We left England by overnight ferry via Portsmouth Harbour. The ferry had tiny cabins with sleeping berths so our channel crossing was spent sleeping very comfortably. We landed at Le Havre and headed from there to Paris. Many people are unaware you can camp right in Paris at Camping de Paris. This campground is located right in Paris and has nice pitches , clean facilities, a restaurant and even a shuttle bus that takes you right to the nearest metro station from which you can access all the sites in Paris. https://www.campingparis.fr/ We saw most of the major sites during of first visit to Paris six years ago, including climbing the more than 400 stairs up the Eiffel tower. So this time we decided to visit the Arch of Triumph and climb up to the top for what is supposed to be the best view of the city. This time it was only 225 steps to the top so we got off easy. The views of Paris from the top are amazing! The next day we headed out to Versailles to see the palace. This palace was built primarily by the Louis 13th -16th. It represents both the rise and fall of the monarchy in France, and it is a bit hard to see the excessive wealth on display knowing that the people of France were starving while this was being built. When the peoples suffering came to a breaking point, this triggered the French Revolution. I happened to have some leftover cake in my travel bag, and so decided to eat my cake in the shadow of the palace. If you don’t understand the humour of this, then read a little French history. This is the famous hall of mirrors. I’m Not sure what King Louis would think of all us peasants traipsing through his palace. On our last day near Paris we traveled to Giverny to see The artist Monet’s house and gardens. This was my favourite place we visited. It was both humble and beautiful and you could feel a peaceful spirit in the atmosphere. It was such a contrast to the excess of Versailles. I’m in love with his vintage French kitchen! This is the pond where Monet painted his famous water lily paintings. Today’s Camping Key- Our Camp KitchenOn our last trip to Europe we did not pack any kitchen items except 4 expandable cups and 4 “Sporks” which are a combination spoon and fork in one, attached to a little butter knife. However at a certain point in our journey I ended up purchasing a tiny kettle, and a tiny pot that boiled water with a small fuel tablet. The entire set weighed less than a pound, but the disadvantage was that it took a whole fuel tablet to boil one cup of coffee. So it was not practical for a two month trip. For this trip I did a lot of research into stoves. There are some really ultralight stoves our there, but I was concerned about their sturdiness and how wide the flame would be under our pots. The overall winner for sturdiness, great reviews and excellent performance was the Primus Classic Camp Stove. We have been extremely happy with this stove. Together with our special heat exchanger kettle it boils 1.5 litres of water in about 2 minutes. The ring on the stove is wide enough that it does not burn our pots and it breaks down into a tiny storage bag that fits in our cooking pot. What you see in the photo here is our Primus stove: https://www.amazon.com/Primus-P-224383-Classic-Trail-Stove/dp/B000RHCOP0/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=Primus+trail+stove&qid=1564229205&s=gateway&sr=8-13 our Fire-Maple heat exchange kettle which has a special ring at the bottom to make it boil fast (it really works and comes in two sizes https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Maple-Portable-Exchanger-Ultralight-Cookware/dp/B078YTH73P/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=maple+fire+kettle&qid=1564229498&s=gateway&sr=8-1 Our ultralight insulated coffee mugs from MEC. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5040-521/Infinity-Backpacker-Mug Our Piezo lighter for quickly lighting our stove by REI : https://www.rei.com/product/849683/msr-handheld-piezo-igniter And two ingenious tiny personal coffee baskets that you fill with coffee and simply stir in your cup for the equivalent of a pour over coffee. I don’t have a link for you to find them as I bought them at a local dollar store. I have in the past used nylon tillable tea-bags with drawstrings to accomplish the same idea. This is our stove broken down into parts and ready to store. The stand must be purchased separate from the stove and is a universal camp stove stand in stainless. They sell for about $10.00. Here is the stove, stand and piezo lighter now packed up into our travel pot. Our travel pot is stainless made by Swiss Alpine. The one litre size. We also carry a cutting board and knife, a tiny pair of silicone tongs, a folding spatula and an IKEA can opener which is small and light. We do sometimes bring a stainless frypan also by Swiss Alpine, but on this trip found it wasn’t being used much and so we shipped it home with some souvenirs. You can find cheaper and lighter pots at camping stores, but most serious hikers carry stainless because they don’t burn and are simply cleaned with a chainmail style scrubber. For our dinner plates we carry a couple of really light plastic plates from the dollar store, and we have replaced our “sporks” with ultralight camping cutlery. What is also pictured here is a stackable spice holder with pepper, salt and a few other seasonings. The last item I will tell you about from our camp kitchen is our tiny toaster from GSI which works beautifully and folds down completely plat into a tiny case. https://www.amazon.com/GSI-Outdoors-Glacier-Stainless-Toaster/dp/B001DHMKV6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=GSI+toaster&qid=1564231503&s=gateway&sr=8-1 In my next blog we will visit Amsterdam and I’ll show you our ingenious portable dishwashing set up.
