Am I mad to consider camping for one night next weekend?!?

[scarymamma]

After spending literally hours reading about camping MNers and a great deal of pester power from ds & dd, we finally took the plunge and bought our first tent! Now we're desperate to 'have a go' but I have a few concerns/questions.....
1)Should we just do a practice run in the garden first or risk going away somewhere?
2)Is it too late in the season?
3)Is it too much hassle to just go for one night?
Finally...
4) Can anyone recommend a family/dog friendly site in N Yorks. (have checked the campsite review, but sites seem to be mostly in SW!)

All feedback gr8ly appreciated!

ooh - I'm doing this next weekend as well! Well, hopefully 2 nights but I'm going on Friday, with ds's, on my own (i.e. no dp with me) - am terrifed! I've booked 2 nights but won't be entirely surprised if I wuss out and end up back home on the Saturday...

Sorry, can't recommend a campsite but hope it goes well.

1. DON'T BOTHER WITH THE PRACTICE RUN IN THE GARDEN, THERE WILL BE MANY HELPFUL PEOPLE IF YOU GET STUCK PUTTING YOUR TENT UP
2. NOT TO LATE IN THE SEASON, MANY CARRY ON CAMPING ALL YEAR! BUT PLEASE REMEMBER THAT AS SOON AS IT STARTS TO GET DARK THE TEMPERATURE DROPS, AND YOU WILL NEED FLEECES AND POSSIBLY A COAT. BUT, ONCE INSIDE YOUR TENT YOU WILL BE SNUG AND WARM.
3. YOU TAKE THE SAME STUFF FOR ONE NIGHT AS YOU DO FOR A WEEK OR MORE, SO TRY TO GO FOR TWO IF POSS!
4. SORRY NEVER BEEN CAMPING IN YORKSHIRE, BUT YOU COULD TRY UKCAMPSITE.CO.UK THEY WILL GIVE YOU SOME IDEAS ON WHERE TO STAY.

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!

Have fun I've been for just one night before with the kids. We tend to do very simple food.

It's not too late to go, we're hoping to go next weekend and have camped through September before. It will get cold when it's dark so take warm clothes.

Oh dotty - you brave girl! I was hoping I'd be brave enough to go on my own next year. I have a friend who goes on her own with her ds and dd and loves it! Good luck!

Thanks everyone, unfortunately can't manage more than one night due to dc's and dh's other commitments (school, work etc..) but I appreciate that it is as much work for 1 night as it would be for several weeks!

Off to Argos and camping shop now to buy a stove and some mattress thingies. Oooohh, excited!

We stayed at a lovely campsite on the edge of the Dales, its called Woodnook, lovely clean showers and toilets, right on the edge of the moor and with a lovely wood and grassy area for you to let the dog off for a run. have fun!

I disagree with milky and think if this is your first tent it would be good if you had a practice run in the garden - if you have the time and space. People are generally really friendly and helpful but it is nice to know what you are doing. We always do a practice run with a new tent.

It is a lot of hassle for one night and I'd recommend at least 2 really if you can.

Take hats for the evening too in case the temp really drops.

Have fun

Thanks for the recommendation LittleB, I'll google the site. I'm not bothered about lots of facilities and EHU's (in fact I think I'd prefer a site without them) but I object to grotty loo's!

Dusty - thanks also. We've decided to do a practice run in the garden this weekend; put the tent up and cook and sleep in it to see how we go. I know it sounds daft, but I've never done camped with the kids before (and I've only ever camped once ever and that was 15 years ago!) and hopefully a dummy run at home will highlight any glaring oversights that will be difficult to sort when we're stuck in a field in the middle of nowhere!

We might play hookey from school one day to get an extra night in (shh - don't tell anyone! )

Went this weekend just for one night, and the dcs loved it. Dh seemed to enjoy himself, but do try to borrow stuff, as it could get really expensive! We borrowed ready bed for the boys to sleep in and they worked well. One camping tip which worked well for us was to pack everybodies stuff in a separate bag, then they didn't have to rummage to look for a spare t shirt or top.

Take/wear joggers for toilet runs, and don't forget the washing up bowl!!!

Have fun, and stay warm

Oooh, you're right about the expense deegward (have already bought quite a bit - tried to stick to the basics; something to heat food with, something to sit on and something to sleep on). Daredn't tell DH how much I've spent - he'll just relate it to the number of nights we could have had in a real bed with an ensuite and a full english breakfast in a B&B! It's just not the same tho', we can sleep in a proper bed at home! I'm hoping that what I've spent is an investment in holidays and weekends away for the future!?!