Camping. Great Entertainment on a Small Budget.

I have always taken my children on standard 'holiday camp' type holidays, where you stay in a static caravan or a little chalet and there is lots available on site, such as a swimming pool, restaurants, entertainment, etc. In recent years though, this option has become more and more expensive. Sometimes even more expensive than travelling abroad! This year we went on a traditional camping holiday, kindly supplied by  Roebeck Country Park for us to review. We were all really surprised by how positively it compared to our previous holiday choices and I wanted to write about this aspect as I would never have realised how enjoyable it would be and how little we would miss the holiday camp environment.

Here are our camp highlights!

Breakfast

Breakfast was sooo peaceful.  There were various options; a fry up by the lake with just a hungry goose for company....

It's great to be alive!

 Or a cheeky ice cream on the beach (ok, not strictly breakfast, but we were on holiday!) and nothing beats watching the sunrise over the sea. All a far cry from waking up to the noisy frolicks of countless exhuberant holiday makers, making their way to the overcrowded buffet.

Daytime Entertainment

One of the biggest pressures I find with holiday camps is the timetable. The children always have a list of different shows and appearances they want to see during the day and are so disappointed to miss anything. I really didn't miss trying to organise our days around that and fitting everything in! What surprised me was that L didn't miss it either! He really embraced finding his own entertainment. It sounds cheesy, but going back to basics, with things like skipping, playing cricket, card games, etc, was really enjoyable and so much more relaxing not having to be anywhere in particular! Our favourite activities were...  

Exploring the Countryside

Feeding the Ducks

And Fishing!

Evening Entertainment

I have spent many an early evening queueing for hours at Butlins or Pontins to try to get a seat for the entertainment provided, usually a selection of Britain's Got Talent or X Factor rejects. The overcrowding, noise and heat is something that I really don't enjoy about organised entertainment at holiday camps. There never seems to be enough room and many times we have been disappointed because there are no seats left for the popular acts. This drives me mad, as it's included in the price, but there is another option and these are some of our best bits... 

Baking Potatoes in the Fire Basket

Enjoying Cuddles in front of a Chiminea

Cooking Outdoors on the Camping Stove

Spotting Interesting Wildlife

What we all concluded from our first family camping trip was that it was far more fun than we had ever imagined and the best bit was, there was something for everyone. I don't know about you, but I have always considered family holidays to be mainly for the children, but camping was really relaxing and enjoyable for the grown ups as well as providing lots of wholesome fun for the younger ones. What's more, it costs around half what it would for a stay at a holiday camp, which I thought was a huge bonus!