1st time camping with a reluctant teen ..

[MellowAutumn]

How do I make it bearable for me and him - have too younger one who are well up for it - the 15 year old will have to be surgically detached form his laptop ;(

Fire, have one, put him, in charge of making and maintaining. Get some cool beargrylls style outdoor kit - Or failing all else you can get wifi at some sites. Or how about a spot of geocaching to combine technology and outdoors?

HZ - have found a wild campsite that allows fires ! Great idea

Fires are the key. And cooking things over the fire. Toasting marshmallows etc.

Go somewhere surfy with lots of other sulky teens?

Polzeath is good for this! Or Croyde.

Amazing how they all cheer up once they have a wetsuit on.

As someone who was forced to spend every naffing easter and summer under canvas for 15 years, I would urge you to abandon this notion and book yourself a nice hotel. Yes IABU but I can honestly say I was scared by the experience, my poor mother had to create a dinner on a bunsen burner and I cannot erase the image of my dad, clad in speedos and a cagoule, going out into the rain to try and detect the leak in the canvas that would not stop dripping. My parents had a gift for picking the two weeks of the year that would be a washout and a tent is no protection from the elements. Throw an unreliable Renault 12 into the mix and I am staggered that social services didn't see fit to remove my brother and I from this madness.

LOL at Speedos and cagoule.

Thankfully, queen, tents are mostly reliably waterproof these days.

When I have teens I am going to take them here. I have been camping to a basic site with some friends who have a teen daughter. She was bored all the time.

Or take one of their friends.

nikki1978 that does look like a pretty awesome place. I actually accidentlayy drove in their once thinking it was a public park. Impressive stuff but I imagine pretty pricey! I admit to being as novice in the teenager camping stakes but I reckon adding something like geocaching into the mix plus the fire might help, maybe.....
queenofthepirates, that is hilarious. sorry you have been scarred though, my mantra is if the weather is looking mostly crap don't go!