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?

Spectacular Hilltop Views

One of my fondest memories of last year’s camping expeditions was our weekend spent in Watlington at White Mark Farm http://www.whitemarkfarm.co.uk/.  This was our third camp site visited in one week (after Hill Cottage Farm and Sandford Holiday Park) so we were rapidly running out of energy and desperately needed some rest and relaxation.

We set off with the addition of our dog (who had been on a holiday of his own!)  We didn't have an electric hook-up at this site, which wasn't a problem. We made sure to pack extra batteries for the radio and take along our portable battery charger for our gadgets.  We were also careful to make sure that the cooler was plugged into the car to keep our refrigerated items cold for as long as possible before we had to revert to is more traditional use as a cool box.

We were applauding ourselves on our careful planning and organisational skills, despite our exhaustion, and nothing was going to stand in our way of a lovely weekend.  About 45 minutes into the journey (when we were nearly there) and after trying to shake off the feeling that I had forgotten something, I realised to my horror that I had left a few important bags at home.  I could actually see them in my mind’s eye waiting for me just inside the front door.  After the 90 minute round trip back home to collect said forgotten items I eventually arrived at the camp site. It was just as I had expected it to be, if not better! The tent was already up  when I arrived (my husband still thinks that I forget things on purpose to avoid putting the tent up) and after some swift unpacking we were settled in.

The weather was absolutely glorious with a very hot weekend forecast so we decided to go exploring.  The camp site itself was wonderful with lovely clean facilities.  The washing up area had complimentary washing up liquid and scourers which I thought was a lovely touch.  Watlington itself is a lovely town with a nice pub down the road from the camp site and an abundance of restaurants and shops all within easy walking distance.  We couldn't have asked for anything better.

We awoke the following morning to the birds chirping, the sun shining and feeling wonderfully refreshed.  There are plenty of red kites flying around that are easily visible from the camp site and a curious white mark up on the hill overlooking the camp site.  We enjoyed some breakfast while taking in our lovely surroundings.  I remember my husband running back to the tent,  after what seemed like only a few minutes away walking the dog, with an excited look on his face.  He told us all to put our hiking clothes on as he had just found a great place for us to explore.  We hurriedly got dressed and set off on our adventure.  

We climbed the hill towards the white mark and beyond until we felt like we were on top of the world.  The views were incredible and we were all amazed at how far we could see. 

When we eventually returned to the camp site it was time to prepare for the arrival of our guests – Nana and Papa.  We started to prepare a feast for lunch.  Unfortunately our cool box had not held up so well in the 30 degree heat and we had to pop out to the local shop to replace a few things but it wasn't much of an inconvenience and certainly didn't make the day any less enjoyable.  The sunshine did become very strong so in the absence of a parasol we had to make use of our spare awning and create a bit of shelter.

 

We all talked and laughed into the afternoon and strolled over to the local pub for a bit of exercise and a nice pint (or two) before waving goodbye to our guests.

We were so sad to be packing up the next morning and wished we could spend more time at White Mark Farm.  Not only was our lovely weekend coming to an end but also our week of adventures had come to an end.  Our spirits were low as we packed everything up, the only plus side was that we had managed to do it all before the rain came along.

Congratulating ourselves once again on our good planning and organisation we set off towards home.  It was all going so well until I looked over at my step-daughter and realised that she wasn't wearing her glasses.  A quick phone call to my husband confirmed that my step-son was also missing his glasses.  Uh-oh, we were going to have to pitch the tent up in the garden at home in the rain to find the glasses that I had obviously left inside and hope that they weren't broken.  

In one final stroke of luck, the rain stopped for just long enough to allow us to quickly lay the tent out on the grass, climb in and retrieve the glasses (all perfectly fine inside their cases) …phew!

Holiday Park Fun

Now that I have overcome my "camping season is over" blues I am going to be looking back at some of our other adventures in 2015...

We stayed for four nights at Sandford Holiday Park http://www.parkdeanholidays.co.uk/dorset-holidays/sandford/sandford-holiday-park.htm straight after our weekend in the New Forest in August 2015.  We were looking forward to the range of activities and entertainment on offer to keep both us and the kids amused.

