23 Oct 2011 - The Old Oaks: Glastonbury

We had booked a whole week off, so had arranged to arrive at The Old Oaks on Sunday 23 Oct and stay for 2 nights.  We had spent all day Saturday shopping for the last few items we needed:  a portable DVD player (purchased with my vouchers I had from work, so basically FREE!), a cabin heater from B&Q (£13.95 - bargain!), a picnic table (£19.99 from Go Outdoors), a gas stove with 12 bottles of Gaz (£9.95 from Go Outdoors for the stove and the Gaz was £6.99 x 2 (you got four bottles free if you bought 8).  We also bought two semi-inflatable mattresses, which should make the bed feel less firm and help to a better night's sleep.  £17.99 per mattress from Argos.  And the most important items - window reflectors - these fit onto the front and passenger windows providing privacy, warmth and most importantly, they reduce the amount of condensation that builds up during the night.  Even if you keep a window open, the windows end up steamed up - but these screens definitely slow the process down.  They were £75 for the main windscreen and two side windows. 

I brought along a couple of cushions from home to make it even more cosy and we thought we would shop on the way there - some thick, good quality hamburgers, chilli sauce, salad, bacon, flavoured water and some erm, wine.  Oh and some biscuits too.  For that cup of tea we would be having.  

We took the slow route to Glastonbury which included an amazing part of the journey, called the Zig Zag - a sharp downhill part of the road, which had several hairpin bends.  Wonderful stuff! 

We arrived at 2pm to be greeted by two smiling faces, a request for what newspaper we wanted for the morning (wowzer!) and instructions to follow the guy on a bike who would personally show us to our site.  There was a slight misunderstanding, as I thought they also provided awnings, but actually, they provided groundsheets for your awning.  Oh well.....awning to be added to the next shopping list, although this may take a while, as they're pretty expensive.  

The site was beautifully kept, with manicured lawns and everything provided for your every need.  The facilities even included separate shower rooms with their own private loo.  Now, that's MY kind of camping!  Whilst I don't really mind using cubicle loos, I do miss having a bit of privacy for when I need it.   


We settled in, placing our brand new table up and the chairs and were amazed (we're simple souls) at how easy the Gaz stove worked (didn't even need matches!).  


The kettle was put on and we sat outside, enjoying the peaceful countryside and the thought of 2 whole days on site.  We cooked outside whilst wrapped up warm and enjoyed having our dinner al fresco.  I washed up the dinner things and after another short walk with Foggy it was getting time to prepare for bed down for the night (it was about 9.30pm).

Using the cabin heater made a HUGE difference to our comfort levels.  Absolutely no chance of feeling cold now.  

We slept well and awoke fully at about 7.30am.  We got some condensation, but not nearly as much as before - and turning the fan onto 'cold' that soon cleared everything.   The overall weather temperature was mild, but it was becoming windy.  The forecast said rain was due in for 1pm, so we knew that we needed to get out pretty early.  


We enjoyed breakfast outside and got ready to walk up The Tor - on such a windy day, the peak made it almost impossible to stand up.  We took some amazing photos and then we decided to walk 3 miles into Glastonbury.  


We got back to the site by 1.30pm with a very tired Westie, who had done remarkably well given the amount of miles we had walked.   We were preparing lunch and suddenly the rain came.  So naturally, we ate inside Jean Claude and felt very cosy.  


However, the rain didn't really let up and the wind increased to 59mph gusts, making any chance of getting out impossible.  The rain continued to increase with intensity, so we stayed put watching Father Ted and dozing off.  


By 6pm, we decided that whilst we could sit it out and run to the facilities, considering we would be leaving the following morning, we decided to pack up quickly and start home.   I think that from now on, we will be looking for camps with club houses or restaurants on site - or better still, pubs with food within easy walking distance.  The Old Oaks was a fabulous site, but it was very much out in the middle of nowhere.  And yes, we could have packed up the van and driven off somewhere before driving back to site - but at the moment, this choice doesn't suit us.  We much prefer to get to places under our own steam.  


We managed to reach our local Waitrose by 7.50pm - in time to buy a vegetable curry.  Unpacking and cleaning Jean Claude can be done in the morning when the rain stops.  


Our second camping trip was far more successful - it's amazing at how much stuff you need.  But I honestly think we're there.  Just the awning now.  We shall be keeping a watch on EBay!

