Camping enthusiasts British and Irish

Anyone traveling in Ireland and Great Britain simply has to be prepared for a special feature on both islands.

The residents of the islands are enthusiastic campers who, even outside of the holiday season (possibly influenced by the weather forecast!), pack their things and quickly head out into the countryside. The weekend at the campsite seems to be a part of life for many Brits and Irish people.

They are generally different than I always imagined, because even when they are traveling in groups, which is not that rare, it usually doesn't get loud.

In addition, there are a lot of campsites in GB, some of which are well signposted or rather hidden, and which are well visited on weekends, even outside of the holidays. Many of the places do not have a winter break, where on the European mainland you can sometimes look up into the mountains with your stovepipe.

There are clear differences in the campsites; there are simple but mostly very charming campsites on a farm that do not have any landscaped pitches, just green meadows and two toilets and showers. Then there are the “real campsites”, like those listed in the ADAC or ACSI, where the pitches are gravelled or tarred, there are individual washing cabins, etc. The third, and most luxurious variant is caravanning clubs, some with swimming pools and entertainment in the high season, as well as several shower blocks and camping shops and the like.

Christian and I prefer the first option because it is sometimes better in terms of price. In the UK and Ireland, bookings are usually made before arrival, as spontaneous arrivals are not welcomed for the reasons mentioned above, and the simpler campsites often do not have many electricity connections.

Many of the motorhome owners no longer even take advantage of the offers on site, but are equipped with their own toilet, shower, etc., which of course makes waiting times at the showers extremely easy! This is sometimes very funny, because even if there are a lot of RVs on site, you rarely see anyone in the toilets.

Campers in the UK and Ireland are diehards, there are tent campers, van campers, motorhomes and of course caravans, but the latter are clearly in the minority. The campsites in cities or pubs that are also open in autumn and other seasons are very popular, we experienced this first hand. On Thursday we were two campers next to the 15 or so motorhomes further up, and on Friday evening there were probably around 80 campers. In autumn there is a clear preference for fire bowls or grills; most campsites point out that the bowls should not be left directly on the ground. Some campsites even offer the bowls on site, you just have to bring your own wood. Here the campers often sit around the fire bowl in their thin down jackets and chat.

The children are easily integrated into the campsite, they are hardly slowed down, BUT everyone quickly calms down in the evening and usually goes to bed without complaining. Camping is a family affair; it is not uncommon for several generations to meet at the same site for a family reunion.

At the last campsite, Tucker's Grave Inn, there was a meeting of campers with a roof tent on Friday, where everything called a car was there. A great Golf I, a T6, several Range Rovers and Audis, all with the same manufacturer on the roof.

We also had a little moment of shock that day because a camper drove his caravan extremely close to Palumbi and then got stuck, because the meadows tend to be muddy in autumn. From a distance it looked as if we might have rear damage, BUT far from it! After Christian had placed our mats under the tires of the towing vehicle and with a little pushing, the double axle was free and the camper gratefully looked for another place.

The only thing that was noticeable was that the surrounding tent and van campers simply didn't help the caravan driver out of trouble. It was a little strange for me because I don't know the British like that.