to put up, and also to take down. Hope you have fun and most camp sites are full of friendly, like minded people.