A SOFT rain was falling as we arrived at fforest, reviving unhappy memories from previous camping trips – damp sleeping bags, soggy sausages, wrestling tents into position in gale-force winds.
My heart sank a little. This wasn’t what I’d signed up for.
I needn’t have worried – fforest, in Cardigan Bay, is camping for cissies, and is all the better for it.
“Cooool!” chorused my nine-year-old son, Will, and his friend, Calum, as we strolled into the tent that was already lying in wait for us.
All of the tents at fforest are ready-erected. To lighten the load even further, cooking utensils, pots, pans, crockery, cool boxes and gas fires are laid on.
All you need to bring is your clothes and basic supplies. We were staying in a tube-shaped nomad which had a matted central area, flanked by two sleeping sections, each furnished with futons and reindeer skins (or colourful Welsh blankets for those with an aversion to animal hides).
For hotel addicts there are extraordinary, magazine-fabulous domes with wooden floors, double beds and woodburning stoves. Those wanting something more authentic can opt for a tipi.
Breakfast at fforest is part of the deal, so the next morning, woken by birdsong rather than stiff joints (a first in my uncomfortable camping history), we breakfasted at the lodge. Fresh coffee and bread, crunchy muesli, locally made jam, and eggs and creamy butter were taken at a long bench with an unbroken view of the water meadow below.
It didn’t, admittedly, involve any of the Dunkirk spirit normally present in British campsites, and my husband felt a little deprived of the chance to display his campcraft skills – but I was happy. This was my kind of camping.
Fforest also run an outdoor activity centre and for many of the guests this is a central part of the holiday.
While I stayed sipping coffee in peace, the boys headed off for a morning’s coasteering: scrambling over rocks and leaping into the cold, foaming sea.
It’s not for the fainthearted – one of the adults in the party dislocated his shoulder – but for thrill-seeking kids it’s hard to beat. I opted for a more sedate speedboat ride around Cardigan Island, looking for birds and dolphins. The dolphins stayed away, but we did see scores of sleek, inquisitive seals and had a whale of a time bouncing from wave to wave, shrieking, whooping and getting
drenched with spray.
Next up was bushcraft – the art of teasing a flame from a couple of blocks of wood and a handful of tinder. Darren, our bushman in residence, made it all seem effortless; our own attempts were less impressive. It took what seemed like hours of toil and, finally, some help from Darren, to persuade a thin spiral of smoke to appear. As fires leapt into life around the encampment, I noticed a slight swagger from the men in each group. Maybe it’s a boy thing. After an evening’s carousing in fforest’s on-site pub, with the kids playing football on the lawn below, our second night was cut short by the final expedition: a dawn canoe trip down the Teifi Gorge to look for otters.
Our early start was rewarded not with otters – they had sensibly stayed in bed – but with dreamily tranquillity, floating past ancient trees and banks of wild garlic and watercress. The boys had slept through, but joined a later crowd for an altogether noisier outing, with splashing, races, rowdy songs and an inevitable capsize.
They returned sunburnt, smiling and sniggering over the new, rude words they’d picked up. Dragging the children back home in time for homework and Monday morning was hard, and I can’t say I wanted to leave myself.
This was camping at its best and, needless to say, now that we’ve been so spoilt there’s no going back to “proper” camping: damp ground sheets and thin foam won’t cut it any more.
Luxe camping isn’t cheap, but the princess in me tells me we’re worth it.
Fact box:
Fforest 01239 623633 Price for family of four staying in nomad for weekend incl. breakfast (Friday – Monday): from £244 (less if children are three and under); coasteering and canoeing: £30 pp.. (family discounts on canoeing).
Find it on a map:
Patricia’s tips for camping with children:
• Don’t go for too long the first time; with kids, less is more
• Prepare for all weathers and bring enough changes of clothes; many campsites have nowhere to dry damp stuff.
• Don’t feel you have to be hard. If they’ll sleep better with an airbed and a duvet, that’s OK.
• If you’re in an ordinary campsite, don’t pitch your tent too far from the toilet block. You don’t want to have to walk miles in the dark with a small child.
• Arm yourself with wet wipes. You’ll find uses for them you might never have imagined.
Check out Tara’s first camping experiences and more useful tips here.
See some of the other sights to be found in West Wales here.
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