Camping With Style ~ Camp In Comfort With Stylish Gear & Clothing

My Never-Camp-Without Toiletry Essentials…and Not So Essentials

July 21, 2014 / Shell / 2 Comments

I was going to do a packing list of essentials to take camping, but instead, I thought it would be more fun to show you the contents of my own, always-packed toiletry go bag. Inside it i’ve got all the essentials, along with some admittedly, not so essential items!

camping packing toiletry essetials

It goes without saying that if something comes as a miniature, I am guaranteed to buy it (look how itty bitty they are!!!), so I tend to have mini versions of things I normally use at home and I have also been known to swipe the odd hotel room freebie (the most recent being lovely Aveda minitures from Hotel Indigo Liverpool, who could resist?!).

If you don’t camp often, then trial size items, are ideal and one of my favourite mini ranges comes from Molton Brown, but you can pick up travel miniatures all over the place. Boots, Superdrug and all the major supermarkets stock lovely mini smelly stuff.

My Camping Toiletry Essentials

Suncream
Definitely the most important item in my bag…well, after deodorant and toothpaste anyway. A miniature bottle is an absolute camping must have.

Body cream
Spending time in the outdoors dries your skin out like mad, so a rich body butter is something I always take, in fact I usually take at least a couple of different body and/or hand creams with me.

Hair brush
Miniature hair brushes are just the cutest, plus they are like super useful for stopping me from looking like a wild woman.

Face cream
My absolute favourite face creams are No. 7 Protect & Perfect and Elemis Radiance Flash Balm and I always take one or the other (usually both).

Deodorant
I always take a stick and a little spray. I’m not entirely sure why.

Tooth brush and tooth paste
Pretty obvious really.

Lip balm
Outside is windy and sunshiney and full of elements and stuff, that play havoc with your skin. I’m not one for lipstick or gloss at the best of times, but for camping especially, lip balm is a lovely nourishing treat.

Firzz ease
My natural hair is afro, and you aint seen nothing like afro frizz. In the middle of a campsite, your hair should be the last thing on your mind, but for selfie taking confidence, a decent hair serum is a blessing.

Hair ties
I always take a few hair ties with me, handy for securing long hair, especially when setting up, taking down and doing active stuff.

Shampoo
I tend not to wash my hair whilst camping (my afro hair means I could go weeks without my hair getting greasy or pongy), but for most people, a miniature shampoo is a must-take item.

Shaving razor
I don’t wax. It hurts. So I stick with the humble razor and camping generally means summer time which means legs on show. If you are away for more than a few days, and you don’t wax, a razor is a necessity.

Cleansing facial wipes
Wipes are much more convenient than cleansing creams and toners, easy to use in the privacy of your tent and they are useful for wiping hands and even mopping sweaty brows.

Mirror
It’s such a simple little thing, but so easy to forget! I have a little mirror that stands up on its own and is great for hanging from the central pole of the bell tent or hooked over the organiser pockets in our modern tent.

Shower gel
I love Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlilly shower gel and always decant some into my little travel size bottle to take with me.

Miniature body puff
I don’t like applying shower gel by hand and prefer to lather it up on a body puff.

The Not So Essentials

Tweezers
If you have a super busy life, it’s really easy to forget things like brows, and so I always take some tweezers just in case I realise once i’m there that I look like Mr Dolmio. They are also very useful for removing splinters and stings, so not quite essential but definitely useful.

Nail polish & nail polish remover pads
I’m not vain and i’m not into makeup, especially not when camping, but I can’t abide chipped nails. I always make sure i’ve got some bright emergency nail polish packed just in case.

Nail clippers & Emery board
Not essential but jolly useful, especially on longer camping trips. Putting up a tent invariably involves bashed and broken finger nails so at least one or the other is handy to have, especially ones that are super-tiny like mine.

Perfume
I might be in a tent and I might be out exploring the great outdoors, but I still like to smell nice, it’s one of my few indulgences.

camping essentials

camping packing list

camping essentials

Over To You

What can’t you live without when you go camping? What are your must have’s? Whatever you just have to take camping (even if it is gas powered hair straighteners) we’d love to hear from you!

Camping Wine Glass Chair Clamp – Review

This clever little gadget is a Wine Glass Clamp, designed specifically for camp chairs and it comes in 3 different colours, blue, green and pink….so of course I chose the pink one! The Wine Glass Clamp is super easy to use, there is a twisty clamp thingy that can be opened or tightened depending on which way you twist it, and it fits all standard camp chairs.

The Wine Glass Clamp is made out of strong durable plastic (but it doesn’t feel cheap, it feels sturdy and well made), so it’s easily transported along on camping trips with no fear of it breaking. I loved it! I used pretty much the heaviest glass that I have to really test the clamp out and it held up wonderfully well despite the weight.

