Lottie and I were lucky enough to have a bit of time off together just before Easter, and by some miracle, the weather forecast was incredibly good. Unfortunately, as is the case with everyone these days, money is particularly tight, and although it would have been nice to splurge out of a super posh spa hotel again, or rent a cabin for a few days, we thought we’d opt for the cheapest option, and that meant digging the old tent out of the attic and booking a patch of grass in a camp site.
Wednesday 9th April:
Neither of us are campers, having only done it a handful of times over the years, and this is evident by the fact that my tent, which my parents brought for me when I was about ten, still looks as new - which was good, because that’s the one we used. We only had one sleeping bag between us, and no bed or ground sheet though, so the latter were borrowed from one of Lottie’s friends and we prepared for the cold by bringing lots of blankets and warm clothes. Once we had all our supplies packed and ready, we headed west again, and arrived at our camp site early afternoon in, you’ve guessed it, the New Forest (an Adventures post covering a trip to somewhere else may crop up one day).
Several years ago, we visited the Holmsley Airfield Campsite and found it to be a very pleasant stay, so we opted to book there again, not really knowing where else was good, and as it was just for one night, we thought the familiarity would be handy. An on site shop/café appealed to us too, not having much in the way of proper camping supplies. The sun was shining brightly when we arrived, and after weaving our way through the jaywalking wildlife and checking in, we got to work pitching. This is when our incompetence became clear, as we even forgot to pack a hammer or mallet to bash the pegs in. As luck would have it, the check-in hut had a spare lying about, and after thankfully borrowing it, we got to work setting up. Save for one other tent on the site, our little set up was by far the smallest, and as we got to work setting up the borrowed mattress, we quickly realised just how little space there was inside the tent. It was very cosy however, and once we got the blankets, duvet, and pillows in, we were very happy with our temporary home.
After settling in, we decided to have a little wander about before setting of to nearby Lymington for a bit of a browse and to find some food. We’ve been to Lymington a handful of times before, but always enjoy a walk along the quay and through the cobbled streets up to the high-street. There is always a holiday atmosphere there, and watching the families crabbing, people enjoying ice creams, and seeing the pubs and restaurants alive with patrons is always nice. After a nice walk about, we put our money saving caps on and found the nearest restaurant that accepted our Tastecard, which was Prezzo. Nice pizza, a bit of tiramisu and cheesecake, and a good hot drink set us up nicely, and after that we wandered to the car and headed back to the camp site.
The sun was just about gone by the time we changed and readied ourselves for bed, and after climbing in the tent and getting under the blankets, we read for a while before settling down. The mattress we borrowed was surprisingly comfy, and with the added blankets, we had a very warm and cosy night, sleeping rather soundly to morning.
Thursday 10th April:
We woke just around sunrise, and after lots of yawning and stretching, we decided to go for a nice long morning walk, to enjoy the rising sun, to fill our lungs with fresh air, and to watch the Ponies grazing. There is something particularly nice about a fresh morning walk, and it’s especially enjoyable while wearing comfortable bed clothes!
After walking across the plains and through the woods beyond, we circled back and got ready for the day. We had only booked the pitch for the night, so we also began packing and tidying, taking it slow and doing little bits at a time. Despite it being a very fine day before, and morning, the tent was very wet with dew, so after getting all our bedding out, we opened it up and moved it a little more into the morning sun, letting it dry out as we went for a drive around to explore the local area.
After enjoying the landscape, spotting more animals, and visiting the New Forest Airfields memorial, we headed back to explore the camp site’s shop, picking up a couple of doughnuts and a tea and coffee to keep us going with the rest of the packing up. Once we were ready for the day and all our bits and pieces were stuffed into the car, we made off again, having planned a little route. First on our agenda was the little village of Burley. Again, we’ve both been there multiple times, but it’s always nice to visit. We had thought about renting bikes, but without good service we couldn’t quite determine how much money we had left in our bank accounts, so we decided to just get a spot of lunch there and to browse the shops. We ended up in a little café called Noohn. The staff there were incredibly friendly, and made for a really lovely and peaceful place to eat (and to look at all their wonderful bits and pieces for sale). We upgraded our toasties to a picnic, and were served our food in very sweet little hampers - never before have we had our lunch presented so lovingly. If you’re ever in the area, we can’t recommend it enough.
After eating, we wandered about and browsed the shops, picking up a little pin badge for our collection, and looking through the Phonebox library. On our way back up through the village towards the car, we also popped into the local estate agent to see how insanely expensive the properties there are - but also, there was a little Cavapoo called Billy, which was our main reason for going in. After saying hello to the dog, we made for the car and set off to our next destination, which was Moors Valley. We didn’t quite do our research however, and as we entered, and after being robbed by the parking fees, we looked about to find that apparently we were the only childless couple there. We had a bit of a walk about, but didn’t want to go over the first hour of parking, so after a brief wander, we escaped with five minutes to spare and made for the next spot, which was much more up our street.
A short drive away was the Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve, and as we arrived, we found that we only had about an hour and a half to explore before the site was closed, and after exploring a little, we wished we had gotten there sooner. After parking up, we were greeted by one of the guides, and he furnished us with a map, and some recommendations on a trail that would suit how much time we had left. Setting off around the lakes, we visited several of the birdwatching hides, and saw *checks notes* …some birds. The guide told us that it wasn’t quite the best time of year, and also the bird feeders had been taken down due to a case of bird flu, so there wasn’t a huge amount of wildlife to see, but the surroundings were beautiful - and it was a lovely place to round off the day - warm, serene, and picturesque, and save for one couple about half way around, we saw nobody else there apart from the guide at the information hut. After circling back on the short walk route, we climbed back in the car and started the journey home, leaving the New Forest behind once again, getting home a few hours later, tired but contented.
I don’t think we’ll ever tire of the New Forest, and it was lovely to get away, even just for one night. Do you go camping much? Any tips or recommendations for places to pitch up? I think next time we might have to upgrade the tent, despite being functional, it is just a tad too small, although perfectly serviceable for a night or two.
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Jamie B