Packing the Tent

Sadly we had to pack up on Friday. I know I said we wanted to visit the beach before we started packing, but I have to say that we got to about 12 o'clock and decided that we may as well start packing, because we still had to make it to Poitiers by 1800 that evening. We had decided, a few days before, that since we'd enjoyed the small hotel in which we spent the overnight stop en route, we'd phone ahead and book a couple of rooms for ourselves for the route home, but I'll get to that later.

We started de-camping in much the usual way - kick the bungs out of the blow-up beds, stuff sleeping bags into stuff sacks, locate interesting things in pockets of the tent you can't remember having put there, and decide which clothes belong in which bags. Because the tent is the largest, heaviest thing, it needs to be one of the first items loaded into the boot - anything underneath it runs a huge risk of being crushed! This means that the last thing you can actually take down in the camp needs to be the first thing put into the car, and so everything else starts to litter the camp site while you get to the point where the tent can actually come down. Which probably wouldn't be so bad except that this time the campsite was incredibly sandy! We have done what our parents complained about all those years ago - we've brought home half the ruddy beach!

We finally got to the point where Lottie and Lizzy were going round pulling out pegs (I'd pegged down every guy rope I could find!) and Emma was unhooking the pods inside (note to tent manufacturers - if a space in a tent is described as able to sleep two, it really MUST be big enough for two single blow up mattresses), while I packed the roof box.

And then it was time to roll up the tent and put it into the bag. Oh dear! Well, that didn't happen. Two hot, dusty, sweaty attempts later and the bag was mostly zipped up, so we decided we'd unroll it at home, and try again there.

And so the car packing was taking shape. You know, I'm really proud of how we managed to pack - 5 people in the car, with a roof box, and while we all had loads of stuff, I still had a clear view out of the back of the car!

So that was us - it took us quite a lot longer to pack than we'd anticipated, so I was rather glad I'd called and reserved rooms at the hotel - I said we'd arrive between 18:00 and 18:30, and we managed that comfortably. I know Poitiers isn't far up the country from Bordeaux, but we were never going to get going early in the morning. We didn't have the same room as on the way down, although Emma and Neisha did. The girls and I had a nice room with a double bed and bunk beds - which, for some reason was really exciting for them! I was delighted when the hotel lady told us that she'd sort us out some supper, so we were able to get our steaks! And because we didn't have to drive anywhere, Emma and I shared a very nice half carafe of rose wine.