Top Activities While Camping for a Holiday in UK

By: Camping Ninja

Photo by: lavndrsky7

If you are short on time, you can spend the night at a campsite with friends and head home. But if you are on a holiday in UK and have some days to spare, you should surely club it with a few more activities to make the whole trip a lot more interesting and fun filled. In fact, this is the best way you can use your holiday in the UK to learn something about the land, its woods and the rustic charm. Here are some activities that you can plan while camping.

The main rafting season in UK runs between April and September and this is also the time when a lot of campsites are open for the public. There are plenty of rivers in Wales and Scotland which can give you a great rafting experience during this time. In fact, not only is this a good option for a holiday in UK, it could be a weekend camping getaway for team building. There are a lot of rafting companies who can help with gear, training and the right guides who can be booked online. Safety wear, t-shit, pair of trainers and river sandals are probably what you should keep handy. The rafting companies offer the rest.

Tracking Wildlife
If you love the idea of spending nights in dangerous terrain half expecting to encounter a bear or a wild animal, if you love the noises of the jungle and the sound of the woods, then camping in forests tracking wildlife is as good as it gets. Autumn and winter are the best times for this kind of activity. You will need a guide and some training on identifying animals by tracing their footsteps, reading the scat and the footprints and scratches on trees. There are quite a few forest areas where you can organise camping trips in the wild during holidays in UK.

Climbing Trip
The true fun of a holiday in UK is in the wilderness and the greenery. Make sure you don't enter prohibited areas but as long as you are sticking to the rules, it is far more fun than just staying in a tent in a camping field full of other families. You will need a proper tent and sleeping bag which are thick and modern. It will help you against the cold and yet fold easily enough for a backpack. Most importantly, it will protect you from the cold. Food, water and water purification tablets, boots and frozen dried meals are some of the things you will surely need. There are a lot of mountaineering clubs all across Britain who will pick places based on experience levels of campers and also provide basic guidelines on trekking, hiking and climbing. High altitude equipment, camping equipment for glacial and snowy areas are something only experts can advise you on.

Fishing Camp
You can also go for the good old fishing campsite enjoying a leisurely holiday in UK in places like Warren Park in Hampshire, North Highland lochs, Southern part of Ireland, etc.

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10 Fun Things For Kids To Do On A Camping Trip

Photo by gabebrannan

No doubt about it, camping trips are fun. A vacation in the wild outdoors, fresh air, roughing it can be such a fun break from the hectic routine of city life. However, a lot of people think they cannot enjoy or even survive a camping trip because of kids. Children can indeed add enjoyment to anybody’s life, but to be honest, it is really hard to bring kids along on a camping trip. 

Imagine having no television or computers to keep them busy (and quiet). For the average parent, that could spell disaster. But you should not despair, there are many activities in the outdoors that can keep kids entertained during a camping trip. Here are ten of them. 

1. Get Wet And Go Splashing.

More likely, you would be able to find a nice swimming spot. Whether a big lake or a small brook, you are bound to locate a nice body of water to splash around and have wet fun. Swimming amidst nature can be so much more enjoyable than swimming in a man-made pool. Just be sure that the swimming hole you find is safe for people, normally camping parks would tell you which ones are good for dips and which ones are not. Also, be careful about diving and never leave your kids swimming alone. 

2. Bike Together.

Most camping sites have great bike trails. Riding bicycles is very fun when the view is great. It is faster and cooler than just traveling on foot. Make sure to bring a map and plan your trip so that you would not easily get lost. Do not ride too fast, or you might leave each other behind, anyway, you would not be able to enjoy the scenery if you speed so much. 

3. Watch For Birds And Animals.

Most camping sites and forest parks have primers and leaflets about the various animals thriving in their area. You may also bring books about wild animals and see if you could spot them. Try having a contest – the one who spots most kinds of animals wins. See the different animals that come out during the night compare them to those that come out during the day. Just keep your children from a safe distance so that they would not disturb the animals. 

4. Play Games In The Outdoors.

It may be the classic sac race, tug-o-war, or just plain tag. Nothing beats the time-tested games when done in the woods. Just be sure to play games in a clear area to avoid accidents. Also, avoid creating so much noise so that you would not disturb the wildlife. 

