I'm just looking for any pointers and helpful suggestions you can offer from your own experiences.

We have bought a tent, airbeds, sleeping bags, lanterns, table & chairs, cooler box/fridge effort, water container, gas stove and cookset. So, we have the main items covered. I think.
Cheers all.
Spreadie

1) Buy a pack of multi-coloured insulating tape from a DIY shop. Set up the tent in your back garden before you go and when you've figured out which sections of the pole go together, wrap matching pieces of the coloured tape round the member of each 'set'.

2) Take two methods of lighting the gas stove with you. If you take only a lighter, it will fail. If you take only matches, they will get damp. Guaranteed. So take both, they don't take up much space.

3) In fact, take a backup stove as well. You can get these tiny ones that are basically a few pieces of metal that fold out into an 'H' shaped stand and have fuel that looks like fire lighters. Whole thing folds up into something not much bigger than a pack of cards. That way if someone leaves the gas valve open you can at least make a cup of tea. plus if you're going out for the day, you can take it with you can make a cuppa on the way.

4) You might also find a head-torch useful. You can get those in some DIY shops too. Basically, it's a small torch fixed to a headband. You wear the headband and the torch shines where you look. There are times when it'll be dark and you'll want both hands free .

5) Setting up under a tree seems like a great way to get extra shelter but remember this - birds live in trees. And what a lot of birds do is.. err... empty their bowels as soon as they leave the nest/roosting point in the morning. So you're better of either right under the tree or far away from it. Man-made shelter however - walls, buildings etc is usually fine.

6) Don't leave food in the tent if you can. It's better off in the coolbox the car anyway and it can attract the local wildlife into the tent. OK, lions and what have you aren't an issue but try getting a goat out of your tent if it thinks there's more food in there. This really happened to a friend of mine.

7) Don't buy ready packed meals from camping shops. They're generally no better than the stuff you buy in supermarkets and cost more.

8) Take more food than you think you'll need. You'd be surprised how hungry being outdoors all day will make you.

You mean like the hexamine burners you can get from army surplus? I think I may have one in the garage.

I know it sounds like a very "camping Nazi" thing to do, but make sure to retain room integrity....ie. make sure you don't end up with crappy, mucky boots in the sleeping area. Half the pain of camping is having nowhere to relax in. A tent with 2 rooms is a godsend, as long as you keep one room for sleeping in only....

Shouldn't be a problem in a proper camp site, but last time I went camping, we managed to pitch our tent in the one part of the field where someone had dumped a load of old bricks and rubble, then covered it with a thin layer of earth.
That, combined with the fact that we forgot to bring a sleeping bag , made for a pretty uncomfortable nights sleep.

The bigger the tent, the more comfortable and sociable it is. I bought THIS beast for less than half price on ebay. My mates love it.