Hello Folks, Let me tell you what happended last week whilst away.
Spent the last week down Perranporth Cornwall at Tollgate Farm Campsite, arrived on Saturday 26th May after a 6 hour journey from Midlands. The owners are very friendly and helpful and showned us to our pitch. The sunshine was out to pitch our new Khyam Ontario 8 which went without no problem, kettle was on in about 45 minutes, Saturday afternoon spent exploring the site and found to be really clean and plenty for kids to do.
But then Sunday arrived and all hell broke loose, we woke up to driving rain and strong winds which so far the tent held up too. After spending the morning stuck in the tent and kids getting frustrated with each other plus OH, decided to venture out and drove to St Ives, spent watching the big rollers crashing into the harbour wall. On arrival back to campsite found the tent half collasped with various poles shattered. In constant rain and high winds and help from fellow campers managed to gaffer tape the poles back together and re-erect the tent. Had to bale out some water where the door had opened by the wind. We spent the next few hours trying to get reorganised and dry. All night long the wind howled, rain lashed down and tent was swaying to and fro, felt like we were in a sailing ship.
We thought that any minute the tent would disappear into the night and be left just in sleeping bags. Anyway we managed to get through the night without any problems and woke to sunshine which then lasted all week.
On speaking to the owners about the wind and rain, it was the second worst they had ever seen, comparing to the Boscastle tragedy. They went around the site trying to re-peg the guyropes on tents and caravan awning which the wind had blown loose. With the winds so strong some tents were torn and had to be thrown away, cutting some campers holiday short.
Overall after a ropey start to our holiday we ended up having a good week. Cannot praise the campsite enough as they were always helpful, clean toilets/shower block and the kids enjoyed the animal area.
Will be back to Cornwall, hopefully without the wind
God i so sympathise with you being in a tent that week. At the same time i was in Trencreek Newquay, but in my van. The carnage was just as bad there for the tenters.
We were just down the road from you at St Michaels Mount, Marizion. The weather was the worst we ever camped in. A few flat tents, quite a few went to BB. I just had one pole slighty bend. Our tent has given us complete confidence in it. The noise was very off putting. Didnt get much sleep expecting the worst. The rest of the week pretty good. Packed away thursday wanting it dry of course it rained, drying the tent slowly. All the best.
I can remember about 15yrs ago went camping on an old frame tent with parents and the thunder and lightening was that bad we had to hide in the sleeping bags cos the ligthening was blinding up the thunder was shaking the ground, and the rain was just sweeping through the tent how this did not put me off I did not know.
------------- If Something is hard to do its NOT worth doing
We went to Greenway Farm Camping and Caravan Site the first bank holiday. Can definately reccomend it, lovely,quiet, clean and friendly. No child play area but the parents and groups played rounders etc.. in the camping fields( were no tents obviously, shows how much room we all had!)
Dave and Lorraine took over just over 4 months ago. There is a small drive to cafe, to the right a field for ehu and caravans, to the left of the cafe 3 small fields for 20 tents. They have no marked pitches but do not over crowd, infact the opposite.
Hot water in wash up area wasn't very hot but Dave had only just finished the block.
There is a brand new shower block with 2 showers and 2 toilets for the ladies and the same for gents( i think!!) but i never had to wait and they were full.
They are the cleanest and hotteset showers I've ever used( camping 5 years)
Dave and Lorraine are lovely, nothing too much trouble.
Definately reccommend if you like quiet sites with no bars,no entertainment etc..
We were up at Trewan Hall, near Padstow, and the weather there was howling and raining most nights. We had our new Outwell Minnesota and I was glad I had Delta Pegs with me as everything held firm. It was a good test of the tent although not the best week of weather I have had in Cornwall.
Myself and my family were at Bude Holiday Park for that weekend. We left a day early because of the weather. Thankfully all was ok with out tent and equipment but driving home in the rain was a nightmare. We're going back there in August, it was a really nice site.
Our first camping experience, apart from the weather and a minor incident with a boy hitting my son it was ok.
We had wind and rain at Barnard Castle over the Bank hol weekend but nothing that bad. Our Monty 6 stood up to it well, but OH saw some delta pegs on another tent and is seriously thinking about getting some now.
We were in Cornwall too, near St Austell, and the weather was the worst we have ever seen; anywhere! Don't know how you managed to encounter sunshine all week, Joness, since we only saw a few hours here and there over nine days, and it was largely due to our driving all over Cornwall in an effort to find it!
Tents were flattened, all over the site, but the Biscaya Vis-a-Vis took it all in it's stride, thankfully! Delta pegs were imperative, and lots more campers will be getting them now, on recommendation of how well anchored our tent was!
Thats what Cornish weather is like! I've gone from fog to rain to bright sunshine in the 12 mile drive from home to work. I have even seen wildly different weather between home and Tescos (1ish miles), something to do with being surrounded by the sea.
We had similar experiences in Devon over the Bank Holiday weekend. Arrived Saturday night in sunshine and put up the tent without a breath of wind.
We have a favourite pitch which we know is going to be exposed, but which has the most amazing views, is right next to a water supply and which does not overlook any other tents. We also know the direction of the prevailing wind and always double guy and cross-peg everything on the south side and use less guys on the north-side which is where we sit in the shelter of the tent.
... the storm came in from the north, didn't it!!
The main structure of the Rigipod held up fantastically, although one side did evetually blow in - purely because I hadn't pegged or guyed it properly. I was woken by the crash of a large set of plastic drawers being blown over, and then I saw the rain being blown in the half of the tent that had come unpegged. The wind also managed to blow undone the full length of a zip up door, so that side of the tent was pretty wet too.
The next night was forecast to be worse, but by then I had used everypeg and guy rope and the tent stood up brilliantly. It was definitely worth sticking it out as we had a lovely week after that - cool for the first few days but generally dry and we got to the beach most days and barbecued on three nights.
Came back on Sunday, it was forecast to rain ... but it didn't. Instead we had the perfect packing up weather - cloudy enough for there not to have been any dew on the tent in the morning, but not actually raining. Finished packing up and the sun came out properly for a couple of hours on the beach before returning home.
It was pretty bad in Polperro as well, at one point the rain sounded like somebody had turned on a fire hose onto our tent.
Although we didn't see any tents get wrecked I did see a couple of awnings twisting about really badly and I was surprised that they didn't snap a poll or two.
wet and very windy in Southern Brittany last Tuesday night/weds morning too. We sat in our tunnel tent on a lovely pitch which had a 12 ft hedge at the back and 6ft at either side and were too feeling like were at sea, sure the tent only withstood the wind due to hedges. A few very bent pegs the next morning. I have never seen rain like it but we were dry, warm if not a bit worried tent was going to take off.
------------- Thistledown Easter
Nantcol June
Domaine du Verdon Castellane and Etoile d'Argens Frejus Aug
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Oh My God..... What a week weve had
