THE WOODFIRE GUIDE TO – STAYING WARM WHILE CAMPING

No-one likes being cold, wet or uncomfortable – least of all me – but there is no need to get like that when you’re camping. It’s a shame how many people seem to think of it as some kind of endurance test (they’ve usually been scarred by a terrible outward-bounds trip as a child ) rather than the cornucopia of pleasures that it ought to be. Worry about cold is one of the biggest barriers – particularly for parents concerned about their kids at night. So! Here are my golden drops of wisdom based on many years of warm and comfortable camping.

• Tents are seriously cosy places – like little dens. If it’s raining, there is nowhere I would rather be. There’s no housework; no jobs; no work. Nothing you have to do but read your book/make a cuppa/have a doze. It’s a duvet-day on steroids.
• On which note, I would highly recommend bringing your duvet. I hate sleeping bags unless they are big double ones, but even then, they’re nothing to a duvet. And I have no idea what these new sleeping bags that taper off at the bottom  so you can’t move your legs are about. Bananas.
• Hot water bottles are a total game-changer. Bring at least one each – I like one in the bed and one on your lap while you sit round the fire. The pleasure of snuggling up with a hwb is like no other – you just melt into bedtime.
• Talking of melting, a good airbed is everything. I cannot recommend a self-inflating mattress highly enough – the Outwell Dreamcatcher is fantastic, and the Vango ones are good too (less so Zempire). Get the thickest one you can afford.  They’re not cheap but you can’t put a price on a good night’s sleep, I say.  Apparently now you can get self-inflating mattresses that also generate heat! They take your body warmth and do something clever with it – I haven’t tried one of these yet – let me know if you have!
•  OK, so once out of your tent (come on Stella) and sitting about with a cuppa, there is, of course, fire. Fire is warm. Hot, even.
• Then there is walking, or cycling, both of which are warming – and in glorious countryside, which is heartwarming. And then pubs, which are even more warming.
• The trick though, is to stay warm. Don’t allow yourself to get cold in the first place. In spring, the weather can be hot and glorious during the day and then the temperature drops as soon as the sun goes down. Putting on your warm stuff before then is key (though, if you miss that window, worry not, a hot water bottle will quickly warm you up again).
• Clothes – you don’t need me to tell you how to get dressed, but it’s all about the layers. A hat is a great idea and good socks and walking boots. I hate waterproofs but if you get wet and the rain/cold persists, it’s hard to get dry again so they’re worth bringing – definitely for kids. And bring enough stuff for a change of clothes.
• The kids almost always sleep through, as their hollow-eyed mums tell me when they come for their morning coffee. There was no need to doze all night making sure the covers don’t slip off, apparently.

And that, my friends, is pretty much it! Happy camping!