New year camp 2015/2016
How do you pitch a tent in a gale?
You don't. Or at least not if you have an ounce of common sense, which I clearly don't.
It wasn't just me though. 9 adults and 5 kids arrived on a lovely little campsite (see below) on 30th December 2015, roughly 15 minutes before Storm Frank arrived with 50mph winds. I can't even say that it seemed like a good idea at the time because it didn't. We just didn't want to miss out on our annual new year's eve camp.
We did at least have a plan though, which was to all help pitch the communal bell tent first to provide some shelter until the winds died down. A great and sensible plan but where's the fun in that? Instead we left the bell and tried to simultaneously pitch five tents. Idiots!
I was quite lucky as I had the smallest tent (Outwell Missouri River 3), and managed to fling it up in record time between the gusts, pegging down every single rope/strap/loop with delta pegs (the only pegs I trust in strong winds). There's no way that tent was moving!
Two of the other tents also went up with only a small amount of wrestling, swearing and sulking (Robens Klondike and Outwell Harrier XL) but there was no way we were getting away without some war wounds. A sudden gust of wind (no idea how strong but wow!) tipped the half pitched Outwell Trout Lake upside down and almost blew the second, pegged but not erected Klondike away with Sarah inside it.
The trout got a small kink in the back pole, which in normal conditions would probably have been ok but these were far from normal conditions. We were taking no chances so made a splint out of a bundle of flexi poles and the obligatory duct tape. Genius! (This is the second time a handful of flexi poles has got me out of trouble so they're now firmly on my emergency kit list, along with duct tape, string and gin!)
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The second Klondike was more of a problem as some of the pegging loops were ripped off. Luckily it was the stitching that gave way and not the canvas/groundsheet so it will be easily fixed but it couldn't be pitched and we agreed that the Day family should move into my beautifully pitched Missouri, leaving me to pitch the Robens Fairbanks that I'd packed as an afterthought. (The first but definitely not the last time I will pack a spare tent!)
We were just about sorted bar the bell tent but by this time we'd remembered that many hands make light work and it went up quickly. I'm definitely not going to mention the wonky pole.... (You had one job. Just one!)
As dictated by Murphy's law, about an hour after we were finally set up the wind dropped and everything was calm. We'd lost the will to pitch though so put off setting up the communal kitchen tent until the morning and went for fish and chips, followed by a walk by the stormy sea in the pouring rain and then back to the bell tent for mulled wine around the stove. Perfect!
The weather the following day was much kinder and we managed a trip to the beach to look for fossils and paddle in the sea. This made for my favourite memory of the trip and reminded me that camping is where forever friendships are made. I've made some brilliant friends on campsites and it was lovely to see that it's exactly the same for kids.
After a trip to Scarborough to play on the 2p machines it was back to the site to paddle in the mud and prepare for the main event. It's now become traditional for everyone to cook for everyone so with 4 kitchens set up in the day tent we set about massively over-catering. Five people each cooking enough food for 14? Where's my calculator?
The rest is pretty much history. An evening in the bell tent with far too much food and alcohol and then a dash down to the road at midnight to watch the New Year fireworks on the horizon. It was definitely one of the more challenging camps I've done but there's still no better way to see in a new year.
The tent - Robens Fairbanks
This was only the second time I've used this tent - the first time was in the middle of a thunder storm where lightning struck so close that it made the ground shake so I'm now beginning to wonder if I should blame the weather on the tent....
It's very quick and easy to pitch (around 10-15 minutes for solo pitching) and the shape of it makes it incredibly stable in strong winds. The polycotton flysheet is hard wearing and quick drying and it retains heat well in Winter, while keeping the inside of the tent cooler in Summer.
There's plenty of room inside for solo camping but would comfortably sleep 3 on SIMs or roll mats or 2 on standard air beds. You can also just about stand up in it in the middle so it feels pretty huge for a small tent.
The front porch is big enough for a low chair and is great for cooking under when the weather's poor. It's also really useful for storing muddy boots, which I always seem to have.....
The only small negative is the 'witches hat' on the top. It can be a bit fiddly to position it right but once you've worked it out it's pretty straight forward.
All in all this is a great little tent and it looks pretty cool too!
The site - Saxdale House Farm, Hunmanby
This is one of those little gems that I'm actually reluctant to talk about in case it gets so popular that I can't get a pitch.
It's a small, family run site on the Yorkshire coast where you always get a warm welcome from the owners and wardens. It's a C&CC certificated site and there is a part of the site with a few hedged bays, plus two fields with room for about another 15-20 tents / vans, most with EHU. Pitches are all level and big enough to accommodate even the biggest of tents.
The shower block is immaculate, with the kind of electric showers you have at home (50p for 10 minutes) and the washing up area is under cover (20p for hot water). There's a small shop on site, selling all of the essentials and they even do warm croissants in the morning.
Pitch fees are around £15 per night, including electric.
There's plenty to see and do in the area, with Hunmanby beach, Filey and Scarborough close by and York about an hour away. The village is about 10 minutes walk from the site and has a few pubs, a co-op and a great chip shop!
www.saxdalehousefarm.co.uk
