Why I still think camping in the UK is one of the best family holidays….

I was scrolling through some old photos the other day and came across pictures from one of our camping trips to Ullswater when the kids were younger. Looking at them made me realise just how many of my favourite family memories involve a tent, a camping stove and at least one day where it rained much more than we’d hoped. 😀

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some amazing holidays abroad over the years and I wouldn’t swap those memories for anything. Some years, camping was our main family holiday because it fitted our budget better at the time and other years it gave us the chance to squeeze in a second holiday that simply wouldn’t have been possible if we’d been looking at flights and hotels. That’s one of the things I love most about camping in the UK – it makes getting away feel much more achievable without feeling like you’re settling for less.

In fact, when I think back to some of our happiest family holidays, quite a few of them involved sleeping in a tent rather than a hotel room.

One of our favourite camping trips was to Ullswater in the Lake District. The campsite was right on the edge of the lake with beautiful views, plenty of space and some of the cleanest shower blocks I’ve ever seen on a campsite. We paid somewhere between £18 and £36 a night depending on when we stayed, which even now feels like incredible value for such an amazing location.

The thing I always loved about camping was that once we’d paid for the pitch, we didn’t really need to spend a fortune. We ate pretty much the same way we would have done at home. Breakfast was usually toast, cereal or the occasional fresh croissant from the campsite shop. Lunch was often sandwiches and picky bits, and tea was whatever we cooked on the camping stove.

We did eat out a couple of times because, let’s be honest, nobody wants to cook every single meal while they’re on holiday. I remember visits to McDonald’s and Toby Carvery, and we also found a nearby Asda that would cook their fresh pizzas and garlic bread for a small extra charge, which felt like a bargain takeaway. Even with those treats included, we spent very little more than we would have done during a normal week at home.

One of my favourite camping tips is to start preparing weeks before you go. Whenever I did the weekly shop, I’d pick up a few extra bits for our camping supplies. Drinks, snacks, tinned foods, cereal bars and anything else with a decent shelf life would get popped into a box ready for the holiday. By the time we came to pack, we already had a good stash of food ready to take with us.

If you’re camping with children then I can’t recommend taking plenty of snacks strongly enough. Every parent knows that children suddenly become hungry the second you leave the campsite. We always carried a backpack packed with drinks, fruit, cereal bars and a few treats so we weren’t constantly buying expensive snacks while we were out and about.

One of the biggest advantages of camping in the UK is how stress-free the journey can be. There’s no airport security, no worrying about baggage allowances and no panic about missing a flight. I remember one holiday where we’d planned to leave at about 10am and somehow didn’t set off until midday. If we’d been flying, it would have been a complete disaster. Instead, it really didn’t matter. We loaded up the car, locked the front door and set off when we were ready.

Because you’re travelling in your own car, you can also take far more than you ever could on a plane. Favourite toys, board games, extra blankets, books, footballs and enough snacks to feed a small army can all come with you. When the kids were younger, that flexibility made a huge difference.

I also think camping gives children a completely different holiday experience. They spend more time outdoors, make friends much more easily and seem to gain a level of freedom that many holidays just don’t offer. I still remember watching groups of children riding bikes around campsites, making up games together and generally having the sort of carefree adventures that childhood should be made of.

Another thing I loved was how much slower life felt when we were camping. We spent less time staring at screens and more time actually talking to each other. We played cards, read books, sat around the fire pit and enjoyed the sort of simple family time that can be surprisingly hard to find in everyday life.

The camping community itself is also something special. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen complete strangers helping each other put up tents, lending equipment or sharing advice. There’s a friendliness on most campsites that you don’t often find elsewhere and it always made the whole experience feel even more relaxed.

And if you’re worried that camping means roughing it, campsites have come a long way. The site we stayed at had lovely shower blocks, a small shop, a restaurant, a takeaway, a play area and even facilities for freezing ice blocks for cooler boxes. Some campsites offer almost hotel-like facilities these days, while others provide a much more basic off-grid experience. Whatever you’re looking for, there’s probably a campsite that fits the bill.

The UK is also packed with incredible places to explore. Whether you fancy the Lake District, Northumberland, Cornwall, Yorkshire, Scotland or somewhere completely different, you’ll usually find plenty of campsites nearby. Camping is often one of the most affordable ways to experience some of the most beautiful parts of the country.

Of course, camping isn’t just about saving money. Looking back, what I remember most isn’t how much we spent. I remember evenings around the fire pit, cups of tea while the kids played nearby, long walks, unexpected rain showers and all the little moments that somehow become the memories you treasure years later.

You can even take the dog with you if you want to. Plenty of families did exactly that when we were camping and it meant they didn’t need to worry about kennels or pet sitters. It might take a little extra planning, but for many people it’s worth it to have the whole family together.

And finally, don’t feel like you need to spend a fortune on equipment before you even know whether camping is for you. Our tent cost just £100 from Facebook Marketplace and there are always plenty available second-hand. Some families have enormous setups with gazebos, windbreaks and all sorts of gadgets, while others keep things much simpler. There’s no right or wrong way to do it.

If you’ve never tried camping in the UK before, I’d genuinely recommend giving it a go. Whether it becomes your main holiday or simply an extra break during the year, it can be a brilliant way to spend time together, explore somewhere new and make some wonderful family memories without spending a fortune.

We actually bought a new (to us) tent on Facebook Marketplace just recently a couple of years ago as we hadn’t been camping for a while and we went a bit fancy – the one we bought cost £100 and is huge with a little porch, a full carpet and all sorts of extra bits. 

I can’t recommend camping in the UK highly enough as a cheaper option for a family holiday and we’re currently seeing if we can plan in a trip away this Summer!

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