We're going on a family camping trip....

Earlier this year we enjoyed a lovely day out in the Lake District when we went to see the launch of the new Peter Rabbit and friends series on CBeebies, (which is fab!) while we were there the National Trust kindly invited to take a boat ride across Windermere to visit Wray Castle.


Wray Castle is a Mock-Gothic castle sitting on the shores of Lake Windermere with turrets, towers and extensive grounds to explore.

Wray Castle is not a 'typical' National Trust house full of paintings, furniture and antiques instead the rooms are full of exciting ways for chidren to have fun from dressing up and castle-building spaces, an 'indoor - outdoor' room, and now a Peter Rabbit room too! There’s plenty to do outdoors too, like rope swing, den-building and trails around the grounds...

We only got to spend an hour there but we thoroughly enjoyed it, when we found out there was an adjoining campsite we knew we just had to return So we booked our first family camping trip for bank holiday weekend! 

Camping is a great way of getting away and spending quality time with your family while not breaking the bank...

My husband is a scout leader so is an experienced camper, but my only experience of sleeping outdoors is music festivals pre-children 

This type of camping will be a new experience for us all, I will be sharing our experiences on our return but in the meantime I thought i'd let you know about some of our camping essentials...

So we'll start with the obvious... a tent! 

When it comes to sleeping under canvas you get what you pay for so if you are planning regular camping trips with your family then it may be worth investing that bit extra. On this occasion we have borrowed a tent but we'll be watching the sales at the end of the season to see about getting our own for next year.

Sleeping Bags

The rest of the family already had sleeping bags, the hubby from years of camping and the children from sleepovers at grandparents, but I had nothing. So when the lovely folks at OLPRO asked me to choose an item from their funky coordinating camping range I just had to go for the exclusive Witley Design sleeping bag. It looks great and I can't wait to use it! I share a full review on my return.

Wash Kit

Of course the essentials such as toothpaste and toothbrushes will feature but my ultimate Camping wash kit essential to keep us all feeling fresh AND keep any pesky insects away is the Fresh and Fruity Sexy Peel from Lush. It smells devine!

Wellies

I have been on the hunt for wellies to fit my short and chunky legs and at one point thought I wasn't going to find any suitable in my budget, until I asked all of the lovely mummies on my facebook page

So there are just some of our family camping essentials, I'll be back soon, hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend and I hope the weather stays nice for us all...