Working in the outdoors we see (and very much welcome) many participants from the big cities of the UK. It’s often very noticing just how urbanised many people are. There is, of course, nothing wrong with that; if you intend to live your life and work in the city; then that street sense is key to your success and is a skill to value. The danger for young people growing up in highly urban areas is that they may develop a narrow view of the world. Taking children into the outdoors is a great form of education, there doesn’t need to be mountains of course, just space. If a child or young person can see there is a wider world around them, they may see that the world is full of opportunity beyond the streets where they play. From an environmental point of view, we cannot expect future generations to care for the environment if they have never experienced it for themselves.

For many parents the barrier is worrying about whether their children will be warm enough, fed well enough or bored in a tent. My wife and I recently took our children (5 and 7 years old) camping in Snowdonia for three nights at the end of October. It was cold, but clear and sunny. It’s an adventure as soon as they step, stiff legged from the car. Dinner by head torch, sleeping bags, owls screeching in the night feel epic to little kids. We don’t consider our kids particularly ‘hardy’, more that we’ve trained them up to see that there is reward in doing without the comforts of home (and electronic devices). For parents – just drink less wine on the first night – wait until night two when the little ones are worn out before opening the first bottle early evening!

Camping and walking make for a memorable and confidence building experience for your children.

Trip details:
Campsite: Dolgam, Capel Curig, Betws-y-Coed, Snowdonia LL24 0DS
Close to:
The hills of Snowdonia,
Electric Mountain Llanberis, Gwynedd LL55 4UR http://www.electricmountain.co.uk/
Zip World Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda LL57 4YG https://www.zipworld.co.uk/
South Stack Lighthouse Holyhead LL65 1YH https://southstack.co.uk/