Oooh now, camping I hear you say. Suddenly it is becoming strangely appealing but I am a total novice, loads of Q's

[Enid]

but dh is 'mr practicality' and the best holiday we've ever had was when we drove a camper van round OZ and we both loved the self-suffiency of it.

So...possible and fun with three kids (7, 4 and 15 months - next summers ages)?
what do you need to get started and are the tents hideously expenisve, also which are the best ones as dh will want to know that ?
Can you just 'pack and go' or do you need to book ages in advance?
ARe all campsites full of fat blokes with their tops off sitting round stinky bbqs playing music super loudly?
Is it utterly weather dependent?

Last time I camped was in the french alps in an old army tent with two blokes, there was an almighty storm and we tried to keep the rain out using big stones along the bottom of the tent and I had to sleep on a lilo. Am presuming things have come on a bit since then.

6 moo it's 6am
(sorry Enid)

Aw, baby finishing nursery - aww - hope DH's job is safe - scary

I was toying with going to the Next sale in the morning, if DS2 keeps me up all fecking night like he did last night - at least I could be awake and shopping and not just lying there thinking "oh, go back to sleep and stop kicking me, there's a love"

I'm tired. And fed up. And hot. And very glad it's the weekend and DH has said he'll take both boys out tomorrow morning and leave me to sleep. Bet my neighbours decide to drill all the plaster off their walls all morning now...

Enid, hang on...will bugger off to another thread - can't pretend this is a quick hijack any longer!

Oooh double hijack....

why dont you do a eurotent holdiay first

The only time I've been camping was in France. We booked the ferry & just turned up at campsites, although aimed for the quieter ones. It'd possibly be best to book for busier ones. It was a while ago though.

We also had several holidays in a caravan. Didn't have to tow it though!

It was fun, but I don't think I'd do the tent camping again. Well maybe once so LO gets to go. It was just a pain when it rained & moving on with a soaking wet tent in the back of the car.

i reckon enid and her dh woudl love a week ro so ( no longer) this summer
have foudn availability fo a few nights in brittany at a key camp site nrea carna
htink it woudl be nice for you to haev a break

OMG marthamoo, have just watched the tent porn, it's left me feeling queasy in the extreme. how do i get the seedy music to stop? i think that pair are camping swingers... why else would they need a six-man tent?