If you are a complete wuss like me then no matter how enthusiastic your friends and partner are then DON'T do it :o
Just back from a weekend of camping in the New Forest with hubby and a couple of mates. Days were fine, but I totally froze overnight, even with 2 pairs of trousers on and 7 tops and a thick coat. Not even boozing at the pub made it bearable, cause the booze warmth wore off after a while.
However the forest was lovely at this time of year, and we were 1 minute away from where some wild ponies were. Just a shame I was too tired to really enjoy it. I hope my photos turned out ok, I'll try and post some later today.
Did you have one of those foam mat things under your sleeping bag?
Me - have put up a tent while it was snowing - was Easter 1998? and it was lovely and cosy.
My friend Jim, who has an allotment on our site - he goes walking with some mates - they wear the full gear with water/windproof - and wonder why they are wet when they reach the top of the hill. Jim - he wears just his t-shirt and shorts.. and changes into dry clothes as the top. He also said that he wears as little as possible in a sleeping bag, but keeps the clothes in the bag with him so they are nice and warm to get dressed into.
When Ava used to do his rock climbing and mountaineering expaditions he used to camp in frrrrreezing conditions and I don't think he ever felt the cold. Me, I get cold in a centrally heated house, with socks and slippers on, and the electric blanket on in the bed! I have to have my bath water scalding hot, Ava can't bear it, so hot in fact I tend to go all light headed when I get out, and I have to eat my food and drink my coffees whilst they are still hot enough to burn my lips! I think some people really feel the cold, others don't. Thin blood, thick skin....dunno, my mum says no sense no feeling! hehehehe. Glad you had a good time, even if it were a chilly time. Can't wait to see some pics!
I can sympathise -we're off sailing over half term (weather permitting) -West Indies, or Woodbridge? The second unfortunately. Mrs D. was talking about fan-heaters and extra sleeping bags. I haven't told her we're anchoring up and it's a bl**dy long swim to the nearest electric socket -never mind what happens when you turn it on ;D
I'll be cuddling my Woolie Bear!
Jeremy.
I did that once, camped out a couple of night s in October. Never again though.
Wasnt even in a tent! There was a logistics mess up and muggins me had to sleep in his car!
Beleive me trying to get a good nights sleep on the back seat of a rover 200, in October, with no heating, is no fun at all.
No, i'd much rather camp out in summer (if at all).
EJ I think I must be a bit like you and feel the cold. Feel like a real wimp though. Went camping in July last year and had a great time though, so I'm not a complete wimp.
Multi, we had one of those airbeds and a big quilt and each other, but were still cold. I spose sleeping bags would have kept the heat in more.
The computer has been a pain for anything other than the internet so the photos may take a day or so for me to get them posted on here.
The campsite was really nice though, lovely spot, nice shower and loo block, a couple of hundred yards to the pub (I think the pub owns the campsite).
Was that the Red Shoot camp site, perchance? The only one I know of in the new Forest owned by a pub.
Been there a few times, it's a great campsite, and a great pub. Thought they were getting too big for their boots on their charges this year though, so found another one.
Moggle - You are utterly, utterly insane. But I suspect you knew that already!
I haven't been camping since I was 14 (gawd - that's half my lifetime ago!) And then it was in mid-summer and it was still horrid. Well - I love sleeping under canvas, but not on cold ground. I love cooking dinner over a camp fire. But not peeing in a chemical toilet. I love spending evenings watching the stars and wild animals, but not being unable to wash.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Moggle, It was around 1980 when I was slung out of the hotel I worked as a chambermaid on the Isle of white.. flat broke and spent the night in an old railway carriage, a worker there said it was okay and bless, he gave me his coat.
Sue
xxxx
Don't think, when I started camping, we used chemical loos - I remember a cesspit...
When our girls were young we went camping in a trailer tent, one of our favourite camp sites was Port Eynon Gower. We camped during the holiday period for several years along that peninsular, they loved it. 8)
I think the last time we camped there was when a pleasure cruiser ripped out the bottom of the ship on rocks because he was too close to the shore and ran a ground, :o probably rubber-necking looking at my daughters sun-bathing on the beach. :o;D
Roy. ;D ;D ;D
Speedy, yes it was the Red Shoot campsite. And I can highly reccomend it, it was one of their beer festival weekends, live music etc. Just wouldn't reccommend it when it is cold. I think there's a discount at this time of year though. :-\
Yes Aqui, I know I am insane. I hate the chemical loos and not washing part of camping, so I would only camp somewhere where there are loos and showers. Not proper camping I am sure, but it makes it bearable. Our mates had a lot of kit, camp stove, picnic table, big tent. I'm sure it would have been prefectly lovely in warmer weather.
Roy, where is Port Eynon Gower? I am by no means put off camping, and Mr M and I think we might buy a decent tent next year and give it another go - just in warmer weather. :)
Moggle, I will only camp a 45 min drive in any direction from our house, the reason being that if the weather is awful, we can leave the tent there and come home! ;D Last year we did a long weekend with friends,( I tried to put forward a good case for leaving, hot bath, Chinese Takeout etc. but was over-ruled!) and it was the coldest wettest weekend of that whole glorious summer, I went to bed fully clothed, with a woolly hat on, in a double sleeping bag, with 2 rugs on top and was still freezing! :o All the kids spent the evening in the car, whilst us adults tried to brave the rain cold etc! Next day we took the children to the cinema just to warm them up ;D Never again were my parting words as we packed up a soggy tent and irritable kids! But we still do! ;D DP
Moggle, Port Eynon is almost at the tip of the Gower Peninsular, you have to go through Swansea then Mumbles, the G P is approx 26 miles long by 16 miles wide. I have attached a few links below one of them must have a map. ;)
It’s a lovely unspoiled place (although I am going back 20 years) pony’s running wild on the moors etc. :)
We had many years of happy camping the kids thoroughly enjoyed it and me I thought the excitement was intents. ;D
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/results.asp?region=Wales&county=West%20Glamorgan
http://www.gowersociety.welshnet.co.uk/
http://www.the-gower.com/villages/Porteynon/porteynon.htm
I always build a fire[ ;)/b]