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Camping

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Why is it only me who's excited?!

32 replies

topbannana · 20/05/2012 22:37

Tada!! A thread for people who are genuinely excited about their holidays :)We are off on holiday in a little over 3 weeks and the men of the household (DH and DS (8)) are being decidedly reserved about it all- grrrr! I on the other hand am so excited I cannot sleep at times :o

Having spent most of my childhood visiting if we were unlucky the same Pontins site year after year I LOVE holidays and plan with an almost maniacal devotion and enthusiasm. This year, after two very wet years camping in the UK, we are returning to the South of France. It is a cheapy EuroCamp tent job as I am researching for taking my own stuff next time and DH and DS are mutinying at the idea of ever camping again

We are going on the Tunnel (another source of great anticipation for me :o) as we are taking the ginger dog and having an overnight stop there and back to give my knees the car a break. This means that we effectively only have 5 nights on our main site but its the best we could afford.

The downside being that if I do not manage to sell the spare car (not as grand as it sounds, DH now has a works van :o) we will have no spending money, and I do not yet have my new passport (it should be on its way to me any day now Hmm) The sat-nav is also grossly out of date so I may have to rely on DH's "legandary" map reading. This is not enough to deter me and I plough on with my fanatical reading of maps and websites while THEY roll their eyes and say things like "its AGES away yet" Angry They also accuse me of making a small clicky sort of tutting noise which I only do when I get excited, this is apparently also "too soon"

So we are going to catch crayfish, go rock climbing (me anyway) go to the markets, take the blow up boat out, go geocaching, eat starling (!) and generally eat, drink and be merry :)

Where is everyone else off to and up to then?

OP posts:
hillbilly · 20/05/2012 23:30

I live my live in high excitement about camping trips - much to the annoyance of DH although he loves it when we get there! Have a good time!

lisad123 · 20/05/2012 23:33

Me and dh are very excited about our first camp of the year. Heading to camping expo on Sunday Grin

AllOverIt · 21/05/2012 11:57

We're super excited and we don't go until
July!! BlushGrin

drivinmecrazy · 21/05/2012 12:03

I booked a couple of nights in a wigwam for half term week, thought the kids would be oh so excited. Their reaction was somewhere between disgust and complete disbelief!! DD1 (11) asked what would we do all day? would there be wi-fi so she could facetime her friends?
DD2 more concerned about what we would eat.
It's our first time doing anything like camping, thought it would be an adventure. Even DH decidedly cold about the whole thing.
It might turn out to be a horrible mistake on my part, but it's only for 2 nights and they are getting 2 nights in a hotel afterwards. How bad can it be???

topbannana · 21/05/2012 14:18

Oooh, I would be toxic with excitement if I was going in a wigwam- why are these other family members so dull? :o

On a plus side, I contacted IPS this morning and my passport was printed yesterday, after this mornings e-mail telling me they had no record of my application Hmm

OP posts:
Ineedalife · 21/05/2012 19:05

You are not alone topbanana[love the name BTW.]

I love going on holiday and got all over excited the other day when I had finally booked my first camp of the year.

I do get a bit stressy with all the packing though, especially when no one wants to helpHmm.

I fancy the wigwam adventure tooGrin

Lucky13 · 21/05/2012 20:53

Ditto Topbanana!

I too am sitting here route planning, trying to decide 1, 2, 3 or even 4 campsites - how much is too much???! I have spent far too many hours at the computer and still haven't really decided much other than via the Tunnel and the date - 4 weeks time - eek!
Fortunately DH is away at the moment and DD just keeps saying "you keep looking, but when are we actually going"?
I haven't actually told DH how far it all is - maybe he'll just say no and then I'll have to start my planning all over again Shock.
Every time I find a site that looks good, it has rubbish reviews or I find a wonderful site nowhere near I planned going - hmmm.
Decisions, decisions.
Good luck in your planning - ignore the others, IT IS EXCITING!

taczilla · 21/05/2012 22:13

Me too but if you don't trust your satnav use this

www.viamichellin.com very handy and includes the tolls.

Off to the Vendee at the end of August.

Quenelle · 22/05/2012 10:01

We leave for our two weeks in SW France on Sunday 3rd June. I have been planning it since November and now that it is less than two weeks away I am almost apoplectic with excitement. Fortunately DH is getting quite enthusiastic now as long as I don't mention buying any more stuff, and DS is very excited about 'going on a big boat', but he is only 3 bless him.

It is the biggest camping trip we've done as a family, but DH and I have driven to the South of France many times over the years. It is very straight forward, a road atlas is all you need but it's a good idea to map the route on the michelin site or google maps first.

The only thing bringing me down slightly at the moment is the weather, I have had to delete the longterm forecast shortcut I had on my PC because it was depressing me.

loopsngeorge · 22/05/2012 10:45

ooh I'm excited just reading this forum and I haven't even booked anything yet! Where are you going in south of france? I have got umpteen brochures and guide books, trying to decide between cote d'azur, inland provence which looks stunning, dordogne or the alps. So just a few choices to make.....

