Last year I finally got over my fear of camping and we invested in a family tent. We went on a few trips and the boys loved it.
This year we’ve been really busy and the timings just haven’t worked out as well for camping. Whenever the weather’s been good, we’ve been busy. Maybe there’s also been a slight reluctance on our part. Getting yourselves organised for camping can feel a bit of an effort, especially when you feel like you have the whole summer stretching ahead of you. Last Friday – with only a couple of weeks left of the summer holidays – we decided the time had come to just get on with it and have a night under canvas.
As we’d left the booking until the last minute, our favourite campsite at Sandringham, in Norfolk, was fully booked – as were all the similar sites nearby. I really like the site at Sandringham as it has really nice, warm facilities with lots of hot water, but still manages to feel quiet and secluded.
Anyway, that was booked, so we had a look round online for some smaller sites. We found a local site, Karma Farm Eco-Campsite, which is just twenty minutes from us in a village called Isleham, and they had a space. The campsite looked a little more primitive than my usual safe choices, but we threw caution to the wind and booked it. I could always drive home and leave the other three if I hated it!
I’m not a natural camper (two nights is the limit of my tolerance!) and I do like hot water and nice, clean toilets. This site had neither of those, but it was charming in its way. Nestling by the River Lark in Cambridgeshire, the campsite was a series of little fields and copses. We found a nice big pitch in a corner of a small, sheltered field. We remembered how to put up the tent and had the kettle on the stove before too long.
The site is a rambling, relaxed kind of place, with lots of little sheds and wild areas for the boys to explore. You leave your car a little way away and barrow your things across to your tent. It felt safe for the boys to go and explore on their own, which was wonderful. With lots of little landmarks – like a games barn and a bird hide near our field, it was easy for them to find their way around.
We had a little walk along the river to get our bearings. We often drive through the village of Isleham, but haven’t ever walked along the river.
After a little potter we headed back to the tent and started to think about campfires. One of the great things about this site was that it allowed proper fires. For an extra charge you could get a barrow load of logs from the store, and there were lots of metal trays and things laying about.
I left the fire making to the boys and James, and they’d got it going in no time. We had our camping stove, so we didn’t need to cook on the fire, but it was wonderful sitting by it as the temperature started to drop. We heated up our frankfurters on the stove (this is our staple camping meal) and enjoyed watching the fire while we ate our hot dogs.
Once the fire had died down a bit, the serious business of toasting marshmallows began. Heaven on a stick…
The boys settled down to sleep at about half nine, and we spent the rest of the evening sitting by the fire as darkness fell. Having the campfire was wonderful and it was nice to feel warm while camping, which is a new one for me. The night passed reasonably well – I can never expect a brilliant night in a tent, but as long as I get a bit of sleep it’s ok. A bottle of wine certainly helps. I took an extra double duvet with me this time too, to go over the top of sleeping bag – although I was still cold!
We woke up at about 8am to a thick dew and the sounds of geese flying over – they are nesting by the river, so we saw lots during our stay. We got the stove on and made tea, then bacon sandwiches. The boys were a little crumpled and tired, but pretty happy.
After a few cups of tea we started tidying up and getting ready to take the tent down. Gabriel had a birthday party to go to that afternoon, so we needed to be setting off for home by lunchtime. The boys enjoyed helping barrow our things back to the car and we soon got everything packed away. It’s always amazing how quickly your little home goes back into its bag again!
The best bit about such a local campsite was that it only took us twenty minutes to drive home!
Overall, we had a great time, although I would struggle to do this kind of camping for any longer than one night. I’m not obsessed with cleanliness, but I do like hot water and clean toilets. The loos at Karma Farm were definitely not a place to linger and were a bit grim! On the other hand, the campfires and relaxed atmosphere was really special and once you’re dirty, I suppose it doesn’t matter that much until you get home!
Maybe this could be good practice for if we ever went to a festival?
Do you have any great campsite recommendations? Preferably combining campfires and nice loos – or maybe you can only have one or the other…?
