Like a lot of people we know we've camped with the children a number of times; when you have little ones there's nothing more satisfying than being able to let them roam in safety while you relax and watch the sunset. So when we discovered that quite a few of our friends from school hadn't been camping, and certainly not with their kids, we set out to change that and show them the upside of sleeping under canvas (or nylon these days). The only caveats were that we had to eat well, the toilets had to be clean and, most importantly, a camp-fire had to be available.
With that in mind we looked around and discovered Town Farm just a little way up the M1 near to Ivinghoe (of beacon fame). We've long used Cool Camping as our pointer towards great sites and the write-up for Town Farm was enticing enough for us to get on the phone and discover that they had space for all of us on a summer's weekend. Come Friday afternoon then 4 or 5 car-loads of excitable individuals set off in glorious anticipation only to get mired in the tail-back from hell and arrive, eventually, with a gale blowing across the valley. Nevertheless we persevered while the ankle-bitters ran around and soon enough it was time to relax:
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| Call this a brai? I've seen bigger ones on my windshield! |
In time-honoured fashion it took longer than expected to get everything cooking (such is the cost of outdoor cuisine and no reflection on the chef) and the sun slid beneath the horizon; at which point our gaggle of children melted into the darkness and we began some serious socialising. As might be expected though from a group of Muswell Hill parents the grub, when it materialised, was rather excellent and well worth the wait. Replenished we opened a few more bottles of red, popped some corn on the fire and looked around for ways to amuse ourselves. You tell me what's more entertaining than a Chinese lantern in the pitch dark?
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| Big kids at heart |
After an evening like that I slept like the dead and even the children went against all expectations and didn't surface until a reasonable time. Result! This happy outcome meant that we could all enjoy a leisurely breakfast embracing the fruits of the land - or Waitrose at least:
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| Croissant or banger - too much choice! |
By now well into brunch territory we all settled back to enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air. What else is one to do in the middle of such scenery?
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| Getting some rays, man, getting some rays |
Oh yes, I remember, we should have been heading out on a bracing, pre-lunch hike through the glorious English countryside. So we did. Up Ivinghoe Beacon, along the Ridgeway and then down around Incombe Hole. The views from high up were tremendous, to say the least, and reminded me of just how blessed we are in this country. Even the nippers seemed to enjoy themselves taking the opportunity to rush ahead, en masse, and forge a path for the lackadaisical adults left behind.
After this all that remained was to eat that which could be eaten, take down anything that could be taken down and generally escape back to a hot bath and Egyptian cotton sheets. Still if the tired but happy faces of our cherubs were anything to go by the weekend camping trip was a great success - and a whole lot easier than hosting a camping party in your own home! As for next year - watch this space.
(Album photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/102320273656303959820/CampingParty?authuser=0&feat=directlink)