Guest Blog from Charlotte – Calderdale Mumbler
I’ll admit it: when our friends told us to take the kids camping, I thought they were mad. Parenting three small children is hard enough at home!
But the more Facebook photos I saw of cosy family groups toasting marshmallows under the stars, the more I started to think it could be okay. So we bought a tent – and spent a small fortune on camping gear – booked a pitch and started to plan.
After asking for recommendations, we booked Humblebee Farm, a camping and glamping site nestled in the Yorkshire Wolds, close to Scarborough and Filey. It’s a working farm, so has plenty of adorable animals for the kids to coo over, as well as walks, nature trails and a sports field to burn off their energy.
The journey took just under two hours, the car crammed to the rafters with bits and bobs for every eventuality (What if it rains? Will it be boiling hot? Will we freeze at night? What if someone gets ill?).
Check in was smooth, and we drove past the yurts, wigwams and bell tents to our pitch, which was next to several large fields filled with sheep. A few families had already set up, and a few boys cycled over to introduce themselves to our kids. Friendships established, they ran off to play football while we pitched the tent.
My husband had looked at videos of how to put it up – good job as I didn’t have a clue – and it didn’t take us too long to get it sorted, then we made a brew, cooked pasta and sauce on the camping stove, and settled down on our camping chairs, at one with nature and dying to toast some marshmallows.
I won’t lie, it was obviously hard work with three kids aged six, three and one. By the time we left on Sunday, we had tired, filthy children and a mountain of laundry the height of a giraffe. But, BUT, we had the BEST weekend ever! There’s something so calming about waking up to the sound of ducks quacking and sheep baaing in the field, seeing your kids’ excited smiles as they open their eyes, realise where they are and run outside in their jammies to play with their new friends, and spending the entire day outdoors.
Everything tastes better cooked on a bbq (bacon I’m looking at you) and my 14-month-old adored toddling around the fields, making animal sounds at the sheep and playing with the camping gear. There were some gorgeous ducklings on the pond for my youngest to admire, and my oldest was elated to help feed Larry the lamb with a bottle. We didn’t do any star gazing as it was light until late, but we did toast lots of s’mores, enjoy a nature trail (which took a lot longer that it was supposed to) and make memories to cherish forever.
Camping can be difficult with babies, but I think it helped that our toddler doesn’t really have a routine. When she was tired she didn’t need to lie down in a cot, she was happy to be scooped up in a sling and nap while we walked. We also co sleep at home, so I shared a double airbed with her and she was comfortable and toasty warm. My friends swear by travel cots when camping though, and warm sleep sacks to keep the chill off.
Humblebee Farm offers lots of glamping options with yurts, bell tents and wigwarms furnished with creature comforts – and they sure looked tempting when we were pitching up and taking everything down again – but whichever option you choose, you can’t go wrong taking the kids away for a breath of fresh air.
Camping Tips
We aren’t expert campers by any means, but here is what made it easier for us, and what we will definitely improve on for next time:
You can get extra tips and ask your own questions if you join a camping Facebook group. I had SO many questions: which stove should we buy? Do we need a kettle? Do we really need a separate groundsheet when one is sewn in? Should we buy a carpet? It was endless. I learned so much not just from asking questions, but from seeing the answers to other people’s.
Thanks so much to our guest blogger Charlotte. If you have family or friends in Halifax or Calderdale be sure to let them know about the Calderdale Mumbler site.
There’s plenty on Gateshead Mumbler to help keep little ones (and big ones!) busy, check here for more ideas and info for playgroups, classes and fun days out from tots to teens!
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