So needed to read this! I too am trying to overcome my camping fear. I quite love camping but have a fear of going with my toddler. Mainly that she will be up with the birds at 5am on a campsite! So my question is…did you have some kind of incredible black out tent or something? #twinklytuesday
I have to be honest and say that our boys are very good sleepers, who are generally quite late risers at home. This makes the whole camping thing a lot less scary! We started last year when the boys were 5 and 3 – I’m not sure I would’ve wanted to start when they were any younger as I think the sleep issue would have been much worse! Our tent isn’t that dark, but we all woke up at about 8am as we’d gone to bed late the night before. It was pretty light, so an early riser would definitely have woken up sooner. My eldest sat reading his comic in bed until we peeped in at him! I guess if your daughter is a super early riser at home, then it’ll probably be the same (or worse) in a tent. Hope this helps! x
Looks like you have the camping bug and are making lovely family holidays, such a great adventure for the boys. I hope you manage a few more late get a ways this summer. If you have a chance do join me for Country Kids, it’s all about fun outdoors. Popping by now from #Twinklytuesday
hmmm hotdogs and toasted marshmellows… Im in!
Looks like you all had a fun time. Ive never been camping and give full credit to those brave enough 🙂 x
#TwinklyTuesday
Thank you! The food was lovely. I still find it a bit challenging – my favourite bits are the sitting outside with a fire, not the sleeping in a tent. Maybe I just need a fire pit in the garden? x
I used to love going camping – but that was 20 years ago and I didn’t have kids then! We have said we would like to start camping with the kids but as G is only two I think we will wait a couple more years!
Ooh, yes I’d definitely wait a bit longer Catherine. It always looks such hard work with little toddlers who need their routines. It’s easier to relax bedtimes and things when they’re a bit older x
Gorgeous photos! You’re much braver than me (about two hours is my limit!) but it looks like a lot of fun! Love your blog – such a wonderful name! ~ Jennifer (theHollyhockDoor)
Thanks Jennifer – that’s so kind of you to say so! Seeing my boys enjoying the camping so much makes it easier for me to feel brave x
We haven’t been tent camping with our kids but used to do it all the time before they came along. It’s on our list of things to do next year. When we are in ur caravan we don’t have to worry about the state of the toilet block but under canvas it is much more of a priority for me. I’ve been to some horrible ones! I can recommend the site we’ve just been to in Devon – Hillhead Caravan Club site. They take tents and the loos are good but I’m afraid there’s no campfires. #twinklytuesday
Thanks Claire! Caravans are so much more comfortable, aren’t they? My childhood holidays were all spent in ours and it was so much easier. Maybe one day!
I just about managed to read this Lizzie, which after our camping ‘adventure’ is some feat! It’s been a bit like childbirth: tell everyone all about it at first, then try never to talk or think about it again, then finally get to a happy medium where you can read someone else’s post about it! The next stage is to be so over it that we’ll consider going again!!! Actually, we do rather like it, but I think like you it’s a short-term holiday for us. I’m not a fan of the loos either, or the cold, or just the general lack of comfort, but the outdoors, nature, campfires, and the sound of the morning are definite loves!
Oh nooo, Katie, was it that bad? You’ll have to blog about it – it might be cathartic! Love your childbirth analogy – that’s spot on. I would NEVER, ever have it as our main holiday – I would definitely not come out of it well. If we do it for two nights I can just about manage it – anything more than that is a no-no. I see it as a fun way to have a few little mini-breaks – fun for the kids, and short enough to grit your teeth an bear it. I hate the cold and sleeping is a struggle. Maybe glamping is the answer? x
I’m afraid I’m with you, clean toilets are a must and ideally en suit to my tent and just for me and then I might try camping! Seriously I love the look of the camp fire and the sense of freedom and space and the boys must love it, but it would be a night or two at best for me. Handy having a site so close to home though and a great way to grab a fun family break at little cost. Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids.
You definitely wouldn’t have liked these loos then! The bigger sites do have much nicer loos though and lots of hot water. x
This looks like such a lovely place. I am not a keen camper – I have done festivals, the longest being Glastonbury which is five days, but I don’t really like it. However, now I have Zach, I do keep thinking about trying it out! Maybe not quite yet but maybe like you, for just a couple of days! A like the idea of just packing up the car and popping somewhere for the weekend. I mean I could just choose a hotel though, but that wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun for Zach! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday