Tuesday Tip - The best position

Well it's late but I'm sneaking in a Tuesday tip! I apologise for the lack of posts - I've been under canvas and enjoying myself (so I'm not *that* sorry) at various festivals - posts about them to come!


But Today's Tuesday Tip is all about positioning. When pitching a tent there are obvious things to try for such as a flat level area (at a festival this is often not possible and at Camp Bestival we camped on the side of a hill - ensuring we slept with the foot of our beds down the hill), I also favour not camping in a gully if there is even a chance of rain (or the chance of a leaking portable toilet at a festival!) yet not on the very top of a hill either as that can be a windy spot and there is always the thought of storms and lightning...


On a hill
Trees are another thing to steer safe of, try to pitch in the lee of a hedge or trees but not so close they can be blown on top of you or a stray branch could fall and damage the tent or you! At Wilderness Festival the Health and Safety team moved us out from the edges of an Oak tree as they thought we were still in the 'danger zone'
Near a tree, not under a tree

But however careful you are to position your tent carefully there is always the chance of the unexpected, this last weekend at Wilderness Festival this unexpected thing was ... flying ants! A secret and otherwise silent ants nest (luckily only of harmless black ants) erupted on a hot afternoon with a million flying queen ants and their many minions INSIDE our tent! A hilarious (now, not at the time) half an hour of emptying the tent, pouring boiling water on the nest (sorry ants) and generally panicking and tidying resulted in a tent once again fit for habitation.
Safe inside again

So, today's tip - position your tent safely, but always expect the unexpected!

Happy camping.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 5 Tips for Camping at Download Festival - Guest Post from Tattooed Tealady

Image
Today on the blog, a beauty blogger gets down and dirty at Download festival and gives us the benefit of her experience. Much of her advice applies to all festivals, not just Download

Camping isn’t my usual topic when it comes to writing blog features, instead opting for beauty, lifestyle and parenting features over on my blog, Tattooed Tealady, but today I’m quite looking forward to being able to share something different, and what better place than here!

Today I’m going to run you through my Top 5 Tips for Camping at Download Festival, a metal festival held in the East Midlands at Donnington Park and the festival I have frequented the most over the past 8 years.

First things first, plan where you’re going to camp. Of course, you can’t guarantee you’ll end up in the camp site you want, but Download Festival does have a handy map which shows all the campsites and the earlier you get there, the more likely you are to land the spot you want. There’s different areas for different campers …
Read more

Festival Trolley - The best and the worst thing ever

Image
I own a festival trolley. I don't even have the excuse that I have a toddler (or toddlers) that may need to rest their legs. I didn't buy it until DD was well past the toddler stage but it's a great investment...and I love my festival trolley.

But I also hate festival trolleys. They are large and cumbersome and while once maybe 10% of families at family festivals had one, I think that it's now closer to 80% and not everyone seems aware of any trolley etiquette.

I tend to see myself in 'trolley-mummy-mode' as one of the lucky ones, I have a built in sofa if I stop, somewhere to store all the stuff I need day to day, and at the start and end of a festival I can get my camping stuff to and from the car without too much effort, and without queueing for (or paying for) a hire trolley.

So let's look at the positives and negatives of owning a festival trolley. And also let's think about the responsibility trolley use (either your own or a hired one) brings wit…
Read more

Family Festival Food Ideas

Image
Having come back from one festival I'm feeling like I'm back in the swing of things and so I'm planning what food and drink to take to my next festival, which is Camp Bestival at the end of July.


We will eat out a lot I'm sure as there are loads of food stalls to choose from and I cannot be bothered to trek back to the tent most lunch times, nor cart around warm bananas and beer. But breakfast is a lazy time and wandering to the food stall and then queueing for ages while looking rubbish is not my idea of fun, so I shall be planning 4 breakfasts and probably 4 dinners, with a few additional snacks. I always over pack for food and I'm trying really hard not to this year. There are only 2 of us yet I seem to pack enough for 5 people for 10 meals and then I bring it all home again!

Luckily while buying some beer to take to Byline Festival I spotted a packet of potato and bacon brunch in Sainsbury's that is for 2 people and designed to be fried (no oil etc required…
Read more

Coping with weekend after weekend of festivals

Image
People have asked me how I cope with so many festivals in such a short space of time each summer. Is it amazing advanced planning? Spending loads of money or a wild and carefree attitude to life?

I'd say it's a mix of all of those. Most summers I do four or more festivals and as summer is fairly limited in the UK, in practice this means I usually have little or no time between the festivals. Every year there are festivals I can't go to because of clashes...choices must be made. This year the top picks are Camp Bestival,Cornbury, Boomtown Fair, and England's Medieval festival. (I also squeezed in a one day festival and ComicCon)

I have managed to get a week between some of the festivals I'm going to this year, so I can get the washing done! But what planning do I do?

First I plan what I (and my daughter)  are going to wear. I tend to take a fair bit of 'fancy dress', underwear, a pair of jeans, some T shirts and a jumper, fleece and waterproof coat. Wellies …
Read more

Eating Vegan at Camp Bestival

Image
Not to be confused with eating an actual vegan...

My lovely teen has recently embraced the vegan lifestyle and so while I am still looking forward to pulled pork, brisket baps and a bacon buttie or three at Camp Bestival, the teen will be in search of less murderous fayre.

And no creamy mash or cheesy chips of course. So what can she expect and more importantly will she have enough choice?

Well, yes. Because of course Camp Bestival is not only about music, fun, kids, and fancy dress, no! It is also about food! (and cocktails but shh, right now food is our theme)


In 2018 at the Camp Bestival Feast Collective there will be a whole vegan (and vegetarian) section, with YOUNG VEGANS,  BIFF’S JACK SHACK , ARANCINI BROS , HAPPY MAKI , and MILGI

Now if, like me you clicked through on any of those links you may well be drooling, because they all sound amazing. I don't think lack of choice will be an issue, I think being able to try everything might be!

Young Vegans focus on a truly British …
Read more