For our next adventure we decided to try out the Camping and Caravanning Club Site in Chichester. We have found visiting the club sites to be a fairly safe bet when we have the kids as the facilities are usually excellent and there is usually plenty to do either on site or in the surrounding area. This site is located in Southbourne with a nice pub and a farm shop within a few minutes walk and the lovely village of Emsworth within a couple of miles.
The site was smaller than we were expecting but really well looked after and so peaceful. The facilities were spotless and it was nice to have the showers and toilets in separate areas. The hardstanding pitches, although advertised as such, are more grassy than the hardstanding pictures we were used to so if it is particularly wet (as it was when we arrived) then it will get muddy.
For the first time this year we didn't put the awning sides on and instead just rolled the awning out and laid a groundsheet beneath it. Our main reason for doing this was so the awning sides wouldn't get muddy but it also saved us about half an hour of setting up time so we were able to enjoy more of the evening together.
On Saturday morning we all woke up refreshed and happy after a very quiet and relaxing night's sleep. Well, apart from the puppy getting into bed with us and then taking up almost the whole bed (while snoring) until one of us put her back on the floor. Just look at the lovely weather we woke up to though (can you spot the puppy?):
We walked into Emsworth for a look around the the village and it was much larger than we were expecting. We bought a few snacks for the kids to keep them going and enjoyed the walk. On the way back we stopped off at farm shop near the campsite to have a look around. There was lots of lovely fresh fruit and veg as well as a good selection of meats and cheeses. They did have an advertisement for fresh fish arriving twice a week but unfortunately not on a Saturday.
It wouldn't be a weekend in the camper without a pub lunch so we ventured over to the pub round the corner which is called The Travellers Joy. It's a Fullers pub so my husband was happy with the beer and we all very much enjoyed the food. The kids menu was great with lots of choices and their portion sizes were good too. It's not a gourmet meal but good old fashioned "pub grub".
With the sun shining we played some games outdoors and let the kids burn their excess energy with some (not too noisy) running races around the campsite. We could see various people sitting outside and enjoying the nice weather and we were no exception. We should have packed an extra couple of chairs for the kids but we didn't expect the weather to be so good.
As usual the time flew by far too quickly and Sunday morning was upon us. We didn't have too much packing up to do this time though so we could actually have a bit of a lie in, a few cups of tea and relax. Why is it that the weather is always so good on 'going home' day?
I would definitely like to come back to this site now that we know the 'lay of the land' as there seems to be a lot of nice (and fun) places to visit nearby. When the weather is good and a bit warmer I can see this site coming into its own. I just hope we have our thermal windscreen back in time for the next adventure - waking up before 5am with the light pouring through the windows (tinted or not) is not the best at the weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment