My kids forgot we even HAD iPads!

My kids forgot we even HAD iPads

There is nothing quite like camping in a virtual monsoon to bring a family together under a cheap blue tent with a floor that isn’t quite attached. I’m not certain why it isn’t attached – but I do know that we stayed up and chatted from either sleeping end of the tent with a small river flowing between us and past our cooler. I also realized this camping trip that you don’t actually need all that much to really entertain kids when they are presented with the great outdoors – that when left to their own devices our kids had a pretty good time.

We had ventured down to Cornwall – having always wanted to go there but not quite being sure of why. It was a ‘why not?’ kind of trip, which often turn out to be the very best kind. Something about the end of the world, I don’t know. My husband dragged us out in the pouring rain without rain coats to see some signpost out in the ocean that we couldn’t make out through the rain. I squinted so hard I hurt myself.

But back to the actual camping.

We had stayed at Franchis Holiday Parks (http://franchis.co.uk/) as part of AFF and I’ve got to say, we had a pretty great time. The camp had a separate area for tents which greatly reduced the chances of our kidlets getting smoked by a motorhome while running about like wild howler monkeys in the open play area – which was much appreciated. This also, however, introduced us to our very first proper ‘hipsters’. At least, I think they were hipsters. At first Paul thought that they had come from a wedding as the couple were dressed so nicely, flowers in her hair and a flower in his coat pocket, she had brought a blow dryer tenting and they sat on blankets in their elaborate retro clothing to cook stew with rocks. I’m pretty sure they were hipsters.

As usual with nearly anywhere we go (like expensive hotels in Norway!) my kids loved the bathroom more than anything else. I do not profess to know why. Something about the bathroom at this place completely captivated them – it functioned as a sort of communal hang out area for campers like we were part of some backwoods broccoli farming commune. There was the little girl outside the bathrooms making ‘magic potions’ with leaves and bugs. The friendly and understanding woman my three year old followed into the shower, asking the lady for help with her coat zipper. There was the outdoor dish washing facility attracting local gossip like an office water cooler – though this was still Britain and full of Brits so really all we talked about was the weather. Then there was the other friendly woman that my dog followed into the bathroom and right into the stall. It’s a good thing he’s reasonably cute. And evil.

We had warm bread in the morning fresh from the camp store and I darted back and forth between the library/tourist info room to our tent like an excited flamingo – lifting my legs high as I ran to avoid puddles and flapping my arms in excitement; Paul! PAUL! We can go deep sea fishing! Get your stuff! Or Paul! PAUL! There are these giant cliffs we can go hike on! Or PAUL! PAUUUULLLL!!! SEAL WORLD! SEAL WORLD! Start the caaaaarrrr!!!!!

All in all, despite having given ourselves food poisoning with veggie burgers (I didn’t even know you could do that), having run down some painfully slow senior citizens on my way to the loo at a rest stop, having gotten completely lost time and time again AND having camped in a near monsoon we had a fantastic time, and can’t wait to go again.

Except this time we’ll bring Paul’s mom to take better pictures as we deface a local street sign.