And so, after several eventful days full of new impressions, adventures, nature, fun and lovely encounters, we finally checked into Arkyn Campground in Second Norway. That had been easier said than done, because the place is almost always fully booked. Fortunately, a pitch eventually became available — we had, at times, taken turns camping in front of the rental box… — and after our trip to Lolland, we arrived there pretty much exhausted.

A few basic facts about the place first:

Arkyn Campground is part of Second Norway and feels much more like a real little holiday area than a neatly arranged collection of camping spots. Set among trees and waterways, the campground spreads out along winding paths, with tents, caravans and small cabins tucked into the landscape rather than lined up in rows.

There is quite a bit more here than just somewhere to pitch a tent. The area includes a small beach and harbour, places to swim and relax by the water, picnic areas and plenty of room for outdoor activities. There are football and volleyball pitches, a playground, little places to stop for food and drinks, and paths leading through the woods and along the water. The campground is also part of the wider Second Norway area around Arkyn, Dag and Toka, which includes a marina, motel and airfield.

What I particularly liked about Arkyn was that it doesn’t feel overly designed. Campsites appear between the trees, paths disappear around corners, and the water is almost always somewhere nearby. Some pitches are simple, others come with surprisingly comfortable tents or tiny camping cabins, and there are lots of little places where you can simply sit down and enjoy the surroundings. It has the slightly improvised, lived-in feeling of a campground where people have been coming back for years.

LANDMARK: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Arkyn/52/186/22

I immediately set about making our little pitch feel like home. Unfortunately, we didn’t have our own little stretch of beach, but at least we were right beside the small river. At some point we got a little carried away and simply bought ourselves a brand-new camper.

…don’t ask.

But eventually, sometime that evening, we were done. All of us were wrapped up in our lovely new homemade sleeping bags, sitting around our little campfire and simply happy to have somewhere to stretch out.

The next morning came quickly. We had slept like logs, Henry wasn’t prepared to wait even five minutes for his breakfast, and the rest of the rabble were already impatiently rattling their cutlery. So one by one we peeled ourselves out of our blankets, and the day could begin. This part of our holiday was supposed to be our little slow-down phase, so we had absolutely no plans.

We set up the paddling pool for the children, and getting Villie out of it in particular became something of an all-day project.

She is a proper little water baby and was having the time of her life.

Liv was equally enthusiastic, but far too curious to stay put. She had to explore at least the immediate surroundings, which in turn kept me on my feet, because that little whirlwind tears around the place at astonishing speed and, if you don’t keep an eye on her, you’ll end up searching the entire campground for her. Somehow, the gentlemen of the family had the most relaxing time of all. For simplicity’s sake, they spent much of it lounging in their chairs, each occupied with his respective bottle.

I did eventually find some time to wander around and have a proper look at the campground. The whole area is so beautifully put together that it really does give you that genuine camping feeling.

Later, Lottie and Arthur came over as well, and we had a picnic together and spent a lovely, relaxed evening bringing our holiday to a close.

They kept an eye on our sleeping little crowd for a while, which gave Mike and me the chance to take a short walk down to the beach. We found ourselves a beach chair and cuddled up there for a little while, enjoying some rare time just for the two of us, before eventually making our way back to our sleeping bags.

The next morning, we packed everything up and headed home — where, as it happened, a few new things were waiting for us too. For our very first holiday as a family of five, I think we did pretty well.