Tent Review : Vango Zeal 500 plus canopy

I purchased this tent on a whim when I saw it on sale prior to the start of the season this year. Well it was a bargain so I bought it - then justified the purchase by persuading the OH it would be perfect for touring round Northumberland and the Lakes.

It's been tested so far over spring half term (Canterbury Caravan and Camping Club Site), in my mates garden down in Hove (thanks Sue!) and then for 16 days touring/ camping in August. So it's fair to say that as a family of four we have given it a pretty good test drive.

The selling point for me was the quick pitching time; officially 5 minutes but realistically you can put it up, peg it out, attach the canopy and bung the bedding inside in under 20 minutes. We managed this in a thunderstorm so not bad. If you're touring and doing the whole 'put up, take down' routine but still want a standing height tent with a canopy this is a pretty good purchase for around £125 all in.

For a weekend test we just slept on SIMS; for the 16 days we took camp beds. As well as the comfort factor this is actually pretty important in terms of storage - technically a 5 person tent it suits a family of 4 but it's cosy. Using camp beds gives you some much needed 'under bed' storage.

As with most tents I own I don't even bother trying to get it back into it's original bag in a hurry so instead I cart it about in a big 100 litre dry sack. This makes it very easy to pack away when touring and the dry sack squeezes down nicely. 

The tent pitches outer first and the sewn in ground sheet is attached to the inner. This was new for me as my other tents have the SIG on the outer. I was a bit worried about the wet weather and was concerned initially there might be a problem with the inner getting wet in the bag. I needn't have worried though as this didn't happen. Just make sure you fold the inner bit of the tent on top and inside the ground sheet if it's damp.

I'm pleased with this set-up overall as it does allow for touring with a bit of comfort. My Kampa Croyde 6 hasn't had an outing this year!

Review - The Quiet Site

The Quiet Site
Ullswater

Date of stay: August 2014

Outfit: Vango Zeal 500 

I LOVE this site! We stayed here for 5 (very wet and rainy) nights as part of our touring holiday. I had read about this site so many times I just had to try and I wasn't disappointed. 

Ullswater is a fabulous location and we had a lovely view from our pitch. It was out first time pitching on pea gravel and I have to say it was fantastic given the rainy weather we experienced!

The toilet block was warm, clean and certainly big enough. There is a covered 'campers kitchen' where you can use the fridge and freezer plus a microwave if you wish. I think there was a also a kettle. 

The absolute god-send though is the fantastic bar with it's game room, soft play and welcoming open fire. They sell some lovely real ales in here and on the Sat night we were treated to boogie woogie Will on the piano whilst Sunday night we were entertained with card tricks at the table by a lovely young magician. 

Some sheep escaped into the field on our last day there which was memorable!

I certainly can't say enough good things about this site; the kids loved it, the father in law loved it, me and my partner loved it! Happy campers all round and can't wait to go back again.

Porridge pots, pans and palavers

Who could have thought that the humble porridge oat could bring so many problems with it. Before setting off on our tour the FIL asked if we were taking any porridge with us. "Of course" I said knowing I'd stocked up on some instant porridge pots for the first morning.

Morning 1
FIL "I'm not eating this muck. It's full of chemicals"
Trip to supermarket results in purchase of huge box of porridge and huge carton of milk.

Morning 2
FIL "It's not easy washing pots n pans camping but I've got to have proper porridge"

Morning 3- new campsite
FIL at 5.45 am very loudly "Where's the pan? I can't find my porridge.  Where's the milk?"
Voice from neighbours tent "Thanks mate we all wanted to know that!"

Packing up tent to move sites. FIL "I must put my porridge somewhere safe."

A bit later- youngest son "Mummy I'm trying to clear it up". Oh what could possibly have happened?

Porridge oats scattered all over the boot of the car!

Porridge is available in many varieties including giant, organic oats, the little microwaveable sachets and the instant 'just add water' types.

Our 2 week tour - Yorkshire, Northumberland, Lake District and Warwickshire

You will have noticed I have only just started this blog, so rather than keep on with my site reviews I thought I'd share some reflections on our recent touring trip.

I had never been to Northumberland or the Lakes before since the thought of travelling that far with the 2 young boys in tow had been a bit daunting until I purchased my latest tent, the Vango Zeal 500. Or should I say, I impulse bought the tent then had to come up with an excuse for buying it! So, quick pitch palace at hand we decided that it was time to visit those parts of the UK that had remained undiscovered. 

The sites we stayed at were:

• Streethead Caravan Park, Leyburn -2 nights
• Riverside Leisure Park, Wooler - 5 nights
• The Quiet Site, Ullswater - 5 nights
• Marton Road Farm, Long Itchington - 3 nights

My 67 year old father in law decided to join us for our trip and flew over from Madeira to join us. This necessitated another tent purchase, the Vango Nyx 100, so we could all fit onto one pitch.

