New camping essential - a tablecloth!

[chicaguapa]

I've been reading on ukcampsite that apparently the French use a tablecloth on the concrete tables in the aires and the Dutch put a tablecloth on their camping table with a vase of flowers in the middle.

I think this sounds lovely and now covet a tablecloth. I am deciding on designs.

I have a camping one. It's from John Lewis and is dead swish.

I was about to post that I want one! but then I took hold of myself firmly, slapped myself around the head a few times and relaxed.
No, would just be something else to iron....

I just have a few metres of cheapo gingham fabric that I use...

Since I have a crap roll up table with slats I think a table cloth would be quite good.

Need something to clip it down though, so that the general gales and storms don't blow it away.

More things to add to the camping list!

And then one of these for your flowers.

Oh yes, Chiguapa - we have one of those . Essential!

Lidl have some fake-oilskin tablecloths that looked ideal for camping- £4.99. I nearly bought a green spotty one or a check one and then thought 'I don't need this!'.

Was I wrong?

We just use a sarong, or the picnic blanket on those concrete tables. Don't bother with anything on the camping table.

I did take great delight in having flowers last year, freshly picked in a jamjar. I am turning into a camping ponce.

Poundland have lovely butterfly tablecloth weights which we usually get so it doesn't blow away.

We have a wipeclean one with poppies on and clips to hold it to the table. And yes, we were shamed into it by the Dutch campers.....

I'm looking at designs. I don't want polka dots, stripes or gingham. But want it to be summery. Poppies sound nice but might clash with my vase of flowers.

I'm thinking of butterflies.

I am an unapologetic camping ponce and I have 3; a practical Aldi plastic one with daisies on it, a pretty cutwork-edged purple one from Butlers and an antique embroidered one I pinched from home that my nan had sewn (but I believe you can pick them up for a tenner or so on eBay)

I use one on my garden table to hide it's dirty, shameful looks, and I'm sure I took one camping last.
Big white linen one.

Bought a lovely Cath Kidston tablecloth from the carboot today for £3 :)

I bought some PVC cloth off ebay. Worked out really cheap, and whilst on our long trip to France, had a pot of basil to pretty it up, as well as being functional

Well I do have a tablecloth with strawberries on it that would fit our table and look very nice...

No, no! I already have far too many 'essential' things to take camping .

our table cloth lives inside the fold up table when it's packed away, hence it's essentially taking up free space!

Ooh, I always have a small jamjar of flowers, bunting, pots of herbs etc but have never branched out into tablecloths. I have cloth envy for the PP with the Cath Kidson one though

We, too, have a tablecloth, with flowers/herbs on it at the main campsite, We also use a cloth for the concrete motorway stop tables.

Pegs to stop it blowing away!

We used to think it was very funny on holiday in France- all the French families with their table clothes and elaborate lunches with fancy padded chairs, knives, forks, wine glasses etc. although we were laughing more at all that effort, when they had stopped just anywhere just because it was 12 on the dot, even if it was a dusty grass verge eating diesel fumes

Is there such a thing as a cross between an oil cloth and a regular fabric one? Oil cloth too stiff and bulky, cloth one too vulnerable with my messy lot. A thin, foldable, wipeable one would be perfect!

pvc fabric

I've got something like this. Says it's oilcloth, but isn't really, it's just like what you'd find in a greasy spoon, but perfect for camping

Shiraz fab, thanks!