Camping is in the blood. When I was a kid, I went camping in Scotland. Dad dug trenches around the tent, tightening guy lines day and night to prevent flooding, tricks he learned as a boy scout in the 1930s. DDT was used to kill the bugs. The kitchen was on a single ring burner. The milk came in cardboard boxes from a machine on the main street of Fort William. The equipment we needed fit perfectly in a Ford Prefect. Every year the same ritual: leave at 5am to avoid non-existent traffic, have breakfast at Lauder of traditional Scottish lamb pies and continue on to Pitlochery, singing ‘Over the Sea to Skye’. This was in the days before the Forth Road Bridge, connecting on the ferry from Queensferry.
When my kids were little, we decided to take them camping – experience the good life. We paid as little as £100 for a second hand frame tent and all the equipment. Yes, a tent! We could only dream of one of these luxury items as a child. Once again leaving at 5am, breakfast at Lauder (although husband refused lamb pies), disappointment at having to buy milk from a shop, gear fitting perfectly in a Renault 11. But this time, as a father , immense satisfaction of bringing children closer to the wonders of nature, instilling in them a passion for the outdoors.
Oh Diane! that you have started A simple statement
“Guess what, we’ve bought a tent and we’re going to start camping.”
“Ooo!”
A few months earlier it was a Harley Davison. This is Diane, who only travels in 5 stars. This is the Diane who has weekly facials and manicures. How can Diane go camping? Diane doesn’t camp! We camped… well, we used to camp. Let’s be honest. Many people used to camp. Say what you love about the outdoors and get back to nature, when she can afford to stop camping, she stops camping. I like my 5-star luxury hotels, with waiter service, full bathroom with toiletries, maid service, mints on the pillow, and complimentary champagne and fruit.
Then imagine the panic! Camping! Diane had invited us to a camping exhibition. There should be a warning sign: no men over 50 allowed! I saw the sparkle in her eyes, the excitement as she wandered from store to store. And there she was… she drew us in: ‘The Bear Lake 4.’ The Rolls Royce of tents. It is not a simple, lightweight, cheap, ‘it doesn’t matter if you never use it’ tent. This tent starts at £500. It has breathable fabric with holes that close when it rains! It has windows with curtains and tiebacks and mosquito nets, its own doormat and matching windbreaks. Irresistible for any man over 50 years. I could feel his return to youth, the excitement, the outdoors, the return to nature, shedding the trappings of modern life. The money was delivered so fast. The return to camp had begun. But we don’t have a team!
Oh how times have passed. We are now the proud owners of an electrical connection, an electrically inflated air bed (double height), high-tech cooking facilities, a field kitchen, matching crockery complete with a tray stored on a shelf, an electric fridge, kettle – no more whistle – I miss the whistling kettle. All this for just £500.
And now for the latest addition: a brand new car to put it in! Not just any car, but a carefully crafted piece of engineering that longed to be taken camping by owners. This is the Rav4. The cheap holidays we can have as we approach retirement… now cost us another £24,000! Not quite the £100 of days gone by. At these costs we will have to use it!
Scotland, lamb pies in Lauder are calling…can’t wait.
I hope there is a hotel nearby in case it rains. I’m sure I can fit the hair straighteners in…the television…the en-suite bathroom…
http://helloecoliving.com/2010/04/born-to-camp/