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We arrived in Wales in the town of Cardiff, and had a really nice camping spot right in town about a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute ride from the bus station. We almost always walk as we enjoy it, and it also helps to burn off the extra calories we end up consuming on our trip. Back in Canada I follow a really strict low carb eating program, but I have found it almost impossible to find the same types of food I eat at home. Plus the opportunity to try different regional foods is a part of our European adventure. The campground is called the Cardiff Caravan and Camping Park http://www.cardiffcaravanpark.co.uk/ nd it had great facilities including a cafe. However we ended up eating at a little local place that made the most beautiful eggs Benedict and coffee for us. Our main purpose in stopping in Wales was to visit the seaside town of Swansea where one of my personal hero’s of the faith Reece Howels had lived and stewarded a beautiful bible college. Many peoples stories of faith has inspired me, but probably his has inspired me the most in the way he lived his life in singular devotion to the causes he felt called to. We always try and visit the sites and history of amazing people in each country we go to. We learn something from people who were exceptionally good, and we learn from those who were evil. We traveled by Swansea by train and unfortunately ended up arriving too late in the day to tour the actual bible college as the heritage center had closed at 3:00. We decided to try and have a good attitude even though we felt disappointed, and then ended up being super blessed when a young woman who had come to clean the rooms on the college saw us out on the grounds and invited us in for a personal tour. Our trip has been full of unique experiences like this where things have worked out in special ways, and it always leaves one with a feeling of being divinely guided at each step in the journey. The unique story of the man (Reece Howels) who founded the college was that he would tell only God of his needs and did not believe in ever asking people directly for money for his ministry. He believed that in this way it would show Gods answers to his secret prayers in ways that inspired faith ( and it did)! There were quotes on the walls of things he said that I found challenging, considering the day we live in where one just pulls out a credit card when we have a need. After visiting Wales we headed to Bath England which is a beautiful showcase of old English architecture. We stayed in a beautiful farm campground called Blackberries Campground which was about a 20 minute bus ride from Bath. http://www.theblackberriescampingpark.co.uk/ What we didn’t know when we booked the site is that there was a ten minute walk up an extremely steep hill to get to the camp. I think we will have some pretty good muscle developed after this trip! The campground had a pen full of goats who were more than happy for me to treat them like pets! Bath is very much a tourist city with lots of shopping, cafes and places for photo ops next to the beautiful old buildings. While in Bath we visited the Abby, which is truly beautiful and can be visited at no charge. In order to understand the cathedrals and Abby’s of Europe I recommend reading Ken Follet’s book Pillars of the Earth, which is an engaging historical fiction book which showcases the building of these mammoth structures which would take hundreds of years to complete. Inside the Abby they buried all sorts of people, and it seems a bit odd to be walking over their graves. They also put peoples remains into the walls in some fashion. Here is one of the typical memorial stones that cover the walls inside the Abby. Hopefully people will speak this well of all of us when we are gone! Bath is also famous for the remains of the original Roman Baths which you can view along with the Pump Room and Assembly Rooms which Jane Austin wrote about in her very famous novels. We decided to actually go to the baths in Bath which still exist but in a modern version and so we spent a very relaxing evening at the thermea spa which has heated mineral pools both below ground and on the rooftop where you can view the whole city of bath. Today’s Camping Key- Our cute table and chairs.I have to say... our table and chairs are my favourite accessories we bring with us. No sitting on the ground and somewhere to put your stove and coffee pot. People think they must be heavy but that is not the case. The chairs only weigh 1.6-2 pounds and the table weighs 1.5 pounds. We purchased our Helinox chairs at MEC Canada for $135 each six years ago and they have held up as new. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5031-086/Chair-One?colour=CRM00 However you can now find a budget conscious version here which only weighs 1.6 pounds for $31.00 https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Lence-Ultralight-Portable-Capacity/dp/B00Y2A6SBO/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=Portable+camping+chair&qid=1563968861&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUkVEWDhHMlBBRkwmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwMTk4MzdFNEUyWE9GNzNOVFcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDYzMTUxNjMxQlVLVEM1RVJXRUMmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl Our table was a great buy also purchased from amazon for $35.00. As mentioned it only weighs 1.5 pounds and rolls up into a tiny bag. It is sturdy enough to hold our camping stove and windscreen and also has little pockets on it that can hold your fire starting accessories. When unrolled the table top becomes extremely stiff and has rigid bars that run along it to keep it stable. