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Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 19/1/2011

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It depends where you are going. Certainly the Dordogne can have cool nights even in mid summer so a fan heater could be an idea. You would need ehu of at least 8-10amps tho.

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We took a fanheater on our Eurocamp tenting holiday a few years ago, and blew the electrics when we plugged it in.  We had to unplug the fridge after that if we wanted to plug the heater in. Ditto with eurocamp vans, I think they have them on a miniscule amount of ampage.

We camped in Eurosites and Euorcamp tents when the kids were little.  Once went in September when  it was quite cold however we just used the camping cooker rings for warmth. I know this is generally not advised in standard tents but the cookers have four rings so throw off quite a heat and the tents themselves are large enough to cope with condensation and also easy to get out of in the event of a fire. 

I would take extra fleece blankets rather than a heater and we have had plenty of hot camps in these tents too. 

You may want something to wrap up in on your chair outside at night if going in the chilly months though.  Again a fleece or spare blanket does the trick.

I would only worry about a porti potty if you have little ones or oldish bladders.

Quote: Originally posted by Benski on 19/1/2011

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Early camping experiences.... now that's an interesting thread. I can remember hitching around Cornwall, 2 of us squashed into a one-man tent, pitching on cricket pitches in the dark, waking up with the tent covered in slugs, pretending to be foreign when hostile cricket man approached us, pitching in the dark in what must have been the Land's End Car Park and then waking up in a big puddle with my canvas rucksack saturated with rainwater. Happy Days!

Back to the safe, middle aged days of the Eurotent.... thanks so much for your posts. We are all really looking forward to it.

Any more early camping experiences would be fun to hear about.

Benski X

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My first ever proper camping holiday (in Britain) was with a boyfriend, who had an old Austin (round-bodied type, pale colour, like this one) and we took a borrowed tent.  This was in 1967. 

Our first night was near Gretna Green, the campsite was on a hill - we were at the bottom, and it rained torrentially.  We were literally lying in muddy water - and got up eventually, nearly drowned, and went to sleep in the car.  In the morning everything was wet through and muddy, us, the tent, our luggage, sleeping bags, and of course the inside of the car where we'd slept in wet clothes.   We had such a row that I took off my engagement ring (you did it young in those days) and threw it away.  It took ages to find, but bless him the boyfriend kept looking until he found it!

We packed everything away, and drove to Glasgow where we found a launderette in the Gorbals area, and washed and dried everything.  Then we went to into the centre of Glasgow, where in those days there was a public bath (my recollection is that it was in, or near the railway station).  We had a bath each and I can still remember how wonderful it was - hot, deep, and you were given fluffy white towels!  Bliss, and I think only at that point did I warm up.  Our holiday continued - but the camping didn't!  We stayed the rest of the fortnight in bed and breakfasts in various places around Scotland.

The second was just the opposite - we did a Thompson's Wanderer Holiday  (anyone remember them?) to the Greek Islands - and took a tent.  It would be in 1975 I think.  Our first night was in a campsite just outside Corfu town - in a nylon tent, and it was so hot as soon as the sun came up (about 4.00 am) that we just boiled up!!!  We decided camping was not the thing in such heat, and spent the rest of the time 'wandering' but sleeping in guest houses instead of camping.  We had a great time, though, and had a second Wanderers holiday the following year when we went to Crete - but without the tent.

I didn't do any more 'camping' holidays, until our first Eurocamp holiday in 1980 - and after that we never looked back - and have camped or caravanned every year since!