Confessions of a Fair Weather Camper

After some discussion and a look at the weather forecast, we decided at the last minute to have B & B for our two nights away and after finding a £295 hotel for £110, it didn’t take much to persaud either of this that this was the way to go.

Cornwall is a tale of two very contrasting coastlines and although there wasn’t the surf beaches we love, the south coast was definately warmer and more sheltered.  We stayed in Portloe on the Roseland Peninsula for a luxurious night and then had a night in Falmouth with cocktails and fish and chips.

Portloe on the Roseland Peninsula

The van did come in handy however for the odd cup of tea.

Tea at Loe Beach

We passed a little beach on the Fal estuary called Loe Beach and it was lovely.  I rang my Mum from there as it rang a bell with me as being a favourite spot of my parents and she was delighted to hear that the cafe shack was still there with its corrugated roof.  We hugged the coast road as much as possible down lanes barely wide enough to take the van, but could see the most amazing monied properties with private slipways.

Falmouth was a bit of mishmash of tired looking buildings and people, but also of wonderful eateries with seafood and a couple of great galleries from which I took inspiration. Our purpose of the trip was to visit an exhibition of my Art Hero Kurt Jackson and it didn’t disappoint.  Two enormous canvases of approx 10 ft by 8ft filled the walls alongside some of his own private collection.

Kurt's 10ft picture of Glasto festival

I could have stayed there all day if wasn’t for the luxury of B & B number 2 which was truly fab.

Definately think we spend too much effort scrimping on our hols with the van and its very basic amenities, but when we have more settled weather, the Lizard is the next stop and we will definately be using the Van.

 

Once you know how it’s easy

This is our favourite video for how to put our pop up tent away. We have to watch it several times before going just to refresh our minds which way up it has to be and which corners to fold in first. It may look simple, but there is definately a knack to it and this video is the best ! Informative instructional videos are the best thing about youtube.

 

The Lizard Peninsula beckons

After a week celebrating my husbands 60th birthday, culminating in a huge party last night and a day recovering, we are off in the Bongo tomorrow for a couple of days break.  We don’t do luxury, but love roughing it with the van in campsites that have little facilities but are in spectacular locations.  We have explored much of Cornwall over the last four years revisiting places I went as a child or we took our children when they were small, but also discovered new coves and beaches and walking some of the southwest coast path.

With this in mind, we are going to head for The Lizard, Great Britain’s most southerly land point which also remains quite wild and remote. Despite this, it is quite sheltered in parts and as the weather is still a little unsettled, am hoping  it might be a little oasis of warm sunshine.

I have to confess I have an ulterior  motive in heading in this direction as we can go via Falmouth and visit the Town Art Gallery where there is an exhibition celebrating the 50th birthday of landscape artist Kurt Jackson who has been my constant inspiration for some time and who I was lucky enough to meet on my 50th birthday last year.

My next post will tell you what it was like, hopefully with some accompanying photos.

 

 

Vintage Camper

The bongo ( our campervan) is due a spring spruce-up. Through the winter we always consider getting rid of it. Its a bit heavy on fuel! ….. But come this time of the year we are making plans for forays again.  Usually short trips around Cornwall.  Hubbie can only manage a few days roughing it. Over the past three years we have discovered quite a bit of hidden Cornwall ( yes, it is still out there), off the beaten track and often found  small very individual campsites which have only the  basic facilities but are often in the best locations. I came across this www.vintagecamper.co.uk   Although not all vintage, it has pulled the best from everywhere to create a capsule campers every need, along with some great little campsites. So its out the rubber gloves, the bongo beckons.