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B01HD1D7S0?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title In my next blog we will visit France and I will tell you about some of our cooking gear. We travelled to Ireland by ferry from a place just south of Glasgow called Cairnryan. We have found that in order to get the best benefit from our Eurail pass we need to do a bit of our own research and not just count on the apps for information. Google told us we had to get off our train a town called Ayer, and take a two hour bus ride for $16.00 per person. However after a bit of research we were able to find a train that stopped at a town five minutes from the ferry port and paid 7 pounds for a taxi. When the ferry dropped us off in Ireland it was pouring buckets and after a short time of deliberation we decided to get a hotel. We deal with rain when we wake up to it, but never choose to set up in a downpour. We use Priceline for last minute hotels and landed a good price on the Holiday Inn in Belfast. Not exactly traditional, but clean and dry and as it happened, right next to a yearly strange tradition the Northern Irish practice on July 11th each year. When we stepped out of our hotel the next morning (July 11th), we were greeted by this site right in the parking lot. This is literally a huge bonfire that they were building with the plan to burn it down that night. They hold these bonfires every July 11th to celebrate something William of Orange did in the 1600’s, as well as all things Protestant and Orangeman related as well. This is what the bonfire looked like! Murray happened to speak with a fire captain who was sitting in his truck supervising and he told us that they basically have to spend the night hosing down the nearby buildings so that they don’t catch fire! The next day we set up camp right in Belfast at a place called the Dundonald Caravan Park. It is a great place to stay if you want to be accessible to sights right in Belfast. It was an easy bus ride downtown and to the train station for the side trips we took. The campground itself was really nice and very safe with a locked security fence around it and a code to get in. The only negative about this campground is that the bathrooms and showers were not very clean. I think this is because it’s a city facility and so the cleaning staff is not s motivated as they could be. But the location made up for it and there is a row of inexpensive and very nice restaurants and a small grocery within a few minutes walk from the campground. On our first full day we took in the Titanic Museum which was very informative on the history of shipbuilding in Belfast as well as honouring the lives of those lost in the tragedy. The next day we took the train to Cullybacky (which is my ancestral village) to visit the grave of my great, great grandparents I had a very sweet experience happen on the way there that really blessed me. I had wanted to bring some flowers to the grave, ideally a permanent arrangement in a weighted vase. However I had no idea how to find something like that in Ireland and even though we kept our eyes open in Belfast we did not find anything. Then low and behold, as we walked up the street to the churchyard in Cullybacky an older lady had a little shop open and was selling among her fruit and vegetable produce, some vases exactly as I needed. I chose old tea roses, as they remind me of the Victorian days and I thought my mom would like those too. Visiting the grave triggered a whole fit of crying on my part about losing my dad, and I’m sure that anyone who walked by must have wondered about the foreign girl sobbing at the grave of people who have been gone 100 years! We ended our time in Ireland with a visit to Dublin, which is very touristy but also very fun and included a trip to a pub to sing along to the old songs my grandad used to sing to me. I also tried on a few Irish wool sweaters and will have one delivered directly home. Not the one in the photo). Camping Key ... How to choose a bed.A good sleep system should be ideally be ultralight and ultra comfortable. If you are going to sleep for one to two months on the ground, it’s worth putting some money into getting the right equipment. However with each piece I show you that we own, I will also link you to a comparable version that costs a lot less and let you decide how much to invest. Some of these knock off versions were not available six years ago when we first bought our equipment or I may have considered them. Our beds consist of four different layers and need to be flexible for any weather. We experienced 7 degrees celsius while we were in Scotland and are expecting up to plus 40 degrees Celsius in Italy. So we need a system that works for both cold and hot weather. Our bottom layer consists of a Thermarest cot. This ultralight cot keeps us up off the ground which keeps us warmer and also creates a much softer base for our air mattresses. https://www.thermarest.com/cots/ultralite-cot Thermarest sells this cot for about $200.00. However you may want to look at this knock off brand which sells for only $49.00 if you are on a tight budget. