Luggage question for the National

[barftone]

Pub, then sleep in local church if your tent blows away!! (before you ask, yes!) If really bad I dash across the Pennines to my bro's in Ripon and straight in his hot tub wiv a beer and my nephews girlfriend !!

[marc]

Pub, then sleep in local church if your tent blows away!! (before you ask, yes!) If really bad I dash across the Pennines to my bro's in Ripon and straight in his hot tub wiv a beer and my nephews girlfriend !!

Sounds great, count me in

[squirrelciv]

Also being a bike camping virgin. This may sound really stupid but if it's peeing down all weekend how the hell do you get dry ever?

Or don't you Its been something on my mind?

The site has a barn where wet kit can be hung up and we've got the use of the Thumperclub marquee (9mtr x 3mtr). At Thumperclub get togethers we have a selection of Charcoal burners to gather around too and I'm hoping to bring mine up with me. Apart from that, take spare dry clothes and foot wear with you for hanging around in, and if is insists on raining constantly, then put the wet gear on to go out on your bike. Far better that, than nothing dry to change into in the evening. Oh, and take some talc. It's suprizing how better you feel if your feet are dry

[Austin]

I have camped many many times by bike and with the family in big and little tents both in the UK and abroad. I may have been lucky but I have never ever had anything go missing from any campsite and we routinely leave bicycles and all our camping gear unsecured either just in the tent awning or next to it. Obviously the more valuable and essential stuff that you wouldn't leave unattended anyway (wallet, camera, phone, documents) take with you or lock in your car/bike. I would say the risk of theft mostly comes from people who aren't on the campsite as all campers are in the same position, so a reasonable risk assessment based on proximity to thieving scumbags and the likelyhood that they will be allowed to wander around the campsite should help judge what precautions to take.

Many years ago I went to a campsite in the centre of Amsterdam that was recommended by dutch tourist information "as being suitable for people like you". As I was surveying a muddy mess deciding where to pitch the tent and inhaling deeply the clouds of marijuana smoke emerging from most other tents - wondering what sort of people I was supposed to be like - a couple of german bikers came up to me and said don't camp here. They had just gone to the showers and returned to find their tent cleared out. They literally had what they stood up in, a tent and a motorbike. But looking around the site it was obvious - Central Amsterdam location (a bit like camping in Hyde park), big Housing estate next door, poor quality wire fence as a boundary, no security on the campsite, lots of non-camping type folk wandering about, campsite staff about as interested as uninteresting thing. We camped elsewhere and were fine.

As for getting wet, well stay dry in the first place is the best advice, ie keep your waterproofs on. The weather is, generally, dry and lot more than it is wet, so things usually dry out sooner or later - although if you get caught in a wet spell lasting 2-3 days over a weekend you will dispute this statement. The other thing is to stay positive. No matter how wet you are or stuff is it better than being at work!!!

[Reevie]

It can't be as wet as it was when i camped a few miles from Tewksbury when the floods were on !!!!!

We were supposed to be camped at Court farm near Weston Super Mud but the field was so flooded the organising club had found another site just up the M5 ---guess what that was just as bad.

Ended up camping in the beer garden wet inside and out.

Ive been rallying for many years and my advise is simple-- buy good kit, take spare gear (incuding gloves cos theres nowt worse than putting wet gloves on to ride home).

Dont buy a cheapy £10 tent -----they dont work.

Dont sleep on the ground sheet without a layer between you and your sleeping bag (if your not using an air bad or sleeping mat.)

Dont forget the loo roll.

Dont forget the beer

Dont forget the torch

Dont forget to buy Reevie a beer in the pub for this invaluable advice.

Oh yeah dont forget to have fun.

See you there on there Thursday after my lovely DRY ride over the North Yorks Moors

Cheers

Chris

[Cabby]

Pub

Bloody obvious really Marc !!!!

[marc]

Bloody obvious really Marc !!!!

Yeah, cheers mate! you all sorted out to go now being a virgin an all

[anton88]

Great advice from all thanks - especially loo roll - nearly forgot about that one.

[Whealie]

Great advice from all thanks - especially loo roll - nearly forgot about that one.

Give the large number of us there and the small toilet block, I think I'll be bring a small spade and heading off into the woods to do what bears do best there.

[Robster]

They have bears in the Lake District?!