So Mrs Rave agreed to spend Christmas outdoors this year. She's never been overly interested before so I was both surprised and pleased. We agreed to use a commercial campsite, Blackberry Wood in East Sussex, take a tent, big tarp as shelter and all sorts of luxuries like frying pans, soap, blankets etc.
I do aim to please.
http://blackberrywood.com/
We don't have a car so the plan was for me to take the kit down on the bike on Monday and she would join me next day, Christmas eve, bringing the food with her. Christmas dinner was to be steak & chips with Christmas pud.
Anyways Monday was pretty bleak with gales and torential rain but a plans a plan and stupidity is stupidity so I packed the bike and set off.
Awsome winds indeed. I was actualy being lifted off the road at times. I shouldn't have set out that day but I did. Got there and set up in the rain before dark.
I wish I had a camcorder to record the winds that night. It was like sleeping inside an aircraft hanger with a jumbo having its engines.tested. Awesome. The tent, a Coleman Cobra 3, didn't budge though. A great wee tent.
Next morning Mrs Rave called to say she wasn't coming as she had a migraine. Well of course I was disapointed...she had all the food. I only brought 2 pot noodles to see me through until she arrived.
So I decided to stay on me own, did a shopping trip, and took a walk round the woods to see the state of affairs after all the rain and wind.
Found a pile of spoons...
and someones tent..
That night was very odd but pleasant. Clear skies, moon light and bright stars but it was mild. I had my Army doss bag unzipped to the waist at times. Very mild for December. Then we had lightning and thunder and... hailstones. Then a fox woke me up rummaging in my bergen. When I got up it ran off with my milk.
Christmas morning...Santa left me this...
Another walk in better weather. Christmas day was nice actualy..
Cooking under the giant tarp. It's a cheapo from ebay. It held up to the storm well but the brass eyelets are teraing from the tarp so it wouldn't last another strong wind. Sausages and eggs for Christmas dinner...
...and I vandalised my prezzie from Santa but light faded before I had it finished...
Off to bed and another great night but a tad colder. It was 5 degrees when I got in the maggot and dropped to around zero in the night. There was ice on the tent in the morning.
That's it really. Packed up on boxing day morning and had a leasurely 70 mile ride home in great weather.
I had a great 3 nights out despite the absence of 'er indoors. The weather made it even more special, although at turning fifty I really need to reconsider riding the bike in such violent storms. I'm getting too old in the tooth for all that and my body's protesting.
Thanks for watching and all the best to ya all.
I do aim to please.http://blackberrywood.com/
We don't have a car so the plan was for me to take the kit down on the bike on Monday and she would join me next day, Christmas eve, bringing the food with her. Christmas dinner was to be steak & chips with Christmas pud.
Anyways Monday was pretty bleak with gales and torential rain but a plans a plan and stupidity is stupidity so I packed the bike and set off.
Awsome winds indeed. I was actualy being lifted off the road at times. I shouldn't have set out that day but I did. Got there and set up in the rain before dark.
I wish I had a camcorder to record the winds that night. It was like sleeping inside an aircraft hanger with a jumbo having its engines.tested. Awesome. The tent, a Coleman Cobra 3, didn't budge though. A great wee tent.
Next morning Mrs Rave called to say she wasn't coming as she had a migraine. Well of course I was disapointed...she had all the food. I only brought 2 pot noodles to see me through until she arrived.
So I decided to stay on me own, did a shopping trip, and took a walk round the woods to see the state of affairs after all the rain and wind.
Found a pile of spoons...
and someones tent..
That night was very odd but pleasant. Clear skies, moon light and bright stars but it was mild. I had my Army doss bag unzipped to the waist at times. Very mild for December. Then we had lightning and thunder and... hailstones. Then a fox woke me up rummaging in my bergen. When I got up it ran off with my milk.
Christmas morning...Santa left me this...
Another walk in better weather. Christmas day was nice actualy..
Cooking under the giant tarp. It's a cheapo from ebay. It held up to the storm well but the brass eyelets are teraing from the tarp so it wouldn't last another strong wind. Sausages and eggs for Christmas dinner...
...and I vandalised my prezzie from Santa but light faded before I had it finished...
Off to bed and another great night but a tad colder. It was 5 degrees when I got in the maggot and dropped to around zero in the night. There was ice on the tent in the morning.
That's it really. Packed up on boxing day morning and had a leasurely 70 mile ride home in great weather.
I had a great 3 nights out despite the absence of 'er indoors. The weather made it even more special, although at turning fifty I really need to reconsider riding the bike in such violent storms. I'm getting too old in the tooth for all that and my body's protesting.
Thanks for watching and all the best to ya all.
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