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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

Is anyone camping in the UK at the moment? Is it cold at night?

39 replies

bryte · 23/08/2014 08:26

I'm considering going camping for 2 nights next week. Children are 11 and 9. I'm cold at home in the evenings at the moment so can't quite imagine sitting outside a tent in an evening, or being warm enough to sleep. Am I becoming a wimp in my old age? I really want to get away for a few days but I don't want to be cold! Stupid English school summer holidays which don't actually take place during decent summer weather.

OP posts:
Original poster
bryte · 23/08/2014 08:27

We're planning to go to Norfolk I that helps.

OP posts:
Hurr1cane · 23/08/2014 08:39

It gets boiling in tents at night doesn't it, I always remember taking ages to get warm and then sweltering after an hour

HelpMeGetOutOfHere · 23/08/2014 08:42

We camped in the new forest last week and was very cold on a night time. It was ok if you were in bed but cold when you got up to go to the loo. Just make sure you have warm bedding. And nearly everyone was wearing onesies. Except me with my usual nightshirt on and a sweatshirt as I don't own a onesie.

Kahlua4me · 23/08/2014 08:46

We are going away next week and I am planning on taking lots of blankets and a hot water bottle!

We can then use the blankets as needed, or just leave them in the corner. As Hurr1cane says it takes a while to warm up and then you are boiling all night.

My dc are 11 and 8 and never feel the cold in the tent so sure they will be ok. I layer them up when they go to bed and by the morning they are on top of all bedding.

Enjoy your time away.

moodyblues · 23/08/2014 08:46

We just cut our camping holiday short (dart moor) because dh and I were so cold at night and because we couldn't sit out either. We realised we were cold, uncomfy and peed off at having to go to bed so early. Days were great but evenings sucked.

BBQsAreSooooOverrated · 23/08/2014 08:50

We're camping in norfolk next week too. I'm worried I'll be cold but dh assures me it'll be fine, going to pack lots of fleecy blankets though.
I've Also got a onsie (!) so I can wear leggings, vest and long sleeved tip under that!

Have fun. I'm more worried about pitching the tent when it's piddling with rain.

Bunbaker · 23/08/2014 08:52

"It gets boiling in tents at night doesn't it"

Brrr! That has never been my experience. It was 7 degrees at 8 am this morning! It is August and we have put our winter duvet back on the bed as we were waking up cold every morning.

Camping wouldn't appeal to me in this weather.

Original poster
bryte · 23/08/2014 09:28

Hmmmm - it's not sounding hopeful.

OP posts:
didldidi · 23/08/2014 09:37

Just back from north Norfolk - was windy during the day and rained most nights. I wore thermal long sleeved underwear, a onesie, 3 season sleeping bag and duvet and that was the only way to keep warm!

gingeroots · 23/08/2014 09:56

Is anyone camping in the UK at the moment? Is it cold at night?

Is the Pope Catholic ?

Yes it will be cold . IME sleeping can be ok ,just take blankets and hot water bottle .
Bigger problem is as MoodyBlues has said ,too cold to sit out .But it's all an adventure isn't it ? And a couple of nights will be fine .And think how lovely it will be to get home !

hyperhops · 23/08/2014 12:16

we just got back form 4 nights on east coast. It was V cold at night. also rained most nights so definitely not sitting out weather. Was Ok in sleeping bag with hot water bottle and many blankets and wearing a zillion layers though!

Original poster
bryte · 23/08/2014 14:35

You're not selling it to me :-) I used to be a more hardy camper than this but in recent years have become a fair-weather camper, short trips only.

OP posts:
alabasterangel · 23/08/2014 16:14

We've just got back from Anglesey. We were testing out new belltent but I'll post a whole other thread about that later. Me, dh, dd5 and ds just 3 coped but it was very very cold. We should have had hookup and with that would have been ok with a small fan heater running at night but it really was chilly. Kids had hot water bottles, vests, pjs, fleeces, 2 socks, 12 tog duvets and all complained of cold. I have a thermometer on my phone and last night at 4am it was 9 degrees in the tent..... Sitting out was a no-no. Only others out after 8.30ish were those warmed by excess wine Grin it's definitely made me think I won't be camping without a hookup and fan heater again!!

alabasterangel · 23/08/2014 16:15

Thermometer on clock not phone!

