Keep your feet on the ground

THE SUN is playing peek-a-boo behind the clouds as families in the tented section of Morriscastle Strand holiday park in Co Wexford clear up after breakfast and sort themselves out for the day.

Children run around the central grassy area outside their pitches, which are marked off by wooden fencing that doubles as a clothes line. There are no cars, as they are parked outside the compound, which is surrounded by a closed picket fence that provides good shelter.

At pitch no 11, Bernard Scanlon and Liz Murphy from Clarecastle, Co Clare, sit over a cup of tea in the white gazebo they have erected beside their green four-person tent. The top of their box trailer, which is covered with a vinyl cloth, functions perfectly as a table.

When they first went camping two years ago, they just had a tent and could pack everything into their car. But gradually they have accumulated other bits of equipment and now it takes a trailer as well to transport it all.

They have come with Liz’s daughter, Doireann Murphy (12), who has brought a friend, Rebecca Breen (12), for company. With tennis courts, a large games room and astro-turf football pitch on site, as well as the principal attraction of a beautiful 20km stretch of sandy beach a short walk away, there is plenty for them to do.

“We have the laptop in the car as a last resort,” says Liz, “but we haven’t had to use it yet.”

They are not hooked up to the site’s electricity supply as they prefer to use their gas stove, small barbecue and candles at night.

Although they occasionally eat out when camping, and there is an on-site takeaway here, cooking outdoors for themselves is half the fun of it, she says.

There is a washing block with plenty of basins, where they can wash up without having to heat water.

They booked in for just two nights in case they didn’t like it or the weather was really bad, explains Bernard, but they are planning on staying four.

“We were going to go to either Sligo or Wexford, and we thought we would go for the east because the weather is usually better,” says Liz, raising an eyebrow at the grey clouds.

At least it is dry and calm. Wind is worse than rain when you are in a tent, says Bernard, who recalls a very stormy night on Achill when they awoke to mangled tents all around them and people sleeping in their cars, though their tent stayed up.

Ireland is no place for fair-weather campers and you have to consider all all eventualities when packing and put in everything from flip flops to wellies.

Follow the example of those hardened campers in the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides and be prepared.

Despite the unpredictable weather, Irish campsites are busy this summer as families enjoy cheap and cheerful holidays.

For many parents, it is a case of rediscovering camping as it was something they did when they were children, before the economic boom made holidays abroad de rigueur.

There has been a 16 per cent increase in the number of Irish people going camping so far this year, according to figures released by the Irish Caravan and Camping Council (ICC) at the beginning of last month.

More than half the campsites around the country report that business is up this year and they are seeing a significant change in the demographic, as more young couples with children book into sites.

For the purists, booking ahead and pitching in a holiday park is a very sanitised, unspontaneous form of camping. But for families it is the most practical option – and the camping boom is helping to raise standards. As well as offering warm showers, laundry and wash-up rooms, and peace of mind in terms of security, many sites have a range of entertainment for children of all ages.

“It is great to see families coming back to it,” says Niamh Darcy, who runs the Morriscastle Strand four-star holiday park with her brother Hugh. Darcy, who is also chairwoman of the ICC, says business is very good for them this year. She confirms that, while the number of visitors from the UK is down, the rise in Irish customers is creating an overall surge in popularity. The Darcys have camping in the blood as their father, Edward Darcy, opened the park 43 years ago.

As a businessman in Dublin, he used to organise trips for boys from soccer clubs in the city to the seaside in Co Wexford, which gave him the idea of establishing a permanent campsite. He asked a local landowner to sell him a field but she said he could buy all her land or nothing. So he ended up acquiring 20 acres, says Niamh.

Doing what is almost a round-the-clock job during the summer, she clearly has a passion for the business. “If you didn’t, you couldn’t do it,” she says with a smile. “You couldn’t fake it.”

The site accommodates about 150 privately owned mobile homes and has another 150 pitches for tents and touring caravans. The attractive, car-free compounds for the tents are new this year.

Amanda Kavanagh from Newry, Co Down, is here with her partner James Keenan, and their two children, for the first half of a fortnight’s holiday – on condition that they check into a hotel the following week.

“It’s a happy compromise,” explains James, an enthusiastic camper, while his other half good-naturedly busies herself inside their impressively large, six-person tent. It has a fridge, electric kettle and toaster, as they are plugged in to the electricity point. They also have a portable loo to save walks in the dark to the toilets with Ben (8) and Abbie (5).

Two years ago, when James first suggested getting a tent, Amanda’s response was: “Nobody camps.”

But since then she has seen how popular it is and, she concedes, with three nights here costing €90 euro, you can’t go far wrong.

The initial outlay on equipment is costly, he says, but if you get away a few times during the summer, you won’t be long getting your money’s worth. Ben and Abbie are out playing with a family from Northern Ireland that has set up camp across the way.John and Carol Keane from Belfast have been camping on and off for 20 years.

In recent times, they have holidayed in a caravan but their children – Niamh (11) Carla (8) and Zack (6) – wanted them to go back to a tent. So here they are, on the second week of their fortnight’s holiday, having come down from Donegal in pursuit of sunnier weather.

