Camping Travel Store Blog

For those of you who follow on Facebook  you will have probably learnt over the past week that I have turned the wrong side of 39. Saw it happening, but was powerless to stop odometer clocking 40! As a present my family gave me a digital SLR camera that I had been hankering after for a while to which I was absolutely delighted. I have just signed up to the 365 Project - "Document everyday of your life in a year with a photo". This link takes you through to my recent photos (Hopefully they'll improve):  http://365project.org/campingking/365   The reason I'm posting about it, is that it makes you take a photo each day! It gets you out the house or on your lunch break, and if you are into photography, there are some seriously spectacular photos to view, all searchable via tags. Enjoy!

Kitts Cottage Campsite - East Sussex Guest Blog by Club Member - Jo Dodds A group of 9 cycling ladies spent the weekend here last weekend (07.10.2012). I was in my Karsten 300 pod with two other friends and there were various other smaller tents in our group.  James Butcher made us so welcome and nothing was too much trouble. There was one other group there last weekend, but there is so much space there that we couldn't actually see or hear them! The great bonus of this campsite was that you can light campfires, so we would come back from the pub and have a chat around the fire with toasted marshmallows and hot chocolate. This is what camping should be like! James sold us very dry seasoned wood and came to check that we weren't running out, so we went to bed nice and warm. The loos and showers were clean and fairly basic with solar heated water. We were a little concerned that there wouldn't be enough water at this time in October, but we all had ...

FULL VIDEO Camping Travel Store has just displayed the Karsten Inflatable Tent's along side the Vango Airbeam's. It was a very successful weekend for both tents and the dispaly will be repeated in 2013.

Karsten's direct to tent rain awning connector. This is a great little joiner add to your collection of Karsten Awnings. It allows you to connect your current rain awning direct to the Karsten Pod, without the need of erecting the Comfort or Extension Awning. We have used it today at a display on a Karsten 325 and its' fantastic. Not only does it protect the doorway from rain, but also provides enough shade for two people to sit under. This is now available to order from the Camping Travel Store Please call 01763 273662 or email info@campingtravelstore.co.uk for further details.

We have just returned from a very successful weekend at the Great Northern Fishing Show , held annually at Cudmore Fisheries in connection with the Finals of the Fish 'O' Mania Competition. Setting up in the rain, on a boggy slope whilst trying to keep everything clean was a real challenge. Luckily we managed to get some bark.  Gradually the clouds broke and Saturday brought with it intermittent weather but large crowds. Our first sale was completed with an hour of the doors opening. Sun and blue skies were the order for Sunday and it didn't disappoint. Although the crowds were less than Saturday, we had lots of serious interest, especially with the 350 Karsten for general Camping. Cudmore Fisheries is a great fishing location, catering for all anglers on various lakes.  Check out our Video Channel on YouTube

Following the sign from the main street we found this delightful pub, The Masons Arms full of original features dating back to the 16 th Century. The landlady made us very welcome and as they have been awarded the ‘Five Paw’ award, our Yorkshire terrier was also allowed in. The beer tasted great, and the menu was full of good hearty choices. We sat in the smaller bar area but noticed that reservations had been made on several of the tables. A Good Sign! Being Sunday, Roasts were the order of the day for Suzie and the children; Suzie enjoying Pork Hock whilst the children stayed with traditional roast beef. I could not resist the steak and ale pie – a firm favourite. The meals were served in good time, piping hot and were absolutely delicious. Compared with the localised chain restaurants, this pub for the atmosphere, service and quality of food excelled in value. 2 x Adult Meals 2 x Children Meals 2 x Pints and 2 x J2O = £35.00 The Masons Arms is a great ‘lo...

If you fancy an 'Room with a View', then check out this rental Karsten Tent. It's a Karsten 350 with a direct to tent rain awning, carpeted with two king size bedrooms. What's more it's situated on a Camping site with stunning views only an hour from London, so great for the Olympic Summer! Our Site Review is HERE

Just to let everyone know that there is an Immaculate Karsten 325 Inflatable Tent for Sale on Ebay Please see Link: KARSTEN TENT If you would like any further details on the Karsten Inflatable Tent, please check out the Camping Travel Store Website. If you would like to see the full range on display, we are showing them this weekend at Town Farm Campsite in Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire. See link below for further details Buckinghamshire Display

One tool to rule them all........ This is a great addition to any camping equipment and even just to have around the house or car. Being a Leatherman it already has pedigree and before committing to this I was also very taken with the Victorinox Lockable Combination Tool . What made my final decisions were purely based on what I require it for and with that in mind, and a young family with bikes, the pliers aspect was essential. The other deciding fact was that with the Leatherman, all the elements are lockable, whereas with the Victorinox only the larger blade was. This tool is mid range, I paid £47.00 from Amazon with free delivery.   It came with a leather belt pouch and has already proved it's worth!

