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Ok
so … a Private Camping weekend for your friends
and family!
… maybe a birthday celebration or just old friends getting together
again. Organising
these things and getting decisions from your group can be a nightmare …
so here are some tips on how to get
started
and hopefully some answers to questions you might already have. Using
the Planning Guide: The Planning Guide is there to help you select the basic equipment and luxury extras you think you will need for your weekend. Click on each item to find out more information and pictures. Add and remove things and see how the Per head price changes – when you are happy with the per head price guide you can find out the total amount for the weekend by reducing the “Total Sharing The Cost” figure to “1” and click the “Recalculate” button. Save
your selections using a valid e-mail address as your username and you
will
automatically be sent a copy of your Planning Guide If
you think a Private Camping Weekend is for you then contact me (info@privatecamping.co.uk)
and let
me know your plans and what dates / weekend you would prefer and I will
check
availability. The Planning Guide … provides you with a guide price for your Private Camping weekend – prices may change slightly and some equipment may not be available. If you decide to go ahead I will advise you about your selections, confirm what equipment is available and if there are any price changes. (Back)
If your
dates/weekend is
available then a deposit of £150 will secure the booking. If you let me
know
that you are ready to book I will send you a link so you can pay the
deposit
online via Paypal or Credit Card. The
deposit is not a part
payment – it will be returned to you at the end of your stay provided
the rules
and restrictions have not been broken and there has been no damage to
the
property or equipment provided. Small
breakages do happen to
even the most conscientious groups and a few pounds retained from the
deposit are
usually enough to replace or repair things. A major
infringement of the
rules & restrictions of the site e.g. climbing over walls or
wandering into
neighbouring fields … or lasting damage to the field & grass
such as
excessive burn marks or driving on the field – may result in retaining
the full
deposit amount as compensation for the farmer. The
deposit is usually
returned by bank transfer after I have had time to fully inspect the
site and
equipment. Sometimes, if appropriate, I can return the deposit in cash
before
you leave. (Back)
Payment
– When and how?: Once
your weekend is booked
you can continue to make changes to your equipment list using the
Planning
Guide – each time you save or update your list I will get a copy
automatically.
Please keep me updated with your plans and let me know if numbers
increase or
decrease dramatically. When
you are happy with your
plans, the guide prices and you are reasonably confident you know how
many
people will be coming. Let me know and we can confirm a final total
price for
the weekend. I know
it can be difficult
to collect money from everybody coming so I’m happy to accept the full
payment
in cash once you have arrived. If you
could organise a collection
from your group I will collect the total from you once you have all
arrived and
settled in. Or if
you prefer I can set
up another payment link so you can pay online. This will need to be
completed
at least a day before your arrival. I would strongly recommend that you get at least some money (non refundable!) from everyone upfront as confirmation that they are coming. This way if people drop out at the last minute you won’t be left out of pocket. Note about people only staying
for one night:
It is totally up to you how you split the total cost of the weekend
between your friends and family - I just need to collect a total amount
from you either when you arrive or online a few days before. However
the issue of what to charge people that are only staying for one night
has been a problem for organisers in the past - the maths can get
complicated!. I have created a simple calculation to help solve the
problem - you can find the page here
-(Back)
Numbers
– How many can
come?: Ideally
numbers should be between 10 and 30 people, our equipment is designed
to cater
for up to 30 people for two nights. Strictly
speaking this can be defined as the total number of people that will be
using
the camping facilities at any one time during your stay. Some
people in your group may be arriving - or leaving - at different times
over the
weekend. This is fine ... but we need to know the totals so that we can
plan to
provide enough facilities for everyone. (How much to charge for just
one night - more info here) Groups
over 30 people are
still possible but will be have a higher total cost as they require
more
facilities and will cause more (unavoidable!) damage to the land. We have
organised Private
Camps for up to 50 people in the past but this does seriously narrow
our choice
of locations and contingency plans for wet weather. One of
the main issues with
larger groups is the number of vehicles that will need parking. In wet
weather
we often cannot allow vehicles on the camping field and so need to find
parking
elsewhere. If you are planning to have a large group camp - please encourage as much car sharing as possible. Also consider travelling by train (I can usually pick people up from the station) or maybe think about hiring a minibus – it will make travelling around (or just to the pub!) as a group much easier once you get here. Taxis are expensive! Note about bringing Dogs:
Farmers are understandably nervous about allowing dogs on their land
and there will be lots of livestock in fields nearby. So
if it is possible to leave the dogs at home - please do ... if you have
a "we can't come without the dogs" situation then let me know and I
will make some initial enquiries to try and find a field plus dog
friendly farmer. But again ... this narrows our choice of fields!-(Back)
Locations
and Travel
arrangements: It is
important to
understand that The Private Camping Company does not own any land or
campsites.
