Wild Camping as a Family of 5.
We have wanted to go wild camping as a family of 5 for a while. But, the timing had not been right, the destination couldn’t be sourced and we wondered if we had the right equipment.
In the end, I booked a Saturday off work, and we headed to the Lake District for a weekend of adventure. Wild camping is not as frowned upon in the lakes as it is in other areas of the U.K. (it is perfectly legal in Scotland though) so we felt safer knowing that if we kept to the rules, we would be OK.
Rules For Wild Camping.
Arrive late. We sourced an area to camp on but didn’t get our bags and equipment ready until it was getting dark. Approximately 7 o’clock we gather our supplies and head to the hills.
Leave early. As soon as we wake up, at about 6.00 am, the kids have a small box of cereal each and we pack up to leave. We were in the village of Coniston by 8.00 am.
Leave no trace. All rubbish is taken with us. We don’t have a fire, so no marks are left on the ground.
Respect your environment. We camped in a flat spot so there was no need to rip up grass or cut down trees for any reason. We simply put our tent down, and picked it back up again.
Where Did We Go?
Coniston Old Man is our choice as you can park on Walna Scar Road and walk straight up onto the fell. We arrived at 2.30 in the afternoon after having a big lunch at The Crown Inn in Coniston. We climbed the Old Man while scouring for a place to camp and then walked back down to the car before gathering our belongings. With each of the kids carrying a bag, we strolled back up to where we wanted to pitch the tent.
By this time, head torches were required and the kids ran around in the dark while Dicky and I set up the tent. We should have had a trial run, as it was a new tent. As usual, nothing was working properly! Eventually, the tent was up, the tarp laid out and the kids kicked their shoes off and made the tent their home.
Food was already prepared. Tuna pasta can be eaten hot or cold, so after we had made a cup of tea (priorities, right?!) the pasta had a warm through in a mess tin. The kids all shared together using their sporks to delve in and devour their meal. This was a great novelty to them, and they enjoyed it throughly.
Sleep Time
After we had filled our bellies, the tent was closed up and we chatted for a while inside. I wish I had taken a pack of cards or something to entertain us a bit more. But, the kids were tired after a long day hiking to the summit of Coniston Old Man, so they were happy to hunker down in their sleeping bags. Myself and the kids lay on the air bed, and Dicky nestled himself along side it. Considering the tent is a 3 man tent, it is spacious, and we felt very comfortable.
Before I knew it, there were sounds of quiet snoring, and louder snoring in the corner from Dicky! We all slept in our clothes, so the kids were fairly warm. They had taken their coats off for comfort, and the cold didn’t seem to bother them. If I’m honest, I was cold. But the tent has vent openings on it, that we don’t know how to close. Again, we should have had a trial run! I nestled down next to Molly and tried to get some shut eye.
In the morning.
The morning greeted us with a cold breeze. The views are magnificent from our camping spot and we caught the sun just over the mountains, appearing in its golden glory. We work together as a team to deflate the air bed, roll up the tarp and put everything back in the bags. Miraculously, it all fit! Walking back down to the road, with the sun on our backs, and the kids hopping along, was just magnificent. The area is peaceful, the birds are singing, and not another soul can be seen.
It was glorious.
What did we take?
To pack for a night in the open, and for it to fit on our backs was quite the feat. We took:
- A 3 man tent
- 3 single sleeping bags
- 1 double sleeping bag
- double air bed and battery operated inflator
- stove and gas – we have this one from Decathlon, and Dicky made a little burner out of an empty hair gel tin for extra heat.
- large tarp with extra ropes and tent pegs
- 2 large mess tins
- 2 camping mugs
- sporks
- 2 head torches
- Power banks to charge mobile phones
- Baby wipes – biodegradable from Jackson and Reece
- microfibre towel
- first aid kit and spare contact lenses in case Oliver’s glasses broke!
