So Where Did We Start?

Back in the olden days, which dear reader you will know is further back than before the lives of children and their inability to adjust to anything actually being around before they were born, or if they do grasp this time warp concept, everything was 'In the Victorian Times'..  Which to be honest, is not helped by me telling them to speak to their Grandmother about anything Victorian, as she was around in those days.. << cough, cough>>.  Sorry Mother!

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, when I were a lad, I belonged to The Camping Club of Great Britain and Ireland.  And  my friend Kevin and I would take ourselves off nearly every weekend in the summer and go camping. 

Eventually time catches up with you and on leaving school I joined Her Majesty's Army as a vehicle mechanic in the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers and had my fill of camping and outdoor life for the next 11 years.

After that, I vowed that the indoor life was for me and that was that.  HA HA! laughed life.  So what happened?  Some time after the wife asked me one evening if I would be interested in taking her and the offspring camping.  After spluttering for ages on my cup of tea, I firmly declined the offer stating the above reason.  One of my friends, Colin mentioned to me and t'other friend Jason that he had just purchased a caravan.

After both Jason and myself had spluttered through our beer, we mercilessly took the mickey for approximately five minutes, stating Jeremy Clarkson like statements, then actually realising that here was the perfect base for travelling boys weekends, we then shamelessly freeloaded a weekend away in Colin's shed.

It was during the summer of 2006 (was it really dear reader? I think it was)  It was during a World Cup year and for a brief moment, I got excited about the prospects of England progressing further than normal in the qualifications.  But life was soon back to normal, and they didnt. But we shamelessly free loaded a great weekend of caravanning, beer, cycling, beer and BBQing at a lovely spot in rural Oxfordshire.  More on this place later.

So after that, the bug was rekindled, the flame was replanted and other such metaphors.  I went to work for a wonderful organisation called New Wine and one of the major events they put on are summer conferences, and as such I was required to stay in 'sunny' Shepton Mallet, at the Royal bath & West Showground for two and a half weeks in a caravan.  Funny how things come around.

So from that I was fortunate enough, through work to get my hands on a lovely old Conway Trailer Tent.  Which like any trailer tent enthusiast will know, is a great piece of kit, if only it didnt take 2-3 hours to put up each time and consequently suck out any of the joy of dissapearing on a Friday night for a weekend away.

So, in time we did part exchange the trailer tent in and we got our hands on a brand new 2011 Elddis Avante 526.  Which to say is very nice and shiny is an understatement.