I have mixed feelings about winter… I love how picturesque the Ochil hills are when they are covered in snow. They are a perfect and beautiful reminder of the seasons changing. I feel relieved when Winter Solstice arrives and the days will get longer again. I look for signs of Spring as I wander… the first snowdrops, the first feeling of warmth breaking through the winter chills. We have a busy year ahead, learning all about our van once it arrives, learning how to get the awning up and down, learning what is essential kit to ensure we are bringing what we need instead of what we have.
I like this kind of ‘busy’ – the research, the enjoyment of finding things that are just right for us, getting good deals on bits in the January sales. It helps focus my brain away from work and the challenges of the year ahead.
We have purchased a few things last year for our camping, van, cabin adventures (I need a new way to say that!) I think the best buy so far was the Redcamp heavy-duty camping beds and our second hand Khyam Awning. Will do a proper review once we get out and about again.
I’m currently researching a new camping stove as I don’t want to have to keep taking the one out the cabin to use on the road. I like the look of the CADAC 2 burner cooking stove with hotplates. This looks ideal but need to do a bit more research on it.
I’m also looking at tri fold mattresses for the van. The Milliard brand seems to get good write ups but again, need to do a bit more investigating on this.
Be daft not to take advantage of the sales at the moment but I think camping brands and companies are going to be very busy this year with Staycation holidays and people getting into the wilds to explore. I hope they look after the places they visit!
I will do an actual kit list and build it up as it might be of interest to others who are researching and planning too!
