Camping With Kids

I must admit, camping with kids is not really my thing. Yes I know the kids love it, adore it, it is their best thing ever! But for us grownups, it is a bit of a logistical nightmare. For starters, the amount of STUFF you have to take is overwhelming. Pots, pans, bedding, extra bedding, inflatable beds, clothes, extra clothes, toys, books, lights. You even have to take the kitchen sink (well okay just the washing up bowl, but you get the gist).

I do get the appeal of camping in principle. I like barbecues, I like eating outside, I love being in the fresh air. I love the romanticised idea of sleeping under canvas, hearing the pitter-patter of overnight rain and waking up with the sunshine. I adore how the kids get a new sense of freedom and confidence and always make friends, even on the smallest campsite.

However, I hate the thought of having to pack EVERYTHING, I hate being cold, hate being uncomfortable in bed as my back is a bit rubbish, and I hate not being able to make a quick cup of tea. And don’t get me started on needing a wee in the night!

Hello Glamping!

The term glamping covers a whole range of camping options. Trevella Park glamping is at the top end of things. I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be so comfortable, but this is something else!

There are nods to camping – the smell of the canvas, the eating outdoors (but only if you want to), the lovely sound of rain on the tent in the night. But that is pretty much where the “real” camping ends.

The Safari Tent

We stayed in a 6-man Safari Tent which was HUGE! It had 2 bedrooms, a large living/kitchen area and a big veranda covered by an awning.

The Bedrooms

The 2 bedrooms were equipped with proper framed beds that were SUPER COMFY! I had the best nights sleep in the king sized bed, made with lovely bedding and the softest, fluffiest pillows. They were already made up for us when we arrived with was a really nice touch.

The bedrooms both had electric plug in lights, so no faffing about with torches at night.

The Kitchen

The kitchen had pretty much everything we needed to cook and dine nicely. Pots, pans, cooking utensils, mugs, glasses, plates, bowls and cutlery. Even egg cups!

Appliance-wise, there was a fridge with a small freezer, a microwave, toaster and kettle, plus a plug in 2 hob cooker for boiling things like pasta on.

There was also an indoor table and chairs, so we could have eaten meals inside if the weather had been really bad.

The Living Area

The living area had a futon sofa bed (which would be where the other 2 people would sleep) and there was a big, flat screen TV. I’m sure we would have switched it on if we had stayed for longer, but we were too busy enjoying things to watch it!

The Bathroom

The bathroom was a really nice touch. It was for our use only, so we could leave all our things in it. It was squeaky clean and well lit, plus the shower was always warm with a decent flow!

The Veranda

The veranda was our favourite part of the tent. It has big with a picnic table and benches on it. It was covered over with an awning, so we could still sit out even if the weather was a bit drizzly. We spent most of our time sitting here, watching the kids play on the field and looking at the view.

The Glamping Field

There are 9 safari tents in the glamping field. It is a big, safe area for the kids to play in. The hedges at the sides are lovely and are full of wildlife – birds, butterflies, rabbits and we saw bats and heard an owl at night.

There is a a brick barbecue in the middle of the field. You can use disposable barbecues on here but you do need to stand guard otherwise the seagulls will steal your food!

Things I Wish I Had Taken With Us

Our gas barbecue. The communal barbecue in the middle of the field is good for cooking with disposable barbecues. However, you do have to stand and watch your food otherwise the seagulls will pinch it! It would have been nicer to have our own barbecue closer to the veranda so we could cook and socialize at the same time.

A chopping board. The one supplied was a glass one which always sets my teeth on edge!

Our camping chairs. We usually take our camping chairs everywhere with us, but decided we probably wouldn’t need them. We ended up carrying the futon onto the veranda to sit on as the picnic bench wasn’t that comfy to slouch on.

Ice Cube Bags. The fridge wasn’t massive and so I couldn’t fit my bottle of T in it for my G & T. A few ice cubes would have made it perfect.

A bath mat. My other half thinks I’m being daft saying this, but I think the bathroom needed a bath mat!

Outdoor fairy lights. Because every glamping tent needs outdoor fairy lights.

Our Weekend

We stayed at Trevella Park which is a 5 minute drive from Crantock Beach near Newquay and just a short 30min drive from our house in St Ives.

Trevella Park is a very peaceful, calm caravan/camping/glamping park, set in lovely countryside just outside Newquay. It is a very pretty park with lots of flowers and lush planting everywhere. It is a mix of static caravans (some owned), lots of camping and touring caravans and a little bit of glamping.

