would you CAMP at a site only...

[noonar]

...half an hour's drive away from your home???

4 families are planning a long weekend trip together during the summer. we agreed on a site about an hour away, but there was a problem with the booking.

my very dear friend has now booked a different site only half an hour away. for me, this makes the whole camping experience a bit of a farce. imean, the other site was close enough... if we do daytrips once we're there, we'll be on our own doorstep, ffs! the 'sense of adventure' will be zero, for me. may as well camp in the garden. my dh and one other adult at least, feel the same.

what would you do? i dont want to upset my friend, but i was realyy looking forward to this trip...now i'm not

we camped 10 mins from my parents house last year, but it was still "different" it was still a break.

If you really arent happy about going there, dont go and book something else!

she's paid, though! a husband of one friend WORKS in that area, too. he's gutted.

At least if it rains badly you can get home quickly!

KT, you're not kidding...

We often do this! We have a wonderful campsite 25 minutes drive away. We spend a lot of summer weekends there. It's brilliant! Nobody gets tired and grumpy with a long drive, if the waether's particulaly nice we can ring up friends and get them to come and join us - and it doesn't make any difference to the adventure of camping for the children. And you see things differently from a tent.

Is it a nice campsite? How about deciding not to use the car at all once you get there - then you'll explore a new area withoug any risk of driving past your door.

kate, the site is well reviewed. the site is by the sea, near main road. no woodland nearby. the LOs are too young to cycle. we need to use car really. thanks for the idea, though.

i guess the location thing is a bit of a bug-bear (sp?)of mine. when she was researching sites, i said that i didnt mind where we went as long as it was not on our doorstep.

just looked at their website and some more reviews. it does look nice, but why oh why go so close? i just dont undersatnd the logic.

I have friedns who will often caravan half an hour away from where we live. It's amazing how much we don't know about our own backyards really.

I often go an hour away in our caravan- just an hour up the coast takes us a lot nearer to places like Chester and Llangollen and makes day trips to places that are normally further away that bity closer iyswim.

I'd go and have fun

ok, pixie, will try to be more positive. its just that we've been to all the local villages, tourist atractions, etc.

general reaction when i've told (local )family members where we're going has been 'ok, um, er, how nice..'

guess i'll have to get over it.

I live on Anglesey and some of my friends go to Caernarfon- google it and see how close they are- you can do it in 20 minutes easily. Honestly- you'll have loads of fun

Oh dear, it was naughty of her to book it without consulting you - I think I would be a bit hacked off if I had specifically said not on my doorstep! Is it too late to change?
{Kate does an instant change of mind}

What part of the country are you?

thanks, pixie, you're right.

i suppose that althoguh it spoils it slightly being so close, it would spoil it MORE if my friend was upset. so... i'm going to try to make the most of it. just hope the guy who works nearby can get over it too!

kate. it hink she was panicking, tbh, as so many sites are full in the hols. also, she's only lived in the area a couple of years, so camping in this location doesnt have the same comedy value/ perspective for her, i guess.

Oh we did this several times, it was fantastic! My friends from uni were all scattered around the country, and we happened to be about in the middle. We didn't have room to put everyone up, so we met up at a site nearby to camp.

yes...we've done it too we went up to buxton which is about 30 mins away..tried out our new tent this way too .We only have a yard which is to for the tent..and wanted somewhere we could come home from if we discovered something wrong with it.
It was lovely actually...having a base just that little bit further from home..and yes- it sort of opens up possibilities for visiting things which you normally think are just a bit too far for a day trip.
Hoping to get a 'quickie' in there again right at the end of the season.
You will have great fun i bet..specially since it's all about meeting up...it won't matter too much where you are

That's what I'm looking for. Nice and close in case we can't hack it and have to head for home.

Before DD we used to go away to site about 20-30 mins drive for weekends all the time.

As a main break we try to go a bit further afield, but for shorter breaks it makes no difference as long as the scenery is different, with the family, in an environment we would not normally be in

Go and enjoy it, pretend you are far away!

ah, thanks everyone. maybe i just ned to change my attitude.

I have only been camping once as an adult - last year. And it was about 10 minutes from home. It was a camping night in aid of the local farm centre, with live band and hog roast supper, with bar. But that was for only one night with a specific reason.

Can understand what you mean about being very close to home.. Mind you an hour away would be like that for me as I am so used to driving that distance to work each time.

Can ou tell your friend the problem,and have an alternatice site for them to consider with you?

I would
camping is total freedom & doesnt really matter where you are - point is you're not at home with all the domestic chores

being close to home means get there earlier so more time to sit drinking wine in the sunshine