We have been camping all over the country through wind, rain and even snow. We have put together our top camping tips for you to enjoy and hopefully find useful in your adventures
TYPES OF CAMPING
There are many ways to camp from wild camping to setting up at a campsite and this will effect which tent you buy.
Wild camping is what it says on the tin, camping in the wild, no campsite no toilets and showers and no other people just you nature and a tent.
Wild camping can however be a tricky one as most of the land in the uk is owned. However if you get permission from the land owner you will have no trouble. This is obviously easier said then done as who knows where the land owner resides. But that should not stop you, places such as the lake district and snowdonia are perfect places to wild camp as long as you follow the wild camping code of conduct which can be found on this website https://www.campsites.co.uk/guides/wild-camping/wild-camping-in-england-and-wales
There are campsites which offer a wild camping experience without any worry of being kicked off by the land owner. Lastly of all there is the good old camper van our personal favourite. You can pretty much stop any where with in reason.
You can stop at lay buys and stay the night but be mindful of gates and access points that farmers may use, you don't want to wake up to an angry farmer whilst you are bloking his fields.
In the UK you can park up and sleep on country roads and some car parks for one night and as long as nobody complains, if they do the police can move you on.
Remember to check parking meters and signs alot of rural car parks will state no overnight camping
TENT BUYING
If its a tent you are looking for then there are a few points to remember before buying a tent many of which on our first time buying we knew nothing about.
Wild camping is best suited to smaller one or two man tents, this is because they are small and light so you can carry them in your backpack ready to pitch up the night in the countryside.
They hold up to the elements well and are very wind resistant as they are low to the ground.
We have a larger tent as we often go to campsites and we like the space it provides
A larger tent has its upsides and downsides, they are very spacious and are perfect for families, you can stand up inside so its easy to get dressed and cook. The downside to a large tent is its heavy so you won't be carrying it far, you will notice the wind more as they are bigger making them a large sail, you will see your big tent being punished more then a smaller tent on windy days but don't worry they can withstand alot of punishment. They take longer to pitch and take down and take longer to dry before you pack them away.
Both sizes have there ups and downs but we favour the larger tent as we like our space and often camp for weeks at a time. Once you have decided your tent size its time to go and look at some.
There are many shops for you to explore but go outdoors have most of there tent set up in store meaning you can have a walk around the tent before buying.
Remember to check a tents Hydrostactic head, this means how waterproof your tent is. The legal requirement is 1000 but most tents will start at 2000, if you can try and look for one with 3000 and above as they will stay water proof for longer. Your tent will not stay water proof forever and will need to be coated again with a waterproof spray overtime.
The shape of your tent is also a factor when choosing as we always like to say its all about the wind factor. One thing that can keep you awake at night is a heavy wind, you will feel your tent moving and creeping under the strain prying for it not to collapse. This however is very unlikely as tents can with stand most weather conditions.
Some tents do come with storm braces inside the tent which you clip together in high winds but all tents come with horrible tent pegs, the small metal ones. Our tip is to buy a set of much stronger storm pegs as these will hold your tent down and are a lot tougher.
Another point to remember is the ground sheet of a tent, some come sown in whilst others are put in once the tent is up. We favour the sown in as you will never get and moister inside the tent it keeps out bugs and the draft.
LOOKING AFTER YOUR TENT
Once you have your tent its time to start adventuring but remember your tent will not stay like new.
Our tips to keep your tent in good condition are rather simple but sometimes can be forgotten
On the day you have to pack away, give the tent time to completely dry out in the sun, open the doors and windows to let the air in and dry any condensation, you don't want your tent to be wet as it will become moldy over time once you store it away.
Once you have taken out all the poles and dried them its time to roll up the tent. You may look crazy whilst you do this but trust us it works, we like to take a towl and every time we fold the tent we dry the bottom ground sheet before storing it in the bag to make sure all moister is gone.
We know crazy but its helped keep our tent good for and its one its 10th trip.