 Lessons learned on this trip?  Stowing away and easy access....vital!  Heat inside the cabin?  Also vital!  And privacy....we still have one more window to cover.  But all in good time.  


I wonder where we will be going next?  Between now and next Spring, we will probably be using Jean Claude for long days out.  The weather is just getting too inclement to experience the full joys of camping.  But we are loving every minute.

We really do have everything we need.  A sink, hob, fridge and vital storage cupboards.

One of my favourite times - cooking our evening meal under camp light on our new stove.

Foggy looking forlorn, wondering if we were ever coming back (we only went to do the washing up!)

15 Oct 2011 - Swanage: Ulwell Cottage Park

This is our first "proper" camping event.  A whole night away in Jean Claude.   We woke up on Saturday morning excited about the day ahead.  We deliberately chose a site nearby, just in case. 

We knew Swanage fairly well and had test driven a campervan nearby to Ulwell, so looked the details up on the web and booked one night's stay.  

The weather was dry, but cold.  We arrived on site and found the pitch was quite small and located beneath trees, which gave it far too much shade in the cold sunshine.  Across the pathway, were two tiny tents and I suddenly became aware of the hierarchy of camping.  It goes thus: 

The small tent owner is in awe of the big tent owner who in turn, is in awe of the 8 man tent with awning, who is in awe of the retro VW camper, who is in awe of the T5 Campervan who is in awe of the Motorhome who is in awe of the caravan in is in finally in awe of the Winnebago.  So the Winnebago rules.  In the UK these vehicles are rare, but they are something to behold. 

Anyway, back to us.  In the VW T5 Campervan called Jean Claude.  We weren't even sure how we should park in the pitch - vertical or horizontal?  To the left or the right?  Crikey....so many choices.  And we hadn't even unpacked yet. 

We chose the horizontal way of parking and started to unpack.  We immediately realised that we needed a small table as we could only eat inside the van.  Ah well.... another item for the shopping list.  We had our fishing chairs and located them in the corner of the pitch that still had sunshine.  But goodness, it was cold.  But we knew we would be cosy that night....

 We had brought along lots of cheese and rolls as well as bacon - but realised that we didn't really want to cook inside the campervan for fear of fat spits and the smell that may stay in the woolen lining, so we stuck to soup and lots of bread.  We didn't feel hungry at any time, but we know we have much to learn about varying our menu whilst away camping.  

We went for a walk along the Purbecks with Foggy and enjoyed the last of the autumn sunshine before getting back to see how the evening was going to turn out. 


Dusk soon fell and as the sun set below the horizon, the cold evening could be felt.  We sat inside Jean Claude and listened to the radio.  Perhaps a DVD player could be added to our shopping list?  Just for those cold or rainy evenings perhaps.  

8pm.  Still early, but we were bored and wanting some warmth and comfort.  Nothing for it, but to get the bed out (yay!).  We placed a duvet on top of the bed and had another duvet over us.  It was quite warm, but it still felt cold and slightly damp.  Perhaps a cabin heater could be added to our shopping list... 

 The bed was firm - in fact, a little too firm for me and I kept waking up throughout the night.  But there was plenty of room - much more room than I thought there would be.  

We woke early to find that every window was covered in condensation, so nothing else for it, but to open the windows and door and get some air in.  The morning was beautiful.  The sun was rising and the campers were already taking their dogs for a walk and making their way to the facilities. 

And whilst on the subject - wow!  They were kept immaculately clean and were modern and tasteful.  I couldn't be more happy to use them. 

 We had got quite cold so decided to pack up and make our way home.  Despite bringing along everything that we thought we needed, we still needed more items to make our camping visits more comfortable.  


Overall, we had really enjoyed our stay at Ulwell.  It was a good first start.  But we have a long way to go.  

8 Oct 2011 - Exeter: Welcome!

Having collected Jean Claude (Jean Claude Damn Van, geddit?) from its wonderful owner and builder from Exeter, we drove home full of plans about where we would go.  

We were virtually new campers - we had attended two wonderful Camping Meets in Gloucestershire, we were hooked.  I had spent a lifetime of avoiding the world of camping, simply because I believed I wouldn't be able to cope with the toilet blocks.  How wrong I was.  I embraced them and found out that they weren't scary at all. I mean, if you have to go, you have to go.  So long as the camp provided warm and clean facilities, that's all that mattered.  

So here are the tales of Jean Claude.  The places we visit and how we will become seasoned campers.