I spent my first ever night as an adult in a tent last night and request for campsite info!

[Soapbox]

I am so not the camping type but it was okayish

I have a serious spider phobia which has always put me off camping, but I have been trying to be braver about doing things anyway.

I saw the pop up tent that Martian Bishop posted about - the Quechua - and liked the look of the little bedroom units which are completely sealed off. So bought the base and two bedroom units and tried it out in the garden last night. The DCs were fabulous about making sure the zippers were always kept closed on the bedroom tent and so I quite happily slept there knowing it would be free of spiders!

I think we'll have to give the real thing a go soon - where could we go somewhere not to far from Kent that would be a good softie introduction of a camp site?

We went recently to a campsite in Ashurst in Kent (basically on the road between Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead) called Manor Court farm. It's quite a small site and we pitched in the orchard which was lovely. They had a wooden table and chairs on the pitches already there and a place for a fire (pretty rare to be allowed real fires on sites). There was also a swing and a rope swing which was great for the kids.

The owner was great and the facilities (loos/shower etc) were good too. I would say it's a good place for a first camping trip and there is plenty to do in the area. We visited Hever Castle and there are other stately homes nearby too.