One night in Donegal

In Northern Ireland we don't often get a long spell of good weather. However we've been having the best run of dry and warm weather for as long as I can remember, with temperatures from May through to now in the mid to late twenties and hardly a drop of rain. It has been too hot!

So, perfect camping weather! Off I went, I went very light, throwing a 4 person pop up tent in the car almost like an afterthought. I wasn't even sure where I was going! But I did know one thing, I wanted to go to the beach.

The best beaches I know of are in Donegal, particularly all around the coast of Gweedore. My favourite beach is adjacent to Donegal airport and I had a new toy to play with, a Stand up paddle board.  I wanted somewhere with relative privacy to try it out as I knew it would take a bit of getting used to.

I went straight to the beach, pumped up the paddle board and got going. I had my little dog with me who caused a bit of a problem jumping on board with me. I found it very challenging to actually 'stand up' on the Stand up paddle board, sitting down was definately more my style. I literally spent hours paddling up and down the coast line in shallow water, no deeper than waist deep.

By this time I'd formulated a plan. I decided that I'd stay at Sleepy Hollows Campsite where I'd been once before quite a long time ago. I knew the pub down the road, Leos, would do a nice meal so I called in there for a Steak on the way to the campsite.

I knew Sleepy Hollows was quite bad for midges. I'd forgotten just how bad and although I had quite a bit of 'smidge' on I got quite badly bitten. The following morning the midges just descended on me like a cloud attacking my face in particular. It was horrific, so I literally threw everything in the car and went to the beach. At the beach the constant breeze ensured that midges can't hang about too long.

Another scorching day meant that even at 10am I was struggling with the lack of shade. I backed the car up to a quiet spot at Mullaghderg Beach and pitched the tarp at the back of the car. My swimming gear was still a bit wet from the day before so I used the poles as a drying line. Then I set about making breakfast on the stove and there wasn't a single soul around. It was bliss. 

In the afternoon after another day of paddleboarding I decided that I didn't want to stay a second night partly because of the midges at the campsite and partly because I did have a commitment at work which I could have delayed a day but I preferred to get done in the time frame I'd told the client I would. I headed back to the campsite to pack up and by teatime I was back on the road heading home. 

Glenariffe Forest Campsite - no more tents

Sadly Glenariffe Forest Campsite in Co Antrim, following it's revitalisation, will no longer be accepting tents. It has spaces for caravans and future provision for some glamping pods but tents are not welcome. 

This post follows on from a Facebook Discussion on Northern Ireland Campsite Forums Facebook page. One of our members, Laura, was appalled to find that her favourite campsite would no longer be available to her. 

link to Facebook Post

Laura had written to the Forestry Commission and had received a response which was posted on Facebook. 

"The new caravan site was constructed following discussions with the local District Council who had previously commissioned a report into tourism provision within the Moyle area. At the time of design it was considered that the greatest need was to provide a 5* caravan site in the first instance and to leave space within the site for ‘glamping pods’ which could be added later if demand requires this." (extract from response by customer.forestservice:daera-ni.gov.uk)

So what's in a name. There is the term 'Caravan Site'. How many of them have pitches suitable for tents? The answer is that the majority of Caravan sites are also Camping sites and the majority of Camp sites have pitches suitable for caravans.

The name is not regulated by law. A provider can call their camping provision whatever they like, and accept any units regardless of the name which they use to describe the facility as long as they have the relevant planning permissions to operate.

"I was disappointed to hear on Facebook that the new campsite at Glenariffe will no longer be offering pitches for tents. This is despite the fact that it previously did. There also appears to be campers facilities provided, which is at odds with the lack of tent spaces. Caravans and Motorhomes do not need a 'campers kitchen' as they already have these facilities on board." (extract)

The Forestry Commission has decided to exclude tents in this instance and the question is why. What is the  point of excluding part of your revenue. As a tenter I often pay exactly the same as a caravan pitch which can be anything from £18 to £25 per night. I also use a hook up which is often an extra £3 to £4 on top of that rate. I'm happy to do so as I think it should not matter what kind of unit you are in - the pitch is being paid for regardless of whether it's a tent, a caravan, a camper van or a trailer tent. 