Grittzio · 23/08/2014 16:24

It can get very cold at night and airbeds can make it feel like the cold is coming up through the ground, as the air in the bed gets very cold, make sure if you are using airbeds to put a thick fleecy blanket on the airbed as well as taking plenty of bedding for your top layer. We camped last weekend and were fine with this, we sat outside around a portable fire pit, was great.

GlaceDragonflies · 23/08/2014 16:27

It's cold at night, we've just back to using duvets instead of just a sheet and that's in the house. We decided not to go camping this weekend because it has gone colder at night

travailtotravel · 23/08/2014 16:42

We camped last weekend. It was cold to start with but we woke up roasting!

I think it depends on the type of tent you have - we have a zip up inner compartment in a nylon tent. In our canvas tent, we didn't heat up as much.

However, we were comfy enough - blanket under sleeping mat, sleeping bag, 2 blankets, my attractive winter jim jams.

lightahead · 23/08/2014 23:23

Camped end of week on Welsh coast. Too cold to sit out in evening. Duvet on top of air bed, hot water bottle. Thick sleeping bag, pj's and fleece, thick blankets on top, got warm but not really enjoyable.

LimeJellyforBrains · 23/08/2014 23:36

Just returned today from 5 nights' camping in Dorset and 3 in Hants. Sat out every night! Last 3 nights were in front of a firepit, and recommend you look for a site where you can have a fire if you want to sit out. Doesn't help if it rains of course! Noticed a drop in temperature midweek, started wearing a fleece to bed on top of winter PJs + socks. Wore a furry winter hat with earflaps a couple of the colder nights while sitting out with no fire. Bed (bottom to top) = footprint, SIG, picnic mat, 10cm SIM, fleece blanket, standard sleeping bag. Put your PJs on as it begins to get cold/dark, then put your clothes back on top, so you're not getting into cold PJs. Have decided that instead of cold wine, in future I am going to take stuff to make hot toddies! Good luck, have fun! :)

DoristheCamel · 23/08/2014 23:44

I am just home after 16 nights camping in Norfolk. It has been chilly at night.
Sitting out after 9pm is rather chilly and I resorted to using a blanket over me for the first time ever in 40 years of camping.
I wad warm in my tent but thst was thanks to my lovely new electric convector heater. On 2 nights last week my teen dc asked for hot water bottles at bed time (usually only used at easter). On the same 2 nights I slept in my fleecy onesie with the hood up because I felt cold.

I have to say it was one of mh coldest trips on a while and I cannot recall feeling yhis vold at night in August before.
I would still go but recommend kitting yoursrlf out likr you would for an early easter camp. Blankets, good sleeping bags, layers of night clothes, bed socks, hats, hw bottles and a heater of some kind.

Asleeponasunbeam · 24/08/2014 21:44

We're just home after 12 nights in Cornwall. Nobody was really cold (DC 2 and 5), although DH and I went to bed early every night (necessary anyway when DC wake around 7am). Good sleeping bags help. As do fleece tops and layers before bed.

Quite enjoying the house tonight though!

collywobble · 24/08/2014 22:27

Camping at the moment and it's chilly at night but not unbearable. All of the children have been fine in onesies and a sleeping bag and complained of being too warm in the morning sun. We have sat out at night but with a fire to warm us before bed. Certainly worth the trip but not your usual August evening.

BBQsAreSooooOverrated · 24/08/2014 23:56

We're off tomorrow, I'm chilly even in the house tonight though.
Rain is promised so should be fun pitching, I'm sure it was warmer when we went in May.

ihatethecold · 25/08/2014 22:22

Just got back from North Norfolk and it was the coldest I've ever been.
So glad to be home.

BBQsAreSooooOverrated · 26/08/2014 20:20

We wimped out in the end Blush
We were supposed to have gone yesterday but it was absolutely chucking it down so decided not to go. Today has been much nicer so not sure we made the right decision but hey ho. We were planning to go to the north Norfolk coast.