In addition to a six-person tent, which has a bedroom on either end of the living space, they have a white gazebo that serves as a roomier and brighter sitting area.

There is also a small tent for storage and a tented portable toilet. It all packs into an impressive steel trailer behind the car.

“Everybody has to help and pitch in,” says John, who reckons they can make everything “livable in” within 45 minutes of arriving at a campsite.

The couple say camping is an excellent way to take a holiday and their wetsuit-clad children are well prepared for the bracing Irish Sea on the other side of the dunes.

“As long as you don’t mind messy hair and looking rough,” adds Carol, “it is perfect.”

For more see camping-ireland.ie

Perfect Pitch: 'If things don't work you you can drive home but generally we have a laugh'

Laura O’Sullivan had never camped before she was introduced to the idea by her husband, Mark Hinsley, about 12 years ago. He had always gone on camping holidays as a child so he was keen to do the same with his children.

“When we went to buy our first trailer tent, I did not know what to expect,” she says. “But it is brilliant, I love it.”

They both work five days a week in Shannon, Co Clare, so they enjoy the chance to get away with their daughters, Ciara (13) and Emily (9).

“We bring their friends sometimes too. They love it. It is freedom for them,” she says.

They pack up the tent at the beginning of the summer and then all they have to do is get some clothes ready, buy meat from the butcher for the barbecue and go, she says.

The tent sleeps about six. It has two big double beds that fold out of the trailer, with a pod underneath. An awning extends the living space and there is a kitchenette too.

“We hook up to the electricity for a heater at night, in case it gets cold, and for the lights,” she explains.

They do not care if it rains, but they were blessed with fantastic weather last month when they spent a week in Bantry, Co Cork.

They had really bad weather one year when they were in Skibbereen in west Cork. “It was flooding where we were, but it was grand. We just threw on the wellies and got on with it. The kids loved it – wearing wellies and getting wrecked.”

They have camped all over Ireland and for their next trip they are planning to go to one of their favourite spots, the Parsons Green campsite in Clogheen, Co Tipperary, for a long weekend. The children particularly enjoy the animal farm and the discos there, she says.

They have seen a huge improvement in Irish campsites over the past decade. “When we first started, there would be a toilet and a washroom. Now it’s amazing, there are loads of bathrooms and washrooms.”

Her personal favourite campsite is Wave Crest in Caherdaniel on the Ring of Kerry.

“It is fantastic, immaculate and is right on the water,” she says, making it ideal for her husband and elder daughter who are keen on kayaking.

Laura says a lot of people have an outdated view of camping in Ireland as being all about sleeping on (damp) floors and really roughing it, though most of the sites have a great range of facilities now.

Laura says she believes it is good for any age and Ciara was just four months old when they first took her camping. “Once the children are happy, it makes the holiday,” she says.

They have had sun holidays in Spain and Florida, but she says it is a bit of a nightmare taking children to those places and trying to keep them by your side. “We had our little lady on a lead,” she says. “We had to, because we were trying to mind her.”

They feel much more secure on Irish campsites. “And we usually get a spot by the playground, so we can see what the children are doing. It is definitely more relaxing.”

It is a very social holiday for children. “They all know they are there for a weekend or a week and they all just seem to get on. When you are in Spain, they don’t get to meet people. It is different.”

Through camping in Ireland, her children have made many friends. “That gives them the confidence to go up and ask, ‘Can I play with you?’ and they would never do that normally.”

Laura has converted her sister and her brother to the camping cause and they have bought trailer tents too.

Everybody should try it, she adds: “You will be shocked by how much you enjoy it.”

Another very experienced camper, Louisa O’Callaghan of Ballyvolane, Co Cork, says more people are prepared to holiday this way now because the facilities have improved.

“A lot of campsites have washing machines and tumble driers so people know that if they get a soaking, they can clean up in the morning and they will be grand again,” she says on the phone from a camping park in Fossa, outside Killarney, Co Kerry.

She started holidaying in tents in the early 1990s, but four years ago she bought a Volkswagen camper van. She loves to “load up the van, head off and see what happens”.

Her husband, Jim Barry, is not a huge fan of camping, she says, but their children, Abbie (9) and Jake (5), “absolutely love it”.

One of her favourite campsites is in Timoleague, just 40 minutes from their home. “You can have the same experience just down the road as you can 100 miles down the country.

“I think it is important for people to remember that,” she adds. “It makes it less daunting. If things don’t work out, you can drive home. But generally things do work out and you have a laugh.”

How to be a happy camper in Ireland

The location, facilities and prices of more than 90 sites registered with the Irish Caravan and Camping Council are listed in the Ireland 2011 Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Guide, which is available from its website, camping-ireland.ie. The site also lists the details county by county.

- Be prepared to make the most of your time in any weather.

- Take wellies – dew can make grass wet underfoot, never mind the rain.

- An air mattress on top of a ground sheet provides an extra layer of comfort under a sleeping bag.

- Take plenty of plastic boxes: small ones for food, large ones for clothes.

- Consider taking a portable loo if you have children. It can be a long walk to the toilet block at night.

- Keep a sense of humour and avoid having arguments. There is no hiding place in a tent.

- Remember, if it all goes horribly wrong, you can just pack up your things in the car and head home.