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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Around the Cadac with bunting, tealight chandeliers and fairylights on the EHU

922 replies

notwavingjustironing · 16/08/2011 12:56

Gawd, the minimalists will kill us.....

It was Someone Else's idea, all right?

Carry on where you left off, be it owls, bins, sharks, tins of vodka, karaoke etc. [grain]

OP posts:
MisSalLaneous · 18/08/2011 20:51

Hello all. What fab posts the last couple of days! Loving the photos, that dyac website (haven't actually cried laughing in a really long time!), and all other titbits in between! I skim read posts from work as had crazy week, but seems to have missed losty's kettle link - off to reread more carefully.

SeaShells, phew, glad you're safe. It must have been scary seeing the power of that water!

Not much news on this side, really. One thing I have enjoyed on the train home is "The art of camping" by Matthew de Abaitua. I'm only still in the beginning, but it's so funny, love it. I suspect my camping obsession might have spilled over into general lunch-hour chat, as my (lovely!) boss heard it discussed on the radio and surprised me yesterday with the Cool Camping Glamping book and this one! She's lovely and really brightened up what was one stressful week! Everything got done in the end, and I'm really looking forward to not working tomorrow!

Btw King, shout once you've got the photos of your tent up, I'm dying to see it.

Kingsroadie · 18/08/2011 21:17

I want a giant metal chicken! I loved that story...

Okay so I have uploaded one pic of The Emperor, but MN has resized it and it's a bit blurry. Also you can't see it that well as it's side on. But my Mac isn't coping with me trying to upload photos - I had to copy this one and save it from my FB page. It won't let me see all my photos to upload them when I click on library! And I am something of a luddite so can't see how to get them up - have tried clicking on all the options... Anyone have a Mac and can help?! So this might be all you're getting tonight Grin Sorry!

ReshapeWhileDamp · 18/08/2011 21:18

What, elipses are now particular to a specific individual? MN is mad. Hmm

Seashells, v scary weather. I have a friend camping this week at Eweleaze. Hope they're all ok, going to text her now.

Bramble, please say an Om for me at the shrine. [wunk]

Oh, and we are Chinooks a-go-go here, so feel free to come and admire the noisy buggers!

JetLi · 18/08/2011 21:18

Sal here is the kettle

JetLi · 18/08/2011 21:20

Kings - what is creating the HUGE phallus-shaped shadow?!??

YellowDinosaur · 18/08/2011 21:21

MissSal 'the art of camping' is in my Amazon wishlist! Might have to buy it...

lovecat pmsl at a big metal chicken on slubbers drive Grin[grain]!!! Even better than the Cerne Abbas hen on her lawn!! Grin very very funny...

Seashells Shock at that weather!!! Rubbish. Fingers crossed it calms down soon...

Filthy where in t'north are you? I'm in Newcastle.

I have had a lovely day with boys although no domestic goddessery at all! We went to soft play this am and had lunch there and then friends over and out with them this pm. Its been sunny here for a couple of hours and no rain so all good! Regretted the soft play decision as soon as I stepped out of the house actually as it looked grim from inside but was actually really warm. Boys weren't to be disuaded though and it is an easy option for me as I can have a coffee and read a book while they exhaust themselves. Friend I met up with is well into camping too so we spent much of the time salivating over icey teks that we both covet and her recent Cobb purchase Envy. I'm going to HAVE to get one!

Oh and I think I am going camping on my own with the boys on Sunday night! Depends on weather (currently looks good) and availibility at local campsites (have emailed Beachcombers in Northumberland) and also that I am well as brewing a cold now. No wine and some vit c and fingers crossed! Will just take our small 2-3 man pop up, duvets to sleep on and sleeping bags to sleep in and minimal stuff - camp cooker, fajitas and lardy breakfast stuff, picnic rug and outdoorsy play stuff. Fingers crossed - you have words with those rain gods please MissSal!

Kingsroadie · 18/08/2011 21:22

C'est moi! Sun was behind me. Or alaternatively, I intended to create a phallus-shaped shadow to amuse you all Grin

YellowDinosaur · 18/08/2011 21:26

cross posted kingsroadie (and others) - tent looks great!

MisSalLaneous · 18/08/2011 21:36

Yellow, buy it, it's funny. Amusing as so recognizable.

King, did you camp here?

Thanks for the link, JetLi. Sorry, I thought it was lost's link.

Kingsroadie · 18/08/2011 21:39

Have managed to work it out - no blurry ones now and several views!

MisSal - Ha - perhaps next time?

Kingsroadie · 18/08/2011 21:42

PS - I am now desperate for an iceytek after the coolbag disaster we had this time. Well, nothing actually went off but it was all warm and the "coolness" lasted approximately 5 minutes. No cold wine for us. I hate warm wine. The question is: can a 25l one fit a bottle of wine lying down diagonally? I think so, but ideally they would stand up. However, we were packed to the rafters (not sure how) without a 40L coolbox!

brambleschooks · 18/08/2011 23:56

[wunk] reshape.

Kings, that is a gorgeous tent. Now where have I seen prayer flags like that before? I m having the same iceytek dilemma of size, although with the state of the weather it may have to wait for next year.

lovecat · 19/08/2011 01:44

Fabulous tent, Kings :) And you need a winebag, not bottles (ie the inside of a winebox) for a smallish coolbox. Works a treat

Well, ladies, I have packed my kitchen box and lined up everything else in the hallway, in prep for playing Tetris in the car boot tomorrow. DH has promised me faithfully that he's coming home at lunchtime to fit the roof box back on again... he'd better do, or else the children are going to be very squashed on the back seat!

(re. the ellipses, apparently it's a sign of 'poor grammar' - that's told me, then! I just type like I talk... trailing off while my brain dis and re-engages....)

