Camping and floods

September is always the end of the camping season for us - not least because we're not old enough to have a camper van yet, so we still have our lovely, spacious tent :-)

This year our last trip this weekend was to Laneham.  We've been before, and thought we'd try it again - it's a lovely campsite, just a couple of very flat fields on the banks of the River Trent, and a good facilities block.

So, after torrential rain at the beginning of the week we were a little apprehensive, but when Stu and I got there Friday afternoon it was glorious. We've been camping a few times this summer, and I think this is the warmest weather we've had for putting the tent up. Perfect afternoon - tent went up easliy (it doesn't always), no arguments, and in an hour we were sitting in the sun reading the papers and enjoying a well earned g and T. With a power station in the background!

Our friends arrived later (one of them delayed because their camper van wouldn't start - more on that later), and soon we were set.

Eventually we set off to walk to the pub, only about 10 minutes away along the river. A good meal of fish and chips followed, and we set off to walk back. That's where the problems started. The Trent is a tidal river, and as we got to where it runs by the road, it became apparent that the road had disappeared, and there was a lot of river where there shouldn't be! It was very dark but we had torches, and managed to scrmable up a grass bak to get round some of it, but there was no alternative but to paddle through some of it. Of cousre, the more sensible people rolled up their trousers, but most of us just walked through. Back at the campsite we had wet feet, jeans, socks and shoes, but a warm camper van, a change of clothes, and plenty of brandy to warm up!

Next day was sunny again and we dried the wet stuff on the handy camper van rack!

We had to walk through the floods again to catch the bus to Retford. Luckily the tide was a little lower, and it was daylight so we didn't get quite as wet.

 Had coffee outside in the sun,

then joined the Chesterfield Canal, and walked to The Gate at Hayton - just over an hour's walk. It was lovely, very quiet apart from the odd boat, lots of wildlife, and an interestingly named lock along the way.

Met family at the pub for lunch, then walked back to town via the Hoppole pub, which had wild hops growing in the towpath near it. Bus back to Laneham, and walked back to the campsite - about a mile. After a rest, and a play with Stu's new telescope looking at the very bright full moon,

We walked to a new pub opened by a local brewery, about another mile, and met my family again. We played dominoes and cards, and ate excellent sharing platters - cheese, pate, pie, dripping, pickles, and a mound of bread. As well as sampling the real ale on sale of course. Then walked back. We walked a long way that day!

Sunday morning was a leisurely communal fried breakfast - each of us contributing something, and although not sunny, the tents were dry.
Then we started packing up and our friends set off in their camper van, only to ring us about 10 minutes later to say they were stranded, they'd obviously had a petrol leak, and needed assistance. Stu set off to help, and left me. Sitting in a field, on my own, in a half taken down tent, which I daren't complete taking down because he'd gone off in the car and all of our stuff was in the field and I had no shelter if it rained....

Still, he came back eventually and we got the tent down just before it rained!  All in all an excellent end to the camping season. Can't wait for next year!