Martin Crummy reviews his family camping adventure in Leinster this summer. He, his wife, and their two young girls camped out at Roundwood, River Valley, Hidden Valley and Nore Valley.
2026 was the year that we decided to become a family that camps.
First, we needed a tent. Sounds simple, but there are a number of sizes and variations to consider, as well as the big question: air or pole?
We, of course, opted for the easier option and went for an air tent. They are expensive, but we have found ours great in all weather and easy to put up. The only real downside is the size and weight of it. To give you an idea, it came delivered on a pallet.
When we are loading the car to go off on our adventures, the tent takes up all of the boot and needs two people to manhandle it. For comparison, the boot in our fairly small car is 385 litres.
Our tent is the Vango Sherwood 600XL: loads of space and easy to put up. Once you have the groundsheet pegged down, roll out your air tent, peg the corners and inflate the beams. Once up, you can secure the rest of the lines and base straps.
Inside our tent, we have a front area that can open out to cook in, or it can be used for storage, a main middle “living” area with carpet that came with the tent, and then a sleeping area.
The sleeping area is its own dark pod separate from the rest of the tent, meaning it holds heat well during cold camping spells and keeps out the early morning light.
Since it was our first camping season, we thought it only right that we try out a number of the most popular campsites for kids.
Over the summer, we camped at Roundwood, River Valley, Hidden Valley and Nore Valley.
Roundwood Caravan & Camping Park in County Wicklow
Our first stop was Roundwood Caravan & Camping Park in County Wicklow. This was a two-night stay over a bank holiday with the sole purpose of practising setting up the tent and getting used to camping in general. The campsite is a small plot just outside the village of Roundwood.
As well as cooking our own dinners, we walked into Roundwood for food, which is a little over five minutes away.
One great plus of this campsite is the access to excellent hiking and walking spots: scenic loop walks around the Vartry Reservoir and nearby trails such as the Lough Ton hike and Ballinastoe Woods.
There is a small playground for kids, but everyone on the campsite mixed really well, so the kids made friends and played all day and night! The vibes were good for our first camping trip.
Unfortunately, the amenities – toilets and showers (paid) – were the poorest of the four campsites we stayed at.
River Valley Caravan & Camping Holiday Park, County Wicklow
Tubing at River Valley
Our next camping trip took us to a whole different level. This time we went with a group of people from our local GAA club, Naomh Barróg, to River Valley Caravan & Camping Holiday Park, County Wicklow.
This was certainly a step up in amenities and facilities. There is a modern toilet and shower (paid) block, with cooking hobs that you also need to pay for.
Food on site is where the campsite really excels. “The Camp Out” is an outdoor area of picnic tables with a food trailer selling takeaway food, and the food is good quality and varied.
Sitting at the picnic tables with some music in the background really gives a summer feel.
The kids loved this campsite due to the massive playground. There are lots of other activities for kids on site, including foot golf, electric go-karts, archery, pedal go-karts, Crazy Bugs, downhill tubing and safari jeeps. Most of these are paid activities, but the kids would spend the majority of their time in the playground.
At the entrance to the campsite is a small village that features a well-stocked shop, a pub that does food (booking is recommended) and a coffee shop.
Nore Valley Park
Music at the camp out in River Valley
Next on the list was Nore Valley Park, Family Camping & Pet Farm in Kilkenny.
We booked this simply because it had availability for more than one or two nights. I wanted to enjoy a longer stay at a campsite this summer, so we stayed here for four nights, Monday through to Friday.
We were unsure if there would be enough for the kids to do, but they loved the pet farm. I would have stayed longer, even!
The pet farm at Nore Valley was a firm favourite
You get full access to the pet farm when staying on site, and there are also activities for the kids – crazy golf, go-karts, tractor rides – which are all covered under a wristband you can buy at check-in for €10 that covers you for the full stay for unlimited access to these activities.
Ouch! Feeding the Ostriches is no laughing matter
Amenities were excellent: there is a big open kitchen which we used on a number of evenings. Toilets and showers are very good as well, with the showers being free. The number of large fridges really helps if you don’t have a fridge in your tent, and this was the one camping trip of the summer where we did the most cooking.
The campsite does evening pizzas, brown bread and scones, but all the other food on site and nearby is limited. Kilkenny centre isn’t far away by car, and we went in there one night for dinner.
Hidden Valley
Last on the 2026 camping adventure was the sister site to River Valley, called Hidden Valley, also in County Wicklow. This books up really fast, so we only got two nights midweek to give it a try.
We were expecting a lot after hearing good reviews but were left slightly disappointed.
Activities are amazing on site. They have an aqua park, laser tag, a soft play centre, climbing walls, adventure mini golf (inside and outside), boating lake, downhill tubing, games room, cinema, and arts and crafts.
You need to pay for all these activities, so the price of your stay can really mount up by the time you pack up the tent and leave.
Although the river at the back of where we camped was very impressive, we found there weren’t many things for the kids to do for free, which left them at a bit of a loss.
Because we only had a short stay, we didn’t really prepare to cook much ourselves. Food on site is decent but has no real variation, so by Thursday evening, we were eating chips for the second time.
Showers (paid) and toilets are surprisingly small for the size of this campsite, but were clean.
Tip for 2027
Booking
If you’re interested in camping next summer, get organised for the 2027 camping season and book into campsites when dates are released at the start of the year.
Weekends book up very quickly, and even getting a few days together in August is a struggle.
Cost
The tent is your biggest outlay, but it’s worth spending the money on it, if you can. You do need a few other bits like cooking equipment, beds and things to sit on, but you can pick them up as you go along.
Pitches in campsites vary, but for a tent, two adults and two kids, it is around €50–€60 for one night.
NB: All costs were paid for by the writer, and no media discounts were applied.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.