Several years back we bought a tent to allow us to go camping as a family. Over the past few years we have found a few sites we will go back to and one of them is Park Foot In Ullswater. With Graham starting his new job this week I demanded that we fill the car up and grab a few days away.
Back when I wasn’t as ill we would often go camping , when we finally committed to buying a dog it was one of the only options for us when it comes to a family break. Of course there are options out there but the prices of some of the places is daylight robbery.
Now I say camping but it’s cheating really. We all have beds off the floor with very comfortable sleeping bags. Even though it’s only Graham , Becks , Me and Alfie the tent sleeps six comfortably. The tent is fully carpeted with electric hook up which allows us to bring a hand held vacuum to keep the tent clean, a heater which is also a fan and most importantly we can keep our phones charged. Sometimes I take a toastie maker but I gave it a miss this time.
Park Foot is a huge site which has something for everyone. They have entertainment on every night in the club as well as a restaurant and takeaway. The camp shop sells more than our local Tesco express and when it comes to activities you can hire bikes, go horse riding or sailing on the Lake.
The day we got there the weather was gorgeous so once the tent was up we had the bbq lit and the burgers cooking . This was Alfie’s first time camping and he took to it so well. When all of the stuff was being put into the car he got a little bit upset because he didn’t know what was going on. I don’t think Becks taking a suitcase helped the matter , as he knows if he sees the suitcase that he won’t see her for a few days. So when he got asked if he wanted to get into the car which had his vet bed all ready for him to lay on , he was more that relieved.
I have to digress here and confess that I have developed this ungodly fear of leaving him. See he is with me every single minute of the day and night. Even right now I am lay on my back with my legs pulled up as he likes to be at the end of my bed. When he was a puppy we did crate train him and he was fine with it , one day I just couldn’t put him in it and he hasn’t been in it since. It does mean that he hasn’t been left alone now for 18 months. I just can’t do it. Yes he is spoilt but he is by my side every minute of the day and night no matter if it is good or bad ,he will not leave my side.
The site was very busy obviously it is the summer holidays 🤔 , this wasn’t great for me because of the noise . I don’t know if any of you other ME Sufferers include this in your bags , every where that I go I have several pairs of ear plugs. I have a bag which goes everywhere with me , that includes a TENS Machine, ear plugs, large dark glasses, a blanket, first aid kit and my hand splints. See if I am out and I start getting over stimulated it becomes painful it sounds silly but for me the noise is physically painful.
Lots of articles have been published to give the benefits of camping , some say that earthing ourselves can make a big change to our health. It states things like as our bodies are in sync with the sun rise and set it can help with out body clocks . When we camp we don’t take very many lights so we have early nights and then early mornings .
Our night time routine will be to start lighting the bbq around 6pm , by the time you have eaten and let your food settle we normally try and fit in a shower or a baby wipe wash before getting into our pjs . Most nights we try and watch tv for around an hour, now this trip I had managed to remember to pack Cards against Humanity. I had never played this before and playing it with our 18 year old daughter was an experience. It made me giggle on so many occasions because Graham and Rebecca have got the exact same sick sense of humour.
The entertainment at the club house includes things like stand up bingo , kids discos , quizzes and normally they have several acts on they look or sound like another singer or band. I will be honest it’s just not our idea of a good night, maybe we are a bit too old and boring , we just prefer to be together talking or watching something.
The food on site is great and you have plenty of choice. You could even get away without packing any food or drink because they sell everything at The campsite shop and it isn’t too expensive either. We bought some pork kebabs & sausage to cook on our bbq and they were beautiful, even the sausage was tasty snd I normally won’t touch them. The only thing I really wanted after a few days was fruit or veggies so I settled for a vegetarian pizza 🤣
We managed to get to the edge of the lake one day and the view was just stunning . You are just surrounded by water and hills. The water baby would have absolutely been in the middle of the lake if we had let him, he just loves water.
It’s not the sort of thing I can do regularly anymore but it was a much needed break for us as a family .
If you are reading this and you have ME or you know someone with ME I really would recommend looking into it. The fresh air , clear night skies and being surrounded by the people you love is absolutely worth the effort if you can make it. I would recommend investing in equipment that adapts to you. For example my sleeping bag is called a cocoon , it isn’t shaped like a normal straight up and down bag it goes out and gives you more room . If I am in pain in one position I can move about without feeling constricted.
There are now plenty of items on the market which can make a difference to people like us. I always take baby wipes so if I am not able to get showered I can still feel a little cleaner. I always have a canister of Magicool with me , Magicool is cooled water which stays cool no matter how hot it is. It’s great for keeping me cool if I am struggling with the heat. If you don’t want to spend money you could add some peppermint essential oil to a spray bottle and it would give a similar effect.
We had a lovely few days at Park Foot , however we do also go to another site in the lakes called Park Cliffe which is in Bowness. For me cleanliness of a site speaks volumes and I don’t think I have ever visited a site as clean and tidy as Park Cliffe. The reason I am mentioning this site is that it has a bathroom that you can hire. This is great for soaking aching muscles even though you are staying in a tent. Park Cliffe also has a restaurant and take away service. One thing I didn’t mention is that both sites have WiFi.
Have you ever been camping ?
What is your favourite site?
Do you have any tips or hacks which may help others.
As always leave a comment or get in touch by emailing me alisha@alishawhittam.com
Gentle hugs 🤗 x x