Pop your Wellies on and Get the Tent Out!!

As lockdown continues and the reality that our travel plans both abroad and at home are now on hold and all the festivals you may have booked are now not possible perhaps it’s time to embrace that truly British pastime of ‘Camping’! 

Now we are not saying you need to recreate ‘Carry on Camping’ although why not! It’s the perfect activity for everyone and as you are staying at home there’s no need to spend days packing the car with every possible item of clothing you may need to cope with the UK weather – if you need a coat you can always run inside and grab one!!

So here are a couple of ideas if you decide to give it a go.

Setting up.

This can be an all day event so perfect for those with children to keep them occupied! You can even plan the camp night with tasks – get them to make bunting to put up around garden for that real festival feel, ask them to plan a menu board and pick a few games, let them pack their overnight clothes. Once you have found your tent under piles of ‘stuff’ in the garage let the kids have a go at putting it up (yes this may cause much stress but keeps them busy!) Once up get the garden decorated and bring over any furniture that may be needed for a good singsong in the evening. If you need to buy a tent online there are some handy tips on the Camping with Style Website. 

Star Gazing

Without all the planes in the sky and with the fine weather we are having it’s the perfect time to lie down and stare up to see the beauty of the stars at night. We recently did this and caught sight of the Starlink satellites and we also downloaded the Sky View app for our iphones (android versions also available) so we could learn the names of the planets and stars above our home. Perfect for the kids and adults alike.

Eating Outside

If you have a BBQ then embrace cooking dinner and breakfast outside set up a couple of chairs and cook baked beans in the tin, or some burgers. There's loads of ideas on campfire cooking in this Country Living Blog. If you don’t have a BBQ, take a picnic out and enjoy that.

Movie Night

We recently brought a mini projector for work purposes but actually it’s perfect for creating an open air cinema! All you need is a flat wall with a white sheet hung up.  It won’t be film industry quality viewing but it’s about doing something different. Find advice on outdoor projectors here.

Family Fun

Games are not just for Christmas – the old classics of Charades and Pictionary can be easily done either in the tent or round the campfire and crack out a deck of cards and learn some new magic tricks!

Indoor Camping

For those of us not blessed with outside space why not build a den inside your home – grab the clothes dryers and some sheets and let the kids pretend its camp night, drag the sofa cushions down on the floor, pop some fairy lights up under the sheets and pick a movie you can all enjoy while eating your dinner on the floor. There are some great ideas on indoor camping here

And, Finally

We camped last week and our top tip –  wear your Jileon Wellies! Because as warm as it is during the day come nightfall the grass is damp and in the mornings you don’t want to be climbing out of your tent to go and pop the kettle on in the house with soaking wet feet!

Let us know how you get on.