They also state that they are a 5* facility. 

Does this mean that tent campers aren't deserving enough to use a 5* facility? I guess this is going back to the old misconceptions about campers. 

Recently a discussion took place on Northern Ireland Campsites Forums Facebook page about Caravanners attitudes towards seeing tents on site. Unsurprisingly it proved to be controversial with some members having a somewhat snobbish attitude towards campers. However the overwhelming opinion of the majority of members stated that they were happy to see campers on site. Indeed many of them had been campers themselves at one time or other in their lives.

All of the people, regardless of whether they are campers or caravanners and who use these campsites have some money in their pockets which they are willing to  hand over in order to provide themselves with their chosen form of accommodation. 

I can only surmise that the banning of tents and therefore campers is discriminatory and will needlessly reduce the amount of accommodation cover for the area which is very popular with tourists. 

Curing my addiction to tent buying

I have, amazingly, sold not one but five tents in the past month. There is a variety of reasons for this. Partly, the Bell Tent is such a success now that I don't envisage me not using it for the majority of camping trips. Partly, it was getting ridiculous, the amount of tents I had stashed in my attic. Lastly, I am going for my annual fortnight long camping trip to the Lake District this summer and the sale of a few tents has offset the cost of the ferry between Belfast and Cairnryan. 

But do not worry my tent buying loving amigos, I did buy one little ickle tent. It hasn't arrived yet as the release date is a few weeks off yet. This is a replacement for the Vango Halo 300 which I sold recently because I was finding that it wasn't quite the 'no faff' tent I wanted. That third pole was tricky to install. It held its value well and now someone in Somerset it the owner of my not oft used Vango Halo and I hope they get years and years out of it because it is a great tent. 

I have bought an Olpro Pop, which is a two berth dome tent. At £59 it was cheap anyway but an extra 10% off on a Bank Holiday sale certainly made me feel even better. The poles are already in situ on the tent, Khyam stylee. Where it wins over the three berth Vango Halo is the extra 10cm head height inside. It is also, for a two berth, bigger inside. It's 210mm by 210mm whereas the Halo had a useable inner of 210mm by 180mm. The pack size is comparable to an umbrella fold camping chair. 

This is my 'no faff' tent (I hope) for those times when the sun is out, the weather is predicted to be great, and it will probably just live in the car boot most of the summer. Then, when I go camping to the Lake District with my son, he and his girlfriend will be taking up residence in it as a pup tent, preferably on the other side of the camping area. 

Olpro Pop

Jordanstown Loughshore Camping and Caravanning site

Loughshore Camping and Caravan Park is on a stretch of coastline looking across Belfast Lough to Hollywood and where you can see passing ships navigate their way in and out of Belfast harbour. In the distance you can see the landmark Structures Samson and Goliath cranes which are situated in Harland & Wolff Shipyard where the Titanic was built. 

The campsite itself is along side a landscaped park area comprising of a kids play park and walks along the shore. There are picnic tables and steps down to a stony beach and there is a cafe selling drinks, buns and some hot food in the same building as the campsite amenities. The other side is a busy road and there is some road noise however it is not that intrusive. 

360 Tour of Jordanstown Loughshore Campsite

The way in is barred with a substantial gate for vehicles and a pedestrian gate alongside, with a keypad system to get in and out. I was sent an email with my four digit number along with my booking which was also done online. In fact I never met the warden, I believe there was one but because I'd booked online I didn't need to go to a reception. 

The gate is on the side of a building and the 'front' of this building is the coffee shop and some public toilets. The back side of the same building is amenities for the campers and caravanners. There is a Laundry room, office, sluice all with their own doors then the end door leads to male and female toilets and showers. In the female side there was two toilets, two separate showers and a row of sinks. There was a free to use wall mounted hair dryer and the showers were also free. My shower wasn't terribly warm after the first minute but at least it wasn't hyperventilating cold.

All the amenities were quite clean and well maintained. There is also an area set aside for leaflets and a map on the wall. It's all quite well thought out. 

