A fantastic start to the 2013 season

Well the campsite is open and what a fantastic first week. The weather has been superb.  We have had seven continuous days of blue skies, sunshine and warmth, allowing for evening meals al fresco, sunny days on the beach and exploring St Michael's Mount. The first tents have arrived and we have been busy with our own "home-grown" family testing out our facilities - look out for their review, to see what they think.






A deadline always works well for us, so it was all-steam -ahead in the last few weeks to make up for lost time. The winter weather delayed our plans, with it being too wet to get the the new water pipe put into the wooded glade and resite and improve the shower, but it is all done now and the end result we are rather proud of.

We now have our posh compost toilet and the hot outdoor shower adjacent to each other.  There is a second mains water tap and sink, with one in the campsite padddock and one by the shower. And the Old Water Shed has morphed into a family sized changing-room. It does still need tiles on the floor and some more furniture, but it is very functional as it is and lovely to be able to shower under a leafy canopy and then step into a warm room to dry and dress.

There is new grass seed spread over the reclaimed areas and we look forward to this 'greening' up as the summer progresses. To protect these areas a little, a new gravel path guides you from our washing and changing facililities back into the campsite paddock.

There is a new gate, so you can walk between the campsite paddock and the wooded glade more easily. The picnic area is still there with a view of the Mount over the village rooftops and church tower (that view is captured in an earlier blog).  And ofcourse the campsite paddock itself, which is much as it was last year, minus the pigs, with their pig-pen now reclaimed and growing new grass.

We have had our first barbeques and camp fires...forgot the marshmallows though!

And our Beach Fun Run was also a great success, with 42 children running their hearts out and collection their medals on the beach at Marazion.

So, we are all set for a summer season and ready to meet and great our campers, with lots more blogs to come.

Marazion Beach Fun Run coincides with campsite opening June 1st

As if there isn't enough to do to make ready and ensure we are open for camping from June 1st I have been organising a beach fun run as coordinator for Marazion school with Hayle Runners.
A year ago, fairly much to the day, hundreds of us watched as the olympic torch came down onto the beach at Marazion. It was a beautiful day, the backdrop was pretty much perfect and a Fun Run was arranged on the back of the olympic event. The run was open, but it was the children who stole the event, from tiny tots with their parents in-tow to some serious racing juniors, the event was a tremendous success and it was wonderful to see so many families being sporty and having fun.
Why waste that success I thought!
So, on June 1st we are hosting another Fun Run, this time aimed at the under 15 year old children, who stole the show last year and any of their accompanying adults. It will be half-term week, so I am sure the children will be bored by that last saturday and their parents will want to "exercise" them! The tide is right for a 4pm start and if the weather is kind perhaps families can stay and barbeque after on the beach following the races. The event is being sponsored by The Godolphin Arms this year and supported by Marazion Town Council. There are entry forms which can be collected from Marazion School or downloaded from 
http://www.haylerunners.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Marazion-Beach-Fun-Run-entry-form-2013.pdf 
Entry fee is £2 and all finishers will get a medal. There are also prizes for the first 3 girls and boys in each race. And a school plaque for the first Marazion schoolchild across the finish line in the long race of 1.5 miles.
Children can choose from a short race of 0.8 miles from in front of the Godolphin Arms to the Red River and back or a long race of 1.5 miles running two laps of the same course. Posters can be downloaded from
http://www.haylerunners.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Marazion-Beach-Fun-Run-race-poster-2013.pdf

The campsite opens June 1st and the new shower and changing -room in the old water shed are almost finished. Photos and a blog about them, to follow!  Meanwhile, here's a picture of our new puppy, Rowan, lending a hand putting in a new gateway from the campsite paddock into the wooded glade

and testing out the sink and plug in the campsite paddock!

