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?

New Year...New Adventures

We have entered into a new era of our camping adventures.  In January this year we purchased a VW California camper van.  When we went to see it in the garage we fell in love with it straight away.

We conducted a fair amount of research before purchasing and we found the VW California Club to be a fantastic and extremely useful source of good quality information and its members all seem to have a wealth of knowledge and experience of all things 'California.'  

What an amazing investment this has been so far and I can honestly say that I am amazed by how versatile and functional this vehicle is as well as being a lot of fun.

The day we picked it up we honestly considered sleeping in it on our driveway but managed to restrain ourselves until we took it away for our first adventure that weekend.  Instead we busied ourselves filling the abundance of storage space and adding a few personal touches to the interior.

We spent a lot of time pushing buttons and opening and closing things to find out how everything works and we had a few nervous moments putting the roof up and down as we had heard so many horror stories of the fabric getting caught in the roof mechanism but we plucked up the courage and were relieved at how easy it was to do.

Our first weekend away couldn't arrive fast enough and we definitely made the right choice booking a lovely small campsite just outside of Chichester called The Osiers where we had a hardstanding pitch and the place to ourselves!  There were some lovely country lanes for walking and a nice selection of near(ish) pubs (at least 15 mins walk.) We particularly enjoyed our lunch at the The White Swan in Bosham - very tasty food and well worth a visit.  It was a shame that we didn't have beautiful clear skies for the whole weekend but at least we were able to enjoy it for a few hours.

Things we learned on our first weekend away in the California:

1. Trying to fill up the water tank without a hose is pretty much an impossible task.

2. Spilling a large glass of red wine all over the interior is not the best way to start a weekend - the van is now called 'Rioja' (thank goodness we decided to have the van GuardX treated!)

3. The pop up roof can withstand some serious gusts of wind and heavy rain.

4. Two wet dogs (one of which is a not-quite-house-trained puppy) adds a lot of mud and fair amount of anxiety to the mix.

5. The diesel aux heater is amazing!

6. Getting lost on our morning walk and walking an extra 3 miles (in the pouring rain) to get back to base and then having to spend an hour washing and drying the dogs because you don't want them to get the new van dirty is exhausting/not fun.

7. Being able to plug in a hairdryer makes the task of drying the dogs much easier.

8. We don't need to pack the kitchen sink - we already have one ;-)

9. The fridge is surprisingly spacious and efficient.

10. The roof bed is very comfortable and sleeping up there is not as cold as we thought it was going to be.

This is only the beginning, there is so much more to learn and we are going to have a lot of fun (and maybe a few disagreements) along the way.

Fishing, Awning, Mud

We managed to fit in one last camping adventure of the season last year but we needed to be fairly close to home so we returned to Horsley Camping and Caravanning Club site http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/surrey/easthorsley/horsley  for some fun and fishing.

This was our second visit to Horsley so we were quite familiar with it and the kids were very much looking forward a fun weekend there.  They are especially fond of the playground and the indoor games room.  I was looking forward to it for two reasons: 

1. It was my birthday;

2. My husband had bought me the Outwell awning specifically designed for our tent as a birthday present.

My husband, the kids and the dog were already at the camp site with the tent and awning pitched up by the time I arrived after work.  The pitch was quite muddy though and so everyone was getting quite mucky and as I had the majority of the food and drink in my car everyone was pretty hungry and thirsty too!  We wanted to have an electric hook-up and with the last minute addition of our awning we had to camp in a slightly muddier part of the site than we had originally booked.  However, I quickly unloaded the contents of my car and got stuck into the unpacking.  

The tent was now enormous with the new awning and the extra space inside was fantastic.

After an early night we all awoke feeling much better and decided to do some fishing at the on-site lake.  We caught loads of fish, made some new friends and generally had a great fun day.

It was getting chillier throughout the day so after having hot showers and a nice warming dinner we all cuddled up under blankets in front of the electric heater and watched some television.

All in all a fun weekend but maybe a little too cold and muddy for us to enjoy it as much as did our last visit.  I have no doubt that we will be back though!

Gorgeous Pink Sunsets

After much deliberation we decided to go to the Cotswolds for the August Bank Holiday weekend.  We wanted to do something special as it may have been our last weekend of camping for the year and we didn't have the children with us so it was only going to be for the two of us and our dog. 

We found a beautiful camp site called Ashspring Caravan & Camping http://ashspringcaravancamping.co.uk/ which is located in Great Rissington close to Bourton-on-the-Water.  Ashspring used to only accept caravans and motorhomes but with their new toilet and shower facilities and expanded site they can now accept tents.  When we arrived on Friday afternoon we had a good selection of pitches to choose from but we were faced with two challenges: the undulating,  uneven ground which made it hard to find a suitable area large enough to accommodate our tent and the distance to the electric hook-up when we eventually decided on our pitch.  However, with a few adjustments we soon overcame these challenges and focused on settling in.

After exploring the camp site and a bit of the local area while walking the dog, we cooked a nice curry, poured a few glasses of wine and enjoyed one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ever seen. We felt like we were in paradise.

The toilets were perfectly clean, the showers were coin operated but not expensive and the washing up sinks were cold water only.  This may seem basic to some but we found it to be perfectly adequate.

The next morning started off quite cold but soon warmed up and so we set off with the dog for a walk to Bourton-on-the-Water.  It took us about 50 minutes to walk there but we do a lot of walking and this didn't seem like a long way for us.  We completely fell in love with the town and spent a very enjoyable morning there.  

There was a lovely sewing shop called The Bourton Basket which had a surprising variety of stock and I managed to get some needle and thread specifically for tents so that I could fix one of the hooks which had fallen victim to my step-daughter’s slightly clumsy touch!

We returned back to our tent in time for some lunch and then wandered over to the local pub for a few pints of the local ale.  The local pub was called The Lamb Inn, it was approximately 10 minutes walk from the camp site and it did not disappoint.  When we returned to the tent, it was time to relax outside and enjoy another wonderful sunset in this beautiful place.

The air started to become slightly chilly as the night drew in and so we were happy to call it a night, retreat into the tent, put a few blankets over us and cosy up in front of our electric heater while playing cards and listening to the radio.

On Sunday morning the rain came and we knew that apart from our planned Sunday lunch at The Lamb Inn (I had phoned the week before to reserve a table) we were going to be largely confined to the tent.  Two very wet adults and one very wet dog arrived at the pub for lunch but dried off in front of the fire and settled down for a luxury meal.  It was probably the best roast dinner we had ever had and the perfect way to round off the weekend.

I will always remember our weekend in the Cotswolds for all the happy memories, the wonderful camp site and for not forgetting anything!

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…