Tent Sniffing for Beginners

I have been sent tickets to a new festival for this summer! I am really excited as it sounds fabulous and so I felt the need to share it with you in case you were free, and in possession of a tent, on first weekend in June to come along to Byline Festival  Actually you don't even need to have a tent, as like many festivals these days there are pre-pitched tent and glamping options which mean you can rock up and have all the hard work done for you! I quite like pitching my own tent, it always feels like I deserve the beer then, but each to their own and I guess it is pretty sweet to just be able to stroll away from a festival on the last day without a backward glance, and with nothing to stuff into the car for the return journey except the faint whiff of herbal cigarettes and the memories of brief love affairs...wait..where was I? Ah yes! A festival. This will be my first of the season and while it has music, it is not primarily a music festival, much like the literary festi...

As the spring weather is here, I'm making more of an effort to get out and about, I'm also nagging myself to blog more! I am still 'iffy' about using my stick when I walk - despite falling an impressive 3 times last week - because I worry it makes me look old. Obviously I don't worry that I'll look a prat if I fall over. So a plea to other mildly disabled or wobbly folk - and to stick suppliers everywhere - what's a good stick to use that will still look cool? Feel free to let me know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter (links in the sidebar) Anyway - on with the walk. Mr TS and I decided to take her ladyship Fizz the border terrier for a stroll along the River Adur. We only walked from the airport at Shoreham as far as the first car park but it was a nice meander, the weather was lovely as were the views and Fizz enjoyed herself. Lancing College Fizz, mistress of all she surveys The mix of excitement and disappointment when a...

It's rather nice having a dog again and now that Fizz is old enough to come out on a proper walk with the family it makes us all feel quite complete. We are just back from a lovely walk along a local stream, where there are managed ponds and plenty or wildlife. It's a great place to walk dogs, away from the hustle and bustle of the town and yet not a long drive away. There are no roads really near and the paths are easy to walk. Despite that I managed to take a tumble 3 times! Prompting Mr TS to demand I take a walking stick next time. I hate walking sticks. Although as I have Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (a neuropathy, affecting muscle strength and balance) I guess it's inevitable that a walking stick will be needed soon. Of course delightful teen daughter found it hilarious when I fell in the mud, I think Fizz just thought I was unleashing my inner dog! And while it was messy I wasn't hurt. South Downs to the north The walk has some lovely distant views o...

If you had a TARDIS where would you go? Not just in space, but in time? Last year I went back in time for a weekend to a festival in the grounds of a castle and I lived the life of a medieval peasant for a few days at Englands Medieval Festival at Herstmonceux. Maybe I was a bit of an historically inaccurate peasant to be fair, I had elastic in my underwear, but it was a fun weekend! I learned lots about weaving and wool dyeing. I was thrilled by the battle reenactment (seeing arrows raining down was pretty dramatic!) I drank mead and watched hogs being roasted, my daughter and I laughed at the mud theatre and were in awe of the knights at the joust. And of course I loved dressing up to fit the part. If you love to dress up, like history (or have kids that like horrible histories), camping, food, festivals or fun this is the festival for you! You can join in as much as you like, dress up and wander the encampments, chatting to the vikings, or just lay in the sun with some...

I admit I toyed with Enid Blyton style titles for this blogpost. Five Go Camping with a Mooncup. Secret Seven and the Mystery of the Perfect Sanitary Protection. Third Form at Mooncup towers.. yeah I know, I'm losing the plot. But! The mooncup is the perfect sanitary protection for the female traveller. The mooncup has many benefits. If you need to deal with monthly bleeds, then you will no doubt be aware of  some of the options around. They are mostly disposable like tampons made of cotton or rayon/cotton mix or sanitary towels made of paper and chemical gels, etc. There are also reusable towels, but these, while very enviromentally friendly, are a pain to wash and dry when travelling, especially if you are camping and it's raining. Note : Menstruation does not attract bears according to science The mooncup is an environmentally friendly option, not adding to landfil, and it's a cheaper option, needing only a single purchase. It's internal sanitary pr...

Yes I've been married 25 years this year! I know, I don't look old enough etc etc Unfortunately Mr Tentsniffer is more of a Hotel-lover than a tentsniffer and so while we share a marriage we rarely share a tent! Which just goes to show that time apart is at least as important as time together. But whether you and your beloved camp together or spend weekends apart, and even if you have no significant other, if you like festivals, fields and fun of a historical nature you need to be thinking about England's Medieval Festival who are also celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year! (and if you are celebrating 25 years of marriage too - click the link as there are some FREE tickets available for you!) So an extra special festival of historical fun and frolics in the English countryside is planned in August and it's not something you should miss. I went for the first time last year, and can vouch for the relaxed nature, the wealth of shopping experiences, the del...

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 ...