General Chat

OMG Island I am getting on a bit now you know I dont wear heels now a days sensible brogues for me ......don't tell Eldrick ;-)

same here Madge. I was asking for a friend :-D

I have to say that as a child 40s/50s I only ever had one holiday away from home and that was in a house on the I.O.W owned by a relative of a neighbour where I slept top and tail with my sister and we had to get water from the well as there was none on tap. Other than that we just had days out (we did have a car). and the only tent I ever saw was one constructed by my dad from a large sheet and a step ladder in the garden.

Maggie you really deserved a medal. hats off to those that camp and caravan. I know many friends who thoroughly enjoy but its just not for me.
I never enjoyed roughing it at a party on the floor in a sleeping bag either..lol

Its bad enough when the electric goes off here and we cant have a shower!

Florence in the hebrides

Gal after my own heart Florence <3

Thank you, Florence.
I haven't mentioned the converted bus, have I? (I was 4ish)
After the Bessacarr caravan, we got a 'Swedish Cottage' caravan.
This was so big, it came in 2 parts
It had a double bedroom, 2 singles (about 5ft by 6ft), a living room and a separate kitchen!
It also had a bathroom - with a plumbed in bath, and flushing toilet :-D

There was so much room in this caravan, it actually had a veranda - with French windows.
My avatar shows me, on the veranda on, I think, my 8th birthday - with my new bike :-D :-D

Here's a picture showing the full veranda, in all it's glory, the French windows open - and the front door!
The downpipe on the right wall is where the caravan split in half.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/90/d6/98/90d698dd5bd7847c2111161f18ec3371.jpg

Camping or Caravans ,,,,,dont like it at all.

I like to flick a switch and feel carpet beneath my feet.

:-D :-D.

<3@ madge :-D :-D

Wow Maggie it was certainly a huge caravan.
But when I get in my kingsize bed at night , I do have comfort and luxury and am grateful.

Florence in the Hebrides

Edit; heaven forbid I would be forced to live"in the jungle" for 2 weeks..lol I would be screaming. "get me out of here" before darkfall!!

Compared to the Bessacarr - it was luxury.
Separate rooms, with doors - amazing!
Even though the single beds were only 2ft 6" - as were the doorways :-D :-D

We camped all over the US, Canada, and Australia between 1968 and the mid-1990s ........ no way we could have afforded doing that much travelling without the cheap accommodation. We often found sites where we didn't have to pay ........... Forest Service sites in the US and Canada, or municipal sites, or even in a gravel pit by the side of the road on the way to Alaska.

We first bought a big tent that could sleep 6 easily. It was suspended from the outside poles and had a sewn-in floor.That one saw us camping all over the US and Canada, and finally up to Alaska, where we had to have a tarpaulin to stretch over it because it was leaking. We then bought a smaller 4 man tent, that also hung from outside poles.

Around 1980-ish, we borrowed a very small 2-3 man canvas bell tent from a friend, packed it into a suitcase and went to Newfoundland, where we camped for about 10 nights out of 12. We were often the only people on the whole camp site ............. campgrounds closed the first week of August and we were there the 2nd and 3rd weeks. It got a wee bit cold at nights there, byut we got all the way up to L'Anse aux Meadows and into Gros Morne.

We took our daughter camping for the first time when she was 4 months old ............. niece came over from England, said she loved camping, so we took her down into northern Washington state to lovely forest camp sites. Turned niece had only ever been camping in Europe and couldn't get over pit toilets and no shower block :-D

I was making up bottles for our daughter using the camp stove, and making enough for 2 days at a time because that was all we could fit into the cooler.

WE had a good time .............. don't think niece ever camped again though she married a friend of ours that she met on that trip and ended up living here until she died 6 years ago.

We had wonderful holidays, hated having to give it up when my arthritis got worse.

Daughter and husband took our tent with them after they married as they were driving across Canada and camped on several of the nights. They bought another larger tent some years ago, but have upgraded to a high-sided tent trailer, which is over 6' high in the centre when opened up. Her OH has a bad back, and getting up from the floor of the tent was too painful. Now he can stand up straight in the tent trailer after crawling out of the queen bed.

Kay
We have carpet in our tent :-D :-D :-D

Camped ouround the UK and a few times in Europe when we were in our 20s & 30s then got a folding caravan, now upgraded to a "normal" one.

Also sailed a dinghy so we slung the tent and gear in the dinghy, went wherever, put up the tent and sailed.

Best bits were to Sanguinet just below Bodeaux three years running, where there was a great Municipal camp site in the forest and an enormous lake.

I camped on Snowdon in February 1963, one of the worst winters ever. We had to find rocks to tie the guy ropes to as the ground was frozen solid. Why?, you may ask. Army Outward Bound Course, Towyn.

Von...... :-D :-D.


Ive camped in a mad group...…..Brighton.,Holland, Belgium ,Peaks,but I hated it,,,,,,,as for a caravan as an adult,,,,,,once and never again.


Upstairs to bed is my motto. :-D.

I have a friend who goes camping every holiday and most weekends their tent looks very roomy and comfy. She is forever posting pics when they have set up camp, looks proper home from home and then she and her OH sit eat and drink and I am still confused as to why?


why not do in the comfort of their own home :-S

I just never felt really clean.But washing dishes in a small bowl of warm water...yeeuk

My idea of a holiday is where I don't have to cook, clean or do any chores for a week. Anything else is just a change of sink as my mum would say!

Florence in the hebrides

Same here Florence,,,,,,,and a commune shower block,,,,,,,yuk,,,,,,,,,but with camping you do know whos slept in your sleeping bag I suppose...…

and that's what puts me off B&B and caravans and stop over places,,,,,

whos been sleeping in my bed,,,,,,,,someone with scaby skin,or a leaky internal valve,,,

shudders...…..

Omg kay, think id better stay at home! never given the B & B's bed etc much thought....

But I always pull the duvet back and check the bed before I sleep in it and also check the bathroom and toilet. If it wasn't spotless, I would complain.

Florence in the hebrides

Florence
How often do they wash or change the actual duvet though, I bet never and anything could be lurking in it,,,,,,,,,,,,,and probally do a top to bottom sheet,

;-) :-D :-D :-D.

Not trying to put you off like,,,,,,,
:-D

I have had static caravans when the children were younger and we had some great times ....this is camping yes?


I am with Florence and Kay I do not go on holiday to cook wash or anything else. I want to be waited on hand and foot and yes I enjoy it and enjoy my little luxuries :D