My first taste of camping

   So the conversation around the dinner table turned to our fast approaching long weekend away.A whole four days in Somerset just the hubby and I.We discussed the places we were to visit and what we would like to do. I'd searched the net for What's On and mentioned the amount of camp sites within the area.

Now I've never camped but the hubby has.The teens and myself listened intently while he spent the next few hours recalling some of his childhood trips.I was intrigued and later that evening approached the subject of camping.To cut a long story short we decided to add another night to our four day break,only this was to be in a tent.I was going to camp.

I was overwhelmed by just how many sites there was to choose from.Then trying to work out all the symbols and pricing.In the end I just rang one and spoke to a dear old lady.It was done we had booked for one night.

Now the search for the two man tent that had been bought for the children to garden camp years before.Hubby inspected it and said it would do it wasn't great but yes it would do for one night.No point buying a new one in case I decided camping wasn't for me.

Before we knew it the day had arrived,we set off from the luxury apartment sat nav at the ready.I'd been looking forward to our little basic camp but was getting nervous.Now I'm not a great fan of sat navs and we had been traveling for sometime when eventually half way down a country road miles from what seemed like anywhere,it announced we had reached our destination.
Looking around we could only see what looked liked someone's back garden.Deciding that this couldn't possibly be it we drove on and on to nothing.

So before world war 3 could erupt we pulled into the nearest garage."Sorry never heard of it" was the response after waving around the campsite address.Back to the car and the what now look from the hubby.We decide to stop at the next site we come across surely someone knows where it is.As hubby finds somewhere to park, I dash into an all singing dancing site complete with security box (empty)
after wandering around for a good ten minutes and not finding a soul, I casually use the first class facilities and promptly leave.Back to the car and the now impatient hubby, mumbling" Sorry dear they didn't now either".Let's try the sat nav again. OK so we ended up at our first destination and sure enough it was the correct site complete with dear old lady.

We were shown to our pitch and paid our fee.To be asked" did you find us alright"? the granddaughter has decided to change the name of the site when she was updating the web page but didn't think to tell anyone.

The reason I had initially chosen the site was due to camp fires allowed.No running hot water or showers.One toilet.We've just had four nights of luxury how hard can it be.

Hubby set about pitching our little tent, it looked lost in the sea of huge polyester tunnels either side of us.I collected some wood from the huge pile that was free to burn and we set about making our tea.Jacket potato and beans with a side of garlic mushrooms.Delicious and worth the wait.

Bedtime is approaching and even though the stars are shining down the fire is all but out and I'm feeling the cold.We crawl into the tent and immediately start to giggle realizing that in our haste we have only pitched on a slope.Well the double sleeping bag just slides to the bottom of the tent no matter what we try.In the end we give up curl up and fall asleep.

On waking we think we have had a storm,there is water running down the walls and one of the tent poles has snapped.We are drenched.After a quick wash and change of clothes we throw the tent into the car boot and head for the nearest garage to fuel up ready for the long drive home.So hubby as always sends me into the garage to pay while he fuels up and I'm totally embarrassed by the fact that I stink of not only smoke but garlic too.I can't get back in the car quick enough.

On returning home we laughed about our camping, but decided that a two man tent from year blob with a double wafer thin sleeping bag from the deep dark depths of Gran's wardrobe was not sufficient nor was our menu people friendly.

On the whole I enjoyed it and wouldn't rule out camping,though our next adventure was some two years later after several foreign holidays.