Keeping Warm and Cooking Pizzas

We liked the Chertsey campsite so much that we decided to go back there but this time with the kids.  We thought they would enjoy the onsite playground, clubhouse and riverside location and we were right. The first thing they did when we arrived was rush to the playground while we were setting everything up.  We needed to learn how to fit our newly ordered bits and pieces from Comfortz Leisure onto the van so were grateful for the peace and quiet.

The first new item was a Cali topper - this goes over the top of the pop-up roof to provide an extra layer of protection from the wind and rain plus it helps to keep the heat in.  Being 5'2" I was not able to offer much help with this as you need open the roof about 30 cm and sort of throw it over the top and then arrange it so that all the corners are nicely lined up before opening the roof fully.  We found that opening the driver and passenger doors and sort of balancing on the steps made it a bit easier but it was still a bit of a mission.  It is worth the extra hassle though as it makes a huge difference, especially with protection from the rain.

The second new item was a thermal windscreen which fits around the windscreen and front windows and is held in place by the driver and passenger doors.  We felt that this would also be a big help when it came to keeping the heat in as well as keeping the light out in the morning.  We didn't find it hard to fit this on but we did learn that you can't do it before you swivel the front seats otherwise you have to take the whole thing off and start again.

The final item to fit was the awning side panels.  These zip onto the existing awning frame and have two windows and a door to let some light in and allow for easy access.  We were surprised at how easy they were to fit but we were a bit confused as to the correct way to peg it all down as there seemed to be various options.  We decided to peg it outwards so that the rainwater would flow off the sides nicely.

In less than an hour we were fully set up, ready for the weekend and really happy with our new purchases.  

This time, not only were we brave enough to cook dinner on the Cadac but we decided to try out the pizza stone.  We had bought four Pizza Express pizzas from the supermarket and decided that we were going to have pizza night at the campsite.  It was amazing, the pizzas turned out really well and we all very much enjoyed eating them!  I'm not sure that you could effectively cook a thick crust pizza using this though.

Even though the weather wasn't that great for this visit and it rained quite a lot we still managed to wake up to this beautiful sunrise on our first morning:

See what I mean about the campsite being right on the river?  

We hadn't tried the pub just across the bridge on our previous visit so we thought that this time was the perfect time to try it out as it is not far to walk when the weather is rubbish. The pub was called The Kingfisher and we spent a lovely few hours there enjoying the beautiful food, sampling the beer and wine (and the nicest sparking apple juice ever according to the kids), hiding from the rain and enjoying life.

On the way back we stopped off in the Spar at the petrol station, purchased some sweets and treats and headed back to the camper van to play Monopoly.

When it came to packing up we found the Cali topper, thermal windscreen and awning side panels really easy to take off and fold away and we were fully packed up and ready to go in less than an hour.

All-in-all we had a lovely weekend and felt really comfortable and at ease with the camper van.  We are definitely getting used to it and our new additions really did help to keep the heat in and the rain out.

Riverside Walks and Cooking Fails

Who says that you have to travel a long way to find a good campsite?  We decided to try the Camping and Caravanning Club Site in Chertsey as it was not too far from home, the reviews were good and the site was situated right on the River Thames.  The thought of some nice long walks by the river with a selection of nice pubs to try out along the way was too tempting to resist.  

We faced our fears and wound out the awning for the first time since purchasing the camper van.  It was very straight forward but we found that it flapped around in the wind quite a lot.  After a bit of research on the VW California Club forum we discovered that if you wind the awning back in a bit then it tightens it and stops the flapping around.  We laid a groundsheet down underneath to catch the mud from our shoes and the dogs' paws (can't believe we hadn't thought to do that sooner) and quite liked the look of our set up with the roof up and the awning out.

Feeling very satisfied with ourselves for finally winding out the awning we also thought it would be a perfect time for us to try out our new Cadac Safari Chef Deluxe and do some cooking under the awning. We are still not brave enough to cook inside the van and also don't fancy the idea of sleeping in our kitchen.  I guess that when the time is right we will use it but until then we are happy to cook in the great outdoors.

We pre-made a chilli con carne at home and brought it with us to heat up on our first night at the campsite.  Nice and easy!  However, showing our usual signs of cowardice, we totally wimped out of using the Cadac and instead took out the old reliable Outwell Appetizer Single Burner cooker.  Well, this turned out to be an epic fail as it was quite chilly outside and there was a particularly chilly breeze coming from the river so after about 25 minutes on the cooker our chilli was lukewarm at best.  We tried to ignore our rumbling stomachs and keep it cooking for another 10 mins but in the end hunger got the better of us and we ate our slightly chilly chilli.  Lesson learned.  

Since our last camping adventure my husband had the rear windows limo-tinted so this was another new thing to get used to.  I am personally not entirely keen on this as I find it makes the interior too dark.  At night time it is lovely but during the day I miss being able to appreciate the blue sky and sunshine from inside the van.  It is great for privacy and I'm assured that during the summer months it will prevent the inside of the van from heating up too much when the sun is shining on it but for now I remain not overly enthusiastic about this.

