I was practically born into camping. My first camping holiday was when I was about six months old, and the few times I spent in hotels didn’t exactly warm me to the idea. However, in one way, camping is exactly like staying in a hotel: the term describes a wide range of options, from very simple to very luxury. The American version of pitching your tent in the wild and shitting in the woods is unknown in most parts of Europe, probably because we don’t have many bears that can eat you up. People here go to campsites, which range from simple to holy fuck, how much does that cost?
Campsites near big cities, like the one we stayed at, have a very interesting social mix, since the residents range from students on a 20 bucks a day budget (been there, done that, it was great fun) to people with camping “cars” that cost twice as much as our house, extra car not included. Interestingly, those peple also had the cheapest, most uncomfortable folding chairs on the market, the very ones Mr and I had back in the day when we didn’t have the money or space for anything that didn’t leave you with a sore back.
Anyway, we clock somewhere in the middle, with a tendency to pack too much stuff and create utter chaos:
What I personally like about this version is that you’re as protected from the elements as you need to be, but as open as possible. The campsite is on a piece of former farmland, so you live in nature, which gets me to our constant companions this holiday: ants.
The ones pictured here were the large ones. They were exclusively interested in harvesting the seeds of the various grasses, which they transported during the cooler times of the day via a veritable ant highway.
Not pictured: the millions and millions of small ones that went everywhere until we bought repellent and sprayed all the parts of the caravan in contact with the floor. It’s not nice to be woken by half a dozen ants crawling on your belly.
Oh wow, that first photo is a prize-winner!! Also, I don’t mind ants -- with the caveat that they don’t get into my food, or crawl up my pants (I hope the hill just next to our backyard is listening to that second part). Also, camping -- I grew up with the Canadian versiin (hike-and-canoe as far away from civilization as possible), but I’ve come to appreciate the modern comforts of the European version. Although here, camping often means renting out a room in a rustic (modern) guesthouse, so you don’t even need the camper, they give you a cabin. Campers are a bit of a rarity, but we’re thinking of investing in one.
* I meant the first photo of the ants, to be clear!
As a pre-teen and teenager, I got used to sleeping in tents. It wasn’t camping in the wilderness, but I did sleep in a tent in the yard of our summer cottage (that way I got to have my own sleeping cycle and a place to read books) and a few other places and as a teen, in campsites when we were holidaying with my mom and her husband, he drove to various parts of Finland (both coastal areas and the lake district), we did sightseeing and camping.
I always had my own dome tent, apart from the first one, always flexible-pole double tents, which were in my experience quite waterproof and I never had any problems with tents being too cold, as I had two sleeping bags and an air mattress.
The big ants are fascinating.
I love the photos of the ant highway, shows perfectly how even the smallest animal, using the same route repeatedly, will wear a path. Also with a highway like that and seed collecting ants you can be pretty sure they aren’t going to bother you. I don’t dislike ants, but I do have a bit of a ‘spider reaction’ to coming on them on my person. Giliell can you unicycle?
We used to camp a lot, by preference at places with minimal facilities, occassionally when we were younger and cycling wild camping. We have never tried to camp with the German Shepherds, we have a small tent so fitting even one in would be interesting and their claws would likely wreck the tent base. We might have considered buying a bigger tent if we hadn’t ended up with dogs you couldn’t take on a campsite, one because she would have been terrified of all of the other people the whole time she was there, the other because he’d have tried to see them all off. It wouldn’t be kind to the dogs or to the other campers.
Ice Swimmer
I don’t know what is wrong with my kids. I was so proud when I was finally allowed to sleep in the tent and not in the caravan, but I can’t get mine out for the love of dog.
Definitely. When Mr and I first went camping, we used my old tent, which was big enough for two and our clothing, but we noticed that it was no good if the weather forced you to stay inside for a day. Before we went to Ireland we bought a big tent with space in the middle to put a table and chairs, which was a feat because somehow back then “family tents” were a non-existing market.
It saw us through a storm on the Isle of Sky which simply blew over many small tents, but by the end of it the poles had chaffed through and were at the point of breaking.
The year after that #1 arrived and we switched to the caravan. By now my back even complains about the caravan bed and we need a new mattress.
jazzlet
I’ve been wondering if anybody would spot it…
No, I can’t, but #1 can like a tornado. I often have to close my eyes…
Thank you for your consideration, both from me and probably the dogs. Sadly not all people think this through and you often end up with dogs who do not cope well with the situation, all those people crossing their territory, all the smells and the sounds.
I like the last picture. I shows the “ant highway” really nicely.
I much prefer camping to hotels, but that’s mainly because I can’t sleep in hotels and sleep deprivation isn’t exactly fun. Sleep was never a problem when camping, but sadly we sold our camper many years ago. I miss camping. Maybe one day…
Also, I agree with rq about the first ant shot, wow indeed!
That first ant photo is a doozy. Well shot!
We did the cabin thing when I was young. Every summer we would load up the car with our own sheets and blankets, pillows and towels and drive all the way up to North Bay where we would rent a little cabin on the lake.
Hi ,greeting from a fellow caravaner !,spent last week in Norfolk in our mobile sweat box ,woke up to 91 degrees one morning .
We tend to stay on CL campsites run run the caravan club (CL stands for Certified Location) ,only allowed 5 outfits on at one time ,and the minimum facilities that must be provided are fresh water and a place to empty the toilet cassette .
Lots of sites have mains electric and WC/showers .
Harvester ants? The seed collection is the giveaway, i think. The ones we have in NC USA do bite, and fiercely. First time they got me in the garden* I thought I’d been bit by a spider it swelled and itched so badly, the second time I discovered the culprit after yanking off my pants. For all the world I again thought it must be a spider but I didn’t feel anything crawling and when the pants came off all I found on the floor was one very, very irate ant thrashing its tiny self about.
*We’ve let it go to seed this year which explains their presence there. Cool but bothersome buggers!
Hi David!
I admit that I really want showers and electricity. One of the great things about going to the Mediterranean is the food, and where’s the fun in seeing all the fish and cheese if you cannot keep it edible?
But I like the expression “sweat box”. I swore that next time we’ll take a fan.
Onamission5
I can at least vouch for these, they were completely peaceful, even when one of the kids accidentally stood on their highway.
Giliell@11 I have often thought about taking the caravan to Europe ,Holland ,Germany and the Scandinavian Countries .
A fan helps ,air con would be better .
GiliellThat is a relief! I don’t know that our harvesters (if that is what yours are as well) are aggressive, exactly, certainly they are no fire ant, but they don’t seem to take too kindly to getting crawled upon unexpectedly. I mean, who does, really.
The ant highway is just the coolest thing. Who’da thunk it?