Garden Camping
Bring the campsite to you…
Let’s face it, some of the things we love most about camping; getting the tent up and playing in it (for the kids); lighting a fire and cooking on it; sleeping out and waking to bird song, etc etc can be easily enjoyed closer to home- really close to home. In normal times, our camping adventures are limited to free, sunny weekends when we can travel to the coast or the mountains to a campsite. Whilst we absolutely love exploring new areas, it means we often don’t get a chance to camp as much as we would like to.
One great discovery from our time in total lockdown is garden camping, which is awesome and makes for a great mini-adventure at the weekend or even during the week! With no need to worry about travel time or packing the hoards of stuff you need for a full camping trip, as soon as work/school is done you can head out to pitch the tent and let camping begin.
Preparation List:
- The boys like to add to the excitement by packing a little over-night bag with a change of clothes, a teddy, and a book.
- Check the weather. Sunshine is a bonus but not essential
- Find a good spot in the garden
- In my mind, having a fire is critical for a good camping trip. Make sure you have a fire area or firepit, plus charcoal or wood, and marshmallows of course
- Food for a BBQ or outdoor meal
- Wine
- Anything else you might need, you can just pop into the house for it!
Kit list:
- Aside from the tent and sleeping bags, everything else is a perk. Check out our camping checklist for ideas on camping kit
Don’t have a garden?
Why not have an indoor camping adventure? Make a den or even put up a tent in a room that you don’t normally sleep in and snuggle down together as a family. You can take duvets and pillows so sleeping bags aren’t essential. Even better, sleep near an open window so you can hear the bird song in the morning.
Why not take it one step further and sleep directly under the stars?
We tried bivvy bagging and absolutely loved it! The bivvy bags keeps your sleeping bag dry from rain or dew but in the height of summer, isn’t essential. Set up your campsite minus the tent and sleep out in the open – a really lovely experience. Learn about wild camping for beginners here.
When lockdown is a distant memory, you’ll still find us camping in the garden as an easy mini-adventure.