Camping - When did it become so expensive?

Ed-P

Camping in the Lake district is gorgeous but yes, you're right. In recent years the price feels like it's shot up. Could always be really adventurous and just camp somewhere in the woods miles away from anywhere, if you're in bed late and up early chances are nobody will notice!

vikingaero

Deleted_User wrote: »

And wake up in the morning to find you've all been murdered in the middle of the night!

Erm! I don't think you would wake up if you're murdered!

Camping has edged more towards glamping. More and more people want basics such as water, toilets and showers. Back in ye olde Hovis days we would arrive at a campsite. First job was to dig a small latrine, second job was to throw the dried cowpats away to clear an area for the tent....

Norman_Castle

Potbellypig wrote: »

I'm going camping with my wife and 2 children for the first time at the end of the month. We have got to buy the tent and the sleeping bags which come to £110. It's £26 per night (so £6.50pppn). Not too bad. Hoping the kids enjoy it so we can find other cheap places to go camping.

Any tips for a first timer?

You will also need something to lie on otherwise you will be cold. Personally I find airbeds cold and uncomfortable and use a self inflating mattress. For your kids I would get foam roll mats. Cheap, warm and guaranteed not to leak.

Take waterproofs and sun cream as you will be outside a lot.

Coveredinbees!!!!

I was thinking about camping but on returned from a week at a camp site, staying in an on site caravan, having very young children out playing and shouting around until 11 O'clock at night has put me off the idea.

KirstyO

I love camping and find it convenient for weekends away. If you fly somewhere for a weekend you lose much time travelling and getting through airport security etc. I am a self confessed glamper. I like toilets and hot showers, I have a carpet in my tent, a bed on legs and other furniture so that my tent feels like a home from home. I have a favourite site at the Base of Snowdon and a favourite site about a 30 min drive away from Windermere town. My favourite thing to do at night is get a fire going so it's also important to me to go to a site that has fire pits and will sell me dry wood. For the privelege I pay £7 per night in the Lakes and £10 per night in Snowdonia. It can sometimes take a while to find a campsite that suits you and your needs for the price you want to pay but there are still a good variety out there. Sites that are owned by charities or large companies like the national trust will always be more expensive and more popular than people who set up sites on their own land privately but I think going down the private options often gets you more for your money, helpful and friendly site owners who need you to have a good experience because they need you to return, and are often smaller and less noisy.

owen_money

Deleted_User wrote: »

And wake up in the morning to find you've all been murdered in the middle of the night!

Of course murderers always wander around woods at night looking for victims. Thats why there are so many more murders committed in lonely woods rather than in big cities

DSmiffy

KirstyO wrote: »

I love camping and find it convenient for weekends away. If you fly somewhere for a weekend you lose much time travelling and getting through airport security etc. I am a self confessed glamper. I like toilets and hot showers, I have a carpet in my tent, a bed on legs and other furniture so that my tent feels like a home from home. I have a favourite site at the Base of Snowdon and a favourite site about a 30 min drive away from Windermere town. My favourite thing to do at night is get a fire going so it's also important to me to go to a site that has fire pits and will sell me dry wood. For the privelege I pay £7 per night in the Lakes and £10 per night in Snowdonia. It can sometimes take a while to find a campsite that suits you and your needs for the price you want to pay but there are still a good variety out there. Sites that are owned by charities or large companies like the national trust will always be more expensive and more popular than people who set up sites on their own land privately but I think going down the private options often gets you more for your money, helpful and friendly site owners who need you to have a good experience because they need you to return, and are often smaller and less noisy.

Can you post the details for these sites? My fella wants to me to go camping and I prefer the idea of clean hot showers and electricity points and nice toilets
I like the idea of the fire pit, sounds lovely !

KirstyO

Hi,

The one in Snowdonia is http://www.snowdoninn.co.uk/camping_site.html
It is owned by a pub which is about a 15-minute walk up the road...and they do pints to take away in cartons (fresh out of the pump, into an insulated carton and back to your campsite ready for your campfire!).

The one in the lakes is http://www.lowgreensidefarmcampsite.co.uk/ this is a touch more basic. Owned and operated by a mother/son team. The facilities are in a static caravan next to the farmhouse. While I was there it looked like they were planning to convert one of the defunct bedrooms into a second bathroom in the caravan. I guess when it's busy you could queue for a shower as there is only one, but the showers I had when I was there were good and hot.

With regard to electricity points, both of these sites have electrical hook ups but I believe they cost extra. Low greenside farm has a double socket in the caravan that people seem to use for charging phones and tablets, but this does mean that you have to stay with your stuff, or trust that it won't get taken by someone else.

At Cwellyn Arms there are pay per use plugs in the bathrooms (50p a shot last time I was there) but I think these are designed mostly for straighteners etc rather than charging stuff. As it is a bigger site I would be less inclined to leave my belongings charging. However if you went for an electrical hook up you would avoid the queues and the risk of leaving your things on charge in public would be lessened (but unless you have invented a lockable tent, not completely eradicated). Regular campers are very good with the rules though, and many things operate well on trust.

Doshwaster

DSmiffy wrote: »

Can you post the details for these sites? My fella wants to me to go camping and I prefer the idea of clean hot showers and electricity points and nice toilets
I like the idea of the fire pit, sounds lovely !

I'm with you. I haven't been camping since I was about 12. I now prefer places called "hotels" which have comfortable beds, heating/air conditioning, wi-fi and proper plumbing.

Gloomendoom

I must admit that we do like our comforts so use a trailer camper thing. It has insulation, carpet on the floor and a gas heater.