Why we are going camping this year and our 2021 travel plans in our new trailer tent…
Going on holiday overseas was something I used to do at least once a year. Even after having my son we still went abroad as a family as often as we could. However, in 2020 the world changed. There were no overseas holidays for us and we found ourselves putting a tent up in the back garden! I even wrote an article about how to go camping in the garden for Family Traveller. And when our dream holiday to Disney in Florida was cancelled, we had a Disney at home day instead!
That’s why at the end of 2020 we decided to buy a trailer tent. We could embrace the Staycation and enjoy some camping holidays in 2021. Exploring the UK together, and with the possibility of even going further afield into Europe once restrictions have eased, means we have lots to look forward to. Who knows, we might even make it to Disneyland Paris!
Our Camp-Let Trailer Tent
We spent a lot of time researching the right trailer tent for us and decided we absolutely loved the Isabella Camp-Let trailer tent. Winner of the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s lightweight leisure 2020 trailer tents with a kitchen, the camp-let was perfect for us. It has a large tent which is relatively easy to put up, small kitchen in the awning and 2 decent sized bedroom compartments raised off the ground on top of the trailer. You can buy additional annexes or awnings so you can scale up if needed. Plus the trailer itself is not that large making it ideal to store in our garage (you can even store it on its side).
We bought our trailer tent second hand off eBay and we are so excited to be able to go camping as soon as we are out of lockdown! I’ve been doing lots of research and have even joined a CampLet owners Facebook Group which is full of lots of useful help and advice.
Although we’ve not been able to take our trailer tent out yet we have put it up on our drive to make sure it’s all in working order and we can’t wait for campsites to reopen soon for our first camping adventure.
Exploring England in our trailer tent
As a kid we used to explore the UK in our trailer tent. I’m so excited to be doing the same again with my son. We have a few trips planned. I work for the Caravan and Motorhome Club so my sites of choice are of course Club Sites or CL Sites (small certificated locations that have a maximum of five pitches often in rural locations like farms). Plus my best friend and my sister-in-law are all members so we will be going camping together. The sites we’ve booked so far are:
- Alderstead Heath Club Campsite (Surrey)
- Battle Club Campsite (East Sussex)
- Longleat Club Campsite
I’m looking forward to our more local trips in the trailer tent. We don’t want to go too far initially so we can get used to towing and find our feet. Although not a million miles away from home, both Battle and Alderstead Heath are far enough to feel like we are away and we can explore places, walks and bike rides we’ve not been to or done before.
I am most excited about Longleat though! Longleat is one of most favourite places in the world – and the campsite is right next door. So close you can even hear the lions roar from your tent!! I wrote about our trip to Longleat campsite staying in a caravan a couple of years ago – and I can’t wait to go back, especially now my son is a couple of years older.
I am also hoping to do a trip to the beautiful Lake District, one of my favourite places in the UK. And of course a trip to North Devon to see our family.
Getting trailer tent ready
I don’t know if it’s just me but one of the most exciting bits about having a beautiful trailer tent is kitting it out! I love love love all the camping equipment and accessories to make the camping experience extra fun! Our garage is beginning to get rather full up with everything we are accumulating for our trailer tent, including the amazing Isabella Thor Camping Chairs. I don’t think I’ve ever sat in such comfortable chairs before and they match our Camp-Let perfectly!!
Family Days Out
We plan to be using our National Trust membership to the max this year and discovering new places whenever we’re away in our trailer tent. We will also be going on bike rides, walks and geocaching. I really want to visit the Sussex Wildlife Trust, Battle Castle and Longleat Safari Park of course!
I will keep you all up to date with what we’ve been up to and how to get the most out of your staycation! What are your 2021 travel plans? Let me know in the comments below.
That looks like a really useful purchase!
We loved Longleat Safari Park went a few years ago, Longleat is such a beautiful place.
Have fun, look forward to reading more about your adventures with your trailer tent.
can never decide wether i like the idea of a trailer tent –or wether its to in between a full blown caravan –and full blown camping