Camping footwear was always a point of argument with my parents as I was growing up which went something like this…..

Mum: “Put your wellies on it’s raining” Me: “No I want to wear my trainers”….. Mum:”Put your flip flops on we are off to the beach” Me  “No I want to wear my trainers” ….. Mum:”Put your shoes on we are going to a restaurant for dinner” Me  “No I want to wear my trainers”.

However, as I got older ( and wiser) I realised that the correct choice of footwear makes a big difference to everyone, especially when camping.

I have a rule that we take our shoes off before going into our tent which reduces the amount of Sand/Grass/Mud/Water (delete as appropriate) coming in.

We have a supermarket bag for life that acts as a shoe box that stops the tent looking like our hallway after the children enter the house every time they come in from school.

This does cause one major pain which is that you are always taking shoes on and off, especially when setting up and packing and usually with your hands full of something e.g. food/bedding/camping equipment/sleeping child  (delete as appropriate). So after fighting the need to purchase for many years I succumbed and bought a pair of Crocs.

I wouldn’t be seen dead in them wandering around our local streets but on a campsite they are my go-to footwear and work well for trips to the shower, walking across stony beaches and retrieving footballs from rivers.

A good pair of wellies are great especially if it’s going to be a wet one, and for the kids they are essential for playing in streams/ splashing in puddles plus the comedy value of seeing one of them stepping out of theirs into the mud just after you told “stay out of that deep mud” is priceless.

We usually take hiking boots for longer walks (but only because we have them) and if you are going to the pub or restaurant a pair of whatever you would usually wear. So in conclusion, Crocs and wellies are all the kids will need, oh and don’t forget to bring their trainers