And I must tell you what happened this evening - a squirrel tried to steal my (precious) meths! For real (as DD would say)! I was in the kitchen and heard a noise outside in the garden. We've been getting a cat hanging about recently and at first I thought it was that, trying to get in the (disused and locked) catflap but the noise was a bit weird, so I looked out of the window to see this grey fluffy tail halfway under the firepit, moving like it was trying to pull something from under it.

I went outside, the squirrel bolted, and looking beneath the firepit bowl I found the half-bottle of meths that I thought I'd lost (which I think I mentioned way back on the original thread?). Apparently DH had put it outside a while back as he didn't think it was safe to have it under the sink. It was on its side so I stood it up and went back to cooking the tea.

Not 5 mins later, the noise is back again, so this time I went to the side door, which gives a better view of the patio, and there was this bloody cheeky squirrel again, wrestling the bottle of meths along the floor, gnawing at the lid of the bottle! WTF??? Confused

DH has just peeked over my shoulder (I was showing him the Old Spice 'I'm on a horse!' ad as he keeps missing it on tv) and commented that we must live in a super-skanky area if the bloody squirrels are on the meths! What next, a real live crack fox under the shed?

SeaShellsInTheMoonlight · 19/08/2011 06:16

Wow kings that tent is amazing! Looks fun :) I bet you had lots of rubber neckers Grin

SeaShellsInTheMoonlight · 19/08/2011 06:26

Grin a crack fox den-dodgy area Lovecat Wink

YellowDinosaur · 19/08/2011 07:01

pmsl at meths squirrels and crack foxes Grin

Ladies I am watching an outwell tent on ebay but apparently there is mildew in the bedrooms (no smell). Would you buy a tent in this condition and is there anything I can use to get rid? I am considering it as there is no way we can afford a new one at the mo but at the same time I don't want to waste money on a tent that is too grim to use! Have started a new thread on this for advice from others too boring to post here but your opinions would be appreciated!

JetLi · 19/08/2011 08:31

Hi all. Just packing for a weekend in Edinburgh whilst simultaneously feeding kids, making a shopping list for impending Morrisons trip and cleaning the house in case we get burgled.

Sal - it was losts kettle - just thought I'd save you the trouble of hunting through the thread [grain]

Kings - the tent is truly lovely Grin I can clearly see now on the non-blurry photo that the shadow is indeed you and not some giant wild cock that appeared on the site one summers evening to terrorise the holiday makers.

pmsl at meths-drinking squirrels.

Anyway, onwards and upwards - hope all have a fab weekend.

F1lthym1ndedvixen · 19/08/2011 08:46

lovecat - i overuse ellipses too and have done for many years (I predate DP by decades...)

yellow - not quite as far north as you; yorks! (but we have been stuck under a spiral of low grey cloud for EVER!)

ging to nosey at kings' tent pix now.

We actually have sunshine today - but forecast for the weekend is utterly grim. And we have been invited to a camping party in a field.....Hmm

F1lthym1ndedvixen · 19/08/2011 08:47

my lord Kings - that is a TENT!!

Kingsroadie · 19/08/2011 08:58

Haha - Glad you all liked it! Had lots of people commenting (asking if it's new or old) and the owner came up and said that everyone was mentioning it to her! Had one person ask to see inside.

Ah - wine bags - thanks lovecat - but do they now do decent wine in wine bags?! Grin The 40L would def be too big I think. And we tend to buy stuff every few days as we go (ahem - in spite of our large car and roof box!) Now just have to decide on the colour.

Love meths squirrels and crack foxes!

MisSalLaneous · 19/08/2011 10:23

Lovecat, you do know how to party - even the wildlife joins in! Grin

Ah, jetli, thanks. My brain's only in half attendance this week. Which says a lot as it's not exactly overeager at the best of times. Oh, on that note, I also do the ... . It indicated I'm deep in thought or leave my thoughts to continue into the abyss. If they think that is bad style, they should probably not meet me in real life as I seem to do that at the end of spoken sentences too. I think it's because we're deep and thoughtful. Obviously. [wunk]

Sooo, for those of you off camping this weekend, at least the weather here in London is lovely today, so hope it spreads to wherever you're going if not already there. Where you had the floods, I really hope everyone is ok and that life can return back to normal soon.

I'm looking forward to next weekend's camping at Nettle's place very much. It's been so long since I've actually camped that I might have lost the touch. Not that I'm convinced I had it in the first place, but hey. Then 2 weeks to Holland. Whoo hoo!

Kingsroadie, I need to show dh the extra photos you've put up now, looks so lovely and spacious. He was really keen on it last time, but I wasn't sure how easy it would be to pitch.

Kingsroadie · 19/08/2011 10:40

MisSal - can't remember if I mentioned how long it took to pitch it. It took 2 girls about 40 mins. (have mentioned it on another thread re Emperors). I had done a brief practice pitch beforehand which as you all know didn't go that well! (the instructions on the website aren't great we thought) but it was fine this time and took a lot less time than the family with the huge outwell next to us (seemed to take them about 2 hours with 4 of them)!

MisSalLaneous · 19/08/2011 11:24

Thanks, I'll let dh know. I almost had him persuaded that we should start looking on that Dutch ebay type site for De Waard tents, but then we saw it takes at least an hour to pitch, which killed my, well, pitch. The problem here is that we're now spoilt with the bell which only takes around 20 mins. He'll prob be fine with 40 though, being halfway and all that. As I don't actually do any pitching myself, except for hammering in the pegs, I'm going with what he wants on this one.

Kingsroadie · 19/08/2011 12:20

I think it would actually take less time as you got used to it - apparently the quickest belltent did it was 22 minutes I think! Good luck persuading...

MisSalLaneous · 19/08/2011 12:39

Thanks!