Help me learn to love sites with campfires

[Allegrogirl]

I've seen loads of lovely small sites which allow campfires. Unfortunately I have had a couple of bad experiences with people up strumming their guitars and singing badly until 3.00am by their campfires. Have I just been unlucky, or am I a misery guts who should stick to the more regulated 'no noise after 10.00' type places?

I know where you are coming from, but is this behaviour really confined to campfire campsites? In my experience, campfire camspites are often very family orientated and quite likely to have a noise curfew. Personally, I only camp at campfire campsites, I love a fire, it provides a real centre to the camp plus of course warmth, light and endless fascination! If you need more convincing I humbly suggest a look at my blog www.yellowfieldscamping.co.uk which is all about campfire campsites. Go make fire!!

Just ask as many sites wont allow music after a certain time

I do my best to always camp at sites that allow fires, and my 2 late-night noise problems have both been on fireless sites (children playing football at 1am, and drunken karaoke and top volume raconteuring of sexual exploits.).

Have never come across anyone playing guitar - where have your bad experiences been?

At Welsummer the lady takes a friendly stroll at 10pm and reminds everyone to be quiet.

I FAR prefer a relaxed site that allows campfires and singing, than the po faced lights out at 10 and no talking ones. Boooo!

Yanbu though, as it's each to their own .

Also, you are usually further apart on campfire sites, or have bushes or trees as a noise screen.

Campfire sites are a deal breaker for us. Have had a couple of rowdy experiences but nothing outrageous. Yes, Blu, we were at Welsummer last year and the lady there was very sweet.

I have to give a massive thumbs down to Holestation campsite in North Devon, where although they allow campfires, they do not allow guitars or singing.Bah humbug!

Interestingly enough, Holestation has now become an adults only campsite. I am not surprised in the slightest given the attitude of the owner!

We've had that experience a lot too, a lot of the campsites in our area which allow fires get lots of late night parties, lots of drinking and noise. A sort of festival expectation. Some have been quite extreme. I usually vote against them for that reason, I like my sleep.

Also we get lots of open fire experience with our kids' youth group so we aren't short of the campfire time.

I would quite like a po-faced lights out at 10 campsite :-).

ArcticWaffle - which area is that? Or which campsites?

I like a fire, and then some peace and quiet by about midnight. We sit up late and talking quietly, and under no circumstances can I be heard singing! We'd be banned immediately.

Devon and the SW in general. Loads of good campsites, lots of campfire opportunities, but the sites with campfires do attrach the partying groups. Surfers and birthday party groups.

I think the worse we've been to is at Bigbury in S Devon. We've had two grim noisy weekends at Bigbury and given up on that site even though it's a great location overlooking the beach.

That is interesting to hear ArticWaffle, I had been eyeing up Bigbury because of its fab location. Did you go on a bank holiday or something? - grasping at straws here!

Weird! I only ever look for campsites that allow campfires and have so far never come across any late-night guitar strumming muso sessions! I think you've been unlucky.

I have to say I agree with you flubba, the only place I've had that problem was at Ewelweaze where there is a bit of a festival atmosphere, but the next time I went I just made sure I was in a field with more room.

nothing worse than being kept awake by keith and candice marie singing

articwaffle not just me then! My sleepless nights were both a the same lovely little campsite near Porthcurno in Cornwall. I've never had a problem with noise on a campsite anywhere else. I was wondering if the noise issue was a common feature where fires a are allowed as the warmth allows people to stay up later. When it's freezing people are forced to turn in. It sounds like I was unlucky.

I like the sound of the site mentioned up thread were someone comes around and gently reminds everyone to keep the noise down a little at night.

Eweleaze was also quite noisy when we were there. And Fisherground in the Lakes, another campsite place, is supposed to be very noisy.

My experience is that campfire sites often attract partying groups.

We did three nights at Fisherground last year. It was very very very crowded, but the wardens were militant about fires and noise. It was silent by 10.30.

I wouldn't go back to Fisherground. It's heaving, and it's expensive. The facilities were woefully inadequate for the amount of people there.

At risk of sounding utterly middle aged, DP and I wonder if campsites in general have more noise later at night than they used to. Either that or we are just hitting a series of noisy sites.

We tend to have much quieter evenings on French campsites

[shuffles off in slippers back to nice rule-bound National Trust campsite]

I really do think it depends on the type of campsite, smaller sites that are family orientated are committed to everyone having a peaceful experience, for instance Thistledown in Gloucestershire, Priory Mill near Brecon, South Penquite Farm on Bodmin Moor, Alpine Grove in Dorset, all beautiful very quiet campsites where the campfire enhances the camping experience. However, large places like Eweleaze or the dreaded Shell Island do experience large groups which can be rowdy. I wonder if Bigbury is popular with a young surf crowd as it is next to a surfing beach - could that be why there are problems with noise?

pembrokeshire for lots of small quiet campsite places. we're back off to ty parke this year but there are a lot of similar sites

I think you have to find places with 20 or less pitches.