On arrival, we found the tent pitches to be very small and, in some cases, the ground was so uneven we couldn’t understand how a tent could be pitched over it. Our original pitch (number 293) would have just about accommodated the tent and maybe one of the cars but we didn’t want to feel squeezed in.  I went back to reception to ask for a larger pitch and they moved us to pitch number 221, which was much bigger so we got to grips with pitching the tent up. 

This was the first time that the kids had experienced the pitching up of the tent and they found it great fun getting inside and the pushing the sides up while daddy pumped the air into it.  We then asked the kids to look through all the paperwork we had received on arrival and read out what was on during our stay while we unpacked. 

We were quite overwhelmed with the range of activities and entertainment on offer so we decided to go exploring.  The main plaza area consisted of an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor swimming pool, two playground areas, a convenience shop, a bar/restaurant area, an arcade and a showtime entertainment club with its own bar and an upstairs bar area which also contained a children’s soft play. We sat down, had a drink and took it all in but being totally exhausted we retreated back to the tent for dinner and some relaxing time.

The camping facilities on offer at this resort were average at best and not very clean.  Some of the toilets in the ladies were missing toilet seats, toilet paper was not always guaranteed, the showers looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for weeks and hand soap was a rarity.  My husband also made similar comments about the state of the gents toilets.  The washing up area had plenty of sinks but no plugs, if you wanted a plug you had to go and ask for one at reception and pay a £5 deposit for it.  However, we put that to one side as this adventure was all about the kids and fun.

Being a very lively and busy resort there were no quiet times, so evenings could be noisy and early mornings tended to be even noisier with quite a few small children running around playing on their bikes and scooters from as early as 6am.  There are three levels of kids clubs at the resort, Tot Stars for the under 4s, Star Landers for 4-10 year olds and Freestyle for 10-15 year olds.  Tot Stars was always on first at around 9am, followed by Star Landers at 11:00am and then the Freestyle activities would be later in the afternoon.  The kids absolutely loved the Star Landers club and as our tent pitch was an odd number they fell into the ‘Lizard’ category.  This was a running theme throughout our stay as the two main characters for all of the kids clubs and entertainment was Lizzie the Lizard and Sid the Seagull.  

The evening entertainment was great fun with Bingo on every night for the adults and there was always something for the kids to participate in and enjoy, including a very special “Wow Factor” event featuring performances from children of all ages with a variety of skills and talents to showcase.  Needless to say this was one of the highlights!

My highlight was having our first electric hook-up.  What a difference it made to be able to plug in our cooler (a Waeco G35 Thermoelectric) and not worry about melting ice and food going off.  The cooler definitely came into its own during this trip and I can highly recommend it as it keeps everything nicely chilled and you can also switch settings so that it keeps your food warm if required - just remember to check that it is on the right setting before plugging it in ;-)

The kids still say that this was one of their best holidays because of all the fun activities on offer but I’m not sure we will be hurrying back…

Happy days...cold nights

Last weekend's camping adventure was to Hill Cottage Farm in Fordingbridge. The drive down was a long one but, as I had collected the kids, my husband had arrived before us and, once again, he had pitched the tent up and unpacked pretty much everything in time for our arrival.  How lucky are we? 

Just before this trip we were worried about the possibility of rain and very aware that we don't really have much in the way of outside shelter from the rain.  So we decided to purchase an easy camp awning which fits perfectly onto the front of our tent and serves as a great shelter.

Our inspiration came from this website, which is full of great tips and ideas http://www.getoutwiththekids.co.uk/camping/camping-tips/how-to-keep-the-rain-off-using-a-camping-tarp-kit/

On arrival the campsite seemed well organised with clear directions to reception and the pitches are numbered so it was easy to find ours. Our friends had arrived earlier too so after a few finishing touches from all it was time to start enjoying ourselves.

There was a playground for the kids, clean toilets, clean showers (behind reception) and a washing up area. All of the facilities were well maintained and there was electric hook up options for those who wanted it.  The night times are lovely and quiet and the view of the surrounding fields and woodland is very peaceful.