We did a test-run pitching on hard standing last September and it was totally successful.   The week was a scorcher and we could have been on grass but the day we packed up the weather changed.   What a joy not walking round on wet and muddy grass while packing up!   As the Karsten was a big outlay, the last thing we want to happen is it getting covered in mud. We put down two 3.5 mtr square cheap tarps bought on Ebay.  Karsten fitted exact.  Rock pins all round and we were sorted.  We have the inner comfort matting and couldn't feel the ballast underneath.  As the trial worked we will buy a heavier duty tarpaulin to pitch on for the future.  You just need to check for any large or sharp stones before laying the tarpaulin down. Out of interest - the site was The Warren at Folkestone .  It's an excellent site almost on the beach but elevated about 30 about sea level so no worry about getting washed away....

Thank you to all who visited over the weekend In Case you missed it - play the video below At Van Hage, we believe that to discover garden plants is to be inspired by them. www.campingtravelstore.co.uk See the link below for our next show Click Here for our Buckinghamshire Display

Don't let the weather and snow put you off camping.  No Limits Jeep - Adventurers from the Netherlands seem to manage really well in their Karsten Inflatable Tent - Check out their Website for further information on Winter Camping. If you have any pictures of your Karsten in the snow, please send them into us: info@campingtravelstore.co.uk Pictures used by kind permission of No Limits Jeep. 

We love talking about our Karsten, and indeed having met and spoken to a lot of other owners, you do too.... If you would like us to send you some Karsten Tent Flyers with your name  printed on the back, you can hand these out to any interested parties and should they purchase a tent from us at Camping Travel Store , mentioning your name; as a thank you - we'll send you £25.00 worth of Marks and Spencer's vouchers. We are not asking you to sell the tent, just talk about it and your experience of purchasing through us. Further Information :  Karsten Tent Club Reward

I have just returned from Southwold on the Suffolk Coast, and must confess that it was not a camping trip. However, this is a lovely place to visit and our accommodation was a Victorian seafront house close to the pier and town. Famous for the  Adnam's brewery , beach huts, light house and award-winning pier, this small seaside town was a delight to visit. There are various campsites in the surrounding areas to choose from, and I'm sure we'll be return with the Karsten. There is a good selection of restaurants and public houses serving food, but we opted for the Crown hotel restaurant which had a small snug bar before going through to the restaurant. I had a great meal (Fillet Steak) and I must admit I could have had two puddings they were that good!. We decided to walk to Dunwich along the beach the following day, taking just over 2 hours. We stopped off for lunch at The Ship  in Dunwich with it's welcoming roari...

We will be showing our range of Karsten Inflatable Tents on   Saturday 10th March 9am to 5pm Sunday 11th March 9am - 2pm Location: Town Farm Campsite - Ivinghoe LU7 9EL Onsite camping is available - please book directly with Site For further information or to request a brochure: 01763 273662 Email: info@campingtravelstore.co.uk www.campingtravelstore.co.uk Click Here for our Hertfordshire Display

This is a little cooking unit that I feel will have lots of use on our camping trips. Light, compact and able to boil a small kettle in approximately 4-5 minutes when using the supplied fuel; it will also become a great little firepit when the night draws in. I find that no matter how big the fire, my back is always cold and infact its the sight of the flames dancing which offers the most warmth. Provided you protect the grass (raise on bricks etc...) you are able to feed it with small twigs and pieces of wood (collected on your afternoon walk) in order to have a small controlled fire. If there ever was a problem, it would only require a small amount of water to extinguish or failing that it is small enough to stamp out. Gelert Solid Fuel Stove & Fuel £3.50 inc. Fuel Indian builds small fire - Keeps warm Whiteman builds big fire, Keeps warm collecting firewood www.karstententclub.com

I have been thinking of getting one of these and recently made the purchase, unsure of the quality that I was expecting. It arrived yesterday and I must say that for the price (under £10.00) I was pleasantly surprised. I have seen these put to good use on the campsite, from retrieving buried pegs to digging small channels round a tent to direct a flow of water. For me in my Cub leader role it is a great tool  for removing a small section of turf and soil to provide a sheltered cooking area. At least this way, when all is done, the soil and turf can be replaced as if you were never there. The folding spade is made of steel, with a decent rivet holding the multi-use head in place. The aluminium collar screws up to lock the head in place depending what you are using (spade or pick). The handle simply screws on, making a total length (As below) 40cm. The pouch comes with a convenient belt hook. There are more expensive and ...

We are kick starting the year with a great piece of news. Karsten Tenten, Dutch Manufacturer of the Karsten Inflatable Tent has frozen prices for 2012. That right, a Price Freeze until 2013, meaning all new Sales of Inflatable Tents and Awnings will benefit from the old 2011 prices. Those looking to purchase one of these Inflatable tents will also currently benefit from the stronger Sterling to Euro rate. The exchange rate is at its highest for a while now, so if you are considering a Karsten Inflatable Tent for this year's holidays, then maybe now is a good time to purchase. For further information or to request a brochure, please visit: www.campingtravelstore.co.uk