Back to Chertsey

We hadn't been away with the kids in the Cali since Henley so we decided to keep it simple and re-visit Chertsey Camping and Caravanning Club Site.  Not too far to drive, everyone is familiar with it and if we're lucky we'll have some nice weather and get a few good walks in.

On our way to the site we stopped off at the nearby Sainsburys and purchased our food for the weekend.  It was great to have the kids with us when doing this as they can pick out the food they want to eat rather than us guessing what they might like.  Also, this is where the size of the Cali comes in quite handy - you can still get into most supermarket car parks and park quite comfortably.

When we arrived at the site there was a fish and chip / breakfast van serving food on Friday and Saturdays - this wasn't there before so must be something new for the summer season.  The kids went off to play pool or air hockey or whatever they fancied in the clubhouse while we did our usual setting up chores.  The only thing we were missing on this trip was our thermal windscreen - we had noticed a tear in it the week before and so we had to send it back to be either repaired or replaced.

The weather wasn't great on arrival and we were all pretty tired but we got our act together and marched off to The Kingfisher over the bridge for drinks and dinner.  This is probably the third time we have eaten in this pub now and the food never disappoints.  The dogs are always well behaved in there too!

We woke up at the crack of dawn due to the amount of light flooding into the van.  This was because we didn't have the thermal windscreen with us and we were instead using the internal "curtains" that come with the van.  Sometimes when you don't have something, you realise how much you rely on it.

It had rained quite a bit through the night and into the morning so we were not too sure about going on our planned walk along the towpath to Shepperton and eating sandwiches by the river but we haven't let the weather stop us yet.  We all donned our waterproof gear and set off.  The weather by some miracle cleared up during the walk and it was dry enough for us all to sit on a nice bench by the river eating our sandwiches for lunch.  Well, it was nice until a goose decided to come and investigate what we were eating.  Time to get up and move on.

We went to that nice pub we had visited on one of our previous visits called The Thames Court for a couple of pints for us and a soft drink or two for the kids.  My husband bought the kids some chips as a treat and we all enjoyed laughing and chatting for a little while.  When we spied the sun shining through the window we packed our waterproofs into my bag and walked back to the campsite in some lovely weather.

We all headed over to the clubhouse to play some pool and air hockey as a bjt of family fun. The evening turned out to be wonderful and so we got the Cadac out and started making some food for dinner.



The kids had hot dogs and then settled down to watch some TV while we started making our dinner.  



On Sunday morning we discovered the kids favourite not-so-good-for-them camping breakfast.  Pot noodles.  I'm fairly sure that they would choose them over bacon rolls.  We all laughed about it and let them enjoy them as a treat.  Thinking about it though, why didn't we have things like pot noodles in our storage cupboard in the van all the time?  They're great for when you want to go away at late notice and don't want to worry about bringing food or cooking on site.

As the weather was so much better we made the most of it and walked along the towpath to the Three Horseshoes in Laleham for a bite to eat.  This is in the opposite direction from Shepperton and also a lovely walk.  Lunch was fantastic, we brought the dogs with us and sat in the garden.  

On the way back we stopped off at Laleham Park so the kids could have a run around and then strolled off back to the campsite.

We were thinking that maybe next time we come to Chertsey, we should stay from Friday night until Monday morning so that we get to enjoy the whole of Sunday there.  Maybe next time.

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?

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?