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Taking time to live well
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Image courtesy of Hinterlandes, Canopy and Stars

Image courtesy of Hinterlandes, Canopy and Stars

Games | for campervans, caravans and tents

Iona Bower July 1, 2021

Gather round the foldy-up table and join us for some fun and games for small spaces

If you’re heading off camping this summer you’re probably planning a few games around the campfire. There’s nothing like staring into the flames over a hand of cards with a steaming mug of tea (or a whisky) by your side. 

But the reality of British weather means you need a back up plan, too, and we’re all about embracing the back-up plan. While basking in the great outdoors, under the stars on a warm night is a wonderful thing, we love just as much the cosiness of playing a game, crammed happily around a tiny table with hot drinks on the Primus and rain battering the roof (or canvas) over your head. 

Camping accommodation wasn’t built for large board games with many pieces. So here’s our round-up of games for small spaces that require few props, or nothing at all, and won’t end with someone’s tea being spilt during a particularly riotous round of charades. 

Monopoly Deal
Monopoly without the board and, better still, without the commitment of hours! This tiny travel version of the classic board game can be played in around 15 minutes.. Buy Monopoly Deal. 

Mini Jenga.

As much fun as the giant, building and balancing game, but fits easily into your rucksack and can be played on the teeniest of caravan furniture or on a fold-up camping table. Buy Mini Jenga.

Wink Murder

An oldie but a goodie. Take as many sheets of paper as you have players. Write ‘potential victim’ on all but one. Write ‘murderer’ on the last one. Chat, eat, drink and go about your business as usual. The murderer must secretly wink at others to ‘murder’ them without being spotted. If you are winked at you must silently count to five then enact a grisly ‘death’. If you think you have spotted the murderer you may accuse them by ordering them to turn over their card. 

Balderdash

All you need is a pen and paper for this. A dictionary is useful but you can also look up ‘Balderdash free words list’ on your phone to get you started. Take it in turns to choose an unusual word and secretly write down the definition. The other players make up their own plausible definitions. The person who picked the word then reads out all the definitions including the real one and everyone votes on which they think is the real word. Players score points for every person who votes for their ‘definition’. You get a point if you guess correctly, too. 

Bulls and Cows

For the mathematically inclined… One player writes down a secret 4-digit number. The other players take it in turns to guess it. Player one tells them how many they got right or wrong and how many were in their correct position. (Clue: it pays to write down each guess and how many were correct or incorrect and how many were in the right positions). By process of elimination someone will eventually work out the correct number. Good for anyone who has ever felt the pain of forgetting the combination to the padlock on the shed. And no, we’ve no idea why it’s called bulls and cows either.

Bananagrams

This is basically Scrabble but faster and with no board. Even more fun when camping and you have no access to a dictionary for anyone to check if you’re cheating or not. Buy Bananagrams. 

Find me on a Map

OK, we’ll admit we just made this one up but it’s great for when you’re in an area you don’t know well and want to know better. Get out the OS map. One person chooses a square and everyone takes it in turns to ask a question. Is there a church in your square? Is it close to water? Is it on a fold? You get the picture. The first person to get it goes first. Bonus points if you choose somewhere with a rude place name in. 

Ultimate Werewolf

Our favourite game of the moment, again in a very compact little cards-sized box. You need at least five players and are all given roles - as seers, witches, werewolves and more and you have to work out who the werewolf is amongst you. There’s an excellent app to make it more atmospheric but you can just play it with one of you as the ‘moderator’. Lots of fun and excellent for nights when there’s a storm howling outside your campervan. Buy Ultimate Werewolf. 

The After Eight Game

You will need a box of After Eights. Everyone sits around a table, tips their head back and places and After Eight on their forehead. The aim of the game is to move the After Eight down your face towards your mouth using only your facial muscles and gravity (no hands), and then eat it. Delightfully silly and immature and lots of fun. 

Pub Cricket

This is one for the way home in the car. You can play in teams or as individuals. Team one or person one goes in to bat. Every time you pass a pub you get a run for each leg in the name of the pub, so The Dog and Duck scores 6 (4 for the dog’s legs and 2 for the duck’s). The Coach and Horses would be 8, though you could probably argue for more horses based on the painting on the sign. You keep batting as long as every pub you pass has legs in. If you score no points (The King’s Arms, The Crown etc) you head back to the pavilion and someone else goes in to bat. You keep your score as it is for your next turn in to bat. 

If you’re inspired by the idea of living a campervan life, don’t miss the feature in our July issue about people who’ve adopted the campervan lifestyle in a more permanent way.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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In Fun Tags issue 109, July, camping, campervan holiday, campervans, caravans, games
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SIM74.LOOKINGBACK_GettyImages-855591474.png

How to buy a camper van

Lottie Storey August 11, 2018

The camper van is so much more than a vehicle to sleep in, says motorhome lover Martin Dorey who shares his tips on buying one. 

