First Time campers packing list.

We love sharing the joy of camping with new or beginner campers. If you are new to camping, I have written a little list to help you plan for your first trip;

1. Bedding: Think hard about investing in your mattresses and make sure you bring extra blankets, cushions and pillows. A good night’s sleep is so important!

2. Clothing: You need to consider the weather, but make sure you can keep everyone warm and dry outside during the day and have something warm and comfy for your bed at night. Do consider footwear and the weather. Kids have a surprising way of getting through their socks, however many socks you think your kids might need, double it.

3. Food: We are not that far from civilization, and you can get food delivered, but again, make sure you have a plan for your morning coffee and breakfast. We are great lovers of cooking on wood and are not afraid to do meal prepping at home. In fact, cooking at home, freezing and reheating at camp is a really easy and quick way to get dinner on the table!

4. Cups and plates and cutlery. Plastic or tin are best as they won’t break, although might crash about a bit in your box.

5. Water bottles/water carrier, it doesn't need to be big.

6. Cooking equipment: We recommend starting slowly and not buying too much the first time. We have upgraded our cooking equipment many times over the years, but a frying pan, small grill, a pan and a kettle will get you through most situations.

7. Camp stove: This really does not have to be expensive, and it's not 100% necessary if your kettle goes on the fire, but one way or another, you do need to be able to make tea or coffee in the morning and without fuss.

8. Seating: Camp chairs are absolutely essential bit of kit, especially to save your back. You can get perfectly comfortable ones quite cheaply. One of my favourite ones is the Coleman Kickback. It's very small and doesn’t use up all the room in your car. You can save that space for bedding.

9. Cool box: For the foodies among you, a cool box is a key piece of kit. We have found that it is worth splashing some cash on a good one, but we do a lot of cooking at camp. You can have a great first few trips with a very cheap one, just to keep some milk for tea and a few beers cold.

10. Camping Box: All experienced campers have a box/bag or some other pre-packed with camping gear ready to go. It will almost always contain a bottle opener, skewers for marshmallows, and other things you pick up along the way. You could start as you mean to continue and start one right now!

11. Torches: They are not as essential as they might seem. It's worth having one for your family, but you would be better off with a lantern or even battery-powered fairy lights. Head torches should be banned at campsites, especially for sitting around a fire at night.

12. Sunscreen: We can but hope you will need it.

13. Toiletries and towels: Given that we have a sauna, there is plenty of opportunity at Sunnyside to go full luxury with your toiletries.

14. Tents can be pretty expensive. Borrow as many different tents as you can before buying one, Everyone I know has a slightly different idea of what they value in their tent. If you are ready to buy a tent. Consider one that has a porch, or some way of ensuring you can stay out of the rain, but still have a view. Also Black out tents or black out covers for you bell tents are a game changer. Otherwise there is a myriad of choices and budgets, that all have their merits.

Think about borrowing stuff so you don’t need to buy it all in one go. It's also great to try out others' kit, so you know what you like before you buy it.

Happy camping and see you at Sunnyside!