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultralight-Portable-Folding-Camping-Cot-Aluminium-Alloy-Off-Ground-Foldable-Bed/112596851662?epid=857402163&hash=item1a374b9bce:g:NnsAAOSwaQ9dJCeI Our next layer is made up of a Thermarest Trecker air-mattress. We bought thesealong with our cots six years ago and they are very durable. They sell for around $150.00 https://www.thermarest.com/mattresses/trek-travel Here is a more budget friendly version of this mattress for $50.00 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Naturehike-Mattress-Super-Light-Inflatable-Fast-Filling-Air-Bag-with-Pillow/192885070865?hash=item2ce8d89c11:m:mAUqQ_uX2aF6kcRRcABCGiw On top of our air layer we add this next layer of a simple flannel sheet. In the past we have tried silk sleeping bag liners but were unimpressed. We find a flannel sheet layer ads warmth when it’s cold outside and can also be used as a very light sleeping bag when it’s really hot out. We like that flannel is soft, absorbent and washable which protects your actual sleeping bag from sweat and dirt. Flannel weighs more than silk though so you will need to decide which is more important to you... weight or comfort. Our final and top layer is an ultralight on round down sleeping bag. On our last trip we used very cheap two pound sleeping bags which barely lasted the summer, but for this trip I decided to invest in one pound down bags. These can cost $100-$200, but I did a lot of research and found these ones from a wholesaler in China. It took a bout six weeks for them to arrive, but the quality is very high and the price was super affordable at just $52.00 https://m.ebay.com/orderDetails?itemId=191576499031&txnId=1621163529009 On my next post I will tell you about our adventures in Wales, and share a bit of information on the portable table and chairs we use.
We arrived in Scotland around 7:00 pm after an easy train tide from London. When you are tenting you should expect your travel days to be a little longer to account for taking down your camp and packing your gear correctly. We chose a campground in Dunbar a little seaside village a 30 minute train ride from Edinburgh. After getting off the train in Dunbar our first order of business was to find dinner, and we always take the advice of the locals. We were directed to a small hotel called The Royal Mackintosh on the main drag (almost always called High Street” in these parts) , and we enjoyed some traditional local food which included Steak Pie and Haggis. The next morning we headed into Edinburgh for a day of site seeing. The architecture in Edinburgh is really detailed and ornate. It definitely gives the idea of a gothic mystery novel. The castle dominates the city and has been looking down on it since the 12th century. It’s funny what can be a personal highlight on a holiday.... I was over the top with excitement when I got to visit the grave of Greyfriers Bobby, a little dog who kept vigil at his owners grave for 14 years back in the 1800’s. I had seen the story on Sunday night’s Disney when I was a little girl and had told myself at that time that I would someday visit his grave... and here I was! And of course there are many things to buy in the UK that we don’t see in North America very often. We spent our second full day in Scotland right in Dunbar. It is a beautiful village right on the coast of Scotland with an ancient castle, fishing harbour and a beautiful sea trail we hiked from town to our campground each day. These are not postcard images but actual photos of the beautiful place we found ourselves in. The campground itself where we stayed in Dunbar, is called Belhaven Bay Caravan Campground. https://www.meadowhead.co.uk/parks/belhaven-bay/offers/ The facilities were very clean and offer both electrical and unserviced sites. Toilets and showers were extremely clean and there was a nice kitchen with sinks, microwave and toasters if you wanted to use them. We were not able to get an electric site and so we simply dropped off our rechargeable batteries for Murray’s CPAP machine each day, as well as a charging bank for our phones. People travel with all kinds of unique units here in Europe, including this one we saw which was very well equipped for extreme weather. And Murray was delighted by the full Scottish breakfast that was served at the golf course just a short walk up the road. Today’s camping Key... How to choose a bagOne of the main questions people ask us is... How do you transport all that camping equipment? It’s an important question, because if you don’t have the right bag, or it’s too heavy, your trip will be spoiled. Now I will say right off the hop that it is a very personal decision as to how much equipment you choose to bring with you on your trip. If you are twenty years old and super fit you may be happy sleeping right on the ground, and only want to pack a change of clothes, tent, a blanket and your bag can be very small. A 35 Litre backpack may do. As for me, I remember clearly a conversation that I had with a guy who worked at our local MEC camping store just before our first trip to Europe. I was telling him about my goals for the trip and asked him for his advice. He responded by saying “Well my best advice is that you do not need to be primitive just for the sake of being primitive. I have seen people get caught up in that to try and prove something and they are not that comfortable. “ He went to suggest that I set my goal to be as comfortable as possible, while keeping total weight to a manageable amount. We personally love traveling with our portable tiny chairs and table, therma-rest cots, and air layer for our beds. We are willing to carry the weight of these items knowing that over a two month period they will enhance our quality of life greatly. However, I have come a long way since my first trip to Europe where I packed an iron and a pair of high heels! On our last trip we had our equipment divided between four people, although we did have more equipment of course, but overall we were each carrying a bit less than we are this time. On our last trip we packed all our clothes in our suitcases, and stored our camping equipment in four bedroll duffle-type bags. The suitcases we chose (we used these again on