Where can we practise pitching our tent?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

Would it be allowed in the local park? Our garden is too narrow and we don't want our first night at the campsite to be the first time we've ever pitched it.

Any thoughts/ideas?

yeh just go to a local park

Or do what I do and don't bother practicing, just pitch it for the first time on the campsite, in the middle of the night, when it is pissing it down

Can't see why on earth not, given that you would put it up and then take it down again. Might give you a bit of an audience though.....

Where abouts are you, my garden is a decent size

I'm in Lunnun, Fessa. With a typical London garden of 100ft long but only about 25ft wide .

A friend who has lived a long time in Amsterdam tells me that it is de rigeur for Dutch families to go and practice pitching their tents in the local park in the Spring, but I have never seen this done in the UK.

Perhaps I should start a trend!

We put ours up in a local park - someone asked us if we were setting up a festival. We are also in London, lots of people came to look which probably stopped us shouting at each other as much as we would have done without an audience!

yeah park, or school playing fields.

I only saw but yesterday a couple erecting their tent in the local park.

Oh I'm terribly sorry but I'm afraid I'm going to have to snigger because Slubber said ERECTING.

Yeah, just put it up in the park. We did (couldn't fit a play tent in our garden, never mind a 6-berth!) - got a few local kids gathering round asking what we were doing, but other than that, no problem.

overmydeadbody - this is the first time we've actually practised putting up a tent. We usually tend to follow a similar method to you : try to figure it out when it's nearly dark, pissing it down with rain & gale force winds. Kids going mental cos they want their tea. Hey, it always gets up in the end...

bibbity

bibbiy bibbity bibbity

come now

You are going to get nowhere on the camping topic if you fall about laughing everytime erecting is mentioned.

Camping is a serious business for serious people in serious tents.

Honestly Slubs, do we ERECT our tents?

By the by, ever been to New Forest for a camp? Or is that too far darn sarf for youze? Got to find a nice site for weekend of 10th July for 5 x tenters.

bibbity, do you live near Dulwich? If so, you could go up to The Fort and erect it there

We borrowed by liitle bruv's garden to pitch our tent for the first time. Five boys and the cat had a field day in our Sahara 6 once it was up.

Tilly: how disconbobulating that you know where I live.

And how deeply strange that I have never heard of The Fort, despite living here for 14 years.

Off to google .

OMFG Tilly!

Thank God we've got Net Nanny.

Now, how do you know about The Fort and its proximity to Dulwich? Hmmm?

Practised ours on local rec ground.

bibbity. No sorry New Forest very much too sarf for us.

You can erect or pitch. I think erect covers the first time really. Pitching is a more slick affair, done by thise that know what they are doing. Erecting is looking at the manual where you need to insert pole A (red ii) and then mouthing "oh fuck off" at your dh after you recieve the little lecture on what angle you have to knock the pegs in at.

Taking down is striking though.

Ha ha ha! at taking down is "striking". Just like in the theatre lovey. Will suit me and dh with our thespian backgrounds .

I feel not a little sad that our camping adventures are never likely to blend with yours (even if unknowingly) due to the great north/south divide.

indeed.

We could have a dreamy dream of a midlands camping meet up of chance. You've come up to Stratford for a nice bit of Shakesperian how's your father, and we've come down to sample the local cheeses.

sigh.

But its not all bad news as there is a thread about camping in the New Forest this very eve! I must away to read up ...

Big Brother is watching you

The Fort is the local scout camp place!