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Subject Topic: Our first real camping trip Post Reply Post New Topic
20/4/2015 at 10:44pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: None Entered
View Millerblade's Profile View Profile   Reply to Millerblade Reply   Quote Millerblade Quote  
Joined: 06/8/2014

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(Video on youtube of our puppy on our camping holiday also showing the campsite-just thought I would attach it to my post in case you wanted to see it :))

http://youtu.be/DO7DbFvGc0E

So I did it! I survived, and i.........LOVED IT!!!!!

3 nights!!! Booked 2 and paid for an extra night! As you know if you have read my other threads hubbys been trying to get me to go for nearly 11years camping, Ive always been too much of a home comfort girl, you know, worried where to plug my hair straighteners, can I have a shower so I can smell nice and shave my legs every day, that sort of thing! so far all he has managed was 1 night in a field for a big 30th b'day party of a very good friend of mine.

After many questions on here since we bought our Tent last year I have been trying to build up the courage to go and wait for nice weather. So Friday morning I booked Tattershall Lakes Camping site (recommendation from here!). Will do a separate site review for negs & pos.

We brought all we had on this trip which wasnt much but we managed, our tent, electric coolbox from aldi (which was brilliant), 2 old chairs, portable heater, little bbq, little single canister cooker, airbed, plates and cutlery and washing up stuff.

We do NEED a tent light, a kitchen stand and a new airbed. Added extras when we can avoid it will be a double cooker/another canister cooker, sleeping bags instead of a duvet, 2 new chairs (ours are falling to bits), then loads of extras i see every time I go into a camp shop and a bigger car!!!

First night we were really struggling without a table to put drinks on, bits and bobs etc... (And to play cards on at night!) so I went onto ebay and bought one for £10 less than 2miles from the campsite and collected from a lovely couple who explained the area :)

The campsite itself was lovely, also near 2 little villages, within 10mins drive. We drove into Lincolnshire on Sunday as well.

One thing I do know is EHU is essential for us camping. I like my phone too much and my heater and the electric coolbox was brill, i don't know how people cope without one unless they buy as they cook.

I didn't want to leave!!! What I enjoyed the most was NOT having to put makeup on, not having to do my hair, not having to worry my jeans were a bit dirty because the dog had jumped up and my legs, not having to worry that when I walked out of the tent my pj bottoms didn't match my hoodie!!! NONE of which i would do at home when I leave the house. Im probably making myself sound high maintenance but I'm not, I'm probably just too concerned what people who know me think at home where as camping was so relaxed! I could have stayed another few days!.........

Thank you for each and every one of you who have replied to my threads. Thank you for all the recommendations, the safety warnings (and never feel worried about patronising anyone with safety warnings, id rather someone tell me before each trip than never hear/read them!). Thank you, thank you, thank you!
http://youtu.be/DO7DbFvGc0E

Post last edited on 20/04/2015 23:04:26


20/4/2015 at 10:59pm
 Location: West Yorkshire
 Outfit: Concorde L & awning
View CatAndNett's Profile View Profile   Reply to CatAndNett Reply   Quote CatAndNett Quote  
Joined: 02/7/2012

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^^^Love this!!
Glad you enjoyed it

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March 2015 Aberford 1 night
April 2015    Skipton 3 nights
May 2015 Aberford 3 nights
July 2015   Lake District 7 nights
August 2015 Aberford 3 nights






21/4/2015 at 12:07am
 Location: Devizes Wiltshire
 Outfit: MWB VW Crafter PVC
View dk168's Profile View Profile   Reply to dk168 Reply   Quote dk168 Quote  
Joined: 19/6/2009

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Glad that you enjoyed the trip, and the puppy enjoyed hers too!

I must admit to being more relaxed about my appearance when I go camping, in that I seldom dry my hair using a hair drying, or apply much hair spray, like I normally do at home even at weekends.

I just let the hair dry naturally and without using any styling products on it, as I do not see the point due to the need to wear either a hood because it is raining, or a hat when it is sunny.

I find camping very relaxing as I do not have a fixed schedule to do anything at a particular time, except perhaps to be certain to get up early enough to use the facilities block before it is closed for cleaning; or do the washing up before the night time noise curfew.

I had only camped once without EHU which was my first ever camping trip as part of a car rally with my late partner.

I made some food, including desserts containing raw eggs, and took them with me in an electric cool box.

