Camping. Yay or nay?

pendodave

Tour Rookie
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
3,274
Visit site
Moving swiftly on...

I camp in the UK if I'm hiking or cycling.
When we had family holidays we made it a rule to only camp south of the Loire. Worked like a dream and I would say that they were a great success.
 

Foxholer

Blackballed
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
24,160
Visit site
Parents were caravanning fans, so camping was no hassle for me - and gave freedom to stay or move on as I chose, while single.
 

Lord Tyrion

Money List Winner
Moderator
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
28,917
Location
Northumberland
Visit site
Nice use of Frankie Howard there.
Always nice to get Frankie in there somewhere ?. Doesn't happen often enough.

Small Frankie fact. Paul merton briefly wrote for him towards the end of his career. Merton spoke about it in an interview and he mentioned that every oo and ah was scripted. When you see a sketch his scripts must have looked bizarre.
 

arnieboy

Challenge Tour Pro
Joined
Dec 11, 2011
Messages
1,457
Location
East Sussex
Visit site
Not for me, the last time camping was over 40 years ago with a mate in Devon. The tent got flooded, the cows got too close and the engine on my mini was forever cutting out because of the rainwater coming in through the radiator grill. If you had one you will understand.
And HID wouldn't sleep in a tent ever.
 

Bunkermagnet

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 14, 2014
Messages
8,586
Location
Kent
Visit site
Done it in the past when younger with with friends and St Johns Ambulance many times, but never now. I need a real bed, and wouldnt even dream of it.
 

3offTheTee

Tour Rookie
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
3,398
Location
Cumbria
Visit site
Never ever slept in a tent and 70 years’ later the chances now are Zero. Never done a bbq and the 2 seem to go hand in hand.

Feel for the OP getting smoked last night. it is bad enough after a round of golf but not a chance. I accept it is all some families can afford and probably exciting for children to sleep under the stars. I would prefer to stay at home than attempt to put a tent up along with everything else involved.
 

BrianM

Head Pro
Moderator
Joined
Oct 29, 2013
Messages
5,580
Location
Inverness
Visit site
Ex scout & Explorer Scout leader here
Love camping, yeah it can get interesting at times if the weather gets grim, but you just need the right clothes
??

My boy is away on his first week long scouting trip, left this morning, he absolutely loves it, can’t say enough good things about the leaders that give up their time for the camp.
 

jim8flog

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 20, 2017
Messages
15,925
Location
Yeovil
Visit site
I have not been camping in years but did it a lot as a child and and up to my late 20s.

A really good tent is a must and make sure it is waterproof before you go.

One of my endearing memories is camping on the side of Loch Ness. Old fashioned frame tent with a separate bedroom. We tried to peg the sides down but there was so little soil that we just bent the pegs as we hit rock. Woke up in the morning peered out of the bedroom see a river running through the rest of the tent. Luckily we had not unpacked the car as we were only staying one night.

My parents used to have camping holidays every year. Back in the very early 60s we had two weeks near Dartmouth and I think I remembered it rained every day. That was the last year we camped in England and we used to drive to Sitges (South of Barcelona) or Cascais (just South of Lisbon) every year after that.
 

Blue in Munich

Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
14,097
Location
Worcester Park
Visit site
Absolutely not a chance of me ever going camping. For the reasons you've discovered this week.

Beware..."glamping" is a marketing scam to make Miranda & Giles from Twickenham pay lots to kip in a small shed. ?

Also, I don't get it when you see an expensive car towing a caravan! Strewth, if you can afford a Range Rover, you can afford a hotel????

Having looked at booking a hotel recently you may have that the wrong way round... :eek:
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 29109

Guest
Camping with mates was fun when younger. We camp out of necessity when going to the F1. But camping as a family holiday? Never again.

Tried it twice, bought all the gear, not the cheap stuff either. Picked what we were told were good sites. It was still crap.
 

backwoodsman

Tour Winner
Joined
Mar 3, 2008
Messages
7,011
Location
sarf Lunnon
Visit site
Cissies the lot of you...

Have camped half way up Ben Nevis when the water from the stream was frozen again before you got back to the tent; on the frozen surface of the lake of Lochnagar; in storms in Croatia when only your own weight kept the tent on the ground; in Botswana when only 1/2mm of fabric separated you from the lions & wandering elephants. And loved every minute of it.
 

Fade and Die

Medal Winner
Joined
Apr 12, 2014
Messages
4,392
Location
Hornchurch
Visit site
On reflection the thread title should be,

Camping? No, or Hell NOOOOOOOO?

Oh Hell No!

Only camped once, about 15 years ago, wild camping in Wales with workmates then Canyoneering next day. Absolutely hated the camping bit, mind you I wasn’t exactly prepared, a pop up decathlon tent, a 10mm sponge bed roll and one of the kids sleeping bags, in spite of the fact we drank all day I simply could not sleep a wink! It hissed down all night too so nipping for a pee soaked me to the skin. Never again!
 

Imurg

The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
Joined
Mar 15, 2008
Messages
37,741
Location
Aylesbury Bucks
Visit site
A mate from the golf club has gone camping this weekend with a couple of other families..they domit every year but seem to have forgotten why...none of them particularly like it, it's become a kind of ritual....I think they'll keep doing it until their tents fall apart and then give up....
His daughter just refused to go.....
Camping up until you're in your early 20s is cool...after that you can afford a B&B....
 
Top