5. Organize A Scavenger Hunt.

Kids love to go on quests and adventures. Scavenger hunts can be a great alternative to the role playing games kids play these days, not to mention that it is more physical, allowing your kids to exercise rather than just sit in front of the computer screen all day. Just be warn your kids about the many prickly plants that could be lurking in the woods, such as poison ivy, oak and sumac. 

6. Learn How To Read Maps And Compasses.

The great outdoors is a nice way to teach your children about navigation. Take out your map and compass while exploring the forest. Show your kids where you are in the map and show them where you are heading. This can also be done in conjunction with the scavenger hunt. 

7. Light A Campfire.

Perhaps this is among the most awaited activities during camping. This can be the best way to end the day. Gather around the campfire to sing songs and tell stories (scary ones if you would like). Roast marshmallows and hotdogs. Play riddles and other word games. 

8. Watch The Stars.

This is another night activity that can be both fun and educational. You may just simply lie on the grand and appreciate the free light show in the sky, or you may bring out a star chart and look for famous constellations and other heavenly bodies. Look for shooting stars and make your wish. 

9. Bathe In The Rain.The weather can be unpredictable in many places, you cannot expect to have clear and sunny skies all the time. But do not pout if the rain does pour. You can have fun playing in the rain and enjoy mother earth’s natural shower. Just be careful not to go out when there is thunder and lightning. 

10. Just Relax And Simply Enjoy The Moment.

You are in the outdoors for only a few times in a year (or even in a lifetime). Enjoy what nature has to offer. Avoid bringing any electronic gadget and simply bask in the quiet of the forest. This is the time to bond and enjoy each other’s company. 

There are hundreds of other activities to do out doors, these ten are just a fraction of the many activities you can do with your kids on a camping trip. The point of it all is to enjoy spending the time together as a family.

15 Most Adventurous & Thrilling Camping (Outdoor) Activities

By: Neelima Reddy

The vast expanses of wilderness, mountains, forest, canyons and coastlines lend themselves to a wide range of outdoor pursuits.

From trekking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, whitewater rafting through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River, canoeing down the Mississippi River, fishing on the Great Lakes, sailing in Florida, diving in Hawaii to skiing in the Rocky Mountains, every activity can easily be arranged.

Here are the most fun and thrilling camping and outdoor activities.

Camping
 

Hiking/Trekking

Before there were Land Rovers and mountain bikes, there was hiking. The inclination to pack it up and hoof it for long distances can be traced back to our days as nomadic hunter-gatherers, and the goal is little different now than it was back then: Traveling to exciting and unseen places powered by will, stamina, and whatever provisions you can carry on your back.

Today, getting there is all the fun, what with newfangled backpacks to ease your burden, allowing you to drink up the unfolding scenery and let your mind wander.
 

Canoeing

When it comes to sex appeal, the canoe always seems to lose out to its sexier stepsister, the kayak. Be it the boat’s relative clunkiness next to the kayak’s sleek lines, or just a quirky, passing trend, canoes have somehow come up less cool.

Yet the underdog status just seems to add to the canoe’s appeal, especially among advanced paddlers, who argue that paddling a canoe takes more finesse.




Scuba Diving

Prepare to get hooked on scuba diving the moment you slip below the water’s surface into the peaceful silence of the undersea world.

You’ll finally understand what Jacques Cousteau was raving about all those years as you swim alongside graceful manta rays large enough to eclipse the sun’s filtered rays, or when you come face to face with a hammerhead sizing you up.

Fortunately, 70 percent of the world is covered in water, so there’s never a shortage of great dive sites to feed your submarine cravings.




Mountain Biking

It’s easy to spot mountain bikers–they’re the ones with scab-covered limbs talking animatedly about bonking while riding a wicked singletrack.

Indeed, they are a peculiar lot, but only because of their passion for the sport. They don’t seem to mind the murderous workouts–they actually celebrate sore muscles–as they attack intense rolling trails in pristine wilderness.

The exhilaration of nailing a technical ride in the world’s most stunning places is more than enough fuel for mountain bikers.




