Puzzled?

First day in the Wye Valley, and a busy one it was too. We arrived from Manchester in time for lunch at Ross on Wye, then off to the delightfully named Symonds Yat to climb up a big rock and look at peregrine falcons, with the help of some very enthusiastic and knowledgeable RSPB types. We were luck enough to have arrived on the very afternoon that they got their first good sightings of the season: the established male who's been there for years, and an interloper male.

Next time to run some 'trapped in the car for hours' steam out of the kids at Puzzlewood, which has a wonderfully atmospheric walk through a maze of rocky, mossy trails (like the one above) in an area of old iron mine workings. A wonderful place, and I'm sure it would be very easy to get lost in there. Luckily we made it out in time to go and look for our camp site for the night.... yes, I did say camp site.... With our trusty £5 Halfords tent and our tiny summer season sleeping bags we headed to a rustic site attached to a farm. All went well with putting the tent up and heading for our pub meal. Sadly the rain precluded any late night campfire action, so we all bedded down at 9ish for the night.

The tent kept out the rain admirably, but I think our failure to bring the sleeping mats or any blankets was a mistake. Mr B ended up in the car at about 3 am, while I just shivered and froze. The kids were remarkably stoic about the whole experience, and don't seem to have been put off camping at all.

I haven't been camping in about 25 years. Now I remember why.