Are you planning an early summer camping holiday? If so, here’s everything you need to know – from the best events to tips for staying in a static, tourer or tent.
Tips when you’re staying in a static
If it’s wet and windy and a welly kind of holiday, keep your boots at the ready but outside of your nice clean holiday home, by slotting them sole up over cricket stumps banged into the ground outside your door. If the rain comes down, they’ll stay dry.
Holidaying with your pets is great fun, but if you have a dog who loves splashing around in rivers your holiday home might suffer from the dreaded wet dog smell. A smart way to combat this is to take a pack of tumble dryer freshener sheets – after a quick rub over, your pet will smell much sweeter.
Scrambled eggs are caravan fast-food and an easy meal for your kids to make. Avoid the potential of mess by cracking eggs into a jam jar, sealing and shaking.
If you’re miffed by a misted mirror at shower time here’s an easy solution – simply wipe the mirror with a damp cloth and a spot of washing-up liquid and leave to dry. No more misted mirrors for the duration of your stay.
Tips if you’re camping in a tent
Location is everything, you don’t want to be too close to the buzz and hubbub of the entertainments area, but you also don’t want a half-mile hike for the night-time toilet trip. And yes, the riverside pitch looks pretty, but if it rains in the night you might find yourself stepping out into marshland. Choose your pitch carefully.
In the absence of hi-tech gizmos here’s a neat way to check the level of your gas bottle – pour hot water down the bottle and run your finger along the side. Where it feels warm the bottle is empty, and the point where it feels cooler is the gas level.
They may look daft, but keeping pairs of rubber shoes in your tent doorway, ready to slip on and off for late night loo trips, takes some of the stress out of a moon lit wander.
Sleeping kids roll around at night, so rather than leave them to work their way off their airbed and onto a cold tent floor, wedge them between something hefty, like adults or bags, to keep them in place.
Tips if you’re taking a tourer
Once your caravan is hitched up check your breakaway cable. If it’s trailing on the floor, secure it loosely with a plastic cable tie to save it wearing on the road.
For your journey, stop your clothes hangers falling off the rail by using foam pipe-insulation to keep them in place.
Use this simple trick to stop leaks in your awning – rub a candle on the teeth of the zip to create a waterproof seal.
An easy way to manage your waste is to buy a couple of suction-cup hooks for the outside of your caravan, then hang a plastic carrier between the hooks for an easy way to deal with your rubbish.
Holiday ideas for May and June
There’s plenty taking place across the UK in May and June, so you can book a break to tie into one of these fabulous events. There really is something for everyone, from folk to fish festivals, men in kilts and women in frilly frocks, bird-watching to boat spotting.