Camping with Friends
The remains of the school holidays were burned up this year with a group camping expedition organised by my better half, and several close friends. If the holidays had been a slow burning firework, this was the bright burning at the end, and the dying of the light.
We set out at varying times on Fridaysome arriving early in the afternoon, some arriving in the evening after completing their working day (I hitched a lift with a friend's husband, throwing my bike in the back of his work van).
I've never been “glamping” before, and had no clue the term existed. We stayed in wooden “pods” (think up-turned boat shapes), with electricity, and running water a few yards away. Those that had done so before took all manner of luxuries that I have never seen on a camp site; a fridge, and an electric kettle. The pods faced each other in a cluster at one end of the camp site, and we pitched our own huge tent among them all as a kind of field kitchenalthough all cooking was done outside, given the amazing weather.
I've also not been away with so many people beforefive families26 people all together, 16 children. We had an online supermarket deliver food to the field on our arrivalyou have never seen so much bacon, or so many sausages packed into a fridge in your entire life. I think on the final morning we counted something like 50 rashers of bacon cooked, 20-odd sausages, and 18 eggsThere were too many moments, and memories to recall in one post. While not out on bike rides, sitting round the camp fire, or toasting marsh mallows, we all got slightly drunk, and all made new friends of those we didn't know.
Of course all things come to an end, and it's back to work in the morning. Up at 5 to catch the first train out of town, and a stay in a hotel tomorrow night. I'll be thinking about the camp fire, and grinning while wandering the train platforms though.