When I camp I tend to drink wine out of a tumbler (yuck, I am sure it doesn’t taste as nice!) just because a tumbler fits into the holder on the arm of my camp chairs – thankfully, I can now revert back to using a wine glass – yay!!

The Wine Glass Clamp is a very clever little item that’s ideal for camping and it is also made in Britain – fab!

Wine Glass Clamp Pictures

wine glass clamp for camping

camping glass clamp

the wine glass clamp

wine glass clamps

You can buy the Wine Glass Clamp here.

We were sent a wine glass clamp free of charge to review.

Park Foot Caravan & Camping Park, Ullswater Lake District – Review

July 13, 2014 / Shell / 0 Comments

The Lowdown

Park Foot Caravan & Camping Park, Howtown Road, Pooley Bridge, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 2NA Tel: 017684 86309
parkfootullswater.co.uk

Tents, Campervans and Caravans
£17 per night for a tent with no electric hookup
Campfires are not allowed
Raised BBQ’s allowed
Dogs are to be kept on a lead at all times
Some pitches have a lake view
Direct access to Ullswater lake from the campsite

Our Visit

July 11th – July 13th 2014

What We Loved

Park Foot have a great website and the interactive map which showed the site layout and pictures meant we knew exactly which field we wanted to be in, which made booking super easy. We booked a pitch for 2 nights in the Aikbeck field (closest to the lake) at a cost of £34. We arrived at 8pm on Friday night and the check in process was efficient, though ‘Gangham Style’ blasting out in the bar next door, was quite a jarring arrival to say the least. Finding a pitch didn’t take too long, though as to be expected when arriving late on a weekend, there were few options left.

Having direct access from the campsite to Lake Ullswater was a real bonus

The site is large and features hard standing pitches with electric hookups, along with well maintained grass camping and camper van fields. We loved the location, and were delighted with the quick and easy direct access to Ullswater, which was lovely to stroll around. Due to our late arrival however, we ended up in the middle of the Aikbeck field, which meant we only had a distant, partial view of the lake. All of the pitches closer to the lake were hard standing pitches with electric hookups.

If you want action, hustle and bustle paired with easy lake access, then Park Foot is the ideal campsite. Several campers had bought boats and kayaks with them.

On site there is a lovely kids play park, a kiosk selling delighted children massive slushies, a bar with blaring disco every Friday and Saturday night, a takeaway and a very well stocked shop. So well stocked in fact, that as well as all the basics like drinks, bread, condiments and milk, they also stocked a good selection of well priced BBQ meats, and cooking ingredients including herbs and even flour! The camping gear available on site was also pretty good, with everything from tent pegs to airbeds and camping furniture.

Add to this the fact that there is some lovely woodland, a play park, pony trekking and bike hire on site, and you’ve got all the ingredients for an active family break, but if you are looking for peace, quiet or relaxation, then on a weekend in early July, this is not the place the visit.

The site was busy, very busy, and noisy too. This meant that although the scenery was lovely, there was no peace or quiet to enjoy it in. We are by no means dull and wholly expect kids playing, music and chatter, but we did find it excessive. In fact we packed up and left as soon as we got up on Sunday morning, we were so keen to get home.

Will We Be Back?

We might consider a return visit once we’ve bought a kayak, but we definitely wouldn’t return during summer or any school holidays.

Any Downers?

Whilst there are clear campsite rules, they were not enforced during our stay.

There is meant to be no excessive noise after midnight or before 8am. We found the site very noisy until close to 1am on the Friday night and noisy again from 7.30am on Saturday morning. Dogs were frequently off leads which was also against site rules, (though I love dogs and generally don’t mind them being off their leads), but having dogs so frequently running up to you and not responding to their owners commands can get annoying, as can footballs continually crashing into your tent and tennis balls bouncing off your car windscreen.

The site was busy and noisy, though I appreciate that for some families, this might be part of the appeal.

We found the huge and highly visible CCTV notices incredibly off-putting, and they made us paranoid about leaving anything at all outside of the tent; the general feeling of being watched and that our possessions weren’t safe, made us feel more like we were in a city centre rather than a rural idyl.

Parents should be aware that if staying in the Aikbeck field, kids will have to cross a road to get to the main part of the campsite, where the shop and play park are located.

Park Foot Campsite Pictures

Park Foot Campsite review

The view of lake ullswater

The location of Park Foot campsite, right next to Ullswater, is beautiful.

Beautiful location

Park Foot

aikbeck field ullswater

Pretty and well maintained grounds

Pretty and well maintained grounds with a handful of really lovely, small pitches under the trees next to the stream.

On site facilities

Park foot ullswater lake district camp site

The great kids play park (I want an adult-only version, how much fun would that be?!)

Facilities on site

on site facilities

On site facilities were good, though the ladies toilets in the Aikbeck field were busy and I queued on several visits.

Bathroom facilities

Our tent

The site was busy, but there was still plenty of space left between tents, with the minimum 3m pitching distance being adhered to.

