Go camping for beginners

Are you a camping first-timer? Prepare yourself with our simple starter’s guide

If the idea of camping conjures up memories of cold baked beans, unstable A-frame tents and tormenting drizzly weather, then you haven’t been camping 21st century-style. New campsites with onsite facilities are popping up all over the country, equipment is now high-tech and hassle-free, and it doesn’t take a genius to pitch a modern tent.

Peter Frost, author of The Camping and Caravanning Club’s New To Camping website and Kevin Hodgson, a camping connoisseur for the last 15 years, give WideWorld the low-down on how to making camping effortlessly enjoyable for newcomers. So much so, that the only recollection you will have of your childhood camps will be left in nostalgia.

Opt for a Pod

If you haven’t camped before and want to see if it’s for, Frost recommends trying a Camping Pod. Camping sites across the UK offer these wooden domes, housing up to four people. You can soak in the forest air and get to grips with the great outdoors before parting your cash on a tent (www.thepoduk.co.uk).

Find your perfect location

The Camping and Caravanning Club has a list of over 4000 UK camping sites catering for a range of camping needs: from larger sites with lots of facilities to off-the-beaten-track camping. Frost recommends joining the club to gain access to this list and find out which site might best suit you, whether on a fun family weekend or a more serious expedition in the heart of nature (www.thecampingandcaravanningclub.co.uk).

Choose the right tent

After pod-life, it’s time to find a tent of your own. Choosing one can be a chore these days, coming in every shape, style and colour. To decide which tent is best for you is, determine what your needs are first.

“Do you want separate sleeping areas, or would you like one big room? How much space do you have to store your tent? If you can really think about what you want, you will be able to look more discerningly when you purchase,” says Frost.

Hodgson believes, “Personal recommendation is the best way to choose all equipment. Otherwise, find out the weight of everything. Every manufacture....

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