Camping weekend

I forgot that I hadn't posted about my recent camping weekend on 2nd - 4th June.

As I had the weekend off I decided to take the kids along with my friend Spinning Fishwife and her family camping to a site about 25 minutes along the coast from Musselburgh.Tantallon Camp site is just outside North Berwick and had had pretty good reviews on UK Campsite.

When we arrived it was a glorious sunny afternoon. Yes the sun was shining but it was also extremely windy and we weren't sure if we would manage to get the tents up!! Boy did we struggle, I was acting as anchor while Spinning Fishwife hammered in the pegs. I must admit for a while it was touch and go, but with sheer determination on our parts, extra pegs and guy lines (and some choice language) we finally managed. Between the two tents we used a total of 168 pegs and neither tent was really that big, certainly NOT the biggest that we have.(No wonder we both ached for days after!!!!) Once we got the tents up, guess what, the wind dropped.....Such is life!!!!! We then started to cook some pasta for dinner and set up the sleeping arrangements. Robert was in with me, while Ronan shared a pup tent with Spinning Fishwifes son, Duncan. At this point Spinning Fishwife discovered she had forgotten the airbeds, so she had to phone her hubby to bring them when he arrived later. The kids seemed to love it, there was a large play park and putting green, plus plenty of open space in front of the tent for the kids to play with a ball. Once everything was set up we sat down in the sunshine with a lovely cool drink!!!! It was early to bed as we were all really tired. However Ronan and Duncan were still chatting away at about 11pm and they were awake (as was I) at 5.30am. They were making a lot more noise than the birds!!!

Saturday morning saw us up bright and early as we had been invited to the opening of the 110% sports exhibition at Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum (where my hubby works). The exhibition is all about the different sports available in East Lothian and runs from now till 22nd October.


Here is Robert playing indoor golf and the East Lothian Council education officer "having a go" on a road bike! (While my hubby and Robert look on)




There is a sailing boat, a sand buggy, a canoe, football kit, ice skating kit, curling stones, shoes and brooms, golf clubs and balls, bowls (carpet and green), skis and rugby kit and trophy(loaned by Musselburgh Mini Rugby Club and Preston Lodge Rugby Club) There is also a pair of rugby boots donated by my son Robert and lots of rugby action photos by Spinning Fishwife's hubby.

After we had lunch we arranged to meet up with Spinning Fishwife and her family at Tantallon Castle, where we spent a very pleasant hour or so.

From Tantallon Castle you have superb views of The Bass Rock

The bass rock is currently a bird sanctuary where you can find razorbills, guillemots, cormorants, puffins, eider ducks, gulls and the most famous bird on "the rock", the gannet, (Latin name - "sula bassa"). There is a Pre-reformation Chapel dating to 1542 and a fortress which was build round the same time. This fortress housed various prisoners in the 1600's, 40 political/religious prisoners dyed in the dungeons between 1672 and 1688. In 1691, 4 jacobite prisoners escaped from their cells and captured the fortress while the garrison was busy unloading coal!! They held "The Rock" for the next 3 years, in the name of The Old Pretender, before being starved into submission. The fortress continued to be a state prison till 1700.

A light house was built on "The Rock" and it became operational in 1902, becoming fully automated in 1988.

On return to the camp site we lit the bar-b-que and had a very pleasant meal and several glasses of wine before retiring for the night. Next morning saw us striking camp and returning home early afternoon. A most enjoyable weekend, indeed.

BTW both Spinning Fishwife and I took our knitting but for some strange reason neither of us acctually produced it over the weekend.......not like us at all!