The Green Parent
Raising kids with conscience
21 May 2012
Camping with Dad
What better way to celebrate some father time than with an adventure camping break? With lots of campsites now recognising that most people go camping to spend time in nature, rather than wake up next to a concrete shower block, there are lots of ‘wild’ campsites springing up across Britain.
Camping is the perfect opportunity to spend time closer to nature and one another: listening to birdsong; building a fire and cooking over it; exploring the surrounding countryside; stargazing; telling campfire stories; whittling; foraging; spotting wildlife and curling up together – all perfect things to do with Dad. Whether you decide to try out one of the campsites below, or just to pitch a tent in the garden, why not spend an off-grid Father’s Day sharing special experiences together.
Plan-it Earth , Penzance
Winners of a gold Green Tourism badge, Plan-it Earth offers a great space for wild camping – in their peaceful woodland field. Complete with wood-burning shower cabin, compost toilet, herons, barn owls, bats and space for you to have your own camp fire, there’s even bell tents to hire if you don’t have a tent. Camping with your own tent is £5 per person per night. Check out their website for other exciting things happening on site, including green education.
Hidden Valley Yurts, Monmouthshire
Quite literally hidden away from the rest of the world by beautiful trees and situated by a gurgling stream (pictured), you can really feel close to nature in one of these yurts. There are five altogether, two sleeping five and the other three accommodating up to seven. With walls made from pure sheep’s wool, wood-burning stoves and kindling provided, you’ll have a magical break even if this rainy weather continues! There are beds, rugs and wall-hangings to make these yurts feel like a home from home in glorious countryside.
Rubha Phoil Eco Camping, Isle of Skye
With ten secluded tent pitches offering fantastic woodland and coastal views, this is truly a place to hide away. This peaceful campsite situated in woodland maintained to permaculture principles allows visitors to stay on this beautiful peninsula with minimal impact on the magnificent natural habitat. There’s even a bothy, beach cave, wildlife hide and forest garden walk to explore.
Lundy Island, off the Devon coast
Lundy lies off the coast of North Devon, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bristol Channel with nothing between it and America. It’s a granite outcrop, three and a half miles long and half a mile wide. In the hubbub of the modern world it is a place apart, peaceful and unspoilt. If it’s star-gazing and bird-watching you’re after, this is the place to escape to. Call the Lundy shore office on 01271 863636 to ask about camping on the island.
Lucy Corkhill is a freelance writer and hosts workshops from her beautiful clifftop home. She worked for many years as a therapist specialising in pregnancy and post-natal treatments. She lives with her husband, their one year old son, a dog, three cats and loads of spiders.
The Green Parent is the UK's leading green lifestyle and natural parenting magazine. A truly inspiring read, TGP is like nothing else on the newsstand, with insightful intelligent journalism covering topics from babywearing and attachment parenting to home-education and alternative medicine. Each issue features regular columns on Organic Gardening, Seasonal Food and Drink, Green Travel, Ethical Fashion and lots more.
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