Despite the chilly riverside air, the weather was nice and dry so we managed to get and about with the dogs and enjoyed some lovely long walks along the Thames.  

You can walk along the towpath to Shepperton in one direction or towards Laleham in the other direction.  We decided to walk towards Shepperton and found a lovely pub to go for a bite to eat and a couple of pints called The Thames Court. 

The pub was around a 25-30 minute walk from the campsite and you can either walk along the road before picking up the towpath later on or walk alongside the river the whole way.  Needless to say if you walk along the river you are probably adding another 15 minutes onto the journey but we found it to be very enjoyable and it certainly wore the dogs out!

This campsite had a very homely feel to it. The facilities were excellent with a heated toilet and shower block, which was kept very clean and the washing up facilities were good too with plenty of hot water.  There is a BP petrol station over the road from the site with a Spar shop - perfect for the essentials, topping up with a few treats or buying a morning newspaper. 

We are looking forward to coming back to Chertsey.  Maybe next time we will be a bit braver with our cooking?

Revisiting the New Forest

Last year we visited the New Forest twice in our tent.  The first time was to Ashurst and it rained a lot and the second time was to Hill Cottage Farm nr Fordingbridge and it was very cold at night.  I was feeling rather anxious about my first visit to the New Forest in the campervan for Valentine's weekend.  What would the weather have in store for us this time?

Well, there was rain and it was a bit chilly but the camper van is so wonderfully warm (thanks to the magical aux heater) that it didn't seem to cause us too much bother.  It was an added bonus that we found a lovely campsite in Marchwood (near Southampton) called Tanglewood.  It is a small site with only 6 hardstanding gravel pitches all complete with electric hook-up and picnic benches and it felt very open and airy.  

We hadn't booked electric hook-up as we thought we would give it a go without and see how the batteries hold up. We soon gave in when we realised that we wouldn't be able to use our mains plug.  Why on earth did it not cross our minds that the mains plug would only work if we were plugged into the mains?  Feeling like a pair of idiots we approached the campsite owner who was very helpful and quickly sorted us out with an electricity card, showed us how to work the meter and after a very reasonable £3.00 later we were up and running.  Now, you may think that we were being silly and should have just got on with it but when you are trying to keep your new campervan all new and shiny and have two wet dogs to worry about, the benefits of being able to plug in a hairdryer and dry them off far outweigh anything else.

The facilities at the campsite were lovely and clean and even had their own cleaning products inside with a friendly notice to request the campers to leave them as they found them.  There were two unisex toilets, each of which had two showers which I thought was a good idea especially if you are camping together as a family.

There is a pub within a short walk in one direction (with a fun looking kids playground) and another pub a little bit further afield in the other direction.  We really enjoyed walking around the country lanes and had a lovely pub lunch at The Pilgrim Inn (the slightly further away pub) with the dogs.

We started to relax a bit more during this visit and felt like we were learning more about how everything worked and what worked best for us but we still had a long way to go.

We had purchased a roof bungee which basically ties around the roof and ensures that it goes up and down without the worry of parts of the canvas getting stuck in the mechanism.  We found that this takes the 'what if' anxiety out of the equation, especially if the weather is windy.  We were still not brave enough to wind out the awning as we were worried about how it would hold up in the rainy/windy weather.  

The weekend went far too quickly as they always do and, typically, the weather was lovely just as we were packing up to leave.



Things we learned from this adventure:

1. We still need to pack less stuff.

2. A hi-vis jacket/vest wouldn't go amiss for walking around country lanes.

3. The New Forest is a lovely place to visit to enjoy the peaceful and beautiful surroundings.



4. We need to stop taking buffet/picnic food with us and start cooking.

5. We need to be a bit braver with using and trying things in the van (like the awning.)

Fitting Everyone In

Now that we have purchased the camper van, survived our first weekend away in it and started learning how it all works and what everything does, the next thing for us to worry about was fitting the kids in there with us and the dogs.  

After much debate and anxiety on my part, we decided (OK, I decided) that my husband would go away with the kids for their first night in the camper van and I would stay at home with the dogs.  Call it a gentle introduction of sorts.

I needn't have worried as I am assured that the kids were extremely well behaved, treated everything with a lot of respect and a good time was had by all (or at least that's the story they are all sticking to).  They went to a place called The Traveller's Rest near Fareham.  It wasn't too far to travel and they enjoyed a delicious pub lunch there too.  It looked pretty tasty:

The only criticism I heard was that it was a bit muddy at this time of year.  The facilities were good and clean and the kids are anxious to visit again in the summer time due to what seemed to be "the bestest ever" kids playground in the pub garden.  

Having spent one night away with the kids in the mud, my husband decided that it would be a good idea for us to purchase the Inka waterproof seat covers as well as the Comfortz parcel shelf waterproof cover before going away in the camper van again.  We went for the grey colour as this fitted in better with our existing "decor" and we could feel more relaxed about the possibility of mud getting everywhere (although I'm convinced this was a reactive purchase to my spilling of red wine.)  They didn't take long for my husband to fit and they look pretty good too.

Hmmm...what else can we purchase for the camper van?