The camping pitch I had was a little on the small side but I was delighted to find it 'fully serviced' in that it had a post with EHU and a tap with corresponding drain. The pitch just about held my 4m Bell Tent which is quite a modestly sized tent compared to some. I paid £15 and did not actually know I was going to get EHU. There are only four camping pitches in all and three of them are on the other side of the roadway, therefore backing on to a green space. That means that there is a little more room for a bigger tent. I went for Pitch 4 which was between the road and the fence overlooking the view. The fence is tall, similar to the type you get around a school. I felt quite secure but at the same time it doesn't look like a 'security' fence.

The pitches are mostly caravan pitches with a hard standing and a grassed area. Unfortunately if you wanted your caravan facing the view you had to forgo using your awning as the grass area would be on the wrong side. I did notice that most caravans were facing the view and therefore the 'wrong' way. 

The only negative I have is that when you are sitting down, trying to enjoy the view, the hedges which are planted on the far side of the fence are getting too tall to see over. I noticed that there are also climbing plants being trained to grow up the fence. If this is left unchecked then the point of the camp site, which is the view, will be null and void and to me there is no point going to this camp site any more.

It was a Bank Holiday weekend and the weather recently has been very chilly with even some snow and hail, although luckily I didn't endure that on this camping trip. It was still very cold at night and I was delighted to find that I had access to EHU, and luckily I'd brought the cable and a small fan heater just in case. 

Jordanstown Loughshore Camping

Past Summer Holidays

Run down of previous annual hols:


2015 - Co Kerry (Mannix Point) camping - rained 12 out of 13 days. Only one glorious day. Went home a day early due to the weather.

2014 - Co Donegal Cruit Island - stayed in a holiday cottage (not this castle - this is Glenveigh)

2013 -  Co Kerry (Mannix Point) camping - scorching fortnight, no rain and high temperatures

2012 - Ballyness, Co Antrim in the Caravan. Rained solid for two weeks

2011 - Co Kerry (Mannix Point) camping - mostly dry with one day of rain

2010 - England, camping and touring in Somerset, London and Staffordshire

2009 - Benone Tourist Complex, North Coast - rained intermittently but were mostly lucky

2008 - Rossnowlagh Co Donegal camping - dry for the most part

2007 - Caravanning in Sleepy Hollow, Co Donegal - another glorious summer. 

2006 - Just a short weekend to Castle Archdale

2005 - France camping - took the ferry and toured taking in the Vendee and Brittany 

2004 - Caravan to Knockalla Caravan Park, Co Donegal (no photo)

Festivals in NI with Camping 2016

Please find a list of Festivals for Summer 2016 - If you find I haven't included a particular festival, please let me know and I'll add it in. 

I have focused on the Festivals where you go and stay for the weekend (camping, campervan etc), as opposed to the town festivals of which there are many. A full list of various town festivals arehere: http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/festivals

Northern Ireland

Sunflower Fest

www.sunflowerfest.co.uk

Hillsborough Co Down

5th - 7th August 

Headline Act - The Strypes

Dalriada Festival

www.dalriadafestival.co.uk

Glenarm Co Antrim

16th - 17th July 

Stendhal Festival

http://www.stendhalfestival.com/

Limavady Co Londonderry

12th - 13th of August 

Monsters of Rot

 http://monstersofrot.com/

Letterbreen Co Fermanagh

1st August 

Ireland

The Sea Sessions

http://seasessions.com/

Bundoran Co Sligo

24th -26th June

Headline act Primal Scream 

The Rory Gallagher Festival

/www.rorygallagherfestival.com

Ballyshannon, Co Sligo

2nd - 5th June

Headline Act Wilko Johston

Vantastival (VW Campervan festival)

www.vantastival.com

Drogheda Co Louth

3rd - 4th June

Headline act - King Kong Company

Castlepalooza

www.castlepalooza.com

Charleville Castle Tullamore

1st - 3rd July 2016

Headline act - Caribou

Electric Picnic

www.electricpicnic.ie

Stradbally Hall Co Laois 

2nd - 4th September 

How to pack and store your Camp Kitchen

Managing your cool box

The following information is primarily about standard, insulated cool boxes that do not run off electric. There are such things as electric cool boxes too, see below.

