For our first trip we decided to stay local, we chose a site half an hour from home, just in case little man didn't like camping. (Who doesn't at that age!) We decided on Abbey Farm Caravan Park near Ormskirk in Lancashire, a small family run site which has good facilities.
Arriving at Site
On arrival we headed to reception where we were met by the helpful staff who directed us to our pitch. We set about getting our tent up, something which Pete and I haven't done for six years apart from a test pitch of our new tent, the Coleman Darwin 4 plus (Review to follow). Our four year old soon gave up helping and went to play in the park with his Grandy (Granddad), allowing us to set up and get everything packed away. Unpacked and pitched in half an hour, we were ready to begin our weekend adventure, as you can see above, little man was worn out after all that helping!!
First Night Under the Stars
We had brought a prepared dinner, cheating a little bit, keeping it simple with a cooked chicken, buns and salad. Shortly afterwards we decided to explore the site, starting with the park which was at the end of a tiny path next to our tent. Little man was feeling adventurous, trying out the climbing frame and finding the old tractor to explore.
We then followed the playing field to a trail which winds around a small fishing lake and into a lovely little meadow, a nice evening walk in the peaceful countryside, were we spotted a bird of prey hunting for it's dinner.
We strolled back to our tent for a nice hot chocolate, little man choosing strawberry, and a snack before brushing his teeth and tucking in for bed time. The site has a small toilet block with showers close to the tent field, there is also a larger block in the centre of the caravan area. The toilets were clean and well maintained, always a good sign when camping!
There is also a separate dish washing area, which has a freezer in that can be used to store ice blocks, or to chill a cider for those warm summer nights. The site has a launderette which is handy if staying for longer, especially if you have children who, if they're anything like ours, have a tendency to get mucky!
Settling down for the night, we read junior a story then got cosy in our sleeping bags. For little mans first trip we have bought a Vango Nitestar Junior sleeping bag, a good tog rating to keep him warm throughout the night.
Early Risers
Up nice and early for a simple breakfast, chocolate brioche buns and a banana. Before coming away we had decided to keep the weight down in the bags, I purchased sachets of tea, coffee, sugar, milk and hot chocolate, enabling Pete to still have his morning coffee, you don't want a groggy Daddy!
We made a packed lunch to take with us as we were going for a walk in the countryside, making sure we had plenty to drink, then off we went on our adventure. A short walk down the road, there is no path so making sure we stuck to the Highway Code, we then followed a public footpath through the woods.
Walking round Platt Lane we found a family of geese who wanted our picnic, we walked quietly around the lake, a few people were out fishing, and found a meadow to walk through. Little man saw this as freedom and went for a run until we found cows on the other side. Watching them from the fence, little man was finding it funny when they got up they were doing smelly cow pats!
Walking back to the lake we found a picnic area to have our lunch, sandwiches, snacks and a drink.
After finishing, we cleared away and began heading back, little man said it was like being on a bear hunt, one of his favorite books and small films to watch, he described the meadow as swishy swashy grass, we love his little imagination and how much he is growing.
Back through the woods junior found a stick for Daddy to fashion into a bow and arrow, holding his stick he wouldn't let go all the way back to the site. Off he went to play in the park again with the two friends he had made who were staying opposite our tent. Pete set to work on his bowyer and fletching skills and before long little man was back to claim his little bow and arrows so he could be like his friends who had a superb toy archery set, though they were much older than he is.
I have to say, I was pretty impressed with what Pete made and how effective it was at firing arrows
Sweet Dreams
Worn out from his 7 mile walk, it didn't take little man long after his hot chocolate to fall asleep, dreaming of his adventures with his very own bow and arrows, which he wanted to take to bed with him!
Packing up
After breakfast it was time to start dropping the tent and packing everything back into our rucksacks. This had also been a trial run for Pete and I to see what we could leave behind next time, making our rucksacks lighter, so far we can lose a pan set and a pair of shoes, but have gained a dish cloth!
As it was raining we decided to leave everything inside the tent until my dad arrived as the tent only takes 15 minutes to take down. I took little man to the on-site games room as he had wanted to try the Claw Machine to see if he could grab a prize, no luck this time. Leaving the games room, junior spots a lucky dip machine and asks if he can get one, i said yes and gave him the money. So off he ran to claim his prize! As we were getting his prize my dad arrived so we raced Grandy back to our tent, little man was a clear winner!
All packed up it was time to say goodbye to his new friends, which he hopes to see again as they go camping there quite often.
What we Learned
Camping with a four year old certainly makes it more fun, if a little more tiring. He was so excited about everything, especially having the freedom to run around and trying things he wouldn't normally do at home like exploring the whole climbing frame and playing with his bow and arrow. Taking lots of snacks helped as little ones appetites can be ravenous, more so after all the fresh air and running around. Pete learned to stay hydrated! Having a good site with facilities certainly helped, we would recommend Abbey Farm to anyone who is trying out camping as you aren't out in the middle of no where and there are shops within a 5 minute drive if needed.
We hope you liked our first camping adventure with our little one, we are looking forward to sharing our next trip away with you all as our adventure continues. We will aim to review the equipment that we use and you'll likely see how each part of the kit holds up over the course of our excursions.
Thank you for reading
Until next time, safe travels on your own adventures
Until next time, safe travels on your own adventures
Claire, Pete and our little man
