Buscot

Ok, so I've got around to checking things out already. It seems that Buscot Park and it's lovely old house are open on the Saturday, so I'll be taking anyone who wants to go there. It's a nice little National Trust place, with nice gardens and stuff to wander around. And you can see the worlds ugliest water feature. And if you really must, a nice cup of tea afterwards. For the civilised people.

Have a look at http://www.buscotpark.com

The pic above is a nice view of the lake. Well, the most interesting pic I've got of it anyway. And on the left is the horrible fish thing. Or half-man, half-fish. Or it's possibly a man fighting a fish. Or trying to have sex with it. I don't know. It's just horribly ugly. But the rest of the gardens are nice. Could wander around there for ages. After looking at the house. And possibly having a nice cup of tea.

It's official

I've just had a long conversation with Mrs Cooper, and we're now officially booked in for the weekend of May 11-13, 2007.

After 8 years of not increasing the prices, they will probably be increasing the prices next year. So the cost will most likely be £5 per person per night. If anyone is needing an electrical hook-up, that's £2 per night (same as this year - they're not allowed to make a profit on that, apparently).

They also say they'll be doing some work on the toilet block over the winter, but I'm not quite sure what they're up to. I'll have a look early next year and see what they've done.

And yes, it's still a long way off, but these things have to be booked a long time in advance to guarantee the space. They have a lot of groups at various times, and we wouldn't want to have to share the campsite with a whole bunch of people. Maybe. (People also apparently have been known to book a space for the next year when they leave the campsite. That's only for the Fairford weekend though, really. When every campsite for miles is fully booked).

Photos from the first one

Just a couple of pics to show, well, not sure what, really. First, one of the only decent pics I've ever managed to take of Phil (he always moves or something). Note the nice field. It's actually very good for pitching tents on. Note the enormous tent on the right, with the orange balloons just visible. This will be important to remember. This is how people find me and stop me having to sit there looking at people arriving and wondering "is he one of us?"

Some people barbecuing stuff. A traditional activity for these kind of events. Not particularly healthy, I'm sure. But quick and easy and there's nothing wrong with unhealthy every now and then, is there? A chair is one of the most useful things you can bring with you when you go camping. Remember that. Even a cheap one from Tesco or somewhere for a few quid is better than sitting on the floor. And at those prices, it doesn't matter if it only lasts a few trips.

And some people walking across a field to the white horse. Some good excercise to build up an appetite for lunch in a pub. Nice views from up there, but it was slightly wet and windy. Which made a warm, dry pub even nicer.

The first event - what happened?

The first event was a reasonable success. Over 20 of us turned up in the end and I never had any negative feedback from anyone, so I must have been doing something right.

Most people started arriving at various times on the Friday. Hardly anyone got lost, due to a combination of my detailed directions and maps (or looking it up on a map themselves), some handy balloons outside the campsite, the odd phonecall for advice, and a large helping of luck. As is traditional at these things, many animals were harmed in the making of an entertaining Friday evening. Assorted barbecuing took place, and general eating, drinking and talking crap.

After a leisurely start to Saturday morning, most people ended up wandering across a nearby hill to see the "famous" Uffington white horse. Nice views, an old chalk horse, and some rain.

So of course, there was only one thing to do after that. Retire to a small village pub for lunch. Generally accepted to be good move, with nice food and reasonable prices. And they didn't panic when we all turned up at once unannounced.

After that, a trip to an old house. Lydiard House, in Swindon. Quite small, but cheap and interesting for a quick afternoon visit. Then back to the campsite for more barbecue-related fun.

And then, as always, the final day comes too quickly. This time, a local pub had been warned we were coming. Nice stroll along the Thames to the pub, only to find they've got a whole room set aside for us. Very nice Sunday lunch there, either the traditional roast stuff or various other options. Then back to pack everything up and leave.

People seemed to enjoy themselves, and believe me, I was paying attention. (Possibly a bit too much attention and worrying about everything. Hopefully I'll be able to relax a bit more at the next one). So it's got to be done again.

Tents on the Thames 2

Well, this year's event was a reasonable success. About 20 of us in a field in Lechlade (just north of Swindon). So it's time to think about the next one.

The question is, when? The 2006 event started on Friday 5th May. Logically, we should have it a year later, starting on Friday 4th May. Unfortunately, that weekend is the bank holiday weekend. If we had the same number of people turn up again, it'd be a problem.

So, May 11-13 2007 is going to have to be the date. A week later might mean the weather is a bit better. (It wasn't actually that bad this year, the only real problem being some light rain on the Saturday). I'll just need to confirm that with the campsite, but I doubt there'll be much of a problem there.

I'll post all the details here as I decide on them, and people can make comments on the posts as they appear. I might even put some stuff about the first event up. Photos and things.