- Food! Nestle have cereal in a box, which is great for the kids. The milk pours in and they eat it from the box. Tuna pasta bake is already cooked and can be eaten cold. And we also took packet mashed potato and a tin of beans and sausages. An extra packet of biscuits, cereal bars and some sweets for pudding.
In the car, there are extra clothes, sandwiches and other accompaniments for a picnic.
What would I do different?
I would love to have NOT taken the air bed. Next time we go, we will try camping mats and make sure it is a warmer month!
I felt a bit rushed. Next time, I will try and savour the moments a bit more, and not worry about being caught. I know that sounds a bit wrong, but the most anyone will do is move us on, I presume?! Somebody please tell me if we can got to jail for this, then I’ll try not to encourage my children to do it!
Take a pack of playing cards for some entertainment.
Learn how to use my ‘Big’ camera for better night pictures! If anybody can point me in the right direction for a tutorial for dummies, I’d be grateful!
Overall
Wild camping is an exhilarating, freeing experience. The kids absolutely loved it, and had not a single care in the world. We all worked together and bonded well as a family. I would definitely recommend trying it, safely of course, and we will be looking for more destinations in the summer time.
What an experience. I love camping, but I am definitely a fair weather camper. Too cold for me until late May time! Love your kit list. very useful.
I much prefer fair weather camping too,but we thought we’d give it a try! Thank you for reading.
Wow, that looks like such an exciting thing to do! Those views are stunning.
The Lake District is beautiful, isn’t it?!
Wonderful! What an experience for the kids. I agree, as long as you leave no trace of staying, wild camping is fantastic.
The kids loved it. And they know to pick up all their rubbish too!
I love the idea of wild camping and I think if you follow the rules then it should make for a fun and exciting experience
It was a fantastic experience, one for the kids to remember!
Oh wow how exciting! We discovered camping the year before last for the first time, as a family of 6 it was a much cheaper way of getting on holiday!
It is much cheaper, maybe not to start with, but definitely in the long run. We prefer it sometimes!
I didn’t know wild camping was frowned upon. Good to know the rules, leave it as you found it is always a good motto for the countryside.
Absolutely, we always pick up after ourselves,and others too.
I love all the piccys. This is a great idea, a wild camping trip makes for perfect family fun for sure xx
Thank you very much 🙂
That sounds fun although I would also probably worry about being caught ! Our grandsons love camping and in Scotland you’re allowed to Wild Camp virtually anywhere.
I’d love to go back to Scotland and do some wild camping. It’s a beautiful country.
What a wonderful experience, I know I’d feel the same about being ‘caught’! #countrykids
It was unnerving to begin with, but we were pretty isolated!
I’ve done some wild camping in the Lake District in the past although we’ve never been camping as a family yet. Pitching your tent in the middle of nowhere and having no-one else around sounds blissful. I love the photo of the kids at the top of Coniston Old Man. So glad you had such a lovely time. Thank you for sharing it with #CountryKids.
Thank you! It was absolute bliss, and we will definitely do it again. Just maybe when it’s a bit warmer!
Wild camping as a family (of 6 in our case!) is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and your post makes me itch to up the ticks and go! It’ll happen this year for sure! We would probably need to take 2 tents though. Interesting to read that you wish you hadn’t taken the air bed – I can’t imagine hauling ours up the hills, so camping mats it’ll have to be. As for feeling rushed, I’d imagine that arriving earlier (to pitch the tent in the daylight) and staying a little later wouldn’t bother anyone?
#CountryKids
Ooh, go for it! Yes, I think the air bed took up space that could have been used better. But, it was useful as the ground was very cold. We will definitely take more time next time we go, and enjoy the process more. Let me know if you end up going this year! I’d love to hear about your adventures.
Great to hear that you had a positive experience, this part of the Lake District has become a firm favourite for family adventures over the last few years. Partly due to having worked our way through Arthur Ransome Swallows and Amazons series, which has connections to the area, particularly Swallowdale where they climb Kanchenjunga which is their name for the Old Man of Coniston.