Caravans I like, but camping no thanks

I was with my sister and our respective boyfriends, in a field in North Yorkshire, holidaying in a dilapidated box that heated to volcanic lava temperature when the sun came out.

It felt cramped and sweaty, had no mod cons and every day we were woken around 4am by a sharp tapping sound which turned out to be geese pecking flies off a large plastic water container attached to the side of the vehicle.

It was about as relaxing as a weekend in a Turkish prison, but we were young are carefree and could see the funny side.

Years later, when I had small children, I was offered a few days at a caravan park on the Yorkshire coast in return for writing about it. I almost turned it down. The idea of staying in a fibreglass box on a sprawling estate of identical boxes with young kids, just didn’t appeal. I imagined it as grim and regimented in a Hi-die-Hi! Sort of way. I thought we’d go stir crazy.

Caravanning is great fun. Picture: Pixabay

As it was, that couldn't have been further from the truth. My friend Lesley came along with her two boys, and afterwards we agreed it was one of the best, most chilled holidays we had ever had.

I admit, when we first got there, and the sea of caravans stood before us, I baulked. But finding our way around the vast site was part of the fun. Inside it was home from home. The kids loved it, especially sitting around the table at mealtimes and climbing into the little beds.

I know my experience isn’t real caravanning - hitching one on to your car and motoring to sites across the country and even abroad. I wouldn’t be brave enough to do that - my VW Polo is as long a vehicle as I can handle - I but I can imagine the pleasure of touring.

It must be exciting to travel around small, more picturesque sites at different locations, taking your home with you.

This week is National Camping and Caravanning Week, celebrating the two types of holiday and all they have to offer.

Both have certainly boomed in popularity since the pandemic began. In the years since then one in five British adults have been on a camping or caravan holiday, according to market researchers Mintel.

Of these, an estimated 4.5 million were sleeping in a tent or caravan for the first time.

Last year caravan dealerships struggled to get their hands on enough vans as a growing number of under-40s bought them.

Camping also saw a massive increase in 2022, up 28 per cent over the previous year. People are also camping more often - 13.4 per cent of those surveyed reported taking more than 11 camping trips last year.

The special week will be celebrating the findings of a new survey, by Liverpool John Moores and Sheffield Hallam universities in association with The Camping and Caravanning Club, which found that camping makes you happier in life.

This, I dispute. While I’m a caravanning convert, spending nights under canvas leaves me exhausted. I have never had a good night’s sleep in a tent. Lying under flimsy fabric, hearing every screech of owl, flap of bat and crow of cockerel as though they were in there with you.

Camping isn't for me. Picture: Pixabay (Image: pixabay)

There’s no water on tap, no flushing toilet across the landing (no landing, even) to pop to during the night, and no locked door to keep you safe from goodness knows what. In my experience camping is an ordeal to be got through - what on earth is there to be happy about?

So back to caravanning. My friend and I loved that first holiday so much that we returned to the same site annually, for the next few years. We look back on it as full of carefree fun.

But would I go back without children? Yes, I would.