Experimenting with a spot of positive thinking. This is going to be a post of two halves. First half, the pre-camping post. Second half, the post post. First half, brimming with positivity. Second half, well. Heavy rain and gale force winds are forecast. Travel during the first weekend of the summer holidays. Let’s see how effective that positive thinking technique proves to be.

Friday: packed and ready to go.

Ok, so I’m not going to be unrealistic. I’m about to get in the car and drive to somewhere that’s three hours away on a good day (I suspect this isn’t a good day). And which is in the South West (torrential rain is forecast for the South West this weekend). On arrival, I plan to construct what is basically a Wendy house out of (I hope) waterproof material and some poles that look like giant magic wands. Except they don’t appear to be able to magic up anything resembling comfortable living space. Positive thinking, positive thinking… oh, and there are composting toilets.

So, here’s the thing. Rather than expecting the highly unlikely – sunshine in July, for example, or a flushing toilet – the positive thinking I’m attempting is more about my ability to deal with the expected. Ok, so it will rain. I won’t let that spoil my fun. I’m expecting it, so I’ve had time to prepare. There are two pairs of wellies in the boot of my car already (occupational benefit of being a horse owner). I might get stuck for hours on the motorway, but I’m middle class so I’ve been to Waitrose. I’ll be stuck with a selection of gourmet snacks. I might not need those snacks in the car, in which case I’m sure they’ll come in handy following the erection of a Wendy house in the rain. I can’t pretend to love rain, or mud, but how bad can it be? The showers are solar powered, so unless we do get some unexpected sun… It’s one weekend, I can cope with that. I can go without a shower for a day. Maybe. Actually, probably not. But I can manage a cold shower. It will be fine. I will enjoy it. I will have a nice time.

Monday: back home.

Bags, unpacked. Wet tent, dried. Dirty clothes, washed. Muddy car, valeted. 

Conclusion: that positive thinking might have been effective. I can’t say for sure. Who knows how much worse it might have been if I hadn’t tried it? All the expected things did indeed happen. Hideous traffic, check. Torrential rain and flash floods, check. But I arrived (full of snacks) despite the traffic. The tent was waterproof, and I had twice as many wellies as feet. I braved a cold shower (there was very little choice: my hair is not a morning person) and literally felt my character building with every icy trickle down my back. Oh, and I saw rescue monkeys, two old houses, a lighthouse, several bands and the most amazing coastline. And ate lunch in a café called Beavers. So all in all, not a bad weekend at all. Rain definitely didn’t stop play.

Oh, and most importantly on my return: toilet, flushed. Several times. Just for the novelty.