Top tips for choosing a family campsite

Children don’t care if the pitch is flat, or what the showers are like – because let’s face it, they won’t be using them. Here’s our top tips checklist for making sure the site you choose is the right one for you and your kids:

• Water. Just about essential for a successful camping trip with kids. Whether it’s the sea, a lake, river, swimming pool, pond or even just a stream, a good kids site will almost inevitably have water on or near the site
• A good kids’ site doesn’t need to have a formal children’s playground, but make sure it has lots of space to play ball games and ride bikes, or natural play areas like woods to hide in or rocks to scramble over
• Check out whether the site has any no ball games or no bikes/scooters policies. Many do, particularly if tents share the site with a lot of expensive caravans and motor homes, although there might be a separate play field to go and kick a ball around
• No camping trip is fully complete without toasted marshmallows, so it’s a real plus if you can find a site that allows a campfire to sit round
• Younger kids will enjoy seeing neighbouring sheep, cows and horses, or having free-range chickens and ducks wandering around their tent, so a site on a working farm is always a good bet
• Some sites have a families only, or families and couples only, policy and a quiet time from around 11pm. Check whether you like the sound of any lights out policy – or lack of one
• If you’re planning to eat out, a family-friendly pub within walking distance will come in handy
• One sign of a good kids’ campsite is that you won’t be able to drag them off it! But if you are planning to explore the surrounding area, check out what children’s activities are nearby
• Find out whether there are rainy day options within a reasonable distance – a local cinema, museum or even an indoor games room on the site
• A site that has activities organised on site, such as water sports, will give the kids the chance to try something new
• If you are camping with a baby or toddler, you might want to add a family bathroom or even disabled facilities that double-up as a baby-change area, to your checklist
• For a weekend trip, try a local site – you don’t want hours of listening to “Are we there yet?” from the back!
• If you’re planning on bringing the family pooch, make sure the site allows dogs
• A site well away from the road means you won’t be worrying about traffic. Some sites even have a no car policy – with wheelbarrows to cart your gear to your pitch supplied
• And finally, something for the adults. As the saying goes: ‘If the kids are happy, we’re all happy’ – but treat yourself and pick a site with a lovely view for you to enjoy.

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