MuddlePuddle Camp the Fifth

June 30th, 2007 by Sarah

So, we went to the 5th MuddlePuddle Summer Camp at Kessingland Beach. Only our third, we missed a couple of years, but it was good to be back ;) Didn’t get the camera out much, but photos are here.

Various highlights according to the various members of this family, but as this is my blog, I’ll write about mine :) We will certainly remember the rain and mud. Thankfully it served to highlight the wonderfulness of the new folding camper, which is definitely a change for the better, I think all of us appreciated it for the space it gave us. Even the awning wasn’t too horrendous to put up (although we did have a fair bit of help both times we did it so I’ll reserve judgement until after the rest of the summer). We did have an awful muddy flood in the awning for a few days; when the trailer started to simultaneously sink (unevenly) while the awning pegs fell out of the ground, and the mud began to smell, we decided to move to higher ground – but had to get a tractor to tow the trailer out, as the cars were getting stuck in the field and our car would never have managed! So that was amusing ;)

Being towed by tractor

It was great to be among friends for a week, and to chat to new people too, albeit briefly. In some ways it was a shame that the weather wasn’t really ‘sitting round outside’ weather as I didn’t see enough of some people, but there we go.

Our day at Bewilderwood was fab, highly recommended by all of us.



Sparky’s – some of us love it, some of us hate it. Actually this year in some ways it was good to have somewhere warm and dry to go! And it’s only a couple of years until all my children are old enough not to need the accompanying adult (and have to ask other people’s parents ;) )! This year some of the children entered the karaoke competition and Anna won, meaning someone is going to end up taking her back in October for a second helping of Sparky fun – aargh! Still, at least she won static caravan accommodation for the week as well.

What else?
We went to see Shrek 3 at Lowestoft cinema on the Sunday (a mini-tradition there as we watched Shrek 2 there on its release weekend three years ago).
I managed to miss pretty much all the planned camp events (well, the ones that still happened!) for one reason and another. Anna did some tie-dying though!
Didn’t go to the beach at all. I don’t really like beaches, and no-one else asked to go, so we didn’t.
Enjoyed the cabaret on Thursday, fab to see so many different performances.

Had a really really naff journey home, it took three hours longer than it should have, which just goes to cement my hatred of driving to and from the East coast (Em, don’t know how you do it on a regular basis, it would do my head in!). Still, despite that and the general swampiness of the week, it was definitely a great time :)

12 Responses to “MuddlePuddle Camp the Fifth”

  1. Ruth Says:

    Your day at Bewilderwood looks fantastic! And lots of laughing at the ducks. Honestly – you – camping – rain – what is it with you?!

  2. Alison Says:

    Oh, you’ve made it sound really good! Was lovely to have a couple of good trips out with you – the kids really want to go back to Bewilderwood.

    Still very pleased Anna won the karaoke :lol:

  3. Helen@work Says:

    maybe the next camp can be on the warmer south coast somewhere! Lovely seeing you, and didn’t mind the extra child tooooo much. luckilly not seen any incriminating photos yet!

  4. Michelle Says:

    Never made it to Bewilderwood with Clo. It does look as though you all really enjoyed it. The original plan was to have gone on the way home but the weather did scupper my enthusiasm somewhat. I will have to try and think of a way to take her as we have read the book twice now and she is very keen to go visit.

  5. Merry Says:

    Yeah, it was okay really. I’ve added up the awful bits and decided they only amounted to about a day and a half really. Lovely seeing you :)

  6. Jo Says:

    Looks like fun….love the tractor pic, made me laugh!
    Well done Anna for winning the karaoke, so who’s taking her in October then??

  7. Sarah Says:

    It *was* good. Would have been excellent if only we’d had a dry field!

  8. Merry Says:

    PS – actually it was the 6th; the first was in Buxton in 2002

  9. Sarah Says:

    So it was, I forgot about that! Had Kessingland on the brain … but Buxton wasn’t a summer camp was it? or was it?

  10. Alison Says:

    September – just before Buttercup was born – so strictly speaking summer :)

  11. Em Says:

    I think I go a very different way to you, since I’m heading more down earlier. So we do A12, M25, M3, M27, A34 or whatever it is. It is shit though. Not looking forward to summer hols traffic adding to it. This is why I often leave at 6am, then spend the day there before taking the girls home.

  12. Jax Says:

    thanks for your help putting up the tent – suspect I’d have been even more fraught that I already was without that!

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