This weekend was our first experience at D.A. Camping. (D.A. is District Association, a kind of local branch of the Camping & Caravan Club)
D.A’s organise low cost weekend meets/rallies, any member of the C&CC can attend any meet arranged by any D.A. anywhere in the country, you’re not restricted to the D.A. listed on your membership card.
Anyway this weekend was the first meet of the year organised by Lancashire & Cheshire D.A., the one listed on our membership. So for the princely sum of £15.40 for the weekend we joined the gang in the car park of Helsby Community Sports Club. Yes that’s right we went camping in a car park! Sounds nuts but when you think about it you can camp anywhere in a caravan.
A caravan has gas or electric heating, gas or electric fridge, gas or electric hot water, 12 Volt lighting & water pump. So as long as you can get some fresh water and have a gas bottle your set to camp anywhere. Our van has a toilet and even a shower.
After finishing work we threw some food and clothes into the car and headed to the storage facility collected the caravan and headed off around the M60 and M56. We were the last to arrive and it was dark which was a little unsettling as this was only our 2nd trip out in the van and now we needed to set up in the dark!
We were on solid level ground anyway so levelling the van was no great problem. Legs down gas connected get the fire lit, it took a little while but it lit. Set up the fridge. I left Halys to fill the fridge and do some bits in the van in the warm while I got some fresh water and set up the waste water outside.
As we arrived our Steward for the weekend greeted us and told us that everyone was getting together in the back room of the club for a welcome/get to know you drink. So after dinner with a nice bottle of Red we headed to the club.
Saturday we decided that we needed to get some Propane gas instead of the Butane that we already had. Liquid Butane struggles to convert to gas when the temperature is low as it took over half an hour to boil the kettle for our morning brew it was a no brainer, off to Go Outdoors. Luckily the Butane gas was good enough to keep the heater going and keep us nice and warm.
Saturday night saw the fun and games in the club start with a Mr & Mrs quiz some fun involving balloons and an american supper .
So was it an enjoyable experience? Yes. Will we be back? Yes
Was it worth doing? Yes
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