Note on 12v/electric mains cool boxes: 

An electric cool box does not work like a fridge, if you expect ice cold wine, beer or water you will be disappointed. They tend to work at 16 to 18 degrees below ambient. So you get a 22 degree day, the cool box will keep food to 6 degrees. Your fridge at home is around 3 to 5 degrees. You can buy, for £180 and upwards, a camping fridge that works off electric or gas and will cool things just as well as your home fridge does. 

Rule #1 Start four days before you need the cool box.

There's no point packing your cool box on the day you go camping, filling it up with food and expecting a few ice packs to do the job. Start about four days before by putting frozen 2 litre bottles of tap water and ice packs in the cool box, preferably enough to fill the space. If you don't have enough to do that, fill up the empty spaces with  bubble wrap or even scrunched up plastic bags. No empty spaces please!

When the bottles thaw, replace them with new ones and also new ice packs. This second lot won't thaw just as quick. This is called 'priming' your cool box.

Rule #2 Fill up with frozen food.

Did you know milk freezes really well? Make a Chilli or a Spaghetti Bolognese before hand and freeze these too. It'll take a day or so to thaw out but then dinner for night two is sorted! Frozen bacon and sausages means day 3 breakfast. Ensure all other food is at least chilled in the fridge. Don't put room temperature food in the cool box that you've been working on getting cold for the past few days.

Rule #3 Don't open the cool box!

Consider using a second cool box for drinks and snacks (such as chocolate bars) so that you are not opening your main cool box every five minutes. Especially worth considering if you have kids! You can buy a second, budget cool box for this purpose, or you can double line an ordinary cardboard box with bin liners, put tin foil all around the inside, fill with ice and your drinks and drape a wet tea towel on top. Keep a smaller container of milk in here too if you are a serial coffee or tea drinker.

Rule #4 Buy often, buy local.

Don't bother trying to manage your weekly groceries like you would at home. When you go out for the day, plan a trip to the butchers or shop on the way home and buy just what you need for that evening and the next morning. Don't give the sausages time to go off.

Rule #5 If the campsite offers ice block freezing, use it.

Even better ask them to freeze two litre bottles of tap water AND ice packs. Even when the water starts to thaw, it will be lovely and cold to drink. They may even have a fridge for campers to use, in which case make sure you have a permanent marker pen to hand to put your name on everything!

BONUS TIPS!

Tip #1 Fill up with ice.

Ice is really cheap, I've seen it for 99p in some shops. You can double bag the ice to stop it from soaking everything, although chances are it will to some extent. A cool box with a plug at the bottom is especially useful if you use ice. Having some ice in freezer bag means ice for drinks too! It is unlikely you'll want to use the dirty ice that is swilling around the bottom of your cool box.

Tip #2 Mind how you pack.

It goes without saying heavy things to the bottom and lighter things at the top. Even if you are not using ice, condensation means the bottom is most likely wet. Plastic containers such as milk or bottled drinks, or even tins (beer, soda etc) are best placed in the bottom with butter and eggs on the top. Try not to have packaging with cardboard in it near the bottom as it will become wet through.

Tip #3 Vac pac.

Your butcher will  likely have an industrial type vacuum packer, and most will be happy to vacuum pack your meat in portions if you explain that you want it for a camping trip. The meat will last longer, and the packaging will not leak. If you freeze it before hand it will act like a ice pack as well.

Tip #4 Wash lettuce before you leave home.

And place in a ziploc bag along with a single sheet of damp paper towel, you should get at least three days out of it. In fact, much of your veg preparation can be done at home and stored in ziploc bags. Double bag chopped onions or everything will smell!

Vango Iris, a brief history

The Vango Iris is a sub £300, 3 poled tunnel family tent that is pitched in 10 to 15 minutes. It has had a name change from Icarus to Isis, oops, and quickly to Iris - but it is basically a good value, well engineered, great value piece of camping kit with a sales performance that other tent manufacturers can only try to emulate. Year on year, the tweaks in the design are tiny. If it ain't broke and all that. 