this trip) are National Geographic brand, which have many built in features, such as hidden back pack straps, a dedicated waterproof section for wet clothes, a divided interior with a zipper to separate the sections, and heavy straps to tighten everything down. These bags also expand a lot so even though they are compact, they hold a lot of equipment. Unfortunately this exact model is no longer available, but I have included the photos below so that you can get an idea of the features that I suggest you look for in a good travel bag. Since these are no longer available I would recommend a similar one sold by Samsonite here: https://shop.samsonite.com/backpacks/wheeled-backpacks/samsonite-encompass-convertible-wheeled-backpack/117551XXXX.html?dwvar_117551XXXX_color=1175511010&cgidmaster=backpacks-wheeled Or Osprey here : https://www.ospreyeurope.com/shop/gb_en/sojourn-60-1 We don’t know if it is my age being six years older than on our last trip to Europe (now 54), or the bit of extra equipment we brought this time, but within the first day of our trip I realized that I was experiencing too much strain on my arm pulling my bag with the way it is set up in the photo above. Our total equipment is about 43-45 pounds each. So to solve this problem we decided on day two of our trip to ditch the duffle bags and switch to backpacks. This would allow me to about 20 pounds on my back, (mostly clothes) and keep the heavier items in the suitcase (up to 25 pounds), which was very easy to carry when divided this way. The backpacks we chose are high quality, and this is not an item I would encourage you to go cheap on. You want it to fit correctly and place the weight firmly on your hips and you don’t want to have straps breaking off in your hands. Our favourite North American brand for backpacks is Osprey. https://www.osprey.com but as we were in England when we purchased our backpacks, we ended up going with a comparable UK brand called Lowe alpine. https://lowealpine.com A good quality backpack will come with multiple storage pockets, and a built in waterproof rain cover. Here is another hint, the employee who helped me choose my backpack told me that the difference between a 45 litre and 65 litre in pre-loaded weight is very minimal. The 65 litre compresses down to almost the same size as a 45 litre. It just has extra width of fabric, which ultimately makes it easier to load. (So I tried them both on and found this to be true, and bought the 65 litre pack. Don’t be afraid to ask the store employee to adjust your pack to the right settings for you. At good quality camp stores the staff is trained to do this. Once adjusted to my frame I find it easy to carry about 20 pounds for the 20-60 minute walks we find ourselves on during this trip.
My husband Murray chose this Lowe Alpine waist pouch. A good waist pouch will have multiple zip-able inner pockets and locking mechanisms such a this one does. It has room for his passport, train pass, money, camera and sunglasses. These type of security bags become particularly important once we get to countries where there is a lot of pick pocket activity in the train stations and tourist areas. Here is a link to this bag: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowe-Alpine-Fjell-hip-bag/dp/B07G39598M The final pieces of baggage we carry are ultra-light foldable day packs which were very inexpensive on eBay, fold down to the size of a pack of cards, and only need to last the summer for us. I sewed Canada flag patches on ours, and we keep the stuffed in our larger packs and pull them out when we want a day pack, or we want to separate out some items from our luggage for a train trip. We picked them up on eBay for less than $11.00 each, and have found them to be very durable for the money spent.
In my next blog I will detail our time camping in Ireland and talk about how to choose a sleep system. We left Winnipeg on July 2nd at 2:00, immediately following the memorial service for my beloved father who had passed away very suddenly a week before our departure. So on one of the saddest days of my life I also set out on one of my greatest adventures. We chose WestJet for our flight which is a Canadian Airline which had the option of purchasing more roomy seats called “premium” which were pricier than economy seats but still less than half of a first class ticket. I really appreciated the extra care and comfort we received from the WestJet staff on this trip. We landed in London at about 10:30 a.m. and headed straight to our campsite to set up. Abby Woods is a small village about 30 minutes from central London. The campground is located a seven minute walk from the station. Google maps says 16 minutes, but we walk faster than google predicts. The tenting area of the campground is located in a circular grass area where you are allowed to pitch your tent wherever you desire. This is typical of tent areas around the UK and Europe. They are almost always in an open, grassy area that everyone shares. We paid a few extra pounds for the right to plug into the communal electric pole. (More on electronics and Europe in a later blog). The total for three nights stay with electric service was 88 pounds. We have generally paid a minimum of 100 pounds in the UK or 100 Euro in Europe for a mid range hotel so you can see how much of a savings this can be in your travel budget. However price is not the main reason we camp. We love to be connected to nature, to meet new people and experience the local culture wherever we are. Camping provides these experiences in very unique ways and we often find ourselves chatting with locals and other tourists, and experiencing more of the actual culture of the area. We found this campground to be super-clean