We build good working relationships with local farmers and make
arrangements
with them on your behalf to use land that they have available at the
time of
your stay. The key
part of what we
provide is an exclusive, private field just for you and your party - we
operate
in the Because
we try to find you
the best available location according to the weather for your weekend -
in some
circumstances we won't know exactly which field will be available for
you until
a week or two before you arrive! To some people this can be an issue
... to
others it is all part of the adventure! However
if you decide to go
ahead with a Private Camping weekend I can give you the location of the
general
area and will commit to finding you a suitable field as close as
possible to
your requirements. If you
need a specific
location in order to plan travel arrangements or activities etc ...
then I can
give you the postcode for the nearest local pub - your final location
is likely
to be only a few miles from here - at the most. Note:
The Banana Field: We
currently have access
to a field on the shores of Coniston Water (Pics on the website
& facebook
page) Obviously
this is an
extremely popular location and often requested by Private Camping
groups. Although
not suited to all groups … it is a prime lakeside location and if
requested we
will try to put as many camps as possible in the Banana Field. However,
we have to
constantly monitor number of camps over the year and the damage to the
field. If
we feel it is getting too much then we will need to leave the field for
a
couple of weeks for the grass to grow back. It is simply impossible to
predict
in advance whether this might be the case for your particular weekend. Just as
we do … our fields
need to recover after a weekend of camping!!(Back)
Vehicles
and transport: Please
bear in mind that
vehicles are not always allowed onto the camping field. Driving on the
camping
field quickly causes significant damage to the land and can easily kill
the
grass. If the weather is too wet … or the farmer simply doesn’t want
the grass
damaged by vehicles we will need to park vehicles outside the field. Essentially
we organise
camping with “Tented Accommodation” - We cannot accept Caravans for
various
reasons … but can sometimes get permission to allow Campervans on to
the fields
(subject to weather conditions). If
vehicles are permitted on
the land then driving in the camping field must be kept to an absolute
minimum.
Our “Once on – Once off” policy means that you may drive onto the field
once –
park and camp next to your vehicle – leave the vehicle there for the
weekend
and drive off the field at the end of your stay. If you
are planning to regularly
use your vehicles during the weekend then you must park outside the
field or
just inside the field gateway as directed. Anything
you can do to
reduce the number of vehicles in your group would be very much
appreciated …
encourage car sharing, travel by train (We can pick you up from
Ulverston
station)… or even hiring a minibus would all help with the issue of
vehicle
parking. (Back)
Cancellations
… what if
people drop out?: A
cancellation due to
weather conditions is extremely rare – we provide a very sturdy
windproof /
weatherproof ex-military Marquee so that your group will have somewhere
to
shelter and enjoy the weekend – whatever the weather! Cancellations
occasionally
happen if the group numbers drop dramatically – with fewer people
sharing the
cost you may decide it’s too expensive or you’d rather postpone the
trip until
everyone can make it. To
postpone your weekend
please let me know as soon as possible and at least 2 weeks before your
arrival
date - so we can quickly arrange another date for you. Because
the total price for
the weekend is based on the equipment you require – not the number of
people! –
when people drop out the cost per head for the rest of your group has
to
increase to cover the total price. This is
why it is sensible
to ask everyone for some money (£10?) upfront to confirm that they will
be
coming. If they change their mind then the £10 can help to cover some
of the
extra cost for the rest of the group. If you
do have to actually cancel
your weekend, or postpone at the last minute for whatever reason, in
most cases
I will keep the £150 deposit to cover my time spent on organising your
weekend
& searching for locations. But more importantly to compensate
for the
business I may have lost while keeping the dates free for you. If you
cancel with plenty of
notice … at least 1 month … then I will do my best to resell the
weekend and
return your deposit – however this is not guaranteed. (Back)
Arrival
day and departure
times: Arrival
days (usually
Fridays) are very hectic! I will often have 2 or 3 other groups
arriving at
different times and going to different fields. So please be patient, we
have a
well proven method of arrival day organisation and I will get you
settled into
your field as soon as possible. I
always meet groups in the
nearest local pub at about 3 – 4pm on your arrival day – often this is
the Red
Lion at Lowick but could be different depending on your location. Ideally
you should try and
gather as many of your group at the pub as possible – I will come and
meet you
– then show you to your Camping Field. This
is by far the best way ... nobody gets lost! ... and it gives me a
chance to
explain to everyone things like parking and the various rules and
restrictions
associated with the field. Anyone
in your group arriving later should
stop at the Red Lion (or whatever pub we decide on) and ask for
directions ...
