Hopefully not getting lost.

We're planning a camping trip in July. We lack experience and maybe a little know-how, so we're - scratch that - I'm researching (husband doesn't research trips) camping to make sure that we don't end up on the 6 o'clock news as the family lost in the middle of nowhere. We have a 12 man tent I bought years ago that we've used 4-5 times. But we've camped with other people on previous trips. People who knew what they were doing and had things that we just hadn't thought of. This will be our first time camping with children, which will be even more interesting.

I've always enjoyed an adventure. Ever since I was a toddler, I've had a habit of wandering off from the group I'm with. I was thrilled to learn about orienteering in my early teens and was naturally good at it. So I'm pretty excited about this trip. Which brings me to reminiscingabout our recent trip. We had a trip in April using up first class flight passes from work before I quit.

The plan for the trip started off innocuously enough. A Grandparent's 80th birthday in a hotel in Romsey Hampshire. But then we had people we kept promising to visit the next time we were in England. And the kids wanted to see stuff while they were there. And we knew we won't be going back for a very long time. The itinerary grew and grew. Soon we had a small tour planned.

- We went to see a friend going to school and teaching at Oxford and dropped in on a cousin teaching there too. We did some sightseeing and I got a ticket for driving the rental car on a road only for buses.
- We stopped at Stonehenge. I used to pass here a lot as a kid. And then the World Heritage people decided to protect it. Which really sucks because now you have to pay to see it, as a kid it was just us there in miserable cold weather climbing stones. But at least we didn't have to stand behind a rope.
- We went to Salisbury to see the cathedral and the medieval town. I always enjoyed the sound of rushing water under there. 5 rivers meet running underneath and there are swans all over the place.
- We stayed with my aunt and uncle near Brighton. They have a lovely home by the beach where my uncle and cousins like to windsurf.
- We did the tourist thing in London with the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Globe Theatre, etc... It took a few days, but the kids loved the trains, double deckers and tube.
- We visited my little cousins in Bath and took a spin around town on scooters (3 wheel for the 2 year old).
- We went to the 80th birthday party and enjoyed a couple of days at a large family gathering.
- We visited more family in SE London.
- We went to Sittingbourne and visited more family. (Yes, I have a large extended family between my mother and father. We missed a lot of people believe it or not.)
- We took the ferry to France and drove to Vimy Ridge. I really want husband to download the rest of the holiday pictures, I just have a few from the beginning of the trip.
- Then we drove the rest of the way to our condo/hotel just outside of Paris. We took the kids to the Eiffel Tower, the L'ouvre, Jardin de Tuilleries etc... My daughter was thrilled to practice her French and play with French children on the playground. My middle child used pigeon French I wasn't aware he knew. As usual, I was the only one whose French was embarrassing considering the amount of exposure I've had over the years.

So here are some pictures that aren't in order and miss large segments of the trip.

 

Daughter Stonehenge

Arundel Castle

Me and the kids at Arundel Castle

My middle child playing at the beach with my cousin.

Middle child shaking his thing at Stonehenge.

Us at Christchurch in Oxford.

Oxford on Christchurch grounds.

Daffodils at Christchurch.

Me and my friend in Oxford.

Kids attacking husband in the rental condo outside Paris.

Globe Theatre

Visiting the cafeteria for Hogwarts in Oxford.

All 5 of us at Stonehenge.

We got lost a few times (I won't use a GPS because I'm annoying like that.) and had moments of complete confusion. But we had a fantastic time.

Here's hoping that our week of camping is as big a success and we don't end up on the 6 O'clock news. Any more knowledgeable campers with tips for a family going camping near North Bay, please share. And any other tales of traveling with children in general please.