My boyfriend loves camping but I have been slow to get on board. We camped with family in Wales in summer 2017 and summer 2016 in a small two man tent and it was fine but I didn’t want to sign up for more than two nights. However, after finding the FI community and realising how much money we could save if we camped instead of staying in hotels I decided to give it a fair chance.
We bought a second hand tent from my boyfriend’s sister which is much bigger. We can stand upright in it and it has two bedroom compartments plus another main compartment at the front and a small awning. We took the plunge and booked a campsite for three nights at the end of July in Ulverston in the Lake District and convinced two other couples to join us although they opted to stay in the glamping lodges also offered by the campsite.
Although there was a significant amount of rain over the weekend (after weeks and weeks of sun grrrrr!) we still had a brilliant time. On the first night we hosted a bbq at our tent followed by delicious s’mores (which being English none of us had ever tried before) and after the sun went down we managed to fit 6 adults and 3 dogs in the main section of the tent for drinks and chat. We attempted a forest walk on the second day but soon got drenched and retired to a local pub for drinks and games. The pub couldn’t fit us in for food that evening so we ended up getting a takeaway and heading back to the campsite. On the final night, our friends had already left so the two of us made spaghetti bolognese on the bbq and played battleships! We didn’t actually see much of the area because of the weather but spending time with friends and not having to rush anywhere made it so much fun and we got home tired but happy.
I’ve already booked another campsite for mid August when we’re attending a wedding and I couldn’t find a reasonably priced hotel close by. And we’re now considering a longer trip over the bank holiday weekend at the end of August. I’m a camping convert!
The costs for the weekend break down as follows:
Campsite – £45
Food and Drinks – £173 (including bbq food and breakfasts for 6 people)
Sundries – £47
Total – £265
Usually, I would expect to spend more than £265 just on 3 nights in a hotel without taking into account food and other expenses. Food was particularly high because we wanted to pay for the bbq food and breakfasts for our friends as the camping trip was our idea and they paid more for the glamping lodges than we did to camp. If we went camping on our own this could easily be halved.
It gives me a little glow to know I had a lovely time with minimal expense! I’m looking forward to our next trip and to planning future camping trips across the country. Are you into camping? Where are your favourite spots?
The Saving Journey 