with excellent showers, toilets, and even separate change rooms with sinks. The staff was also very helpful, giving us maps so we would not get lost, and having their maintenance person help sort out why our adapter was shooting sparks and smoking when we went to plug it in. If camping in a tent is not “your cup of tea” as they like to say here in England then you can simply pay to tour the country in this rolling hotel that pulled up at our campground in Abby Woods. Each of those little windows is a bed, and the driver cooks you breakfast each morning. They must have an ongoing agreement with certain campgrounds to stop in their parking lots. We spent two days sightseeing in London. As mentioned we have already seen many of the main tourist sites on our last visit, so this time we were looking for something a little different. I had recently read a historical novel on the history of London, which was written by someone connected to the Museum of London, so we decided to tour there. All the museums in London are free so it’s a great way to enrich your vacation without spending a lot of money. The Museum of London covers the history of London from pre-Roman times up until the present. It was very interesting. The photo above shows some scenes from the Suffragette movement in the early 1900s. These women were fighting for the right to vote but there were deeper issues at stake, as women had very little personal rights at all, and in fact everything from their property to their children belonged to their husbands... We’ve come a long way ladies! The next day we toured Windsor Castle. We were glad we pre-purchased our tickets because it allowed us to skip the line and we were escorted in very quickly. Windsor Castle is extraordinarily beautiful and it was amazing to see the “originals” of the famous portraits of Henry the Eighth and Elizabeth the first hanging on the walls and imagine them in this setting. We ended our day by meeting up with our kids (Blake and his wife Mel) who were passing through London on their way home. They took us to Camden Market which is home to hundreds of artsy stands, interesting venues and souvenir sellers. Today’s Tenting and backpacking tip: How to choose a tent The first time we headed to Europe we had two dome tents with good rain flys. Our camping equipment was divided between four people so we each had a roller bag with a small duffle tied to the top. Once our equipment was unpacked, our suitcases easily fit between the edge of our beds and the door. Here is a photo from our last trip. So for this trip we purchased what we though was the same tent, only to find out once we arrived that our new tent was six inches narrower. There was nowhere to store our bags at night and for security reasons we did not want to leave anything outside of our tent. So on our first night we covered a bit of our luggage with a tarp knowing that we would need to buy a bigger tent. Here is a photo of the tent we arrived with. I’m not sure if you can see it in the photo, but it is narrower than our older tent. The blue tarp was pulled down over our gear the first night. Below is the tent we ended up buying in London to replace ours. I think it is an ideal tent for our trip. It has a large sleeping area on one side and a large storage area on the other. This tent is so roomy inside that we were able to pack up our entire camp from the inside of the tent while it rained on us in Scotland. And it only weighs 3.8 kilos, which is a little heavier than our previous tent, which was 2.5 kilos, but worth it for the storage gained. I would say that out of our experience in tenting across Europe that having storage room in your tent is essential. You need to be able to sleep comfortably, and go out site-seeing while knowing your equipment is both dry and secure. Below I have shared a security tip that has worked well for us in all of our travels. Here is a link to the store where we purchased this tent. You can look at the specs and hopefully find something similar. https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/p/vango-scafell-300-tent-D1414060.html?colour=98 Finally.... Here is a simple key for securing your gear. - I always bring a large supply of zip ties with me when we come to Europe. Whenever we leave our tent, we zip tie the zipper closed so that the only way to open the zipper is by cutting the zip tie. (We bring all major valuables with us) It’s not perfect security but it is definitely enough to make it a noticeable hassle to get onto our tent. In our whole time traveling in Europe we have never returned to find a zip tie cut open. I carry a small pair of scissors in my purse to snip open our “lock” each day when we return. In my next blog I will talk about our time camping in Scotland and show you how to choose the right bags to carry all your gear. I decided to start a blog about our two month backpacking and camping trip across Europe this summer after speaking to James from the savvy backpacker website. This is our second backpacking/camping trip across Europe (our first having occurred six years ago), and while preparing for that first trip I was unable to find much in the way of reliable information or recommendations for camping your way across Europe while using a rail pass or whether that was even possible. All I found was vague references about camping to save money, but no real instructions. So consequently we had to set off on our own and hope for the best. Well of course camping our way across Europe was indeed possible and we had a very successful six week trip that traversed 11 countries. So this time as we prepared to leave I promised myself that I would help others to follow in our footsteps by sharing a blog about our