And re-enacting camping with devils Children!
So, after five years it was about time I made a little costume for the babe and go to a multperiod event to do some 'group shopping'.
Learn from my mistakes and my successes, it doesn't have to be hard even if you don't drive.
Do................
- Buy a camping trolley! OMG, this was such a good purchase, the best thing in the world. My tent, the sleeping bags, airbed and the kitchen equipment all fit into it. Face it, unless you have some strong kids, they will not be able to carry much and I had enough to carry on my back with such the clothes.
- Invest in a good quality tent and if possible, go and see it first. My weekend weather was badly affected by two periods of torrential downpours, we were very dry even though the outside of the tent was absolutely soaked, the seams and all parts of the tent were totally dry. I went to Decathlon in Surrey Quays and got to walk though a range of different tents, including the newfangled 'air tents' which IMHO are just a gimmick but you know some people always want the 'new' type of thing. But you know I have never really fussed about putting tents up, it is taking them down which I have always hated and those air tents don't pack themselves! Regardless I settled on a nice two room mid priced tent and had it sent to me.
- Thoroughly investigate your route beforehand and check it out on google maps. One thing I had to budget on for example, is that I could take a bus TO my event, but coming back from it there is no safe space to cross a busy A road, especially not with a young child and a trolley. Yes, I definitely would have taken the chance were I alone without a trolley, but I am insane, however I will not put my child at risk for the sake of saving some coin.
- Related to the above, make sure you order a black taxi if you have a trolley because the minicab place, despite you telling them specifically what you need, will not care in the slightest and will send a standard care, necessitating you to take everything out of the trolley and fold it down.
- Brioche, brioche and brioche. Kids get through brioche like it is going out of lovely French fashion, so don't waste your time buying whatever terrible rolls they are charging £5 at a time.
- Noodles for lunch, make sure you do not put as much water in them as they say to, that is the very best way to end up with a much of MSG flavoured mess all over the tent.
- Save your money for dinner, the best chips on site are not necessarily the most expensive, if you are at an event, buy from the people catering mostly to eventers and not the people catering to the public, the prices are often cheaper and the quality is better. Also if you happen to have a particularly cute kid they might knock some money off....(whaaaa??? it is not my fault she is so bonny!).
- I found sticking her wellies into a thick pair of winter stockings made a nice fake period boot, but it totally ruined those stockings, in future I will remember to buy some appropriate sackcloth and do the same thing. Don't buy kids re-enactment shoes unless you are a)wealthy and b) doing an impression of a wealthy child. Most of the children I saw were either modifying modern footware or barefooted.
- Fruit, please take some, it will stave off constipation after all the brioche, ramen and chips and fool you into pretending you are a parent who still cares about health. Face it ladies, you will not be making a spinach and avocado Quinoa salad, so just stop the pretence. Grapes are fine, as are apples, pears and all dried fruit, trail mix and fruit bars. For petes sake though, avoid soft fruit at all costs!
- Goes without saying but camp close to the loos and if you have little children with little bums, stick your old potty in the camping trolley, don't be like me and have to sacrifice one of my bowls.....phifft, I had three others.
- Don't forget your LED lanterns it will be very boring and hard to undress. Yes, I am very, very stupid some times.
- Let the kids take some toys in their backpacks as long as they can carry it.
I hope these bits of advice can help you get through plastic camping with little ones. Next year I hope to be on site more and in the camp less but it was a particularly wet weekend.
Alors....until next season!!!!
