The girls have been asking for some time to go camping. Whilst I love camping, I was a little apprehensive at the prospect of pitching a tent with 3 tired and hungry children and doing so in the dark. The idea, therefore, of glamping was certainly very appealing.
I had no idea what to expect. I booked a Ready Camp through the Camping and Caravan club and was advised all I needed to bring was bedding and towels. Our trip was booked for my daughters birthday, and she was incredibly excited to be spending her birthday weekend in a tent.
Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised about our home for the weekend. A large canvas tent, with wooden decking at the front and even a space to BBQ. A dedicated space to park the car and with easy access to the toilet and shower block. It seemed we had a good spot.
Inside we had a decent size kitchen area, with fridge, microwave, kettle, toaster and a whole host of utensils. Everything you needed to cook and eat with. Dining table and chairs and a sofa which the girls loved to sit on and watch people walk past the tent. We even had two bedrooms, one with a double bed and wardrobe, the other a triple bunk bed plus pull out bed. Electricity was provided and we had plenty of plug sockets to charge phones. As with any camping drinking water is collected from a nearby tap.
The girls loved their tent, Little Man in particular loved the fact he could unzip the door and squeeze himself through the tiniest of gaps to get outside. He already has a real love for the outdoors, I cannot wait for him to walk so we can go on even more adventures.
The temperature seemed to plummet on our first night. The wind howled and blew through the tent all night. I slept with all 3 kids cuddled together in an attempt for us all to keep warm, and to stop the girls from getting too scared with the noise from the wind. They eventually settled down, a mixture of adrenaline and excitement keeping them awake.
A lazy morning was in order, it was still very cold and very windy, so we took our time getting ready before walking to the beach. Around 1.5Km from our tent it was a nice easy walk straight up the main high street. The girls asking to go in every souvenir shop and to play in every amusement arcade.
The wind picked up the closer we got to the beach, and on the beach itself it was incredibly windy. The girls had bought a football to play with, but they spent more time chasing it because the wind kept blowing it away than actually playing with it. Some donkeys arrived shortly after us and the girls were eager to have a turn. They didn't seem to stay around for too long, perhaps the weather wasn't suitable for them either!
A lazy morning was in order, it was still very cold and very windy, so we took our time getting ready before walking to the beach. Around 1.5Km from our tent it was a nice easy walk straight up the main high street. The girls asking to go in every souvenir shop and to play in every amusement arcade.
The wind picked up the closer we got to the beach, and on the beach itself it was incredibly windy. The girls had bought a football to play with, but they spent more time chasing it because the wind kept blowing it away than actually playing with it. Some donkeys arrived shortly after us and the girls were eager to have a turn. They didn't seem to stay around for too long, perhaps the weather wasn't suitable for them either!
About 2km from the beach is the seal sanctuary. Taking a steady walk along the very flat road we made our way to the seal sanctuary. We had a lovely lunch in the cafe before exploring the sanctuary itself.
Seal Sanctuary is pushchair friendly and even has some of the viewing windows at pushchair height so that Little Man could see the seals too. As well as rescuing seals and rehabilitating them, the sanctuary is home to a host of other animals. The girls loved feeding the meerkats and I had a giggle that there was an actual parrot in the entrance to the toilet. Not something you expect to see every day!
After a couple of hours we walked back down the beach again. The girls wanting ice cream, although they didn't eat it all as they got too cold. I opted for fish sticks, because I love them and you can't have a day at the seaside without!!
We left the beach around 7pm and spent some time playing in the arcade, where the girls won enough tickets to get a fridge magnet for Grandma. Instead they decided to use them for some sweets and some bangers, which they took great delight in setting off whenever they could just to make their brother laugh.
After another freezing night in the tent I awoke early for a morning run to the beach, it was one of those that you seem to put in loads of effort but do not actually get anywhere type of runs. All thanks to the rather fantastic head wind.
After another freezing night in the tent I awoke early for a morning run to the beach, it was one of those that you seem to put in loads of effort but do not actually get anywhere type of runs. All thanks to the rather fantastic head wind.
After having my skin exfoliated by the wind blowing sand everywhere I decided it was time to head back to the camp site to begin packing up.
Packing up was a lot easier than packing up from regular camping. A big plus is there is no tent to take down! The kids all seemed rather happy playing on the playground that was on site.
After a rather quick tent pack up and check out we made our way to the donkey sanctuary. We could have spent hours here. Fields full of donkeys, free entry and only £1 for a bucket full of carrots to go feed the donkeys. All eagerly awaiting their carrots.
There was a cafe on site where we had lunch, and plenty of very hungry donkeys to feed. The girls kept wanting more buckets of carrots! I think I would have stayed all day, had we not had to get back to get the girls ready for school on Monday.
I think it is perhaps fair to say that apart from the weather our first glamping experience was a success. In fact so much so I have started to look for the next one!
This day I love a weekend glamping in Mablethorpe
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