Back to the beginning

2008 was a influential year in many ways. Global recession meant an end to expensive holidays for many, redundancies meant no holiday at all. Alternatives were sought, and camping was remembered in a golden halo kind of way. A couple of reasonably warm summers, and camping was suddenly all the rage again. The dome tent, which had dominated the market for existing campers, had grown to monster proportions and took up too much room on a camp site, and also took too long to put up. My brother in law bought a pro-action, a central dome thingy with three sticky out bits to sleep in. It took hours to put up and it put him off for life. To this day I cannot get him to try camping again. 

Tunnel tents were the answer, and Vango just got it right. Where other companies had armadillo type tunnel tents, Vango kept it simple. Keep the size down, the capacity to 5 or 6 people, have it with three poles, all the same length so it didn't matter which pole sleeve you put it through. Put plenty of pockets in there, and make sure, for goodness sake, to put a fully sewn in groundsheet in the damn thing (deal breaker for many non-camping people). And most of all, keep it affordable. Vango claimed to have lost money on the thing, although I'm sure they have recouped the costs by now and just as importantly, their brand is now considered right 'up there'.

Outwell quickly brought out their own versions, with better and stronger materials and a bigger price for the slightly more affluent camper. The Vango 3 poled tunnel tent still remained the favourite mainly because of the price, as families were either broke or faced with being broke or worried about being broke in the future. 

The TBS System

A Vango Icarus/Isis/Iris looks a bit like a polytunnel you grow your veg in. Except the poles are in sections and to keep weight and price down, not particularly strong. In any kind of a breeze the tent was a wobbly mess. To counteract this the engineering principle of triangles being stronger than half moon shapes, a series of webbing straps were designed in. They originated in each side  and clipped in to a point on the apex. Because these straps were then in the way of users, it was left optional if you wanted to use them or not. A neat little pocket was sewn in to hold the webbing straps and if the wind picked up, the camper could then utilise the system. Since, the TBS system has remained, was tweaked and called TBSII. It is patented, so nobody else can use it. 

TBS *

Price

In 2008-10 you could pick up a three poled Vango for about £170. There was a blue version and a green version. Each year the colour changed. I have a 'Laurel/Meadow' green 2010. My friend had a 'Smoke' blue one from 2008. 

Early model circa 2009/10, offered in two colours 'Laurel Meadow' and 'Bluebell' *

By 2011/12 the price rose to about £230 (retail) and in sales reduced to the £200 mark. For the extra money the spec was significantly enhanced. The strength of the fabric was better (embossed with a 'V' for Vango) but the basic construction remained the same. The inner pod, which was white, was swapped out for a 'Lights Out' darker fabric. 

The window design changed to match some of the bigger Vango models, called the Vista front, basically it gave a better outlook and more light in. The ventilation was enhanced so that there were high and low ventilation points to aid in the circulation of air. The optional mesh panel on the door was extended to the front door as well as the side. The privacy curtains were zipped not toggled.

This year you can expect, for around £260, all that plus 'line lok' guyline runners (which are significantly better than standard ones) and velcro tidies to run the cable of the light up to the roof. These are little things, and if I bought one last year I would not be upgrading just for these things alone.  

2016 model in Moss Green * 

The canopy

What a rigmarole we have had with these canopies. Everyone but everyone who had a Vango Icarus wanted the canopy only in the early days there wasn't one. Well there was a 'universal one' which nearly but didn't quite fit (called the Premium Extension) which was actually designed for another tent (the Vango Orchy) but Vango caught themselves on and brought out dedicated 'fit on the front' canopies - first of all open fronted, then with a door on (more sensible and less 'kitey') and eventually designed one that attached with a zip. But by then the canopy rage was over as people just went out and bought a slightly bigger tent instead. The other tent manufacturers, by contrast, were a lot quicker off the mark with add ons and extensions. Gelert and Hi Gear in particular, were early adopters. 

The future

I predict that the Vango Iris will continue to be a firm family favourite this year, although I feel that the popularity of camping has peaked and is now waning. A couple of washout summers have quite literally dampened the mood and all those new campers have been put off.

The cheap alternative

The need for a really budget tent is still catered for with a Vango Lauder which has no side door and has less head height in the bedroom pods, as well as a linked in groundsheet rather than a sewn in one. If you can live with that then for about £160 you too can go camping this summer, which I predict, will not be as wet as the last one. 

