Is it do-able

[ItsWitchingTime]

Is it possible to go camping without a car or am I setting myself up to fail?

Yes, you absolutely can, but choose your site carefully. If you were close to a beach and within walking distance of a town or village with amenities/things to do, or the campsite had enough to keep you occupied for your stay, then it’s certainly doable. Lots of campsites have fire pits for hire or disposable BBQs to purchase from their shop.
Some campsites even have pre pitched tents and some even have furnished tents.

DH and I camp often, and, even if we take a car, pack into backpacks. Mine is 55l his is 65l. We take everything including luxuries: tent, air mattress (thermarest neo air), inflatable pillow, sleeping bags, washbag, towels (microfiber), stove, food, mocha pot (for proper coffee), couple of bottles of wine, 6l of water. We usually go for a few days but could probably manage a week with our set up. Especially if you're only on one campsite. You may need bigger packs if you have kids but depending on ages they can carry their own clothing and food.

Didn't the Guardian have an article recently about camping in the UK using public transport only...

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/travel/2019/jul/20/20-best-campsites-camping-uk-europe-accessible-by-public-transport

It depends if you can carry / transport the amount of stuff you consider esssential / comfortable for your trip.

For the last 2 summers my teens have taken themselves off camping at festivals on public transport, but I wouldn’t personally be happy with the level of comfort, nutrition or hygiene possible with their packing for an enjoyable camp.

But they don’t take a trolley. I need a chair, a tent you can stand up in, a stove and a coolbox.

People do it: amass your stuff and decide if you can carry it.

Cycle or go on the train. Totally doable with the right kit.

The less car trips we take the better!

Thank you so much

I have those vacuum bags with a pump so clothes etc shouldn't take up much room, both boys will be able to carry their own bags.

I'm going to look into those trolleys and treat myself to a rucksack.

Easy if you plan and pack carefully.
Barmouth has a very nice site that's within walking distance of the station and town, so must be plenty of others.
Plenty of used gear about, trolleys are excellent and a very good idea.
Look for sites with food places nearby, plan simple food.
Our son camps but gets breakfast and lunch in the supermarket and eats out for evening meal

How on earth do you manage without a car? We’ve got a Ford Kuga with a roof box and we’re still full (do have 2 dc though too). Can’t imagine ever camping without a car.

@stoplickingthetelly there are some good articles here: thermarestblog.com/tips-backpacking-babies/ and here: worldtravelfamily.com/10-tips-backpacking-kids/

The short answer is you carry everything. The second link talks about their 10yo carrying a 45l pack. My pack is 55l. So plenty of space. Though I guess it depends what you take.

Old lady shopping trolly would carry lots of stuff easily

Where we regularly go camping, there's a train station about half a mile away and they have camping pods. Lots of people seem to walk or cycle to the campsite or come by train.

It's not impossible, and it would depend on the number of adults and the ages of the children for how easy it would be. I'm on some camping facebook groups and there have been quite a few posts this summer of families going by public transport and photos of their festival trollies and luggage. You would need kit designed for backpacking so it's as small as possible.

www.minimalistfamilycamping.com/home This blog has some good tips and lists, although it's a small boot rather than backpacking. We do similar and survive quite nicely.

A compromise would be to have a ready tent so you only have to worry about bringing sleeping bags.