ENormaSnob · 22/05/2012 12:46

Oh this is definitely the thread for me!

I can't tell you the hours I spent looking for this years holiday Grin

We are off to le fayolan in the Jura mid August. Praying for sun!

Started to think about next years tbh Blush

Quenelle · 22/05/2012 13:17

Me too ENorma Grin

I've organised the arse out of this year's trip, there's nothing left to do but obsess about camping food and camping clothes go now.

I'm thinking ferry from Nice to Corsica end of June 2013. Might need three weeks' annual leave for that one.

topbannana · 22/05/2012 13:58

Quenelle and ENorma we already have next year sorted (kind of) We are going with the olds and then the male side is going to LeMans for the 24 hour race (my mother has expressed an interest in looking at French architecture- read into this "DD and I can sit in the bar all day" :o) Afterwards the olds are going to take DS to EuroDisney "before he gets too old" (he will be 9 by then) leaving DH and I free to meander about Europe for a few days at least. Don't even get me started on that one :o

We are off to the Auvergne in June. We used to do the Camargue region but as we live 10 minutes drive from the sea, the coast was not a lure for us, and we save a surprising amount of miles by staying inland while still (theoretically) getting good weather.

In any case the constant pressure is starting to pay off, DS asked me this morning how many times we will stop on the journey. The first glimmer of interest from either of them, I am victorious :o

AND MY PASSPORT JUST ARRIVED!!!!! :o

OP posts:
ChippyMinton · 22/05/2012 14:20

I'm excited about our trip to south of France. The DC said they'd rather have gone to Eastbourne Hmm.

Decided to dispense with driving and have booked flights instead. Now that's a packing challenge!

Lucycat · 22/05/2012 14:44

I'm also excited about our South of France trip - more so now that the sun is out here and tempting me with promise of hot sunshine.

Yay to the passport arriving, have you got all your insurances sorted? and all the car stuff?
I always create a colour in map of France for the dd's to spot car number plates - something like this one here then you get a lovely route right down France and get all excited if you see a 64 departement plate as it is miles away! :)

Quenelle · 22/05/2012 15:42

That sounds great topbannana. We went to the Le Mans 24 hours in a motorhome from Germany once. It was a fantastic weekend. Sitting in a bar all day is definitely great too though Smile

I don't want to make any decisions about next year too early because it gives me too long to look at other options and change my mind a million times. But DS starts school next September so I want to make the most of the last year we are able to go in termtime.

topbannana · 22/05/2012 16:38

We are fortunate that DS's headteacher feels time as a family is as important as school (within reason) and signs holiday request slips quite happily. Next year is his last before middle school so I am expecting that to change quite dramatically once he moves up. In the meantime, Thanks to the head!! :)

OP posts:
issyocean · 22/05/2012 18:22

Just booked South Penquite Farm for three nights the week end of the 8th June.We will be taking the Bell tent and my Mum and Dad who are coming over from Australia are staying in a Yurt. Grin

SuperTressy · 22/05/2012 19:29

We are excited too! We've just booked our first trip 5 miles down the road at Woolacombe (thought we'd stay close for the first one in case we forget anything!) this weekend. Hope the weather stays nice!

randomfennel · 22/05/2012 22:10

We have just booked the ferry for 2.5 weeks camping in France. Probably around Bordeaux, or the Dordogne, we haven't decided yet.

We are also going to South Penquite farm that weekend 8 June! but every time in the past we've planned to go there it's been awful weather so we've never been there. So I'm not going to get excited about that.

also going camping with youth group in half term but that's not exactly exciting, more like a long hard few days of extra childcare.

parno · 22/05/2012 23:23

We go away week on Friday, myself, ds and dd to the vendee camping. I am beside myself with giddyness but the other 2 are being right miserable gits, sorry meant to say low key about it all. First time abroad as a family so you would expect at least a tremble of anticipation! Wouldn't mind but I'm the one who has been diagnosed with an infection with evil antibiotics which mean I can't drink for the whole time we are away. Boo Hoo.

muchostinky · 23/05/2012 09:06

We are going to Fforest Field for Jubilee week and I am excited! Have done my packing list on the computer and have done a bit of meal planning.

DP and DS are not so excited (it's DP's Mums funeral on Friday though - so he will maybe feel better after that) and am sure DS will be soon.

Am very jealous of all your trips to France though! Will maybe have a wee look for next year!

Squee!!!!!!

Quenelle · 23/05/2012 09:38

randomfennel we are going to the Dordogne. If you find yourselves as far inland as Sarlat you could try this campsite. We haven't been before but love the look of it. I found it in Cool Camping but it's not especially expensive.

ENormaSnob · 23/05/2012 18:27

Quenelle, I think we may need a campsite wardrobe thread Grin

And a holiday food thread?

This weather has got me giddy!

Quenelle · 23/05/2012 20:09

I know what you mean ENorma, until the sun finally came out this week I was finding it hard to really imagine myself there. Just hope this weather hangs on now.

Here, come obsess about clothes Smile