Absolutely good for you. You’re going camping and the weather forecast is looking great. No pre-pitched caravan, no campervan, no pod, no yurt. You’re taking you own tent and doing it yourself which gives you real freedom and flexibility. So once you’ve got to the site and been shown your pitch, how do you make the most of it.
- You’ve decided to take your own tent rather than rely on the pre-pitched accommodation at the campsite.
- Taking your own tent means that you can be as flexible and free as you like when you camp.
- But having arrived at your pitch, how do you maximise the position?
Firstly, before you even set off from home, put up your tent in the garden. Check it thoroughly for any damage or mustiness (or worse…) and then you’ve got plenty of time to make repairs and air it thoroughly before you go away.
When you arrive at the campsite and been shown your pitch, you need to decide in which direction you want to pitch your tent.
As the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, if you put your tent up with the door facing east you can wake up to the breaking sunrise and morning birdsong with the added bonus of warming up the tent from the front as soon as possible.
In addition, as colder winds usually blow from north to south so by pitching it eastwards you’re hopefully creating yourself a more sheltered spot.
And if you’re not sure which direction is north, south, east and west, look at your smartphone which can usually show you.
Sunrise, birdsong, warmth – an east-facing tent sounds like the perfect reason to go camping just so that you can get up and embrace the day!