News from the campsite
APRIL 2024 - Opening Day!
The weather has been quite a theme over the last few months, and it really hampered set-up! Two weeks ago, there was a break in the constant rain, so up a ladder I went and treated all the buildings to a coat of Ronseal.
Our new addition this year is our glamping bell tent, which is looking beautiful, just the finishing touches to add before it is ready for its first guests next weekend. We have new fenced pitches, and alterations to the existing ones, to make the wire stay tighter.
The local area is looking beautiful now, with the Spring flowers full in bloom. The woods play host to a carpet of bluebells, and many different flowers can be seen in the hedgerows around the lanes.
If you've been following the blog, you will remember my lawn mower saga. James has now found the perfect machine. It is no spring chicken (but neither am I!) but built perfectly for the job. It is rear wheel steering which is taking some getting used to, and most of my straight lines are wiggly, so if your pitch isn't dead square, that'll be why!!
FEBRUARY 2024
Daylight is holding on for longer now in the evenings, and we have snowdrops, primroses and daffodils in flower. But still it rains! We are having some lovely spring-like days between the rainy days though, and it really feels like Spring is on its way. The campsite drains well, and a couple of weeks of dry weather will make all the difference.
On the campsite, we have now had a first tidy-up, and have started marking out our pitches for this year – not much change, but a few yards/metres difference for some roadways and pitches.
Soon it will be time to get the trusty lawn mower out of its winter hibernation and put it back to work. With the house/lawn and agility areas also needing to be maintained, the little lawn mower works hard, so we are looking out for a little compact tractor to share the load! I am learning about Facebook Marketplace, and have come to the conclusion that nothing is a bargain. I’m not sure how the same tractor (yes, a bargain!), with the same photo and description (new MoT – really?!!!) can be available from many different people in many different locations at the same time, but I think that’s how Marketplace works!! So I haven’t found my bargain yet, and am still looking.
Walking around with the dogs this morning, I took a little video – it is here on our new YouTube channel. Do subscribe to the Channel if you would like to see more – I’ll go out again around the rest of the site at some point soon.
JANUARY 2024
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Right then! .... Writing a blog (or anything much really!) is a new thing for me, so forgive me if I ramble!!
I wanted to give you an idea of what goes on here through the year, and also to give you a 'feel' for the site - it is difficult with photos and limited text on basic pages to put across what I want to! So this is where I talk to you!!!
Firstly, it has been SO wet here lately, and we are very grateful for a couple of days of sunshine. We walked up to the hills this morning - to the top and along the path to the right. It was beautiful up there, with the sun peeping through the trees. Unusually, we met someone - I was in my own little world, and it made me jump when someone said 'hello!' We were a couple of hours up there, and came back to a nice warm cup of hot chocolate!
We are well into planning 2024's camping season. Next year, we are adding two more fenced pitches. This will give us four in total, which will give us the opportunity to rest pitches when we need to, so that the grass doesn't get too worn out. We do this with our non fenced pitches, and it works well, ensuring pitches have chance to rest, especially important if a big tent has been sited for several days. Having 'spare' pitches also means that even if we are full, when you arrive, you should always have a choice of pitch.
The other exciting thing we are planning for next year is a bell tent which guests can just turn up and move into. When I've been camping, putting the tent up is something I have never enjoyed. When I'm on holiday, I just want to turn up and start holidaying straight away! So we thought if we had a tent all ready, decorated, and furnished with a comfy bed, it would take some of the holiday stress away - just think of driving in, parking (next to the tent or in the car park if you prefer), and relaxing. There will be a firepit on the pitch, and a picnic table just for your own use - and plenty of space besides. The bell tent will be sited on one of our existing pitches, but it will be made slightly bigger than our standard pitches. I cannot give you a photo as it isn't up yet, but it is a 5 metre Bell Tent Plus (it is here in its bag in front of me in the office!). One thing I like about this design is that the canvas reaches right down to the ground, to reduce the trip hazard that guy-ropes always present!
I've uploaded a few more photos on the gallery today. All our photos on the Website and Facebook page are our own (with a few from guests). We don't employ a professional photographer, as I feel they can give a 'false' picture of the site with clever filters and camera angles! So what you see is what you get - I am certainly not a skilled photographer!
Yesterday I spotted some daffodils just starting to pop up - a sure sign that Spring is on its way (yes I know a couple of months yet!!) - and it's always nice in January when the daylight starts to hold out just a little longer in the evenings.
That's it for now.