First camping

Don't worry, we are still here. We're just busy. Not with anything exciting - just everyday life. But I will get around to back-updating soon. Promise.

In the meantime.....

This weekend was the first of our camping collective adventures. We were one family down due to ear infections, but the rest of us were keen and raring to go. Actually, all of us almost called it off in the week before as its been mighty chilly oop here in the north, but we braved ourselves, and it was well worth it. There was ice on the car the first night, but we had a fire, and the sun shone during the day, and so we were warm. We actually removed thermals for great parts of the day! (cf last year when most of us just spent the entire weekend in the same five layers.)

For various reasons, we needed to be close to Harrogate, and so we payed an extortionate amount of money for a field to ourselves, a long walk from some distinctly average facilities. Fortunately, our main criteria for a campsite is good scenery, good location, and to be left alone to burn stuff, so we were happy. We camped on the banks of the Nidd, in a valley below a caravan park and were disturbed only by the distant sound of snoring DofE-ers.

A steep climb down from the toilets

The kids ran around and flew kites and kicked footballs (except Nathaniel who is not into that at the minute), and collected wild garlic and drew complicated pictures and ate long and many-coursed breakfasts.

Thea and J made boats and peopled them with baby flower people who were rudely capsized into the torrent seconds after being launched!

The adults managed to sit and chat, teach Katherine the main musical themes to Jurassic Park (ill-educated woman!) and play with fires.

We climbed across stepping stones and only two of our party got a leg in.

We wandered out to Brimham Rocks which were amazing! I can't believe we've never been before!

However, future visits are likely to happen in the dead of winter because the number of people there was astronomic! Far too busy - and that's on a chilly April Saturday. I simply can't imagine what it is like in the height of summer. We picniced halfway up a rock, and played a very long game of wolf and pigs (I was a wolf who could eat any pigs not on the safety of a rock). Lots of screaming ensued!

We did lots of climbing and the narrower of us squeezed through what we are affectionately calling the sandwich gap. It was very narrow with a massive step halfway up!

Nathaniel was very pleased with himself for mastering it!

All in all it was a very good start to the camping season.