I've written a booklet - Wild Camping for Families - Thoughts Welcome!

[Wisewoman]

Hi all,

I would like to share the first draft of a booklet I have been writing with an emphasis on WC with children. It also has a lot of information about how I plan a trip away using downloadable POI sets etc.

It mentions this fabulous site several times.

I know its quite big at 26 31 pages, but if anyone fancies a read and has any thoughts on things I've missed out or got wrong, please do let me know. I'm hoping Phil may find a place on this site for the final version to made available to everyone.

Many thanks,
Melissa
EDIT: Have updated the PDF with the latest version which includes a cover!
EDIT 2: I think i need a few different pics of children playing in or near a camper / motorhome - Anyone have any they are willing to share - noting I am aiming towards it going up on Amazon as an eBook missive. The more anarchic the pic, the better! lol
EDIT 3: Nearly there - Have changed the name from Wild Camping for Families to Wild Camping With Children - not sure which I like best though!
EDIT 4 : Further enhanced version now attached!

 

[n brown]

very enjoyable-you did well Mel !
i think you covered most stuff, we did it differently, but as a couple with 4 kids , a lot of it is different .
might i suggest a wee bucket ,you can drape cling film over it for a no 2 , bit more comfortable
i always carried lots of 12mm rope , any stand of trees can be an adventure playground
also loads of paper for drawing , as you know , a sheet is discarded once marked !
i also like the fact that you didn't bang on about the danger aspect , individuals can use their own judgement on these matters and don't need it constantly spotlighted
i noticed that solo children were very swift at making friends, obviously never knowing when the next kid might come along . was this true with your daughter ?

 

[runnach]

I think you have given a balanced insight .

 

[Wisewoman]

very enjoyable-you did well Mel !
i think you covered most stuff, we did it differently, but as a couple with 4 kids , a lot of it is different .
might i suggest a wee bucket ,you can drape cling film over it for a no 2 , bit more comfortable
i always carried lots of 12mm rope , any stand of trees can be an adventure playground
also loads of paper for drawing , as you know , a sheet is discarded once marked !
i also like the fact that you didn't bang on about the danger aspect , individuals can use their own judgement on these matters and don't need it constantly spotlighted
i noticed that solo children were very swift at making friends, obviously never knowing when the next kid might come along . was this true with your daughter ?

Hey there,

Thanks for your comments.

Good tip about the bucket. It would be a good bridger for children who don't naturally take to Wild Weeing!

Yes, my daughter is very swift to make friends when we are on the road and when the opportunity arises. I don't recall ever being in the same WC place as a vehicle with children on before. She does always find a friend on the rare occasion we go onto a campsite. On reflection, I should probably promote the 'friend' thing as a positive aspect of occasionally going onto a campsite with kids - I'm probably to harsh on the paid-for campsite in my missive. ;-)

Did you full-time with 4 or were you like me - going away as and when the rest of life allows? I take it you had a larger vehicle than a camper van?

Cheers,
Melissa

 

[Silver sprinter]

Hi all,

I would like to share the first draft of a booklet I have been writing with an emphasis on WC with children. It also has a lot of information about how I plan a trip away using downloadable POI sets etc.

It mentions this fabulous site several times.

I know its quite big at 26 pages, but if anyone fancies a read and has any thoughts on things I've missed out or got wrong, please do let me know. I'm hoping Phil may find a place on this site for the final version to made available to everyone.

Many thanks,
Melissa

Thanks for sharing

 

[n brown]

Hey there,

Thanks for your comments.

Good tip about the bucket. It would be a good bridger for children who don't naturally take to Wild Weeing!

Yes, my daughter is very swift to make friends when we are on the road and when the opportunity arises. I don't recall ever being in the same WC place as a vehicle with children on before. She does always find a friend on the rare occasion we go onto a campsite. On reflection, I should probably promote the 'friend' thing as a positive aspect of occasionally going onto a campsite with kids - I'm probably to harsh on the paid-for campsite in my missive. ;-)

Did you full-time with 4 or were you like me - going away as and when the rest of life allows? I take it you had a larger vehicle than a camper van?

Cheers,
Melissa

yes we full timed,only in Europe, seemed to go about 18 months or so then the van , usually a £200 banger, would need replacing,so back to Blighty , rent a house , buy another banger, make it bigger to suit and fit out , give the kids who wanted it bit of school , then make enough for the ferry and off again. funny old life , nice kids though. i like them
we had vans to suit the family , ended up in a 1 1/2 decker 9m bus. we never did campsites, too tight

 

[Wully]

Camping any type is great for kids. My daughter now 11 loves it and all the stuff it brings away from the world of I pads and staring at a phone screen which I admit is becoming harder to do the older she gets. I love it that she can bait a hook with a worm catch a fish build a fire from scratch and cook that fish she caught. climbing trees digging in the dirt for that worm. All great stuff and as for making friends she’s got pals all over the UK France and Holland who she actually keeps in touch with.