Things I learnt from touring:

• A Ford S Max is just big enough to accommodate 5 people plus camping gear even without a roof box
• We can survive without gadgets for 16 days
• Ear plugs are a must
• Fussy children will eventually eat
• When your camp bed breaks you're never too far from a handy camping kit shop
• Rainbows make the rain worth it

Things we got up to
Waterfall walk at Ingleton
Broomstick training at Alnwick Castle
Cruised around Ullswater on the steamer
Swooned over the knights at Warwick Castle (well maybe that was just me)

Woodhall Spa Camping and Caravanning Club Site

Woodhall Spa

Date of visit: May 2012

We visited this club site for one night as we were buying a second hand tent from a couple in Lincolnshire so drove up to collect it. We met at the site and the wardens let us both in so we could set up the tent - I was expecting to pay for day guests but no need and this was great! We had booked a grass non ehu pitch and on arrival were told we could pick to pitch amongst the trees in the shade or on the 'new' field in the sun. We chose the sunny field which was lovely, nice open countryside surrounding us and a couple of horses in field nearby. 

I had one of the best nights sleep here as there is practically no light pollution, there is no low level lighting on the open field. Other half said he went out about 1. 30am and saw loads of stars. This is a novelty for us as we live close to London. 

On the Sat afternoon a local butcher came to the site which was a lovely service! I gave him a wave and he pulled up near our tent, we bought some kebabs and a homemade apple pie, lovely touch. 

Facilities were spotless and the wardens were really helpful. 

Nice ice cream for sale in Woodhall Spa too!

I would recommend this site for peace, quiet and relaxing as there is not a huge amount to do in the area. We did not take our boys but there is a nice play area although as others have mentioned there is a large, deep pond so I don't think I would have found it as relaxing had we taken the kids as would need a lot of supervising, hence my slightly lower score for child friendliness.


Things to do:
Visit the Kinema in the Woods

Kessingland Camping and Caravan Club Site

Kessingland Camping and Caravan Club Site

Date of stay: March 2012

A big thumbs up for this site which came to the rescue after we were told Kessingland Beach site was too wet to pitch on. The staff were more than helpful when I first rang to enquire about booking. The gentleman on the phone said he would never put a family with a tent on an unsuitable pitch which reassured us before we set off. 

Our journey took a bit longer than usual due to heavy traffic so it was a great sight for sore eyes when we saw the fish n chip van had arrived on site! Lovely!

We were shown to our pitch which considering the heavy rain was immaculate. I don't know how they keep the grass so well kept but our pitch was level, the grass was perfect and we did not see any muddy or churned up sections anywhere on site. It must be very well drained. 

We were not too disturbed by the turbines (we didn't know about these until we arrived) and got used to them after a while. Radio 4 on very quietly at night was a good distraction from the whooshing sound. The toilets, showers and wash up facilities were all spotless. 

The wardens were out after 10pm one night sorting out a light in the ladies loo. 

Things to do:

We took advantage of the deal with Africa Alive and made use of it for the 3 days we stayed popping in at different times of the day in between trips to Southwold Pierr, Lowestoft and Oulton Broad which are all near by. 


We would definitely go back to this site with our kids again.

Lee Valley - our local site

Lee Valley Camp Site

Date of stay: Various from 2012 onwards

This is our local camp site and we have been there a few times - it is our site of choice for testing new tents! It is a small, friendly site with a play area, shop and nice heated toilet and shower block next to the tent field. Friends have hired the wooden pods and said they were comfy.  Children always have fun as site is small enough that you can keep an eye on them whilst they roam about.  Nice walks from site along the reservoir to the canal where you may be lucky to spot a boat by the lock.  Couple of good, family friend pubs near by.  Downside is the nearby helicopter and traffic noise but for a break with friends at start and end of the season we love it.  Things to do Take a trip around Lee Valley Park - hire a bike, walk around the canal and admire the swans on the many lakes, take advantage of the tea huts and pubs along the way. Visit the White Water Centre the venue for the 2012 Olympics. Visit the Royal Gunpowder Mills and Waltham Abbey.

Camping conundrums......what's it all about?

My first tent 2011

Camping conundrums is just that; all the musings and questions I have had since I started camping with my family in 2011.

I have a few obsessions in life and spending time in the great outdoors is one of them. I fell in love with camping again in 2011 and since then like many campers my tent collection has grown and I have been learning along the way.

This is my personal record of places we have been, essential kit and camping geekery, reviews and general musings. 

Please feel free to browse or join in along the way.

Mel x