It's only been one night, but we feel like we've been on a proper holiday...
This crazy half term week looked like it didn't hold any opportunities (or decent weather) to get away in Bertie, so we had consoled ourselves with putting a couple of day trips on the calendar. However, our schedule for the next couple of days changed suddenly, and with the St Jude storm blowing itself out pretty quickly in our neck of the woods, we found a tiny window in which we could hit the road.
I booked a campsite at the third time of trying - the first was closed for the winter, and the second sounded a little unsure about 6 people staying in one small van and suggested we try elsewhere! We checked the directions on the net, found the relevant page on the Norfolk map, chucked some clothes in a bag, duvets in the seat boxes, dog food in the rear storage and clean water in the tank, and we were off...
The site we chose was the wonderful 'Whitehall Farm' in Burnham Thorpe: http://www.whitehallfarm-accommodation.com
A complete stab in the dark, but it turned out to be absolutely perfect for our needs. A lovely quiet field with countryside views, short grass and very few bumps, almost no other campers, clean and adequate facilities, and only £14 for us all for the night. Can't ask for more than that!
We pitched up (after a short quibble about the prevailing wind, direction of the slope, distance from the one other tent etc) and then walked the couple of miles along country lanes to Burnham Market, the nearest small town (large village?). Sandwiches and cakes from the bakery, eaten outside on the village green in the late autumn sunshine, were just perfect. The smaller children found the walk back a little too much and needed to be carried, and it was almost totally dark by the time we made it back to Bertie, but it was a lovely excursion.
Once back, Bertie came into his own as we quickly warmed up with the stove on and hot drinks and then dinner cooking. Games of cards around the table together passed the rest of the afternoon, then a meal of lemon chicken (well, quorn!) and rice... The electric coolbox is perfectly adequate for our needs at the moment, and I'm very glad we didn't invest the time and money into installing a real fridge.
After tea we read some stories and played another game, and then J took the children off to the toilet block while I rearranged the furniture ready for bed. We decided to change the sleeping arrangements this time, after some issues last time. The two little girls were in their hammocks again, but the older two took the places on top of the kitchen, and Jonathan and I made up the whole double bed below the hammocks for us. This was a much better option, espcially for Jonathan, as it meant that he could stretch out fully in bed, and sleep much better.
We were really toasty warm, and left one of the roof vents open for ventilation through the night. It did rain overnight, but we stayed dry and warm, and all slept well.
After replacing the tables for breakfast the following morning, it was time to make our way home again. It is just so fantastic to be able to pack up in 10 minutes, turn a key and be back on the road... Campervanning is just the best!