 

[n brown]

when my middle daughter and son were about 11-13, i showed them how to make a pushalong duck with flappy feet. involved a bandsaw , drill ,router ,sander and painting . when they'd made enough ,i knocked up a stall and dropped them off sat morning in the centre of bath . i still remember their little faces when they realised i wasn't staying !
first day they took £100 , had a row with a council jobsworth and loved every minute
abroad , i'd leave them in charge of my stall when the guy came round for the money-what could he say to a foreign kid ?
and they had every thing i didn't in my childhood , dens , fires, trees and swings, air rifles and sheath knives, no school if they didn't want, motorbikes and bangers to wreck. they survived it well !

 

[trevskoda]

Dont know how you got away with it,over here the beeky officer would be round if of school to long,then into court for a fine,they inforce it more now with kids talking time to hol with parents at cheap out of season bargains,the gipsies seem to get away with it here mind you.

 

[linkshouse]

Hi all,

I would like to share the first draft of a booklet I have been writing with an emphasis on WC with children. It also has a lot of information about how I plan a trip away using downloadable POI sets etc.

It mentions this fabulous site several times.

I know its quite big at 26 pages, but if anyone fancies a read and has any thoughts on things I've missed out or got wrong, please do let me know. I'm hoping Phil may find a place on this site for the final version to made available to everyone.

Many thanks,
Melissa

Excellent write /booklet Melissa.

Not wishing to be a smarty pants but there are quite a few typos so would run it through a spell checker as well as giving it a re-read once you've been away from it for a while (fresh eyes) before final publishing.

Well done.

 

[Wisewoman]

when my middle daughter and son were about 11-13, i showed them how to make a pushalong duck with flappy feet. involved a bandsaw , drill ,router ,sander and painting . when they'd made enough ,i knocked up a stall and dropped them off sat morning in the centre of bath . i still remember their little faces when they realised i wasn't staying !
first day they took £100 , had a row with a council jobsworth and loved every minute
abroad , i'd leave them in charge of my stall when the guy came round for the money-what could he say to a foreign kid ?
and they had every thing i didn't in my childhood , dens , fires, trees and swings, air rifles and sheath knives, no school if they didn't want, motorbikes and bangers to wreck. they survived it well !

I love this! What a unique and alternative upbringing for your children to have.

I have issues with the way the kids are schooled these days but that said, Florence is doing well 'academically'. I pulled her out of school last year for nearly four weeks to travel round Ireland - Fully expected the bloody fines to arrive but they haven't! That fining thing annoys me to hell. I'm sure it's down to the headteachers and some are more liable to alert the fine-issuing authorities, than others.

You sound like someone with lots of practical skills though - which sadly, is what I lack! I can fix computers - but that doesn't work too well on a van with no 240V supply and little space!

I especially like your comment "nice kids though. i like them" - I think that says a lot.

Melissa

 

[Wisewoman]

Excellent write /booklet Melissa.

Not wishing to be a smarty pants but there are quite a few typos so would run it through a spell checker as well as giving it a re-read once you've been away from it for a while (fresh eyes) before final publishing.

Well done.

Thanks - Its still a work in progress and I will fine-tooth comb it before 'publishing' it - I'm going to throw it on Amazon as an ebook too - for free if i can (though I think they have some funny rules about offering free e-books )

I've thought of some more things that I could mention too like bed socks - these loose fitting socks actually really come into their own on a van in Winter!

I'm trying to recall how I was four years ago about to embark on having a van - the difference in my attitude then and now, is quite significant and it's all come as a result of confidence built through the doing of it. I really was a bit nervous when I first started WC but now I've perfected the art of looking like a middle-aged hippy-type woman with child - and we are generally seen as 'mostly harmless' ! lol ;-)

I'm also not totally happy with the way I've described the map and trip planning section. I work in computers and am a specialist in 'digital inclusion' for more vulnerable groups (ie disabled and elderly) so i know that older people are still quite averse to smartphones and ipads and I didnt want them to get blinded by the concept of KML files and Maps.me programs. The thing is it, annoys me that there's quite a lot of overlap in that section as a result.... I'm just thinking out loud...