journey and what we have learned in the process. In this blog you will get to follow along with our daily progress and see all of the campsites we stay at. In addition, each day I will share some key tips that we have learned along the way about saving money, and what you can do for free in many cities in Europe. I will also piece by piece show you the equipment we use, why we have chosen specific brands, and where you can get away with a cheaper version on some items. I will also try and create a few YouTube videos where I give you a tour of our camping set up and more detail on several pieces of equipment. A map of our European trip six years ago (2013) The first time we travelled Europe by tent was six years ago. For that 6 week adventure we had a very structured itinerary that was booked months in advance. Our stops are marked on the map above. On that trip we saw all the major sites and saved a lot of money by booking and planning in advance. For example: Vatican tour tickets in advance $17.00 and no waiting in line. Walk up price can be up to $100 per person and hours of waiting in line. I think for a first trip for Europe, a pre-planned itinerary is the best bet. This time around we have a loose idea of where we want to go and what we want to see, but we are going to take it as it comes and book sites along the way. With the amount of time we have for our trip (two months), the fact that we are not doing the main tourist sites, the experience we have in tenting and the fact that our budget is more flexible, we are able to approach our trip this way, this time around. Our planned countries for this trip are: England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and perhaps a short stop in Barcelona. So hang on to your hats... we are off to backpack and camp our way across Europe! Keys to successful itinerary planningKey #1 Travel by train with a Eurail continuous Global Pass -Buy a Eurail pass to have the most flexibility in visiting many places in Europe. You can purchase your Eurail pass here: www.eurail.com The roller-bag and backpack you will use to tent camp will be easiest to travel with by train and you won’t be charged extra for it on the trains as you would if you used the budget airlines that many tourists use. Plus you will see, and experience much more by train, and have much more flexibility in your scheduled departures. We have purchased the Eurail Global Pass for both our trips, for the full time frame we will be in transit rather than a limited trip or limited number of days pass. We have found this allows more flexibility for multiple trips in and out of towns or side stops without worrying about budget. You have paid for unlimited travel upfront and you don’t need to consider it again. We also purchase first class passes as they are only a few hundred dollars more than second class passes and the free meals provided, comfortable seats, and air conditioning more than make up for the extra cost. We have also found that first class often has more available open seats as more people travel second class. The photo below shows you what a Eurail global pass looks like. (I’ve blocked my personal details). Total cost for two months of unlimited first class rail travel anywhere in Europe (includes the UK) approximately $1100 U.S. or $1500 Canadian. . I will do a full blog on how to use the Eurail app, later in our trip. Key #2 Use Rick Steeves, savvybackpacker and other online resources to plan your destinations well in advance I recommend using sites like Rick Steve’s Europe through the back door, www.ricksteeves.com and the Savvy Backpacker: https://thesavvybackpacker.com/ to find places you would like to visit. Rick Steeves even has travel shows for free on YouTube and amazon prime video which will inspire you to explore the hidden places in Europe rather than just the main tourist sites. You can start this part of your trip planning months or even years in advance. Key #3 Find campgrounds in cities and near train tracks. There are many European campground apps that will help you find campsites but it is a bit of an art form to find campsites that are also easily accessible by train. We have found two approaches to be the most successful. The first one is to simply find campsites within cities and large towns. Since most cities in Europe have train service, if you can find a campground within a city, you will have no trouble getting there with a combination of rail, tube, buses, and a bit of walking, The second way that we have found to locate campgrounds close to train tracks is by using the ACSI camping App : www.acsi.eu . With this app we are able to to find campgrounds even in remote places within walking distance of rail stations. This is because the ACSI app allows you to zoom in on a map and see where the campsite is in comparison to the train routes. It also has a route planner button that will layout travel directions including walking distances for you. Here is a screen shot of our first campground site on a map in the London area. It is marked as a heart of the ACSI campground map. The first screenshot shows the general region of London with many campsites. The second screenshot shows that I have zoomed in and found a campsite close to the rail tracks and also close to London. Rail tracks show as thin grey lines with dots along them. You can see the rail tracks and how close they are to the campground. This will be the primary reason I choose a campground (location), amenities come next. You don’t want to choose a campground that’s pretty, only to find yourself walking for two hours to get there. Screenshot #1. Campgrounds around London. The one I chose is marked with a heart. Screenshot #2 Zoomed in to show Abby Woods