* All Images copyright Vango

Bell Tent thoughts

Last spring I treated myself to a Bell Tent, I sourced a 4m Polycotton from a German company called Spreen and was happy with the price. It is a 'SIG' ie sewn in groundsheet and it is 2.5m tall in the centre, leaving plenty of head room to walk around with. When I first got it I was distinctly unimpressed, I found the high space difficult to heat, the door being low was hurting my back, the single guy rope outside the door was problematic. Find original post here. 

I then braved a stormy weekend still quite early in the season, when I went to Creeslough in Co. Donegal. What I liked about the tent was it looked cool, there's no doubt it's a pretty tent. It was the talk of the campsite! But wet, it was a heavy beast and I didn't have the strength to pack it and one thing became apparent, the bag which was a snug fit when the thing was brand new vacuum packed from a factory in China, was far too small when packing it away normally and worse when wet. Find that post here. 

The next time I could have used my new Vango Halo, but the Bell Tent has a way of making you want to use it! Bell Tent camping is a whole different experience to any other kind of camping. It is something you hanker after, and miss when you don't have it. I solved the guy rope in the door way problem by getting a similar coloured guy rope to match and put two on the guy point, and pegged them out at a 45 degree angle so that there was one on each side instead of one in the middle. As the outside temperatures rose the benefits of having a cool space inside a tent (which in a full polyester fabric would heat up like a sauna) became apparent, and excess heat could be controlled by opening the half moon, mesh covered windows in the sides. I could not fault the pitch time of about 8 minutes. That time I had a helper in the form of my very nearly adult son who very much aided with the folding up process and the hoisting it over the lip of the car boot bit. And, I abandoned trying to get it in it's bag, using two long velcro straps to secure it into a package instead. That post can be found here. 

I took it away for a main family fortnight holiday, which was a risk because if this Bell Tent was going to get on my nerves, two weeks in the rain in Co Kerry was going to put the tin lid on it. As it was, I lived quite happily with it and I even did one thing I said I wouldn't. I put bunting on it. I know, I know, I hang my head in shame. The unexpected side effect of this was sitting in a cafe on Valentia Island, with 3 American teenage girls sitting at the next table proclaiming 'Oh my GAWD, did you see that cute little circus tent with the yellow bunting!' and I'm sitting there smiling smugly to myself, that's my tent you're talking about! Original post here.

I last used it on a meet with some camping friends. I hardly got to spend any time in it, but there was some hilarity as the guy ropes, which do have to be pitched extended quite far out, turned out to be a trip hazard for drunk people. Over the course of the weekend the tent looked sadder and baggier, until I took pity on it and took it home one last time for the season. Find the post with pictures here. 

Now I've used it a reasonable amount of times, I can honestly say the charm has been worked on me. I don't know what it is about Bell Tent camping, but I don't think I'll rush out to buy a tunnel ever again. I don't even want to! (which is saying something for me as I really, really wanted an Easycamp Boston with a flat front for years!). Yes the issues with weight, heat retention etc is still there. It is partly about appropriate use. For example, when it's cold out, use a smaller tent. My Vango Halo, which I'm also very happy with, is the perfect small scale tent for keeping heat around you when you are sleeping. When it's raining, take something (such as my Base Seconds from Decathlon) which is big enough to hang out in and dries quickly, preferably in my parents garage! 

But when you get a golden weekend, the sun shines, the breeze is gentle, the views are great, Bell Tent camping has a personality of it's own that makes you want to seize every minute and relive it weeks and months afterwards. I think it's the slightly hippy, dippy nature of it that reminds me of more carefree days. And, I've discovered that the best way for me to enjoy it is to not worry about prettying it up, in fact the more glamping I do, the more pressure I feel to keep it just so! 

I combined Bell Tent camping with a paring down in all other areas. The cooking was confined entirely to one blue stripy container (see pic) and smaller and better items. The big chair was swapped for a sturdy small one, and a light folding bench. The big table was dispensed with in favour of a Coleman Mini table, and if there was a handy picnic table available, then none were required. 

Now all I want, or need is a Ghillie Kettle!