Cheers all!
Melissa

 

[n brown]

as for taking kids out of school and putting them back in , we never asked if we could ,and never had a problem , they agreed that they'd learn more by travelling and were all very positive. one particularly severe looking headmistress, the stuff of nightmares with grey hair in a bun,begged me to take her with us next time ,she'd supply the caravan .
if your work involves moving about the place , my son builds stages at festivals for example , then the school has to allow you to take your kid out at short notice for as long as necessary. make up your own story.
as for schooling- 3 0f my kids left at 9,10 and 11 yrs old .the first 2 are really good artists[all that paper ! ] and are well known and heavily booked up tattooists, and the last one got a first with honours and is a solicitor
the eldest left our van in maroc when she was 17 and moved into a horsebox with the bloke she's still happily married to, and transports horse in portugal

oh yes ,height barriers, not for overnighting ,but generally , it's worth ringing the number, they'll often come and let youu
in
anyway ,it bears repeating , it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission

 

[Wisewoman]

as for taking kids out of school and putting them back in , we never asked if we could ,and never had a problem, they agreed that they'd learn more by travelling and were all very positive. one particularly severe looking headmistress, the stuff of nightmares with grey hair in a bun,begged me to take her with us next time ,she'd supply the caravan .
if your work involves moving about the place , my son builds stages at festivals for example , then the school has to allow you to take your kid out at short notice for as long as necessary. make up your own story.
as for schooling- 3 0f my kids left at 9,10 and 11 yrs old .the first 2 are really good artists[all that paper ! ] and are well known and heavily booked up tattooists, and the last one got a first with honours and is a solicitor
the eldest left our van in maroc when she was 17 and moved into a horsebox with the bloke she's still happily married to, and transports horse in portugal

oh yes ,height barriers, not for overnighting ,but generally , it's worth ringing the number, they'll often come and let youu
in
anyway ,it bears repeating , it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission

Wow - how diverse are your sprogs! What a wonderful example! I never knew that if your work involves moving about, the schools have to let you take them out - that's something definitely worth exploring further!

I don't care what my two do ( as well as a 9 year old, I also have a 22 year old whose long left the nest) - as long as they can say they are happy and I believe them. ;-)

I've never tried phoning numbers on height barriers - to be honest, its only been a issue once for me as I'm usually good at checking the location out via Streetview and satellite images before rocking up.

 

[runnach]

Having given a bit of reflection and reading through twice Melissa by two penneth

Whilst wilding in Scotland is easier, don’t give the impression it is down to the land reform act which allows wildcamping and access to land campers motorhomes are in actual fact excluded from the legislation I might have the wrong idea but went through my mind whilst reading

Secondly it is worth mentioning the cl cs sites in a little more detail whilst not wilding , fees can be as little as 6 b 7 £ per night no ehu but water and a place to take on dump water. Away from the road thus lack of traffic perhaps a more secure environment foe children to learn and discover if parents particularly are the nervous type.

 

[Wisewoman]

Having given a bit of reflection and reading through twice Melissa by two penneth

Whilst wilding in Scotland is easier, don’t give the impression it is down to the land reform act which allows wildcamping and access to land campers motorhomes are in actual fact excluded from the legislation I might have the wrong idea but went through my mind whilst reading

Secondly it is worth mentioning the cl cs sites in a little more detail whilst not wilding , fees can be as little as 6 b 7 £ per night no ehu but water and a place to take on dump water. Away from the road thus lack of traffic perhaps a more secure environment foe children to learn and discover if parents particularly are the nervous type.

Great thoughts - thanks!

I will do a bit more research on Scotland. I also know they've put in all those chargeable overnighting 'WC' places around Loch Lomond

I will also add a little about CL / CS sites and memberships along with the positive aspects for children of going onto a campsite.

I've should probably write more about roads as its a good point you raise. People new to this, seem to assume I go and stay in lay-bys on busy roads!, I'm such a WC pedant, I always go the out of the way places in rural locations and have never ever parked up near a busy road and had safety concerns. Nature reserves are simply brilliant for this.

Cheers,
Melissa

 

[Tookey]

Like it,especially love the kids certificate idea, will be using that. In 'toileting' I would mention the option of digging a hole with a trowel and putting the used paper into a empty bake bean tin and setting it alight, very efficient disposal.

 

[Wisewoman]

I've updated it in the original post, added a cover and more wit!

 

[Wisewoman]

Like it,especially love the kids certificate idea, will be using that. In 'toileting' I would mention the option of digging a hole with a trowel and putting the used paper into a empty bake bean tin and setting it alight, very efficient disposal.

You're right about digging a hole - though I have found that in reality this is often easier said than done! I'd not come across the burning toilet roll in a baked bean can before so one to add there. Thanks!

 

[Wisewoman]

I'm on a roll and wondering if anyone has any photos of children in / near a van or motorhome having fun that they wouldn't mind sharing for possible inclusion into this ? I've used all my own photos and so there are no boys having fun! But please note - It is my intention to also put this on Amazon as an ebook.