If you wake up and the kind old British weather has other ideas such as a nice down poor of rain for you to pack your tent away in then you will have to move on to plan b. Just pack your tent away wet and when you get home take it back out to dry you don't have to pitch it back up just leave it some where to dry out as soon as the sun is out or in your house if possible
After a year you may need to water proof your tent again. There are plenty of products on the market some spray on whilst others can be coated on and it is advisable you waterproof your tent over time to stop getting wet when camping.
CHOOSING YOUR CAMPSITE
One of the most important parts of a camping trip is choosing the right campsite for you.
There are hundreds of campsites in the uk and searching through the internet looking for one can be slightly daunting.
We like our campsites quiet and as close to wild camping as we can but with a decent toilet and shower facility. As a rule when you are searching campsites you will often see ones witch say camping and caravanning parks, these are usually big and have set pitches some with electrical hook ups and some without, they also have a section just for caravans.
We tend to stay away from these as although they may have very good toilet and shower facilities they are very confined often with tents right next to each other with no wiggle room in between pitches. They may also have gates at the entrance which open when you arrive at the campsite these can sometimes close and stay close after a certain time of night usually after 10:00pm . Always check the campsites rules before booking as it will state this there
There are good points about these sites such as they are great for family's as they have excellent wash facilities and play areas, some even have there own on site caffe and shops to buy supplies.
When we look for a campsite we often look for farms as these are sometimes quieter then the bigger holiday parks. You can often have a campsite in which the pitches are not set unless they are an electrical hook up. These are our personal favourite as it means you can arrive and pitch up where you like within the field, this spaces tents apart meaning you get alot more space between pitches but be aware on bank holidays these campsites can become incredibly busy and fill up fast.
The toilet facilities can be hit and miss but you can find out alot online by looking at a campsites reviews and pictures so you won't have any nasty surprises when you arrive. Some campsites will allow camp fires and provide you with a fire pit. The best part about these sorts of campsites is that they offer alot more freedom, they don't have timed gates and a closing time and the views are often beautiful as they are working farms.
OUR TOP TIPS FOR CHOOSING YOUR SITE
1. As a rule we never book a campsite or very rarely book one this is because when we arrive if the site is busy or not why we expected we can simply move onto the next site, We have in the past booked a beautiful looking site only to arrive to hundreds of tents taking up all the best views. We usually pick 3 campsites we like the sound of and choose a favourite stopping at this one first. if it is to busy or just not what we expected we drive to our secound choice.
This however has its obvious downsides as it means alot of driving if your first site is not the one which believe us has only happened once
2. Make sure you read all of the information about a campsite before making a decision as you can find out which are the busiest times of seasons and if you can have a camp fire or not.
We use Instagram to see pictures other people have posted about the campsite giving us a feel of how it may look and google maps to see the local area.
3. Some campsites are not even on the internet these are often owned by farmers who have a field they rent out for camping. they can be amazing and very quiet as not many people have heard of them make sure you research the place you are going as sometimes people have suggested these on camping forum's
OTHER TIPS FOR AN ADVENTURE
When we camp we are not at the campsite for very long we wake up have breakfast and prepare lunch to take with us sometimes we take our food and camping stove with us meaning we can stop anywhere as we are exploring for our dinner and a cup of tea.
If it is very cold weather we take our blankets with us in the car as we go of adventuring this means they stay warm and dry rather then cold and damp in the tent
We alway make sure we are prepared for any day from hiking to looking around a national trust property, we make sure we have our car packed with waterproof clothing and walking boots. we have maps of the local area and a phone in case we get lost or stranded on a hike. Always make sure you tell someone where you are going if you are going for a hike. you can ring a loved one or even tell the campsite owner, this means if you don't reatern people have a rough idea of where to look for you.
We always take a large supply of tea as no good adventure can be had without tea
Remember the most important part about camping is to see this beautiful and vast country and enjoy the freedom of the wild, its to shut off from the the rest of the busy world escape the advertisements of tv and phones and get away from modern technology.