White Water Rafting

For those who gaze at their washing machine’s spin cycle and hear the call of roaring rapids, paddling is more than a pastime, it’s a passion. And who could blame them: Whitewater serves up heart-pounding thrills and adrenaline-pumping action in some of the world’s most spectacularly beautiful spots.




Skiing

Planning a ski vacation, whether alone or with the whole family, starts the fun that you will get from the actual trip. Skiing is basically using gravity to move downhill by gliding over snow conditions using two long and thin boards to keep balance and control.

Snowboarding is a similar snowsport which uses one wide board instead of the two thinner boards that skiers use. Skiers use both boards to coordinate their movements and control their speed and direction. Balance, weight, and edge control are the tricks of the trade in Skiing.



Snowboarding




Bird Watching

An activity that was once considered to be something of a ‘nerdy’ practice, Bird Watching has now become a pastime that encompasses both young and old and allows both experienced ‘twitchers’ and novices to come together in pursuit of some of most common and indeed rarest birds.

You can organize your own Bird Watching excursion to coincide with a camping trip. Many people think that there is a lot of equipment necessary to go Bird Watching but really the most important elements are a decent pair of binoculars, a bird handbook, a notebook and pen, and a keen eye for detail.
Fly Fishing

Camping and fishing often go hand in hand. Whether it’s a young child simply trying to catch a few sticklebacks with a piece of string with a hook tied onto a tree branch to the full blown night sight and sound equipment needed by the serious overnight angler, fishing is certainly one of the most popular pastimes to combine with camping.

As fish often tend to bite earlier in the morning, you’ll want to try to choose a site that’s as close to the action as possible as you’ll be getting up early enough as it is.



Caving

For all the natural wonders aboveground, don’t forget about the ones below. Visiting the depths of a cave offers an experience you just can’t find anywhere else on earth.

Far below the surface, rocks that look like popcorn, butterflies, and bacon strips hang from the ceiling. Explorers of the subterranean realm can wander through the cold shell of a lava tube, listen to musical stalactites, or take in the spectacle of a huge underground waterfall.



Biking

Under your own steam, at your own pace, and requiring fewer technical skills than mountain biking, cycling is the best way to experience a new place. When you travel by bike, with panniers carrying your necessities, you become part of the neighborhood, village, province, or country.

As you leave behind the confines of the car, every hill and valley you conquer comes alive.

 

Sailing and Yachting

Sailing is the ultimate adventure. After all, it’s how the explorers of old used to travel.

Today you might not discover uncharted waters, but you can certainly reach unknown lands–or at least lands that are unknown to you. Whether you’re cruising in the Caribbean, the Seychelles, or the Mediterranean, you decide the where and the winds decide the when.

True, you are at the mercy and whim of Mother Nature, but setting off into that great blue is the truest test of your mettle and where you’ll find your greatest freedom.



Horseback Riding

There’s nothing quite like seeing the world from the back of a horse. We humans have been riding for 4,000 years, but ever since the introduction of the Model T, we seem to have completely lost touch with our equestrian past.

Thankfully, trekking across the countryside on horseback is a surefire way to reconnect with those bygone times. Let your trusty steed take you across the steppes of Mongolia, explore the game reserves of Kenya, or practice your roping skills on a Wyoming cattle drive.

Wherever you go, you’ll have fabulous fresh-air views, completely unencumbered by that steel-and-glass box–you know, the one that gets us there quicker, but without all the fun.


Wildlife Viewing

We are all attracted to the great outdoors for a variety of reasons. However, one of the things most of us have in common is our love of the abundant wildlife that surrounds us on our adventures.

When the mountains give way again to the deserts and plateaus of the West, you probably thought you had veered off the road and into an alternate reality, where the earth is pink and rocks stand on end.

Pleasing as this scenery is to look at through the car window as you speed along the interstate, it’s much, much more. That’s habitat you’re looking at, full of living things.


Neelima Reddy - About the Author:

Neelima Reddy, author of this article writes for CampingTourist.com. For more information on back packing, camping spots, camping activites, camping equipment, camping gear, rv camping , camping tips, hiking Visit Camping Tourist