Although the thermal-electric cool box would work and the food stayed cool while hooked up to the car when I was driving, I had to rely on ice blocks to keep the food chilled once I had parked up.

I worried about giving peeps upset stomachs in case the food did not chilled between 2 to 8 deg C.

Hence I made sure I had EHU after that trip, to be certain that I can keep food chilled in a thermal-electric cool box during the entire camping trip.

I shall be upgrading my trusted cool boxes eventually to a better one - one that can cope with higher ambient temperatures about 26 deg C, as my current cool boxes can only chill to 18 deg C below the ambient.

As for the gear list, it has undergone many revisions since I started to go camping in 2006, and I can finally say I have reached my tent set up nirvana.

I am not buying anything else except for replacement purposes, except for a better cool box as already mentioned; and a tent with significantly less number of pegging points to make set up easier.

Have fun with revising your gear list and for shopping for more gears.

Looking forward to ready about your next trip.

DK

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21/4/2015 at 9:46am
 Location: Suffolk
 Outfit: Karsten Lacerta
View DebbieSaunders's Profile View Profile   Reply to DebbieSaunders Reply   Quote DebbieSaunders Quote  
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I could have written this myself! I was never a camping person, the idea of not having my own toilet, and sharing facilities with complete strangers.....

We went to CarFest a couple of years back, and really enjoyed it (even the camping part), but thought no more of it really. Decided to go to the MotoGP last year and arranged to borrow my sisters tent again, but then after our holiday to a 5* all inclusive resort in Egypt, decided that so wasn't us. Normally we hire a house in France, but decided to have a package holiday for a change. Laughingly I said perhaps we should buy a tent.....

That was it, we considered it more thoroughly, I dragged him along to Go Outdoors and a couple of camping shops, he was as keen as me on an inflatable. So madly bought one end of last season, 2 days before the MotoGP and didn't need to borrow my sisters tent after all. Since then we've done a weekend in Suffolk (with my sister), and started the additional purchasing that we didn't have to begin with, i.e. carpet, footprint, sun canopy (hurrah!!), new chairs, additional stove, table, stacking pots/pans, EHU, mobicool.....

Now just need to find some time to have a trial run with all the kit, because we're really not sure how we're going to get it all (and us and clothes) in the car!!

We've booked two weeks in France in August, two centres... and MotoGP again as it's at Silverstone and not Donnington!


21/4/2015 at 5:16pm
 Location: North Herts
 Outfit: Monterey4 Cabanon E
View bridgeywidge's Profile View Profile   Reply to bridgeywidge Reply   Quote bridgeywidge Quote  
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I'm so happy you had a great 'first time' and enjoyed all the informality and general laidbackness that camping allows. I like being a bit feral for a change although it's best to have the right clothes for the weather and comfortable dry footwear!

I think you did it the right way - have a few basics, and now you are working out your 'need' list, compared to a 'want' list - the latter will never end and constantly evolve...

Brilliant solution using ebay in the the area you were staying!

Here's to many more happy camping times.

-------------
Do campers 'peg it'?


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21/4/2015 at 11:15pm
 Location: Cumbernauld Scotland
 Outfit: Monty 6Icarus 500 Halo 300
View jelboy53's Profile View Profile   Reply to jelboy53 Reply   Quote jelboy53 Quote  
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I really enjoyed your report....and the video also....Sounds like your hooked on camping....so we can expect more reports in the future.....

Jelboy.

-------------
Campers of the storm,Into this world are born

Some days are Diamonds...Some days are stone...


22/4/2015 at 7:12am
 Location: Cleethorpes
 Outfit: Dandy 6 & too many tents!
View UpTheMariners82's Profile View Profile   Reply to UpTheMariners82 Reply   Quote UpTheMariners82 Quote  
Joined: 17/4/2015

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As we are just converting from tents to folding camper, I am about to start offloading a lot of our tent furniture- we have kitchen units, wardrobes, lights, EHU, porta Portu etc. not sure on final list yet. If you are fairly local to us you are welcome to come & rummage and make an offer on anything you would like.


22/4/2015 at 7:17am
 Location: North Wiltshire
 Outfit: Elddis & 3 tents
View RTS5's Profile View Profile   Reply to RTS5 Reply   Quote RTS5 Quote  
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Lovely video, great way to do a site review. What a cutie Penny is



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