We decided to go to the local pub in Alderholt http://www.churchillpub.co.uk for dinner and a few drinks. It was an entertaining 10 minute walk through the woods and we were not disappointed when we arrived. There were games for the kids to enjoy and plenty of delicious food options for kids and adults alike. When we arrived back at the camp site we tried to stay outside for as long as possible but it was absolutely freezing and we were very tired so decided to have an early night. 

The next morning we awoke to lovely warm sunshine and in no time we were cooking breakfast and the kids were playing in the playground. We took a stroll through the woods again, this time to pick up a few essentials from the Co-Op in Alderholt and then we stopped in at the pub for a cheeky lunchtime pint and then headed back to the campsite to settle in for the rest of the day.

We were dying to try out our other recent addition, the Outwell Roast Gas BBQ with side table so dinner time couldn't come around quickly enough for us:

This BBQ was another last minute purchase and proved to be very useful. The side plates are great for extra surface space but they can also be folded in and used as cooking plates.  Another plus point was that the kids didn't have to wait too long for their food to be ready.

We all had a lovely time playing games, chatting and dancing into the evening until once again it became too cold to stay outside. One thing I have learned about camping in the New Forest is that the nights are freezing!

Once again the RAVPower portable charger proved to be extremely handy as we didn't have electric hook up and the BBQ proved to be our most useful recent purchase but we do need to purchase one of those electric mosquito bats and a heater would be very useful for those cold nights!

We are getting better at packing up now though and while we were sad to leave, we were looking forward to the next stop...Sandford.

Towels are essential

I am a camping addict now. We have recently joined the Camping and Caravanning Club http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/ so we decided to try out one of their club sites not too far away to get a feel for it.  The site we went to http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/surrey/easthorsley/horsley  was simply amazing. It had a fishing lake, a recreation hall, a playground, a small shop in the reception and plenty of clean  and well-maintained bathroom, shower, washing-up and laundry facilities.

This time I arrived at the camp site with my two step children in the glorious sunshine to find that my husband had already arrived, pitched up and unpacked everything from his car (including the dog.) Happy days for us, maybe not so for him, but we appreciated all the hard work and effort he went to - especially as I had received a phone call from him earlier to say that as I had the water carrier, all he had to drink was beer from the cool-box (not a bad thing) or water from the dog bowl (yuk!) I unpacked the clothes, kitchen equipment and food from my car and we were ready to start having fun.

Our first evening was spent enjoying the evening sunshine, playing card games, exploring the camp site and, of course, eating.  We had pre-made a chilli con carne which we heated up and tucked into, with enough tortilla chips to feed a small village, before the mosquitos chased us inside and we decided to settle in, listen to the radio and play more card games. 

After a great night's sleep I woke at dawn to the sound of the birds chirping and the lovely relaxing noise of the water fountain in the middle of the lake and I felt happy and content with life.  Then I opened my eyes wide and remembered the one thing that I had forgotten.  Towels.  I had forgotten to bring the towels.  I had a tea-towel but that's hardly going to dry a family of four after a shower.  Oh no, this was not good. 

My happy, contented and peaceful morning soon turned into a frantic Google search for the nearest supermarket in an effort to go on a mission to find towels.  As it turned out, we had also forgotten tea bags and milk, so my step daugher (who was awake far too early) and I set off for the nearest large supermarket, in this case, Sainsburys.

With the towels, tea bags and milk purchased, we arrived back at the camp site to the smell of bacon sizzling away and the sound of the kettle whistling...it was breakfast time! We had a very enjoyable morning playing Monopoly Star Wars but soon the temptation of the playground was too much for the kids and it was time to make some new friends.  There was a fishing competition going on at the lake which the boys wished they could have participated in but we didn't think that we would have enough room in the cars for all of their gear.  Still, there's always next time.

We had a lovely BBQ in the late afternoon, danced to some music on the iPod, played Twister, watched the kids chase each other around with water pistols squealing with laughter and before we knew it the sun was setting and the mosquitos were back out.

Needless to say none of us wanted to start packing up the next morning and there were plenty of long faces all around.  Two nights just doesn't seem long enough when you're having so much fun!  

