Camping...go on covince me it's a good idea

[nutcracker]

We haven't had a holiday for what seems like forever and although most of the time I doesn't bother me, I am now becoming extrmely peed off that we can't even afford a couple of days away.

I have mentioned camping to dp a few times and he always says no and reckons that I would hate it anyway.

So, would I ??

It's true I do like my home comforts, but i'm not adverse to making do if need be.
Our usual holidays are in caravans or chalets, at english parks or Butlins.
I don't like hotels, I feel to restricted.

Go on see if you can convince me.

KBear you missed a backward slash before you typed here. Then it'll work

/link{http://www.hillsidecampsite.co.uk/\here}

Oh and you put the wrong slash before link
here

here!!!

(You had a forward slash at the front )

Thanks Janh

You beat me, Mrs D!

Shall we have a race to link to your camping thread now?

just practising - ignore me....

here

everything crossed.....

Yay, I can join the clique for those who can link.

My camping thread

Fnar

No fair! You never said yes!

I'm thinking of trying Dymchurch or Camber for our first camping trip as a family. Don't particularly fancy those places, just close enough to come home for showers and food if it all goes wrong. Of course, we'll try the garden first (see my thread on Parenting). If all goes well we'll go further. I'm a real wuss.

Can I ask a hijack question about camping? I am very paranoid and would be scared of marauding wolves and bears and hyenas, but reasonably satisfied that there aren't any in the English countryside (although they might escape from the zoo, so obviously, i'd worry about that ) but I'd also be really scared about personal security and not being murdered. Is there any security at all on camp sites? Or do you just take your life in your hands each night?

No security that I'm aware of, C - well, depending on the campsite I spose - you do have to register, but could lie about your address etc.

Basically it all seems to rely on the notion that campers are Nice People (Which 99.999% of them are )

It wouldn't be the other campers I'd be worried about - it would be lone wolf-men who lurk in the hedgerows, doncha know, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting campers.

Oh them - they'll issue you a Lone Wolfman Detector at the office

Caligula - would you stop? I wasn't letting the Lone Wolfman into my head and now I'm thinking hmmmm, what weapons can I take? . I have big strong DH to protect us too of course but hitting the Lone Wolfman over the head with my Maglite will do some damage!

JanH - you do make me LOL.

Oh good!

Incidentally for bargain camping kit check out Lidl's special offers every week - they have a theme most weeks and the camping one seems to come around 2 or 3 times a year. I got 2 fabulous sleeping bags from there like the second one down here (not Coleman, but American and the same size and description) for £25 each and a self-inflating mattress like these for about £12.

Thanks again JanH - I went last week after a tip from someone else and bought an airbed for £7.99.

someone asked about a lantern-type light? I got one of these . Haven't used it in anger yet, but it doesn't seem hugely bright. OTOH that might be a good thing as it wouldn't wake the children, and we could always use torches to supplement it if necessary to read. You can get very useful torches that have a loop or clip at one end so that you can hang the torch from the loop in the roof of the tent, and the body of the torch can slide up so that the light comes out around the side, like a lantern. Can't remember where I got ours from (a DIY shop maybe?), it's part of the kit that pre-dates babies.

Thanks PC - that was me. I got one similar in B&Q.

Camping Gaz-type lanterns like these are incredibly bright, and you can always hang them off the top of the tent so they can't be knocked over (I honestly don't know what the safety implications of that would be.)

We also have a battery lantern (Osman I think, a good make anyway) - again from Lidl - with halogen bulbs, which is also dazzling. No idea how long the batteries last though.

IME it's a good idea if each person has their own torch in the pocket of their sleeping compartment as well as any communal light. You can get dinkey little pocket torches (rubber ones are best) which run off 2 AA batts from most pound shops.

Oooh, have just discovered a fab rechargeable battery lamp on Camperlands website (click on electrical equipment and it's the first item) - £30 reduced to £20 and 9w fluorescent which = c 75w tungsten I think, so equivalent to the gaz ones which are 80w.

JanH - could you please come with us on our holiday - we neeeeed you. I couldn't sleep last night for lists of camping stuff buzzing round my head. What lights? What stove? Wellies for DH. Waterproofs out of loft. etc etc etc.

The lantern I have is 9w fluorescent - maybe it's like low-energy bulbs and I haven't left in on long enough to warm up and get really bright. Hope so!

I've posted this question on the other camping thread, but just in case anyone else is reading this thread, has anyone used one of these ?

We're considering buying one, but want to know whether they're powerful enough. Also, whether you can put the stove on top of the case for cooking, as the pictures in some catalogues implie (not this one, obviously).