so who's going camping this weekend?

[millenniumfalcon]

where you off to? last trip of the year? have you learned anything new this season? what was your best buy? any first timers?

not been on a bank holiday before so i'm a bit nervous about that, not keen on busy campsites (d'oh!). were going to mid-wales so at least with all the rain the waterfalls will be looking pretty.

couldn't resist the chance to take our new canvas pyramid for another outing, i'm currently ignoring (slubber ) the prospect of what happens when we have to take it down wet...

we've got one more trip in september but that's a festival sans-kids [happy dance]. i've learned that getting organised further ahead takes away a lot of stress - my boxes of ktichen stuff and essentials are on standby and i've mostly packed the kids clothes already, yay.

i'm getting excited already, i luuuurve camping

We are off to the new forest in 2 hours, just waiting for dp to finish work.

5gomad.

We're off to Barmouth with some friends this afternoon.

It was our first time (well we've just been for the second time in 3 weeks...), we've learnt that we don't require a lot of facilities - but definately more than one very clean toilet (and sink) and a hot water tap somewhere.

Our best buys - either the gelert canopy or the cheapo bucket bbq (and the tent of course). I hate polyester sleeping bags and feel strangely sadddened at the sight of tents surrounded by windbreaks . Toilet paper essential!

Love the sound of a canvas pyramid

ive just came back from Anglesey after caravan camping (usually we do take our huge tent but we were renting the caravan off our friends as abit skint this year)...the weather hadnt been too bad as it been raining and it was sooooo windy (warm wind not cold) plus the sun was popping in and out. it was a bit wet but we had 5 days of fun!

Mullacott debrief....
well i have to say i thought the camp site was bloody awful. my opinion may be hampered by the fact we seemed to spend the entire weekend camped in a drizzly and very windy cloud. I'm sure it wouldn't have seemed quite so bad if it had been warm and sunny.
the site is positioned on the top of a hill with no protection from the elelments at all. if you were a ccc member you could pitch in field A (closest to the loos),but still didnt look that nice. was a long walk to the loo from field B and you'd have wanted a taxi from Field D! on the plus side, the freshly laid eggs were nice and the people who owned it were pleasant
new tent, however, is fab, loads of room inside for the wet weather, and the fat airics were comfy, when we could stay on them (sloping ground and sleeping bags).
anyway, was hot and sunny when we got home today and got the tent pitched, dried and put away in an hour!
conclusion... mullacott is only for the ddesperate.
ps. ds said he had a lovely day at the beach yesterday, despite the fact he had spent the afternoon playing in the drizzle.

We loved the location of our campsite - pondhead in the New Forest and coped without showers The toilets were stinky as they were just portaloos but they were ok.

The only let down was that being a bank holiday the idiots were out, gang of lads went on a stealing rampage which ended up in the police being called. Second night someone let of fireworks right above our tent, we thought the tent was going to catch fire

sorry to hear mixed reports from the weekend, hopefully the kids have still brought home happy memories

we didn't do very well with the weather, although we did see the sun briefly on saturday. happy to report the tent withstood it all, save a single drip, caused by toddler rubbing at the wet canvas i think. we did have to take it down running with water, but the drying is going better than expected (already damp rather than dripping) with the help of a heated airer and a couple of fans and several towels to mop out the puddles. still slight at thrifty

the site was an absolute gem though, so much so i'm selfishly keeping it a secret i'm afraid . it seemed rather more geared for caravans and walkers rather than family campers which made for a lovely peaceful time (for us, at least ). loads to keep the kids occupied onsite and nearby, plus a couple of pubs serving decent food 5 minutes down the road. best of all it had a drying room for clothes, coats etc. - outstandingly useful, it turns out, not least when a member of your party has recklessly decided that leaping like a mountain goat along perilous rocks to stand behind a waterfall is a good idea .

best of all we got the warmest welcome from everyone we met, lovely people

It was still lovely, dd being a horsey girl adored the new forest, she made some lovely friends and had a great time running about. Her highlight was falling in the river

lol @ falling in the river, none of us did, but it wasn't for want of trying (and we may as well have done, by the state of us at the end of the day)

We got back today too. The weather was terrible. Friday night was freezing cold and windy, not bad Saturday day or night but still cold and blustery. Yesterday however OMG. It was monsoon conditions the rain, the gales! We thought at 10.30pm last night we may have to pack up there and then because our tent was threatening to blow away thankfully it didn't and we survived. We were in dp's mum and dad's cheap tent which stayed dry in the sleeping bits but didnt have a skirt so the whole inside front section was soaking.

It was nice seeing our friends, the children had a fab time and I loved it too despite the weather. I like being outdoors, like sleeping in a tent etc. However next time Im buying a decent tent, getting inflate themselves airbed thingymajigs and one of those tent carpets, I need a little bit of luxury god dammit!

Oh yeah and ds2 was car sick on the way there, ten minutes before we arrived. He'd had spag bol.

Oh and how random is this sil was speaking to a lady in the toilet and on the Saturday night in the early hours this lady and her family was confronted by a naked welsh man in their tent! He was either drunk or on drugs but was incoherent so she had to ring the police. God knows where he came from or where his clothes had gone as he wasn't from our campsite!

Could have been a stag party joke that went too far

naked incoherent drunk/drugged welshman in tent. this happened to me too - he belongs to us though

motherducky: canvas pyramid on profile (post thunderstorm, during which i tried to reassure nervous 6 year old, whilst simultaneously edging her away from very tall very metal central pole )

eww at spagbol spew..that is the worst i think

Sal...i would have been weeping in my tent by 3am.

So...who is going away this weekend??

We are off to Dorset for a few days before school starts. Am hoping that my new bell tent, car rack and other paraphernalia will be here by then . Unfortunately I think I will have to do my first trip buntingless .

Sal it hasn't arrived yet. It is 'out for delivery' for today but so far a no show and they only deliver up to 8pm. Not sure I'll have time to put it up before we go away and I'm also not sure I'd have the bottle to pitch an untried tent outside the privacy of my garden! I do have a lovely new tarp and poles and a lovely comfy new chair to use in the event that I'm stuck with the tiny tent .