Mention camping and you’ll either be met with enthusiasm from those who love it, or raised eyebrows from others who deem illogical the concept of sleeping under canvas and (deep breath) public shower rooms.
Mention camping with a nine-month-old baby and an adolescent pup, and those raised eyebrows reach skyscraper heights. ‘Are you mad?’ one friend asked with genuine concern when I revealed our plans to spend three nights in a tent on the Cornish coast.
I had my reservations, too. You see, I sit on the fence when it comes to the two aforementioned outlooks on pitching up. Generally, my preference is to stay somewhere with four walls, a squishy bed and Molton Brown toiletries. But I do love the outdoors.
Our track history for camping isn’t great, though.
When Mr R and I ventured to the Lake District as teens on our first couples camping trip, it was a car crash affair – claustrophobia took hold of me shortly after settling into bed (so many zips, so little space), resulting in a night spent with the tent flung open and a fight against frostbite.
On our second under the stars experiment (this time in an eight-man tent – just the right amount of room for two of us) we had a break in. We awoke to find a horse inside the tent, blithely helping herself to our Rich Tea biscuits.
So, you know, my expectations of how this trip would go erred at the low end of the success scale.
But it was BRILLIANT! Teddy slept through each night (a first), Cornwall turned on its sunshine charm and there are no incidents to report other than we possibly overdid it on the clotted cream ice cream.
WHERE WE STAYED
We made Tristram Campsite in Polzeath our base for the weekend – a truly idyllic spot perched on a cliff overlooking the beach (which is great for surfers but sadly not dog-friendly peak season). It’s just a short stroll down into the town where you’ll find plenty of places to eat and a shop to stock up on provisions for cooking up tent-side at sunset.
You’re right on the coastal path here. A half-mile walk leads to a secluded (dog friendly) cove with lots of rock pools to explore. Walk a little further and you’ll reach the sandy expanse of Daymer Bay, then continue over the dunes to reach upmarket Rock on the east side of the Camel Estuary. From here you can catch the ferry over to pretty Padstow (a must) – a foodie place buzzing with chatter and music, and one that smells as delicious as it looks. We couldn’t resist following our noses to Rick Stein’s fish and chip restaurant for a late lunch in the shipyard.
WHAT WE PACKED
- TENT – a given. I know very little about what makes a good one other than I like them big (see above). Ours is a poled Vango, bought around six years ago. I did get tent envy when I saw other seasoned campers with the new inflatable models, and after a bit of faff pitching ours I have my eye on one of those for next summer.
- KAMPA AIRLOCK JUNIOR AIRBED. A bubblegum pink one, which I’m sure Ted will love taking to sleepovers in years to come. The raised sides meant there was no risk of him rolling out, and him sleeping through the night speaks volumes for its comfort.
- LAYERS. It reached 25C during the day, but at night the temperature dropped considerably and I found myself lumping layers on to Ted to keep him toasty – a sleepsuit, grow bag, blanket, a spare sleeping bag… Better to have too many than not enough.
- WASHING UP BOWL – for al fresco bath time for Ted! We had to bend his legs like a chicken to squeeze him in, but he just about fit and loved it.
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