outdoor fun

Our first ‘guest post’!

/ embraceyourinnergoat / Leave a comment
In case you’re bored of hearing from us, here is a ‘guest post’ written by a blog follower and camping friend:
“Saw on the blog you tried out a new campsite. So did we!
We went to Warbleton Farm
Apart from lots of rain and hence mud, it was really good. The lady running the camping bit of the farm was friendly and helpful. It’s the most off-grid camping we’ve done yet – not even a tap in sight!
The website describes a few rules but these seem to be red herrings – having gotten there, they’re very relaxed. It said no cars next to pitch – but you can (although we chose not to leave car there – drove down, unpacked then went and parked up hill near road for fear of getting stuck in mud. Camping lady came and gave us a lift back to car with all our stuff in her Land Rover).
All pitches have a nice picnic bench and fire pit with BBQ Grill. We bought logs and kindling – which were huge, plentiful and dry (so burnt well).
We stayed in the bell tent (as no car big enough to lug all our camping gear plus dog at the moment… plans to change that in near future) near which were two other separate pitches, but both were vacant.
If you fancied trying it I would recommend Oak #1 – It is flat, just by the stream (has a rope swing if you’re into that sort of thing) and has loads of space either to spread out and relax or could accommodate a group booking with multiple tents easily.
Seemed to be under Gatwick flight path, so quite a few planes but not too intrusive.  Virtually no phone signal.
No showers on site. An eco/compost toilet for each pitch (not shared). For hand washing, a bucket of water and some hand wash and anti-bac alcohol stuffy were provided. Two huge water carrier thingies were provided for drinking water, but I’m sure if you needed more you’d just need to ask.
Short walk (20 minutes ish) to a pub that does brilliant food (The Black Duck). Not aware of any shops within easy walking distance.
I’m pretty sure we’ll be going back there at some point.”
Think we’ll have to take up his recommendation sometime… but for now we have a new campsite of our own to try out this weekend.  Will let you know how we get on.
L & R

The real tents are back!!

/ embraceyourinnergoat / 2 Comments

The real tents are back…

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our tent set up at Barefoot Campsite

I know you’re keen to know about the new campsite we tried out last weekend.

It certainly scores well in terms of an attractive setting…

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sunrise

Situated in a bend of the river Thames in Oxfordshire, Barefoot Campsite certainly is pretty.  We were fortunate to have riverside pitch. Somehow the white noise of the weir was oddly calming, distracting us from the normal campsite sounds of what was a pretty busy campsite.

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View from our pitch

And not only can you enjoy the view of the river, you can swim or kayak too.  We hired kayaks from the campsite and paddled upstream to the pub for a drink.

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Kayaking on the River Thames –

This is a well organised campsite, but unfortunately that means it comes with quite a lot of rules!  They were enforced in a friendly manner, but I was asked to alter where I’d pitched my gazebo and move my car 6 inches to the left (someone over-estimated my ability to park with any degree of accuracy!!).  The booking process was hard work and for a campsite that is clearly fully booked every weekend of the summer, they could do with more toilets…but they get away with it, as it really is a beautiful location!

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sunset (over other people’s tents)

 

See how we scored it!

L

 

 

Gazebos #1

/ embraceyourinnergoat / 5 Comments

Following our recent experiences, we have lots of opinions on gazebos & we thought we’d write you some posts to share them!

Things to think about when purchasing a gazebo

  • Wind is the enemy of gazebos!  Look for a design that will stand up well to the wind, both in terms of a good pegging arrangement so it doesn’t blow away and a frame with some flexibility in it, so it isn’t damaged if it bends a bit.
  • It’s a pain to have to keep ducking to get in and out.  And particularly if you are a tall goat you want to be able to stand up straight inside.
  • They are always smaller than you think!  Before we purchased, we marked out the size in our back garden and placed chairs around in a circle to see how many people we could fit in.  Would be sad if you were the goat left out in the rain!!
  • There are different levels of waterproofing available.  If you are after something that’s tough and hardwearing, look into this.
  • Doors/sides. In the UK the rain doesn’t just come down – sometimes it’s horizonal!  The option to be able to add a door or a side can mean that you are able to use the full area of your gazebo in the rain.  It is also useful to shelter from the wind.
  • Gazebos can be quite a challenge to put up – a 3-dimensional jigsaw requiring several people with Mr Tickle length arms to complete!  If you are going camping on your own, or if your fellow campers are child-sized or arriving later, an inflatable one could be a good option.
  • Some gazebos have floor straps which are trip hazards, watch out for this.
  • Ok we admit it, we have become camping snobs.  But if you’ve got to look it all day you don’t want it to be a jarring colour – tan, grey, pale green are all acceptable.  Blue, red, multicolour are not.  Feel free to disagree, but just don’t pitch up next to us & spoil the view!!
  • Light attachments. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it is lovely to be able to attach the fairy lights to the gazebo!!
  • They are expensive, so think about your purchase carefully!

R & L