Slight technical hitch but a what a "backdrop" - no pun intended

Well there was a slight technical hitch on St Patrick's Day when the big brown horse and I had an accident resulting in a trip in our great Cornwall Air Ambulance (a little over excitement turned into a rear and backwards we both went with me underneath.....ouch!)  Thankfully, after 3 weeks mostly in bed, followed by a period of 'hobbling', I am now walking almost normally, have started swimming as therapy and am on the mend.  And the horse, apart from some tight hamstrings, which have been treated by an equine sports therapist, appears unhurt (but as friends have said "he had the softer landing, he landed on you!"). Not quite ready to climb back up yet though!  The cinamatographer in the family managed, despite all the trauma and drama to take both photos and a video with the mobile phone, which illustrates the fantastic "backdrop" of St Michael's Mount.

http://youtu.be/eQhH2qqoKLA

What I have found, during this period of restricted mobility, is that the seasons have changed and we have definately moved into spring. Rugs have come off the horses .....

and the primroses and daffodils are all coming up in the fields and paddocks and our wooded glade, which has allowed for a vase of golden sunshine in the cottage.

And there are always silver linings in every grey cloud. Not being able to physically do what I usually do, has allowed me instead to indulge in a little light reading and I have discovered some splendid books, A Cat, a Hat and a Piece of String, The Prisoner of Heaven, Foal's Bread, The Man who Forgot his Wife,  The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris and the most recent read, Falling in Honey - which couldn't fail to put one in the right mood for summer - I even managed to finish it in a sunny spot in the garden whilst eating breakfast and having a coffee. What could be better!

This last weekend, as well as moving the hot water shower out of the campsite paddock, to be replaced by a cold water shower beside the tap and sink......but do not fear campers the hot water shower will still be available, but is to be repositioned in the wooded glade alongside a second tap and sink. We also managed to get down to the beach at Hayle, in front of the Surf Lifesaving Club, for the youngest son to have a paddle board. Admittedly he wore a winter rash vest and a winter wetsuit, boots and hat, but he informs me "it wasn't even cold mum!"  It was a glorious, mild and sunny april day.

And what better way to finish a perfect day, but with the first barbeque of the year and a sunset over St Ives.............purrfect! Putting us all in a very optimistic mood for the summer to come...........

 P.S. also got time to develop a new look blog, hope you like it.

 

Preparing for the camping season 2013

Spring is definately on its way and the weather has allowed for a couple of days of clearing and reclaiming in the campsite paddock, where the pigs used to be. Which has resulted in a blackthorn "Root Ent" - which will need to dry in our lovely cornish sun, before bonfiring -

- but reclaimed is a lovely new area for camping and playing games on. And there's a nice drop of cornish rain today, after some warm sun yesturday, to help the grass seed along.

2013 Camping Season

Well, what a wet winter!  Spring is now on its way, although it is not yet dry enough for us to get the last of the clearing and reclaiming completed in the paddock and wooded area, so we have not been able to open for half-term camping and it is doubtful for Easter - but I will keep the blog updated and please do email us.
We will be open for the summer June - October 2013 though with room for camper vans in the paddock and tents in the wooded area.

Our first campsite season

Our first campsite season is almost over, our last weekend will be 6th/7th October.  It has been such a fun journey to get this far and we have so much more to do over the winter and next year to make our smallest campsite in cornwall as perfect as it can be.

To all those who have camped with us this year.......thankyou.  It has been a pleasure meeting you all and sharing some campfire stories and laughter and even some walks on the beach and rock pooling!

For those who camped at the beginning of the year, apologise that we hadn't at that point thought of our wonderful hot water outdoor shower, perhaps you will come back and try it out next season.

And lastly to my family who have cleared the spinney and built bonfires,

chainsawed and strimmed and flailed,

put up fences, put down fences, helped build compost toilets, outdoor showers, erected chicken pens and picnic benches and welcomed guests when I'm not around, also a heartfelt thank-you.


And to the pigs, who have done a fabulous job of clearing the overgrown areas and the ponies who have mown the paddock when it did not have campers, another thankyou.

For those looking at our blog for the first time, we pride ourselves on being possibly the smallest wild campsite in cornwall.

Our site is just under an acre of paddock, with room enough for 6-8 pitches, an outdoor hot water shower, washing-up sink, mains water and campfire area and a wooded spinney with compost toilet.

We will open again for the February half-term 2013 and Easter and then summer, June-October 2013 and look forward to meeting you.
We advertise on http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk and welcome any emails or comments.
Kind Regards, Victoria