Things To Do When Camping

As much as you like to go camping, sometimes you might struggle with how to keep all the family entertained so that they enjoy the experience. If you sit down and think about it there are numerous activities to get everyone involved in – young or old. Maybe not all of the following will fit into your itinerary, but they should give you room for thought.

Hiking, or just walking.

No matter where you choose to camp there are always places to explore, and one way to do that is by using ‘shank’s pony’, or walking. It is amazing how many campers never stray from the neighbourhood of their camp site, missing out on some of the wonders and beauty of the wild. But when you do decide to try it, get off the roads and take some of the side tracks. Who knows, you may stumble upon a hidden waterfall, or spot some wildlife you would otherwise have been totally oblivious to. Stay safe though and choose tracks that are within your families abilities – and don’t forget to take some drinking water!

Cycling

At every opportunity, if the terrain suits, we load up the trail bikes onto our rig. It is a great way to extend the range of your explorations. It may be that we just explore the surrounds using the roads, but it is exciting to try some suitable tracks if there are any. We always have a little pack with us and take some band-aids and ointment just in case you do part company with your bike at some stage! We also wear those cheap hide gardening gloves or riggers gloves for the same reason. If you are at a loss for cycle tracks in your area check out http://singletracks.com

Go Fishing

Fishing is often second nature to camping. You can fish from your boat or you can just toss a line from the water’s edge. Even if you catch nothing it can be fun and educational for all the family. To keep the children interested spend time with them teaching them to tie different knots, and help them bait their hooks and cast lines. Buy an illustrated book on fish types and use it to identify anything you catch – this keeps the excitement up with the children (and with me too!).

Playing Games.

You don’t have to be camping with children to enjoy a few games. It may be just throwing a Frisbee around or playing a ball game. A favourite of ours is Boules or Petanque. This is similar to bowls where you cast steel ‘boules’ towards a ‘jack’. The closest to the jack wins the game. Playing games not only gets you involved with others in a bit of fun but also keeps up the fitness level. Of course when the sun goes down there are always card games or board games. One of our particular favourites is Scrabble, it keeps the mind alert and it gets quite competitive at times.

Treasure Hunting.

A game using modern technology that is gaining in interest all over the world is Geocaching. You use a GPS enabled device to locate a hidden cache of trinkets. When you find a cache the idea is to sign the log you find with the cache. If you remove anything from the cache you should replace it with something of equal value for the next ‘treasure hunter’. You can get much more information at
http://geocaching.com and http://navicache.com. Here you can find listings of cache sites and related information.

If you want to hunt for real treasure you will need a reliable metal detector and to have done some serious research. There are many different types of metal detector on the market and your choice will depend on what you are looking for in terms of “treasure”. When I lived back in the UK I used to take the metal detector out every Sunday morning and I always returned with something of interest or value.
Remember, one man’s trash is someone else’s treasure and even old tin cans, and similar objects, can be worth some money. Hunting around your campground will often reveal lost coins and rings, etc.

Practice Some Survival Skills

In today’s technological world we often find ourselves wrapped in cotton wool so to speak. As a result basic survival skills are being lost so it is not only fun and interesting, but also a valuable learning experience to practice some basic survival skills to solve hypothetical problems. Grab some rope and a tarp and build a rudimentary shelter; build a fire without matches; watch the path of the sun and stars for navigation exercises. Even something as simple as mastering some basic knots will always come in useful.

Hopefully this has provided food for thought for you to really enjoy your next camping trip.

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Filed under: Camp Site Tips, General Tips