I must admit, when my girlfriend (now wife) suggested going camping as our annual family holiday, I wasn’t very keen. I’m all for holidaying in the UK but, unfortunately, the weather here just doesn’t want to come along for the ride! At the time, I’d never actually been camping before and I had visions of creatures getting into my sleeping bag, flooded and/or windswept tents and having to wash in a communal shower, all of which made me wince and shudder. My wife, on the other hand, had grown up in a family of tourers and campers; she knew that my imagination was running wild and if I could just throw myself into the thick of it, I might actually enjoy myself.
My wife booked us a week at the Wild Duck Holiday Park during the school holidays. Also in attendance were my 6 year old daughter and my not so good-looking, 15 year old younger brother. We arrived on site as early as we could and managed to pitch our tent with limited issues, which I was most impressed with. They look complicated to erect when laid out on the floor with all the colour coded poles and tasselled guy ropes but, I won’t lie, having an expert among us was a saving grace (thanks darling) and we were ready to start enjoying our holiday within an hour of arriving.
If you are a complete camping virgin, like I was, it definitely helps to go somewhere with plenty of amenities and things to do on site as a first trip. Somewhere that can break you in gently to the world of camping and give you some of those comforts like a hot meal and a bit of entertainment to help soften the blow should the weather take a turn for the worse. After settling in and getting to grips with our surroundings, it was time for some evening entertainment. Places like Haven are all about the kids and, in all honesty, I loved it! there’s nothing better than seeing your children THAT happy and excited to be standing next to a giant, pink, fluffy elephant! My brother, however, was not quite as happy, or excited.
All in all our stay with Haven was absolutely fantastic, we had days out to the beach, some fantastic nature walks and you really do feel a sense of family unity when you are camping. It’s a togetherness that comes because we are just that, together. Spending valuable family time, enjoying each other, laughing with each other and bonding like maybe you wouldn’t sitting on a lounger in the med.
I now have two other daughters and suffice to say, we also now have a bigger tent and I am happy to confirm that we have successfully been on five more UK camping holidays, which we have thoroughly enjoyed. memories have been created and precious time spent together. I wouldn’t say I was a seasoned professional and I still make mistakes when camping, like not remembering to open the legs on the BBQ when cooking, a mistake that cost me a new camping table for my father in law and a fine from the park for starting a dangerous fire, but it’s moments and memories you create that make it all worth while! 😳 I would highly recommend camping to anyone I meet, it’s not for everyone but if you jump in feet first and get stuck in, you might just end up enjoying yourself.
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