Our two best purchases, which we found the most useful for this weekend were:

1. Our Outwell Drayton Kitchen Table:

The built in washing up bowl is so handy and there is plenty of storage underneath.  My step son even commented that it was like a portable kitchen, which I suppose, in a way, it is.

2. Our RAVPower Portable Battery Charger http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-16000mAh-Portable-Technology-Generation-Black-x/dp/B00OJXVDAU - this device kept our iPhones and iPads fully charged for the whole weekend.  It's quite heavy but surprisingly compact. 

We have more adventures booked up over the coming weeks so please keep an eye on the blog for more updates.  Happy Camping!

Smart Air Smug

Outwell, I salute you, your smart air tents are simply amazing.  We arrived at Ashurst Campsite (http://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/england/new-forest/ashurst-campsite) in the torrential rain but, thanks to the smart air technology, we were pitched up, unpacked and drying off with a cold beer within 2 hours of arriving.  

It wasn't long before it dawned on us that we didn't have anything to cook under in the rain (error) so we set off across the field to the nearby pub for some comfort food and few glasses of vino.

We woke the next morning to the feeling of warm sunshine, the sound of the birds chirping and, more importantly, NO RAIN.  It was time to get up and start the day but only after opening all of the air vents as the tent was heating up fast!  We were suitably impressed with the comfort of our double camp bed and our Outwell Contour Lux double sleeping bag. We both agreed that it was the best night's sleep we had experienced in a long time.

The shower and toilet facilities were clean with minimal queues and we were soon freshened up and dressed with the kettle boiling and the bacon sizzling away.  Unfortunately it was still rather windy and we couldn't put our windscreen up as the ground was simply too hard to be able to peg it down, so we resorted to using the small metal cooking windscreen around the hob and that seemed to do the job.   

Fully fuelled up and ready for the day we decided to do some exploring and walked around the beautiful surrounding forest.  We even spotted a pony or two.

There was a very convenient Welcome shop nearby (part of the Co-Op group) and several pubs, restaurants and take-aways all within easy walking distance.  We eventually settled in back at the tent for the afternoon and had a barbeque in the sunshine.  Time seemed to fly by and it was time to "bed in" again but not before enjoying a nice cold buffet spread in the comfort of our tent while playing cards, drinking wine and listening to the radio - bliss!

I could happily spend a week at Ashurst but they do not allow dogs and have no electric hook-ups which I imagine could deter some people.  However, I can highly recommend it for couples and families alike, the atmosphere is relaxed, peaceful and friendly.

Items we were thankful for taking with us:

• Rock pegs
• Good quality cool box
• Portable DAB radio
• Playing cards

Items we realised we needed:

• More rock pegs!
• Something to cook under in the rain
• Extra blankets (for the cold nights)

I can't wait for my next adventure.

All the gear...some idea?

A momentous day has arrived, it’s time for my first ever camping adventure. The weather, in true British fashion, is awful with the rain starting to come down thick and fast and the winds picking up. I’m quite nervous about the weather, especially after reading the weather warnings, but also very much looking forward to the experience. 

My husband, on the other hand, is quite an experienced camper so he is providing me with some comfort in the knowledge that at least somebody knows what they are doing. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately considering our love of shopping, he didn’t retain any of his previous camping equipment so that meant we had to go out and purchase everything…from scratch. 

Finding the right tent was an arduous process with lots of research on the internet trawling through various camping websites and forums and watching many, many pitching videos on YouTube. We asked for as much advice as possible from as many people as possible and ended up with this beauty:

That's right, it is the Outwell Hornet XL from the smart air polyester tent collection and it is everything we wanted in a tent: spacious, practical, easy to put up and pack away and good quality.  We have a groundsheet and a carpet for it as well as all the other accessories we are going to need to make our camping experiences enjoyable and unforgettable.

We stumbled across a fantastic shop to purchase the tent and many of our accessories from called The Family Tent Shop http://www.thefamilytentshop.com/ they have showrooms in Guildford and Shepperton. We went to their Guildford showroom and found them to be extremely helpful , knowledgeable and quite reasonable.

So far I have only experienced the tent in our back garden and I fell in love with it so I can't wait to experience it on the camp site this weekend...