the Landlords / staff and locals are all very friendly and very used to
giving
directions to our Private Campers. Once
the majority of your group know the
location of the camping field it should be relatively easy to direct
the late
arrivals by phone, go back to the pub to pick them up, or simply let
them get
directions from the staff at the pub. I
will be bringing equipment to your field, setting things up and
generally
checking everything is ok for you … until well into the evening on your
arrival
day. So there will be plenty of time / opportunities to chat about
anything you
are not sure about and make sure you have everything you need. If
you want to arrive early … maybe to decorate the Marquee? … this is
usually ok
but please bear in mind that I will still be setting up equipment – the
marquee, toilets etc etc. If you are happy to have me working around
you then
that’s fine – just let me know what your plans are and we can work out
some earlier
meeting times. Departure
times are very relaxed … I will usually start to take down equipment at
around
lunchtime. If you are still there in the afternoon I will try and get
you to
help with taking down the Marquee!! … after learning this - most people
are gone
before mid afternoon! (Back)
Noise
levels & Music: Most
groups are very aware
of the disturbance they might cause … which is often why they get in
touch with
Private Camping in the first place. There
will always be some form of noise restrictions – particularly late
night /
early hours. Although
it will certainly be
far more relaxed that any other campsite! However
if you think your group will be
particularly loud please let me know and I will try and find a suitable
remote
location for you. Even in
a remote location sound can travel
great distances and the amount of noise disturbance varies greatly in
different
weather conditions and wind directions ... sometimes we can allow very
little
restriction on noise level - and sometimes, particularly on very still
nights
we have to be careful that noise doesn't echo off the hill sides!! I will
work with you to manage noise and to
establish reasonable levels that will not disturb nearby residents. During
your stay I will do regular checks for
noise levels at the nearest local residents ... if I feel it is too
much I will
come and let you know. It is extremely important that we do not disturb any nearby residents … the business relies completely on the continuing support of the local community. Please remember this is a camping trip in a beautiful unspoilt location – not a mini festival If you could try to describe what sort of noise level you think your group will be making, it would be a great help for me (... and the local residents!) to find a suitable location for you. What
you need to bring with
you: Basically
you should bring
everything that you would normally take for a weekend of camping - At
the very least you will need: Suitable
tents, Sleeping
mats, Sleeping bags, Pillows, Food
& some Bottled drinking
water. Torches
& Spare batteries You
may also need: Gas
cookers & spares (cooking
on the fire is not always convenient) Cooking
equipment – Pans, Kettles, Frying pan etc Utensils
– Plates, Bowls, Cups, Glasses (plastic please!), Knives &
Forks etc Washing
up equipment – Washing-up
liquid, Large bowl, Cloth, Tea towel etc Toilet
Rolls / Wet Wipes /
Antibacterial hand wash BBQ’s
/ Disposable BBQ trays
(Must be kept of the grass!!) Matches
/ Fire lighters /
Charcoal for a BBQ Wellies
/ Waterproofs / Umbrellas
for wet weather Candles
/ Tea lights / Lanterns Camping
Chairs Blankets
/ rugs for cold nights Bin Bags for a final clear up & litter pickup before you go Health
and Safety Notes: Please
remember you will be
staying in a remote location and a long way from help should you need
it and sometimes without any mobile phone signal. Ultimately you must be
responsible for your own safety ... and the safety of any children in
your
group. There are inherent risks involved with camping - please be aware
of risks and take
particular
care when using the Fire Pit and the Wood Burning stove. It
is extremely important that
you do not stray outside the boundaries of your camping field. There
are many
potential hazards and risks on a working farm – particularly around the
farm
buildings and also potentially from livestock in neighbouring fields. Avoid
all contact with farm
livestock there is a small chance that harmful diseases could be
transmitted. Wash your hands regularly, particularly when handling and preparing food, the field and any animal droppings may contain harmful bacteria. Antibacterial wipes or hand sanitiser would be a useful addition to your camping equipment. If you want to put together a First Aid kit the most common injuries and ailments tend to be burns, insect bites (Mainly midges!), hayfever / allergies, minor cuts & bruises. If you would like more guidance about risk assessment for your Camping Event please download and read the following document. Risk management notes for camping group organisers General
Rules and Restrictions: A PDF file of our general rules and restrictions is available here A GIF file of our general rules and restrictions is available here Please send a copy to every member of your group. - (Back)
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