campground very close to London. Note the rail tracks are grey lines with dots. Screenshot #3 Once you choose a campsite, a separate page comes up that has a route planner link. The route planner button showed me that the walk from the rail station was .09 Kilometres which is an easy ten minute walk for my husband and I. There was also a bus if we needed it. Screenshot #4 This is what you will see when you click on the route planner. There are several choices and the times shown are actually longer than it takes. Our total trip was 35 minutes but they include walking times for all people including those who walk really slow, so it looks to take longer than it does in real time. - Plan some rest days. These days allow you to catch up on laundry, emails, and perhaps eat and shop in the local village where you are staying. You will also need some rest if your days are packed full of sight seeing. It has been our experience that some of most memorable meals, friends made and joyful experiences have happened by visiting the local places we are staying. People have almost always been super friendly and kind to us, inviting us for meals, giving directions and of course the locals always know where to shop and eat! - Plan to stay at least three days in a campground and do day trips from that hub of up to two hours away. Camping takes about an hour to set up, and another to take down. You don’t want to have to do that every single day. Your unlimited Eurail Global pass will allow you to take multiple day trips while staying in one campground that will be your “hub” in that region. - Plan to stay at an occasional hotel or bed and breakfast as needed. There may be times where your itinerary takes you somewhere that is beyond two hours by train but does not have three days of activities. By staying in a bed and breakfast overnight you can see that city and move on the next day without having to set up and take down camp. We have found that www.booking.com has been a reliable site for finding great deals on inexpensive accommodations across Europe. We tend to use our “hotel days” for when we get too many days of rain and simply need a warm, clean place to dry everything out, and take a day off from camping. - Allow extra time between train connections and ticket entrance times etc. Not only are you traveling with a backpack and bag in tow, you are unfamiliar with the locations and languages. We generally choose the later connection time on our list or a later ticket time which gives us wiggle room for getting lost, or bogged down while packing up. Hungry, cranky tired and frazzled are not a good combination when camping as camping will have enough of it’s own challenges. Give yourself the gift of extra time and patience for a better trip over all. Coming up in my next post - Abbey Woods campground, London and how to choose a tent for this type of trip. We came from the suburbs. A cosy family church that met in the lower level of a small hotel. Sweet friendships, sweet fellowship, and all of the comforts of Christianity; motivational classes, pot lucks, and Christmas pageants. It was beautiful and and I loved it. What I didn't realize at the time was that we were wrapped in a cocoon of our own making that distanced us from the challenges that some face when they preach the gospel in other places. Now lest you think I am criticizing sweet suburban churches, I am not. In fact, I believe strongly in God's desire to bless His people, however I have recently been forced by circumstance to examine the disconnect that very blessing can create from the realities that many in our city face on a daily basis. Fast forward to 2014 and due to the lease on our current location expiring, we found ourselves moving to a new building in the epicentre of our city. A gift really; a building paid for by the congregations that came before us. We were excited about the opportunity, but naive about the cost, not understanding that God had set us up for a journey that would lead us face to face with "the least of our brethren". We spent the first two years of trying to recreate suburban bliss in the middle of the inner city. And it wasn't working. Instead we were being drawn by God into a new conversation. How should a church in the heart of the city, with the highest demographic of poverty and other problems respond to the people around them? Of course the answer on paper seems obvious. You should feed the poor, heal the sick and comfort the brokenhearted. But the walking out of that journey is not as simple... in fact its downright messy, complicated and sometimes exhausting. So exhausting that it was too much for us alone, and we found ourselves entering into partnership with others who could help us carry the weight. We now find ourselves in a church where hundreds of people enter the doors each day to receive a meal, some groceries and other help. And yes... our congregation is growing and blossoming, with rows, and rows of people. People with enormous problems and little of their own resources. And its at this point that you find out the truth about the Jesus and His ability to change lives from the ground up. Yes its messy, it's uncomfortable and it's demanding. Yet I can honestly say, that I have never felt more alive, more connected to the gospel... or more dependant on the power of God to meet the needs that are beyond our human capacity. As I see the marks of all humanity wearing a path to our door, I know that we have been given an opportunity to share the heart of the Father, in the heart of the city and we have found Him Faithful. |
Wendy Peter is the North American Director of Events for the Women on the Frontlines Organization.
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