Saturday 23 June 2012

The Bad News First...

Well, our campsite outside Windermere was 6" under water last night. Lovely!

The good news? We weren't there! We packed the car, went and got the girls out of school a little early and then the phone rang. Our friends had reached The Lakes before we did. And the site assigned to us in the campground was already an inch under water. The site owners were adamant it was fine and no money back was due. Our friends suggested we not come. (Our friends checked out the site this morning and that is how we know the water levels continued to rise.)

Well, as you can imagine, that was just fine by me. Unfortunately there were two children in the car who's little faces fell. So we drove the Peak District instead. And we pitched the tent in a near empty field - only three other tents there - which squelched when you walked on it. But it wasn't flooded. This was in its favour. And it wasn't actually raining much in The Peaks.

Though the wind was pretty darn gusty!

Once the tent was up things weren't too bad at all. Warm and dry inside we had a nice dinner of pasta with bolognaise sauce. I read to the girls and by ten o'clock all were tucked up snug as bugs in rugs.

Well tied down!

Setting up their side of the tent.

Can you camp without a quilt?
(Remind you to show you this quilt some time.
I didn't make it myself.)

The favourite form of entertainment was
wrestling caterpillars.
Enough said.

The chef.
Water in that mug? You take and educated guess.
Sorry about the photo quality. I forgot my camera. We relied on my phone to record the event. So all in all not a bad time last night.

Other than the train tracks the other side of the next field - which were surprisingly busy and loud. And the cockerels this morning. And the baby lambs in search of their mother. And the air mattress from hell. Nah, I had a great time, until it came to the sleep bit.

Home a day early. Napped the afternoon away. I think we came to a good compromise over the flooded fields of Cumbria.

Susan

29 comments:

  1. At least they got to camp somewhere other than the back garden!! The tent looks lovely and cosy...hope you sleep well tonight!

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  2. And this is a camping trip you will NEVER forget. It'll be remembered as "remember the time the campsite was under water so we camped out in the Peak District instead...". Awesome!

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  3. Well I think you were very brave to carry on camping regardless of the awful weather. This summer of ours has been awful weather wise! At least your mug of "water" kept a smile on your face ;)

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  4. Actually it looks like you all had lots of fun. And the tent does look cosy. Like the look of that quilt. And yeah I think you have to take a quilt with you when you camp. It's the law I'm sure.

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  5. Wow, did you cook inside the tent? You are obviously a far more seasoned tenter than you let on. I hope there was something strong and warming in that cup. But it looks lots of fun was had, rain, trains, lambs and whatever.

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  6. The Peak District is much nicer than the Lakes anyway :-) Glad you had a good time regardless of the weather!

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  7. Glad it wasn't a total wash out anyway! I'm very strictly a fair weather camper these days after a miserable week on Skye...

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  8. Woo hoo, you survived camping and I survived three shitty days at work!

    Love the sleeping bag pic ;-)

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  9. You has a great blog. I'm very interesting to stopping here and leaves you a comment. Good work.

    Lets keep writing and blogging

    Nb: Dont forget to leave your comment back for us.

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  10. Hey we have that tent!! But ours is much older, soooo easy to put up with the clip in joints, though we never managed to get ours erected in the time they say.... glad you had a good time, I would have had a brandy in that mug!!!!

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  11. Squelchy ground or not, it actually looks like you had a really good time! Am happy for you :-) Now go sign up ;-)

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  12. glad you got a night away: I love camping, its cosy but not always fun in the cold and wet

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  13. That looks like winter here! I haven't been camping since I was pregnant, and I'm not sure I ever want to camp again. Your tent does look warm and cosy, and I'm sure the "water" helped greatly with your ability to last the distance.

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  14. Rather you then me, I flipping hate camping!!!

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  15. The rain Gods were looking after you!

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  16. Wrestling caterpillars ...now that I would like to see

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  17. Good for you for persevering! And all with big smiles too! I admire you cos I hate camping too! The more stars the more I like it! (And I don't mean the ones in the sky!)

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  18. Camping is so much fun - as long as it isn't raining!

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  19. Judging by the News on tv, you made the right location decision/

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  20. I don't think I would even have got in the car! Well done you deserve a medal - and now an extra day sewing I presume!?

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  21. Oh you are such a brave woman! I won't even consider it these days! Let alone in the stinking weather we have right now :) Happy Sunday!

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  22. LOL - ahh camping in the U.K....nothing in the world like it!

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  23. Well, it can only get better - you can look forward to the next time. I love camping - for short periods only, you can live with most things for a couple of days. In good weather it is the best - trust me!

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  24. Well done for surviving! And it looks positively fun! For the girls, anyway ;-)

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  25. lol - excellent - and i'm you only had medicinal brandy in that cup.....

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  26. LOL....did you share that water???? Don't blame you a bit!! looks like the kids had fun though. Where in Canada are you from; if you don't mind me asking. If it helps;; it rained here all weekend...still raining. But we needed it...it can stop anytime now..but doesn't sound like it is going away. Tomorrow is suppose to be great...mowing might get done now. Then rain the rest of the week. I do hope they are wrong!!!!!!

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  27. I would not have been smiling like you are if I were in that waterlogged field in a tent. 10 points for perseverance and getting on with it!

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  28. I am so, so glad it worked out for you. Way to adapt, Susan. It looks like you guys had a great time. You're smiling at least :)

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