Caravans, Fires, Dogs and Babies!

It was Friday night after a long week at work, it was dark, it was forecast to rain and we really did not want to go all the way to Dorset. Hols and Mark had finally found somewhere that accepted caravans, babies, dogs and would let us have a fire. Everyone else had bailed. Even Mum said it was a tough call.

We had a quick debrief pint at home and we made our way to Meadowview campsite in Horton, Dorset. When we got there it was great and we got a fire going and had some smokes and drinks around the fire.

Saturday was filled with yummy breakfasts, fun walks, mushroom picking, run away dogs, a few little temper tantrums, some yummy soup and some family fun at Corfe Castle. The weather just about held for the day but at night, the rain clearly won resulting in cards in the caravan rather than anything over the fire.

In the morning, lured back into the woods by the temptation of more mushrooms, me and Tim made a quick pit stop before heading home where another bag of Paul Covneikis were to be found, amongst starry grass and hyper birds creating the most magical woodland morning walk.

Camp Wedding Debrief

This weekend had been in the diary for a long time - back in the days before any of us were married. JC and Sambo, being the camping trooper experts they always are were not put off in the slightest by the rain.
We headed to Bedgebury as the weather did look nicer than The New Forest and we could pay a visit to Bedgebury Pinetum and cycle through the awesome trees.

On Friday it rained. A lot. Sam and JC took advantage of a 10 minute rain free window to put their tent up whilst they waited for us to arrive. Waky kept us safe and warm for the night though and we all feasted on Prosecco, crisps and Dahl.

On Saturday, after breakfast, urged to make a move by the ever threatening weather, we headed to the Pinetum. Mine and Tim's breakfast refused to settle and we weren't without inconvenient stops and scares all the way there! 

The cycling was awesome and we nailed the red route and were back just in time to dodge the rain.We headed back to camp, showered, took cover in Waky for a beer and then sought another window in the rain to cycle to our local. After a few pints, some nuts and crisps we headed back to camp to feast on other goodies over a campfire.

Another cracking weekend with our bestest camping mates.

R&R in Petersfield

Having missed Shambala festival, being really ill,with some horrible virus, we were determined to get out for at least a night. We managed to get as far as Petersfield and had some beers in the evening sunshine and made friends with some horses. We ate beans and I started a macrame owl. Just about all we could muster for this weekend!

Sambo & JC's Wedfest

After nearly 2 hours of pleading and hoping and spraying of Waky's wheels with WD40, his seized brakes finally gave way and we managed to reverse him out of the garage. We were once again close to having to camp somewhere without the Wackster. I think a trip to the garage is needed.

However, we did make it and got to Marsh Gibbon only a little late. The afternoon consisted of games and catch ups with loads of their friends whom we hadn't seen for ages. And making new friends too.

After a veggie dinner of vegan burgers and some sneaked in vegan cheese slices, it was time to get our dancing shoes on and party the night away. Although lerg had reared it's nasty head not leaving much energy left needed for the Timewharp or Beat It. The lerg can definitely beat it.

Sam & JC looked amazing. Happy wedding guys!

Honeymooning

After the epic wedding festivities of the weekend we were ready for a week of chilled camping. On sunday a bunch of us headed to Beacon Hill Touring Park in Poole where we drank left over Prosecco, opened presents & cards and took polaroid pics!





On Monday morning, Ads, V & Stefan headed back to Godalming and Hols, Mark & Dylan made their way to Durdle Door for the day before then heading home. Me and Timbo decided to stick to the original plan and headed off to Burnbake where we settled down for a few days. We took the bikes on an awesome ride to Lulworth code, baked sweet potatoes, looked through photos, had lie-ins, breakfasted in hardly any clothes, cycled to beaches, escaped from storms, burnt some signs, jimmy, and made mushed potato.

A drizzly wednesday made choosing a place hard. We stopped in Blanford Forum where we bought the feather duster I've always wanted and some vegan bits from Morrisons including some amazing split pea soup. We then found a campsite which was a bit like someone's back garden, but we hid ourselves away under an oak tree, played frisbee and cooked up burgers.

The next day we wandered through the town of Verwood where we found some vegan cheesey crisps in an organic food shop where the guy told us drinking milk is bad because it can be combined from multiple cows?! We then bought the ingredients to try to make vegan ravioli. We headed to the pre-booked site of Grungy Wingefarm but were immediately put off by the rules, not being able to have a fire and being placed next to the bins, so we legged it and let Waky decide where to go.

Waky took us to Shaftesbury, to a remote, wild site at the foot of town. Beautifully simple and only a short ride from town.We headed up the hill, bought some beads, discovered the wonders of the freezer section of Holland and Barratt and had a pint, overlooking Waky down in the Valley. At the bottom of Golden Hill we grabbed another pint and that was where we decided to extend the honeymoon and follow the sunshine east for the next few days. In the meantime though there was football to play, bikes to ride, ravioli disasters to be had, crisps to munch and sunsets to watch.

We woke up to rain but efficiently packed and were on the road to East Sussex in no time. We found a great campsite near Battle and went for a mooch to the local, finding horses on route. The next day, we headed to Bedgebury Forest for some amazing mountain biking fun and 2 hrs of red runs just before the rain started. A clearer evening meant we could return to the local, find more horses and then Tim made the most scrummy dinner of green soup, with mushy potato and even mushier cauldron falafels - a definite enhancement to our lives.

I pulled back the curtains of Waky on the final morning of our honeymoon, my birthday, to see a view of some beautiful puffies illuminated in the morning sunshine and a gentle mist overlaying the campsite. I couldn't have woken up happier. Then a birthday breaky in bikini and some macrame making filled the last few hours, before Tim drove us back to make lunch in the Cricks with all the gang.