 Base Camp. Keiling Heath North Norfolk.. | Paul Ollet has responded to my request for input from members and has sent in this tale of his recent camping adventures. |
Base camp, Padstow North Cornwall. Camping for Beginners
I’ve been living a bachelor existence for the last two weeks because Margaret, my wife, has been in USA with her recently widowed sister, she went with another sister as well to give moral support for Gillian whom they have been trying to persuade, with little success to return to set up home in England. I suspect that at some stage we will have a lodger but not just yet it seems.
At the beginning of September I teamed up with Alan a colleague who rides a Triumph and likes to do a bit of walking same as me. We rode our bikes to Arnhem, Holland to take part in the 69th Airborne March. As we rode off the ferry at Hook of Holland the weather was appalling and it was like someone was throwing the North Sea in my face so we had a very wet ride at considerable speed until we got to the hotel about two and a half hours later.
That was on the Friday and on Saturday it was little better with very heavy showers but bright spells too. There were 28243 people on the walk so quite an event in spite of the weather. Alan is good company and appeared to enjoy his trip over there.
I learned that he does a bit of camping too so I decided that while Margaret was away I would have a bit of a go at it myself so I bought a tent which cost me a tenner from Halfords and as I had some gear already soon had enough stuff together to plan a trip away. I hadn’t been to Cornwall for many years so thought it would be a good destination and booked myself onto a campsite down there. Well I thought, before I go I had better have a dry run to see if all would go well.
I was aware that they have a 40’s weekend centred on the North Norfolk Railway at Sheringham so I loaded up the bike with all the kit and set off alone. In spite of the obvious dangers I still think the bike is a great way to travel.
I pitched up at Kelling Heath, near Weybourne for the Saturday and set about visiting the railway and all the many attractions of the weekend that included a display by a Spitfire and the weather was terrific. At the end of the day I crawled into my little bivouac and read until my eyelids grew heavy then settled down. The sky was clear and the stars shone brightly and the temperature went down like a rock thrown off a cliff. I put on everything I could find and with the sleeping bag draw tightly about my neck I froze my nuts off!!
Ah the joys of sleeping in the wild with all the pleasures it brings. Things you don’t realise like cockerels kicking off at 05.30hrs and Muntjac deer joining in with their repetitive barking which can be heard for miles, it’s good to be alive!!!!!
Well I learnt a lot in a short while and with the trip to Cornwall looming a week later time for some joined up thinking. I have a friend whom we shall call Brenda because that is her name who is a manager in an outdoor shop and she found me a more substantial sleeping bag.
Then a few adjustments to the booking reducing three nights down to two and changing the campsite for a less basic one, also arranging to stay at Cheddar in a proper bed at a YHA hostel on the way down there.
I have another friend who has been camping under canvas for years so called her for advice and my next shopping trip took me to Super Drug for a hot water bottle. My friend also suggested that a woolly hat is a good idea, (are you getting a good idea of how this is all looking)?
Another suggestion was to place a layer for insulation between sleeping bag and air mattress so I had a scout around at home and the best I could find was a small fleecy blanket that is kept for tucking the borrowed dog (actually belongs to my stepson) up at night. With Margaret away the dog has found alternative accommodation, well until Monday at least so I half hitched the blanket thinking that I might bring the dog a souvenir or something just to say thanks for the loan.
Well the trip to Cornwall where I stayed at Padstow was a great success and I was a toasty with all the knowledge gleaned and the additions to my camping kit, and I now know why the dog is slow out of his basket in the mornings as well. I did all the touristy bits in Padstow, wandering about, eating delicious giant pasties, a bit of sitting on the beach, hired a push bike and rode to Bodmin and back and even got ripped off for Fish & Chips from Rick Stein’s place (plaice)? The weather was terrific and importantly I stayed warm. The ride back including stops took 7 hrs which for 292 miles was respectable.
So that’s the camping thing out of my system for this year at least but who knows? I might even give it another go next year, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Paul Ollett
I’ve been living a bachelor existence for the last two weeks because Margaret, my wife, has been in USA with her recently widowed sister, she went with another sister as well to give moral support for Gillian whom they have been trying to persuade, with little success to return to set up home in England. I suspect that at some stage we will have a lodger but not just yet it seems.
At the beginning of September I teamed up with Alan a colleague who rides a Triumph and likes to do a bit of walking same as me. We rode our bikes to Arnhem, Holland to take part in the 69th Airborne March. As we rode off the ferry at Hook of Holland the weather was appalling and it was like someone was throwing the North Sea in my face so we had a very wet ride at considerable speed until we got to the hotel about two and a half hours later.
That was on the Friday and on Saturday it was little better with very heavy showers but bright spells too. There were 28243 people on the walk so quite an event in spite of the weather. Alan is good company and appeared to enjoy his trip over there.
I learned that he does a bit of camping too so I decided that while Margaret was away I would have a bit of a go at it myself so I bought a tent which cost me a tenner from Halfords and as I had some gear already soon had enough stuff together to plan a trip away. I hadn’t been to Cornwall for many years so thought it would be a good destination and booked myself onto a campsite down there. Well I thought, before I go I had better have a dry run to see if all would go well.
I was aware that they have a 40’s weekend centred on the North Norfolk Railway at Sheringham so I loaded up the bike with all the kit and set off alone. In spite of the obvious dangers I still think the bike is a great way to travel.
I pitched up at Kelling Heath, near Weybourne for the Saturday and set about visiting the railway and all the many attractions of the weekend that included a display by a Spitfire and the weather was terrific. At the end of the day I crawled into my little bivouac and read until my eyelids grew heavy then settled down. The sky was clear and the stars shone brightly and the temperature went down like a rock thrown off a cliff. I put on everything I could find and with the sleeping bag draw tightly about my neck I froze my nuts off!!
Ah the joys of sleeping in the wild with all the pleasures it brings. Things you don’t realise like cockerels kicking off at 05.30hrs and Muntjac deer joining in with their repetitive barking which can be heard for miles, it’s good to be alive!!!!!
Well I learnt a lot in a short while and with the trip to Cornwall looming a week later time for some joined up thinking. I have a friend whom we shall call Brenda because that is her name who is a manager in an outdoor shop and she found me a more substantial sleeping bag.
Then a few adjustments to the booking reducing three nights down to two and changing the campsite for a less basic one, also arranging to stay at Cheddar in a proper bed at a YHA hostel on the way down there.
I have another friend who has been camping under canvas for years so called her for advice and my next shopping trip took me to Super Drug for a hot water bottle. My friend also suggested that a woolly hat is a good idea, (are you getting a good idea of how this is all looking)?
Another suggestion was to place a layer for insulation between sleeping bag and air mattress so I had a scout around at home and the best I could find was a small fleecy blanket that is kept for tucking the borrowed dog (actually belongs to my stepson) up at night. With Margaret away the dog has found alternative accommodation, well until Monday at least so I half hitched the blanket thinking that I might bring the dog a souvenir or something just to say thanks for the loan.
Well the trip to Cornwall where I stayed at Padstow was a great success and I was a toasty with all the knowledge gleaned and the additions to my camping kit, and I now know why the dog is slow out of his basket in the mornings as well. I did all the touristy bits in Padstow, wandering about, eating delicious giant pasties, a bit of sitting on the beach, hired a push bike and rode to Bodmin and back and even got ripped off for Fish & Chips from Rick Stein’s place (plaice)? The weather was terrific and importantly I stayed warm. The ride back including stops took 7 hrs which for 292 miles was respectable.
So that’s the camping thing out of my system for this year at least but who knows? I might even give it another go next year, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Paul Ollett
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