Tim and I have just returned from a weeklong camping holiday in England’s great southwest, taking in Cornwall, Devon and Dartmoor National Park. The plan was to do a whole bunch of walking through England’s luscious countryside, but the thing about England’s countryside, and in fact, one of the reasons why it’s so luscious in the first place, is that it rains in the country. It rains a lot.

The word of the trip was “preposterous”. Indeed, the sheer amount of rain we experienced was contrary to reason, utterly absurd, and thoroughly ridiculous. It rained every day, often forcing us into the vestibule of my tiny tent for awkward but delicious campsite meals, and later, into the warmth of our sleeping bags (fortunately we both brought along good books). The situation also drove us to drink, which allowed us to sample many of the regions’ fine ales. Favorites included Red Rock Traditional English Bitter, Black Sheep Ale and Wychwood Brewery’s Hobgoblin “Legendary” Ruby Beer.

Eventually, we hardened up. Tim bought some Gortex trousers, I put on a few extra extra layers of wool, and we headed out into the wet and wooly weather for some great walking. My new book of Dartmoor walks suffered the worst of the rain, but we came away dry and smiling. It makes such a difference having the right gear: good waterproof boots, waterproof outerwear, warm under-layers, plus a reliable tent and hot tea to come home to. As wet as it was, I can’t wait to go back to Dartmoor and explore the rest of its wilderness, preferably on foot rather than by car. We spied plenty of great spots for wild camping, and Dartmoor is certainly wet enough that water wouldn’t be a problem.

Yes, I have camping fever, and the only prescription is more Dartmoor.

Read on for a rough itinerary of our trip. Or check out the Flickr photo set and the interactive Google Map!

Friday, July 4

Our first day was spent mostly on the road.

We departed London in the A.M. for Devon. Spent £40 on 33 liters of gas (about $9 per gallon).

Discovered a fairly decent mix CD left in the rental car which included such gems as “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads, “Pulling Mussels From A Shell” by Squeeze, and “Float On” by Modest Mouse.

Drove by Stonehenge.

Lunch: Tomato, avocado and cucumber sandwich (in the car).

We bought groceries somewhere near Devon and arrived at Dartmoor National Park in the evening, just in time for the rain. Set up tent and wondered why we always manage to time our holidays for the worst weather ever.

Dinner: “The Italian Meal”, prepared with love by Tim.

Camp: Woodland Spring Touring Park, Drewsteighton, Devon

Saturday, July 5

Woke up and realized the Earl Grey tea we bought was decaf. Shucks. But at least the weather kept the milk cold.

Breakfast: Quinoa with cinnamon, apricot and nectarine slices for Monica. Tim had oatmeal.

We decided to head west to Cornwall where the weather was supposedly better. Drove through Dartmoor and stopped at the tourist office to pick up Dartmoor Walks (Pathfinder Guides) in hopes of future sunshine and walking opportunities later in the week.
Drove through Penzance which did not have any pirates (or much worth stopping for at all). We did find a coffee at “The Green Bean”, a decent coffee shop which was the unfortunate target of a stink bomb during our cappucchinos. Silly kids.
With little to do, we decided to head south to The Lizard Peninsula and found a quiet campsite in Helston. The nearby beach did not tempt us; we were wet enough from the rain.

Dinner: Veggie Chili with Kidney Beans, TVP and a bunch of veggies

Camp: Silver Sands Holiday Park, Helston, Cornwall

Sunday, July 6

Woke up in the rain and sought comfort in many cups of tea and a hot breakfast.

Breakfast: Quinoa with cinnamon, apricot and nectarine slices for Monica. Tim had oatmeal.

The sky cleared a bit so we packed up and set out to explore the Lizard Peninsula.
Visited the city of “Lizard” at the most southerly point of mainland Britain, then drove up to Kyanance Cove and had a nice walk along the Southwest Coast Path. We even enjoyed a bit of sun while taking a traditional “Cornish cream tea” at a seaside cafe. From our hot tea and snacks we watched body-boarders catch waves while avoiding the granite rock cliffs surrounding the cove. It was was blissful.

(FYI: Cream tea is tea taken with scones, clotted cream, and jam.)

After the Lizard, we set up camp at Mena Caravan and Camping Park in Bodmin near the Eden Project, our destination for Monday. The campsite was set on a high open hill that was totally empty except for a couple camper vans. It was strange but kind of cool. They also had a microwave which made tea lots easier. (Hot tea, the elixer of life on cold wet days and nights.)

Dinner: Chickpea Curry with Basmati Rice and loads of vegetables (kale, carrots, and cauliflower)

Camp: Mena Caravan and Camping Park, Bodmin, Cornwall

Monday, July 7

Had a quick breakfast at camp then packed up and headed to The Eden Project, a large environmental extravaganza comprised of gardens and faux-biomes housed in giant domes. It was cool but it didn’t really blow my mind. Most of the gardens are recreations of gardens from other parts of the world, complete with fake houses and decorations that emulate the garden’s “natural” environment. I can see how this is cool from an educational standpoint (and that’s really what The Eden Project is all about) but think I prefer the plants on their own.

After the synthetic wilds of The Eden Project, we were ready for some natural wilderness, rain or shine. So we returned to Dartmoor and found camp at the Langstone Manor, a totally sweet campsite set on the grounds of an old farm. We chose it for the onsite bar/restaurant which we thought we might need if the lousy weather continued, but the bar turned out to be the least of its selling points. The grounds had all kinds of nooks and crannies that provided a good amount of privacy. The owners were really nice and helpful with walking advice and even lent us an OS map to help us during our travels. The place even had chickens!

Dinner: Round two of Veggie Chili

Camp: Langstone Manor, Tavistock, Devon

Tuesday, July 8

Screw the rain. We’re walking anyway!