Trevella feels very spacious with lots of room for the kids to run around, scoot and cycle. There are two play parks (excellent according to my kids), crazy golf, fishing lakes with nature walks and a delightfully warm swimming pool.

The Swimming Pool

The swimming pool at Trevella Park is really lovely. We went for a super swim on Saturday afternoon. It was busy but not too crowded and it was nice and warm. There are 2 pools – the very shallow baby pool and the main pool. The main pool isn’t very deep and is really good for young children.

There was a no photography rule, so I’ve just taken a photo from the outside.

There is a good little shop onsite that sells some basics, camping bits like disposable barbecues, plus sweeties and ice cream. They also do coffee and croissants in the morning.

There is a games room, laundrette and a takeaway too. We used the takeaway one night for the kids – fish fingers, chips and beans for £3.95 each. Very tasty!

There is no club house or formal entertainment at Trevella Park – this is something we liked about it as it helped keep the site nice and quiet.

The Fishing Lakes & Nature Reserve

The fishing lakes and nature reserve were absolutely beautiful and really unexpected. They were quiet, tranquil and so lush and full of wildlife. We saw dozen of really big dragonflies, a lovely little family of duckling and some cygnets with their slightly menacing mother swan!

It would have been very easy to spend a lot of time on the campsite, playing in the parks, swimming, going for walks around the lakes and just generally hanging out on the veranda. The kids made friends with some of the other campers and spent lots of time running around the field, scooting and playing hide and seek. It was really rather idyllic!

Saturday – Dairyland Farm World

We had promised my 3 year old a visit to a farm, so we went to Dairyland Farm World (bit of a mouthful of a name!)

Dairyland Farm World was a lot of fun. Saturday was a bit of a mixed weather day, so it was good to be somewhere where we could dash inside if it got too wet.

Dairy land is a combination of lots of tractors, farm animals, play parks and sandpits, soft play and a museum. It caters really well for young children and my 3 year old would have happily played for hours with a digger in one of the sandpits!

We spent a good 4 hours there and took a picnic for our lunch.

Sunday – Crantock Beach

As Sunday morning was full of bright sunshine we decided it was a great day to hit the beach. We started off with a leisurely breakfast on the veranda and drove to Crantock Beach around 11am. It was only a 5 min drive away so we didn’t think much to our late start.

This was a bit of a mistake! We were about an hour and a half too late. Apparently, during the Summer holidays you need to get there by 9:30am to get into the National Trust car park. There is a car park next to it on the hill, but this costs £6. We decided to wait it out in the queue for the NT car park and finally got parked after a bit of a wait.

Once we were on the beach we had a great day. The tide was out when we arrived, so we paddled and played in The Gannel. Once the tide came in (strong currents) we moved up to the dunes and had a big explore, a picnic and a lovely snooze in the sunshine.

Monday – The Eden Project

The Eden Project is one of my favourite places to visit in Cornwall. It is such a beautiful, inspiring place with so much to see and do. We never fit everything in in one visit.

This visit was wonderful. The sun shone (as it always seems to do at Eden) and everything went smoothly. We caught the bendy bus down to the park and then the tractor train down into the main area.

We explored both of the biomes, including going on the rather high and wobbly sky walkway in the Rainforest Biome (the first time both my kids have agreed to go on it!). We also took a trip to Mars and did lots of spacey things!

Summary Of Our Stay At Trevella Park

Trevella really is a lovely place to spend some quality, outdoorsy time with your family and friends. It is a beautifully kept, lush site that is very quiet and peaceful. There is everything you need on site with lots to do and explore. It is close to some beautiful beaches, lots of things to do and plenty of amenities.

The glamping was amazing. I felt it gave us all the nice things about camping (rain on the tent at night, listening to owls hooting, eating outdoors, the kids playing in the field) with none of the down sides to camping. This was perfect for me!

I also have to give a big thumbs up to the staff at Trevella Park. They were all, without exception, friendly, kind and helpful. They really made us feel welcome and our stay there was really special.

Helpful Information About Trevella Park

Trevella Park (TR8 5EW) is located about 1.5 miles (5min drive) from Crantock Beach National Trust car park (TR8 5RN) and 4 miles from Newquay town centre.

The nearest supermarket is Morrisons (TR7 2JQ).

***Disclaimer*** We were asked to stay for the weekend at Trevella Park to write a review. However, all of the above is my own thoughts, experiences and opinions.