Life under canvass
By ruby222
@ruby222 (4847)
August 13, 2008 3:43pm CST
The news has been full of the return of the old fashioned camping holiday,either a tent or a caravan,parked up on a rural site with no facilities or a campsite with all the mod cons,the onsite clubhouse,the shower blocks,the bookmakers,the grocery store and the daily newspapers.Yesterday I went to Bakewell to the tapestry shop ,I had run out of tapestry wool and they are the nearest supplier,well it came to mind,just how many young families were wandering around Bakewell,enjoying fish and chips,and lol most of them wearing plastic macs!I would imagine that most of them were holidaymakers as they didnt really seem to know where they were going.It made me think how hard a camping /caravan holiday can be!you have to find some form of entertainment for the children,the cinema/movies,or the amusement arcades,the local parks and nature centres.and they all cost money,so for a family of four,a days outing could be a very expensive date!We went camping as a family when we were young,but it was a meal cooked on a primus stove,a wash in a cup of water,a wee in the bucket at night!and plenty of long healthy walks,looking at the nature and the scenery as we went along.
2 people like this
7 responses
@Humbug25 (12540)
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13 Aug 08
Hi ruby222
That was the life eh?
In a couple of weeks time I am taking my 3 boys camping and we have never been together before. I shall be in very capable hands though as at east nine other families are going and they are all experienced campers. One of the families is arranging it all and they have booked like a field on a camping site where we will be able to build our own fire but there are toilets not too far. All the families children are all fellow school friends which is going to be great and the parents will also have the opportunity to get to know each other better. So we have all got our fingers crossed for good weather though I am not holding my breath!
@ruby222 (4847)
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14 Aug 08
Hi Humbug,well it all sounds good!camping seems to be having a revival at the moment,I am sure that the camping sites of today are well catered for,indoor activities,outdoor activities,barbecue facilities,swimming pools,and the cost of the site per night far cheaper then other holidsy options.We will keep our fingers crossed that the weather is going to be good for you,you will need to keep an eye on the forecast .
@dagda24 (366)
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14 Aug 08
That sounds like it will be really fun, I'm feeling jealous now.
I used to be a member of teh air cadets and we camped at places quite a few times. You'll probably find the children get very excitable and don't want to go to sleep. Too much of an adventure.
I hope you have a really good time and you'll have to post back here to let us know how it went.
@gemini_rose (16264)
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14 Aug 08
I have been to bakewell for a day out, and it is a place that my parents enjoy going to as well. I am not a camper, as in tents and stuff but I like the modern caravans on sites such as haven! I like to have my little home comforts around me.
It is expensive though, it costs us a fortune which is why we only go for a week once a year. I am pretty glad we did not go away for our usual week though this year as it would have just rained all week and then it would have been horrible.
1 person likes this
@ruby222 (4847)
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14 Aug 08
Rose.as much as I am fond of you..please do not..repeat do not mention the name (Haven)..it makes my toes curl!!I know the sites are wonderful for kids,but they are my idea of living hell!!but you have never said a truer word..expensive they are indeed!..(xx..for u as ive been orrrible to u)
@gemini_rose (16264)
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15 Aug 08
LOL, they are good for kids, but I do agree they are not the best for adults! I did not think you had been horrible to me though.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
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14 Aug 08
I haven't been camping in years Ruby. The last time was when daughter was nine. So that's ten years ago. We went on a bonding holiday to Cornwall. The Boss stayed at home as she was forced on camping holidays all through her childhood. Her idea of camping is a three star hotel room without an en-suite! We spent a lot of the time on the beach and visiting Tintagel etc. I can imagine Bakewell. Home of my favourite pudding. There's a large car park by the river I think. Full of campers in their cars trying to keep out of the rain last time I went!
1 person likes this
@ruby222 (4847)
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14 Aug 08
Bakewell is very pretty,and yes there is a river flowing through,lots of ducks on it too!!Bakewell pudding a lovley,but there are one or two variations on it,and im not so keen on them,they do extra little bits...say adding coconut ..and they are very expensive,..I prefer the normal almond bakewell..I could be quite happy staying in Bakewell for a couple of days!
@dagda24 (366)
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13 Aug 08
Where lots of people are trying to curb their spending i think the back to basics camping holidays are coming back in to fashion.
Me and my partner have been talking about it recently as holidays abroad just seem like an unnecessarily high spend. If it's just a couple it's easy to stay entertained. You can go walking in the day then spend the evening playing cards and talking. If you take a couple of pots with you and a couple of tins there's no need to spend lots on take away food.
i can see that taking children might make it a little more expensive, and entertainment could become more of an issue but it would be a good excuse to get the children away from screens and games and show them the fun that can be had outdoors.
@ruby222 (4847)
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14 Aug 08
I am sure that the costs have certainly influenced the chioce of holiday that people are choosing to take this year.Camping can be fun as well as less costly than other options.Walking,hiking,are good options and the one pot meals are such a good idea,and the children out and about in the freash air an even better idea.
@Jerrybbb (67)
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14 Sep 08
A caravan I can do at a push,but not a tent,maybe when I was a kid a tent wud have seemed like a dream,but now no way lol with all of the creepy crawlies and the bugs lol,I like my own bed and my home comforts far too much to worry about being under canvass.I see the tenting thing is coming back into fashion,the cost of going on holiday has soared so much that loads of families have taken to going on camping holidays,well if they are cheaper with the kids in tow then its a good idea,there are lots of games to play if the weather keeps fine,rounders and cricket for to name two.and you can make camp fire meals ,use a few tins of this and that food and put it all in the billy can to heaT.
@chubbycheeks (135)
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14 Sep 08
The lumpy sleeping bag and the cushion for a pillow,waking up with a headache and a cricked neck.Feeling cold during the night and wanting the loo but being wary of going outside of the tent to meet the insects that are around at night,and not wanting to use the pee bucket that is strategically placed so that the wee will vibrate in the tent and wake the rest of the campers up,all hazards of a camping holiday.The primus stove that holds one saucepan,into which go three or four mixed cans of something or other,and that is eaten on bread and butter,no tyoasters in the fields,and the sing songs around the glowing fires,but im sure thou it sounds cosy enough im going to stick to my comfy bed.
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
14 Aug 08
I used to camp out when I was a sea scout in school.
There is a lot to be said for the outdoor life although thats not so safe in Trinidad anymore.
Its adventuresome and rewarding in a society where every single thing is so artificial.
