Our new fire pit

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A couple of weeks ago we went on our first camping trip of the year. We didn't venture as far as usual, just a few miles up the road to Washington Caravan and Camping Park. Previously we've always camped in the New Forest, but our reason for making the change was that this campsite allows fire pits. Ram has had a hankering for an open fire for some time now, and we thought that it would be fun to give it a go. We were able to hire a fire pit at the campsite for £5 (plus refundable deposit) and we paid £7 for a net bag of wood.

We all really loved it, we had no problems lighting it and keeping it alight, and the children loved running about hunting for sticks and leaves to throw on. We sat around it until it was dark, and wonderfully it really encouraged us to just sit around and chat as a family with no other distractions. There's something soothing about staring into the flames, and it's quite satisfying to watch the logs as they burn down. I noticed that both Ram and I were able to put our phones down and really spend time enjoying time together without feeling the need to turn to a screen every few minutes, which is definitely something that I like to encourage.

So when we got back we went straight on to Amazon to look into getting one for the garden and found that they are quite reasonably priced. After a bit of research we opted for this one - La Hacienda Firepit with Grill (affiliate link). It's very light, has a cover, and the legs fold down for storage and transport. It also comes with a carry bag, and can be used as a barbecue although we've only used it for toasting marshmallows so far! We also bought a big bag of firewood (affiliate link) to start us off.

I was terrified of fire when I was younger, and I wouldn't light a match until I was in my late teens, so I was pleased to see that my timid Harry was more than happy to have a go at lighting the fire (under strict supervision of course!) He loved trying out different ways to get the fire to light (for reference, Amazon brown packaging paper is rubbish, newspaper is much better) and different ways to arrange the logs for optimum burning potential.

We have a never ending supply of dead leaves from some bushes next to our driveway which provide a quick burst of flame when they are thrown on, and both children love toasting marshmallows for us. Mia is a bit of a fidget, but Harry loved sitting around and staring into the flames as much as Ram and I, and it was so nice to sit together talking. We used some leftover coals from our earlier barbecue and only four pieces of the firewood, so I'm hoping that the bag will last us for a few evenings. I'm also looking around the garden for things to burn - there are a few bits of empty trellis that I'm sure we don't need!

Over the summer holidays, when we don't have to worry so much about getting the children into bed at a reasonable hour, I'm hoping for some lovely warm and clear summer evenings of sitting around the fire pit and enjoying our garden!

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