Camping Travel Store Blog

Following our trip to the Karsten Factory - we finally managed to get out in the garden and erect one of the new Human Comfort Tents. It a 2 man cotton tent with cotton bedroom 2 exits and 3 poles. Went up in about 5 minutes and I must say it was very toastie! Spent the night in it with our 3 year old daughter, sleeping on the new Human Comfort Self Inflating matresses. Not only are these matresses about 8cm deep, they also come with the option of a foam topper, all held in place by a machine washable cover. The testing station at the Karsten travel store is a bed of rock - I'm not exactly light and I could not feel the rock under me. Probably the best nights sleep on a camping matress that I have ever had.....Our daughter slept all the way through. So far both thumbs up to this new range!!!

Visit to Karsten Factory – 30th July - 3 Days We were invited by Karsten to their factory in Zwaag, Holland as a thank you for starting the Karsten Tent Club. We decided to drive, catching the ferry Dover to Dunkirk and proceeded on the 3 ½ drive to Northern Holland – Arriving in Zwaag at the Hart B&B , close to midnight we were met by Danny Hazewindus from Karsten. The next day, having hired bikes from the B&B to ride the 10 minutes to Hoorn, the neighboring town, we were impressed by how stunning this town was. Beautiful harbour, lots of canals and a busy feel to the modern high street. Having met Danny for lunch, we made our way to the Karsten Travel Store , where we stunned by just how big this camping ‘shop’ was. Having toured the shop and the Karsten Factory – we then were shown the Karsten Tent Display – Simply Fantastic to see them in all their glory – colours, sizes and different combination. In the late afternoon we were introduced to Mr. Karsten himself, who took us ...

Morton near Weymouth – 26th June for 10 Days The CCC site at Morton in Dorset was to be our camp for a fabulous 10 days of full on sunshine. Having booked to avoid the Summer Holidays, I was amazed' just how busy this site was, but bearing in mind that Swanage and Weymouth are only a short drive away (approx. 20 minutes) it was not surprising that this was a popular site for tourers. The site lived up to the CCC reputation for efficiency and cleanliness, and with the railway station on the doorstep, well, just down from the pub made travelling very easy. Moreton Church is worth a visit just to see the etched glass windows; as too is the grave of Lawrence of Ariba, all nearby the site – and don’t forget to stop by the tea shop – fantastic cakes! Just down from the church is a large ford which was perfect for the children to paddle in trying to catch the minnows with their nets.

We had the pleasure of joining the Oxmow Camping Group at Ferry Meadows, Peterborough over the past weekend (19th June), to endulge in a bit of camping and sailing etc. What a fantastic location , on the edge of a large lake, in the middle of the Nene Valley Park, where the Steam Locomotives could be heard and seen on the other side of the waters edge. There are plenty of bike and walking paths in the area, and it is also very close to the Peterborough Show Ground where the East of England Show was being hosted while we were there. The field we were in only had a water supply, with a toilet block (key supplied) about 100 yards away near the boating marina, which houses the showers. There was also an undercover area, where you could BBQ. Booking for this field is a year in advance.

All was planned for the 1st Karsten Tent Camping Weekend, alas the weather. All week I had been watching the weather channels, surfing the web to find the latest and in the end, those who had booked cancelled as the weather appeared to be horrendous. We got there, setup by 5pm on Friday and enjoyed good weather until Sunday Morning when later the heavens open around 4am. By 9am the Sun was out and the Tent went away dry. Hopefully when I try and get everyone together again, the weather forecast will be kinder to tempt out the Karsten Campers!!!

We ventured to West Runton CCC site for the last Bank Holiday in May - Glorious Weather awaited us, and it didn't diasappoint. We had a perfect pitch, up until the throws of Bank Holiday Campers turned up - not that there is a problem, hey it's going to be busy anywhere and we're one of them, but I seriously could not believe how tightly we were packed onto this well run site. By Friday night, it was bursting at the seams. The 6 metre rule still appllied, but everyone was on their boundary's, with the gaps between the tents/units being roadways. We could not even sit out the front to enjoy the caravans trying to manovure in between us to get to and from their pitch. In the end, some of them had to unhook and push it was that tight. Anyway regardless of this we had a wonderful time. The highlight being Wiverton Hall . Here was a pick your own farm, with a fantastic rustic restaurant/cafe, set in the unassuming grounds of a 17th Century Jacobean Manor House. The food (co...

Wembury is a small village in an area of outstanding beauty on the SouthWest Coast of Devon. We camped at the Pilgrims Rest site on the outskirts of the village to attend a friends wedding in August last year. The campsite was adequate and basic, but extremely quite and friendly - Perfect! The church situated high above the beach stands prominent and always seems to catch the last rays of the sun at sunset; the perfect setting for a ceremony, equalled by a wonderful reception at Langdon Court Country House . The City of Pltmouth is only six miles away, so you are not too far from the Commercial trappings.