Lake district camp site

Win! Kids Happy Campers Activity Set – Competition Closed

July 6, 2014 / Shell / 13 Comments

Just in time for the summer holidays, we’ve got a fab kids camping activity set to give away. Help keep the kids quiet on your next camping trip with our fab little activity set, full of camping themed craft and stationery fun, from the great new “Happy Campers” range at Wilkos.

kids-camping-competition-goodies

The prize includes:

Happy Campers sturdy cardboard box with flip top lid
Happy Campers stationery set including pencils, pen, rubber and ruler
Happy Campers paper chain making craft set
Happy Campers ‘base camp’ notebook
Happy Campers chunky felt tip pen set
Happy Campers bear shaped eraser and compass design pencil sharpener

How to enter

The competition is now closed and the winner has been notified in the blog comments and via email.

Terms & Conditions

Competition is open to UK entrants/residents only – the prize will only be posted out to a UK address
Competition ends at 6pm GMT on Monday 14th July 2014
If the prize is not claimed after 28 days, the prize is forfeit
No cash alternatives offered and Camping With Style maintain the right to amend the competition at any time
1 entry per person

www.competitionclub.co.uk

Family Festival Camping Packing Essentials List

July 2, 2014 / Shell / 2 Comments

Festivals are amazing fun, take the children along and you’ll guarantee lots of happy family memories. That said, they are far from easy!

Festivals are busy, loud and BIG! You’ll walk miles during the course of a typical 3-day music festival, and often the fact that parking is miles away from where you will camp, poses a whole range challenges. If you are camping for the first time, or even if you are camping with the children for the first time, you’ll need to pack smart and carefully. For a happy family festival camping experience always check to find out where the family camping area is and head there.

Many festivals will have areas for camping reserved especially for families – these will generally have extra facilities (for example for nappy changing) and will typically be less densely populated and a little quieter than other areas. Sometimes you might be lucky and even get a dedicated parking area close by, but even ‘close’ generally means a 20 minute trek.

Below you will find my list of must-haves, that will help you have a happier, comfier and less stressful family festival experience.

Family Festival Camping Packing Essentials

Invest in a large wheeled camping trolly – you can use this to transport your tent, bedding etc. If you are taking a 5m bell tent for example, that’s not something you’ll want to be carrying for more than a minute or two at a time, a trolly is an excellent investment and if space is a problem you can get smaller folding ones
Large full size back-packs for mum and dad, which can be packed with the clothing you’ll all need for the weekend, leaving arms free for hand holding and carrying more camping kit
Wellington boots – even in the height of summer a sudden downpour can turn a pristine grassy festival site into brown sludge in no time at all
Good quality 3 season sleeping bags for all family members
Extra fleece blankets in case little ones get chilly at night
Plastic backed compact picnic rug – these can be used inside the tent so you aren’t standing on a cold floor and they can be easily folded and taken with you to give you somewhere clean and dry to sit during the day
Waterproof outer layers for all family members and a large umbrella (just in case)
Sun cream
Identification bands with your child’s name and your emergency contact details on them
Sun hats for the little ones
A tent, obviously! Make it one that you can stand up in, ideally with more than one compartment so the little people will have their own space to play and sleep in. If you are a family of 4, don’t buy a tent that sleeps 4. Always get one that sleeps 2 more than you need it to, this will give you enough space that you aren’t on top of each other. Also, if it’s new, make sure you’ve pitched it before so you know your new tent has all the necessary pegs and guy ropes and so you know how it goes up
Take a massive bottle of water and juice too, so once you are back at the tent and away from the vendors, the children will still be able to have a drink
Let your children choose one or two of their favourite toys or teddies to take with them – in a strange new environment, these will help them feel secure
Take several changes of clothes, then one extra. Children get mucky at the best of times and with face painting, mud, ice creams and so on, make sure they have plenty of fresh clothes to change into
Even in summer it is cold at night, so make sure your little ones have thick, warm pyjamas and a jumper to sleep in
Plenty of layers makes coping with the Great British weather a doddle
Depending on the age of your children, you might want to consider taking a potty or even a camping loo with you
Sleeping directly on the floor is uncomfortable and chilly – take air beds if you can fit them or self inflating mats if you are short on space
Toilet tissue is a must, and carry little packs of tissues on you at all times for yucky portaloo visits
Wet wipes and hand sanitizer gel, lots of it. Large packs to keep in the tent and smaller versions to carry with you
Snacks that your children enjoy – once in the camping area vendors are less accessible, so make sure you have some snacks. Fruit, biscuits, whatever they like as long as they don’t require refrigeration
Take a little first aid kit with you with plasters, antiseptic wipes, aspirin etc.

For lots of brilliant tips on going to a festival with children, check out my friend, Fi’s blog here: Top Tips For Enjoying Festivals With Littlies

.

.