Have you got your heart set on a camper? Congratulations. I look forward to waving to you on the road somewhere. But first ask yourself a few questions about why you want one and what you want to do with it.

Do you want to own a classic? Is it to travel the world (or even a bit of it)? Is it to camp in a little more comfort? Will it carry what you want to take with you? How many do you need to be able to sleep? Two is easy, more then four is trickier – and remember, kids get bigger.

Firstly, set a budget as it will decide everything from age to the interior, the condition and mileage and comes back to the ‘why’ question. It’s worthwhile totting up the running costs, too. You could consider alternatives to a VW and bear in mind that imported vans from dry places like Australia and South Africa are often rust-free and right-hand drive, too.

Rent before you buy to make sure a camper is really for you, before you spend thousands. Then go to as many big dealers, motorhome retailers, VW festivals and conventions as possible. Nose about in as many vehicles as you can, to check layouts, seating arrangements and budget, and try to identify the vehicle that’s just right for you. There’ll be one, all you have to do is find it.

Serial camper van owner Martin Dorey is author of The Camper Van Bible and his latest book, Take the Slow Road: Scotland (both Bloomsbury). You can get signed copies at martindorey.com.

 

  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here.

 

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In Escape Tags issue 74, august, school holiday ideas, travel, campervan holiday, camping
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WIN! A camper van holiday (closed 1 May 2015)

David Parker March 18, 2015

Isle of Wight campervan holidays are offering the chance to explore the island for six nights in a classic 1970s VW Camper

Get some serious kerb appeal in one of Isle of Wight Campervan Holidays’ candy coloured campers. Overflowing with character, these classics will happily remind you of a simpler time for you, your family and friends.


Anchors Away 

Taking to the sea is where your adventure begins as you cross the Solent on a ferry to the lovely Isle of Wight. With its gorgeous rolling countryside and spectacular beaches, there really is something for everyone. What better way to explore than at your own pace in a charismatic campervan?


Home is where you park it

Well equipped for self-catering, there is nothing more convenient and fun that hitting the open road with all of your kit including your bed and the kitchen sink. Relax at camp in the evenings thanks to two great Island campsites that have joined in to offer this fantastic prize. Ninham Country Holidays is located in a beautiful wooded valley, with a heated pool,landscaped pitches and private coarse fishing. Grange Farm Holidays looks over the sea in an area of outstanding natural beauty with friendly animals to pet and direct access to a sandy beach, so don’t forget your bucket and spade.


What’s included and how to enter

  • A six-night self-catering break worth £1,050
  • For four people in a 1970s VW Camper on the Isle of Wight
  • A return car ferry crossing or passenger tickets to the Isle of Wight 
  • Three nights’ camping at both Grange Farm Holidays and Ninham Country Holidays

The prize can be taken from May–October 2015 or May–October 2016. 

Enter below by 1 May 2015.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Download full insurance terms and conditions. 

Competition Terms and Conditions.

The prize includes a six-night hire for four people in one of Isle of Wight Campervans Holidays’ right-hand drive classic VW campervans. The driver of the camper must be aged between 25 and 75 and comply with all the insurance and collision conditions as set out in Isle of Wight Campervans Terms and Conditions.  The prize must be taken before October 2015 or between May and October 2016 and is subject to availability. The 1970s VW camper can sleep two adults and two children at night. If required, Isle of Wight Campervan Holidays will provide a tent to accommodate groups of more than two adults. 

Isle of Wight Campervan Holidays will provide a return ferry crossing to the Isle of Wight for four people with the most appropriate service provider, to coincide with the hire period. 

The camping pitches offered by Ninham Country Holidays and Grange Farm Holidays is subject to availability and each three-night stay must be taken consecutively. You will have the choice of which to enjoy first. The campsite rules and regulations must be adhered to at all time by the winning group. Isle of Wight Campervan Holidays reserves the right to terminate the hire period with immediate effect if this is not the case.

The prize winner and their group are responsible for all incidental expenses, insurance excesses and petrol. The prize is non-exchangeable and not redeemable for cash or any other prize.

For full terms and conditions please visit www.icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

In Competition Tags issue 34, april, campervan holiday, competition
85 Comments
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WIN a week in a VW camper! (closed 10 June 2014)

lsykes June 6, 2014

Enter our competition to win a holiday in a classic VW campervan. Thanks to O'Connors campers we have a week's stay up for grabs. Choose between a 1960s splitscreen Volkswagen, a 1970s bay window or a California campervan and you could be roaming Cornwall, Devon and Somerset with your family. Kitted out with everything you'll need, these stylish vintage campers will make for a memorable holiday.

Find out more about campervan holidays at O'Connors Campers

Click here to enter. Closing date is 10 June 2014.

The prize includes fully comprehensive insurance for the first driver, a sink, cooker, fridge, camping gas, mains hook up, cooking equipment, crockery, cutlery and an extra outdoor table and chairs.

Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.futuretcs.com for more details.

 

 

In Competition, Escaping Tags campervan holiday
1 Comment
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  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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