Had a fab camping trip

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

It was blazing sun every day apart from one. On the beach every day which was a 5min walk from the tent.

Was very tempted to stay another week but dd was driving me nuts as she was over tired and grumpy every day.

Got the tent up ok by myself but struggled getting it back in the bag when I packed it up. Certainly couldn't get the poles in as well but hubby can sort it now I'm home!

[janinlondon]

Oooh ooh ooh - I was waiting for you to come back so I could ask lots of questions about the campsite, as we are going there next week. Are there actually any hot showers? Flushing loos? (Web reviews seem to disagree on this - are they particularly hard to find!!??). Where is best to position ourselves - lower fields or top fields? Is the access road a mare? Is there wood around for fires? Any tips of things we should take for this site in particular? Was it fab???

[filchthemildmanneredjanitor]

ooh were did you go??

[giraffeski]

Message withdrawn

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I went to Eweleaze.

There are some flushing toilets, they're in little wooden sheds in the middle of some fields. Other fields have little green tent type long drop toilets.

There are some hot(ish) showers near the shop and also near the quiet field. But to be honest they're cold most of the time.

After you've paid in reception you can either branch off left towards the sea view fields, or branch right to some other fields. I don't really think top and bottom fields make sense as the site is undulating.

If you go to the right you don't get a sea view, but its less crowded, more sheltered from the wind and has better toilets. There is also a designated quiet field. But if it rains the access track to these fields can get muddy, it was hot and sunny every day apart from Thursday morning when it rained. Within an hour it was impossible to get in or out of our field, cars stuck to their axels in mud.

If you go left you get a sea view but only at the top of the field. If you drop down to nearer the coast path there's no view. Its busy and only has long drop toilets. But the ground is drier and you won't get stuck i nthe field. But its quite busy.

The access road is ok, you just might need to back up a bit if you meet oncoming traffic. There's a small shop that sells eggs and milk and great lamb burgers. Also sells home made stone baked pizzas (not great to be honest). They do freeze your ice packs free of charge, but in a week mine never froze. The bloke admitted the freezer's crap. Put your blocks at the top they have more chance of freezing but people keep moving them down to fit their own in!!! I gave up and went to the Spa down the road and bought bags of icecubes. The Spar is much betetr than the Coop and sells loads of nice breakfast stuff like croissants, nice sarnies for lunch and whole roasted chickens, etc.

There's some wood about for fires, you can also buy bags of logs quite cheap. It is fab, the atmosphere is nice. Bit noisy though as there's certainly no rules on noise and every other person seems to play a guitar till midnight. If you have kids they will have a fab time playing on the hay bales. I'd go back, we nearly stayed another week. Let me know how you find it!

[janinlondon]

So it looks like we have to choose between an unbogged car or decent toilets?....hmm. Glad you enjoyed it though!

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Well hopefully the campsite will be drying out all the time even with the odd rainy day. I guess when I was there it was still sodden from all of July.

[janinlondon]

SKNS we are just back from 3 days at Eweleaze. What a fab place. We were in the field beyond the quiet field - there were only about eight tents in there. They certainly don't pack them in like other sites. All the kids were having a ball on the haystacks and we managed to get the showers to work, so hot water not a problem. Fire wood starting to run a bit short around the site, but a walk along the cliffs produced some good kindling and the shop was selling dry logs for a few quid a bag. The weather was lovely on Sunday and Monday so we took a walk along the coastal path (45mins) to Osmington Mills to have lunch at the Smugglers Inn. Did have to pack the tent in pouring rain in the morning, but the ground had obviously dried out quite a lot and no one was getting bogged. Would definitely return to this place for longer next year. I think Allmytimeonmumsnet might still be down there....so would love to see her report?

[janinlondon]

Sorry - meant SKSS!

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I'm glad you had a good time. I'm going to go back next year.

[allmytimeonmumsnet]

Jan - just found this after catching up on the other thread so thought I would add my bits? You must have been there for the winds? Did they not affect you?

We were pitched in the furthest field overlooking the sea. Gorgeous! We arrived to join a wedding group but then they all left so it was fabulous on our own. Pretty dramatic holiday though. First morning after the wedding there was a huge fire and we had to get the fire brigade out! Nearly lost the tent and car at one point!

That was Sunday morning. Then on Monday night there was the storm. 35mph winds gusting to 60mph. About a 1/3 of the tents on the site completlty wrecked. DH spent the night hammering pegs back in as the guy ropes pinged out every few minutes. In the morning we built a wall of bales around the tents and I think that saved us. Only one broken pole in each tent but both tents were flat at one point. We had to litterlay hold onto a friends tent to stop it taking off but we were probably in the most exposed part of the site. We had to evacuate to the barn which was like a refugee camp - people in space blankets, cups of tea, only the wet clothes we were standing in. It was DSs birthday as well poor love. He keeps telling everyone he didn't have a birthday this year. We sheltered until afternoon when the winds dropped enough to move our tents then pitched in the bottom field behind a big hedge. No one wind problems but it rained pretty much every day and all the cars got stuck and had to be towed. The kids had great fun on their bikes though.

On the Wednesday it was Weymouth Carnival. We didn't go but we had stunt planes flying over 3 times including a fabulous display from the red arrows which went on for ages and fireworks in the evening. We told DS we had arranged it as a birthday treat as he'd had such a miserable birthday.

General impression of the site was fabulous despite our dramas. Amazing views, loads of space. Once I got used to the compost loos they were great although the ones in our first field all blew away! Showers OK too although I regret not trying the enclosed solar ones. The owners were friendly - our kids adopted their dog for a while as he was just like ours so they wandered round with a matching pair. The straw bales from the wedding saved our tent and we also built an amazing house with them for the kids. Shop was also good and having a proper fire was amazing. We cracked doing baked spuds and did all our cooking on the open fire. Dug another one when we got home and contined to cook spuds here so we obviously had withdrawl symptoms. Would definitly go back next year.

JaninLondon - we probably saw each other then! Blue tent, silver galaxy just along from the shed loos in the farthest field. 3 muddy kids on bikes. One black and white springer spanial?

[janinlondon]

Allmytime we left on the Tuesday morning (in the pouring rain) after that Monday night with the winds. In fact, you may have bagged our spot in the far field by the hedge!!!