Breakfast: More oatmeal and fruit and tea

Packed lunch food and wet weather gear and headed out for the Walkham Valley and Merrival Walk (Dartmoor Walks, Pathfinder Guides). With the help of our wonderful hosts and their handy OS map, we were able to walk from the campsite to the start of the walk, a bonus journey that took us over some beautiful countryside and awesome views of the valley and Dartmoor’s most impressive Vixen Tor (a “tor” is a rocky granite peak, one of Dartmoor’s main features). This walk had everything: ponies, wildflowers, tors, a disused railway, Bronze Age stone rows, burial chambers, and stone circles (Stonehenge, eat your heart out).

After about 10 miles of walking in the country, we were pooped, so we had dinner and beers in the Langstone Manor’s bar/restaurant. The beer was good, the food was fine. Note to self: in the future, research restaurants before going to them. England is notoriously bad for food, especially for vegetarians, especially in the country. But at the same time, I was too tired to care that my “Vegetable Tikka Masala” came with frozen vegetables. It was pretty good not to be crouched inside the vestibule huddled over a campstove.

Camp: Langstone Manor, Tavistock

Wednesday, July 9

Breakfast: More oatmeal and fruit and tea

The crap weather was back in full swing, and it didn’t seem to be going anywhere. This time we even had fog to threaten our visibility. But now that Tim was all Gortexed up, we were determined to get a walk in. I talked to the helpful lady at reception about walking in this weather and she recommended the circuit around the Burrator reservoir as described in our trusty book. So we packed up and got psyched for some very wet walking.

Sure enough, the Burrator reservoir was pretty straightforward and fairly pleasant, with a big ol’ dam and some very pregnant cows. Our feet were happy and dry and our spirits were only mildly tarnished by the constant downpour of rain. We enjoyed the walk, but we were definitely ready for the end when it came. We headed back up north to the same place we stayed on our first night, remembering they had decent showers and satisfactory pan au chocolates in the morning. Our neighbors, “Clive” and “Helen”, saw us setting up tent in the rain and invited us into their camper van for hot tea and Waitrose mini eclaires. They were nice folks and it was good to be sitting at a table for a change.

Eventually we had to leave the camper’s sweet soundless shelter and head back into the vestibule for dinner. The picnic blanket was left so I was left to cook sitting on a plastic bag. I didn’t care. Food is good and warming and cheerful even when the weather seems horrible. After dinner, it was back into the tent for another night of reading and listening to heavy drops fall on the rainfly.

Dinner: Round two of Chickpea Curry with Basmati Rice

Camp: Woodland Spring Touring Park, Drewsteighton, Devon

Thursday, July 10

Our last full day on holiday and the rain finally stopped. At one point during the night I woke up to pee and looked up and the sky was crystal clear and I could see the milky way. In the morning, the dry weather finally permitted us to have breakfast at the picnic table.

Breakfast: Leftover Chickpea Curry for Monica, Wheatabix for Tim.

After breakfast, we slowly made our way towards the Castle Drogo and River Teign walk, a fairly straightforward loop of 4 miles along the Teign Gorge. We made it longer by walking from the campsite and taking an uphill diversion to some Iron Age ramparts, followed by a well-earned pint at Fingle Bridge (though in retrospect, I wish we had opted for the cream teas, which looked and smelled delicious!). A thoroughly enjoyable (and surprisingly long!) day. Note to self: take more walks via cool pubs.

Lunch: Sandwiches at a bench named “Kristen’s Seat” on Feign River.

After the walk, had a “Legendary” Hobgoblin at camp before taking a much needed shower. Tim cooked a lovely dinner, his signature pasta a la arrabiata with broccoli and red wine. Spectacular!

Dinner: The Italian Meal

Camp: Woodland Spring Touring Park, Drewsteighton, Devon

Friday, July 11

Breakfast: Oatmeal for Monica and Wheatabix for Tim.

Departed Woodland Spring, unsure of what to do for the afternoon. Went to Chagwell on Clive’s recommendation. It was a nice village but we’re not really village people now are we? We did find a very nice place to have coffee and write postcards and reflect on the trip. Here are a few observations and resolutions for next time:

• Carry a waterproof map case
• Bring pillows
• Bring cling wrap for sandwiches – it’s far easier to pre-make sandwiches and pack them for a walk rather than bringing the ingredients and making sandwiches on the fly (pre-made sarnies are especially convenient when it’s raining!)
• Thermarest’s camping chairs are the bomb and make spending lots of time in a tent far more enjoyable
• Carry a camelback while walking instead of bringing big bottles of water
• Use plastic containers to keep groceries and camping gear organized
• Get out in the world even when it’s raining
• Camp when the weather’s right and postpone if the forecast is really bad
• Keep the picnic blanket out of the rainfly’s dripline
• Real ales are great for camping because they don’t need to be refridgerated
• OS maps kick ass
• Find good pubs to take breaks at during long walks
• Bring a good book to read during the downtimes
• Don’t eat out without researching restaurants first
• Sleeping bags that zip together would be nice and doubly warm

The Books That Helped Us Along:

• Dartmoor Walks (Pathfinder Guides)
• Alan Rogers Britain and Ireland 2008 Camping and Caravanning Parks Guide (hugely useful)
• The Rough Guide to England
• Lonely Planet’s Walking in Britain
• The Bone People: A Novel by Keri Hulme (Tim’s novel of choice)
• A Friend of the Earth by T.C. Boyle (Monica’s novel of choice)

More Stuff From the Trip:

• Camping in Devon and Cornwall [Flickr photoset]
• Interactive Google Map of our Trip

View Larger Map

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1. Viewer Mail: Super Ultimate Car Camping
2. Minimalist Car Camping Checklist
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4. The Ultimate Car Camping Checklist
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