February 3rd 2012

Our Winter jobs continue and there's only 3 weeks left until we open again!

Our family shower rooms have been professionally retiled and decorated and they look amazing with lovely new shower fittings finishing off the transformation. I will add photos when they are completely finished!

I have been busy making improvements and decorating the Ladies facilities which are looking fresh and bright for the new season. I have just ordered hand dryers and a hairdryer which will go in soon. Next on the list is the Gents.

We have put our tree cuttings to good use by creating dead hedging around the site where needed and lining the woodland path with branches so it is clearly defined. We are hoping to make the path into a little trail for younger children with areas for them to sit.

We are taking bookings for the season with many visitors from last year returning which is great!

The daffodils are just beginning to come up, but it is so cold at the moment it doesn't feel very spring like! Roll on Summer!

November 29th 2011

We have been lucky with the mild and dry weather this month and have started our Winter jobs.

We are upgrading the electrical supply to the whole park which should enable us to upgrade the showers and add hand dryers and hair dryers to the shower block. Refurbishing and decorating will start after Christmas - watch this space!

Last weekend we spent a back breaking day reducing the height of the screening willows

Many thanks to Andre (one of our regular visitors) for overseeing the day's activities.

We are delighted that the former Station House pub at the entrance to the Park has now re-opened. It is now Sahebs Restaurant - Fine Indian Dining..... and yes it is fine! The new owners have done a wonderful job on the refurbishment and decor and the food is marvellous! We expect that many of our visitors will enjoy a meal in the Restaurant next season or a takeaway in their tent!

Last Day of August 2011!

We had the most amazing Bank Holiday Weekend - our busiest ever and believe it or not the weather was almost good! I woke up on Friday to torrential rain which looked set for the day, not a good start to the busiest day of the year. We set about placing rubber matting and chipped bark in the most vulnerable areas and hoped that everyone would turn up. Fortunately by 3pm the rain had stopped and the sun came out and by 7pm nearly everyone had arrived. Lots had experienced horrendous journeys as the roads had been extremely busy. I was very grateful that everyone made the effort and hopeful that all had a great weekend. Which I think they did based on the happy faces and feedback we received.

It was lovely to greet return visitors and meet some new ones too. Our lovely family group from Epsom were back and it wasn't long before the cricket stumps were out on the field! I heard tales of lamb on the BBQ with pitta and tsasiki - yum! There was a suggestion of a planter with herbs for the Campers to pick - what a great idea and one I'll try to implement for next season.

We had an amazing group of VW Campers - I know it sounds girly but they were such pretty colours! Their owners seemed to enjoy their visit and even managed to hire a minibus to get them to Rye for the day so they could leave their precious vehicles in situ in site ( and I could take a few photos! )

Once Monday afternoon arrived nearly everyone had packed up and the field seemed very empty and quiet. We had managed to enjoy a rain free weekend and the sunshine was warm. We hope the weather is good for September as it can extend the season for everyone to enjoy a last outing before the nights draw in!

August 2011 After a long dry spell and some absolutely scorching weather we had a horrible damp day yesterday. It rained until late afternoon which was quite miserable for our visitors in tents. We have had a busy few weeks - at weekends we tend to be full especially if the weather's good, midweek we are quieter but still we have a steady trickle of visitors. We are pleased to see many friends returning again this year - some are coming from a considerable distance for their main Summer Holiday, others just grabbing a quick weekend fix and coming back for their, 2nd, 3rd or even 4th time this year! Our little site shop is doing well, the ice creams and cold drinks are popular. The bags of ice also went down well in the recent heat! The sunset was beautiful the night before the rain. See pic! Let's hope the rain was a little blip and the sunshine returns for the rest of the Summer!

June 2011 Well what a busy Bank Holiday Weekend! Despite the windy weather we were full with old friends and new and were lucky that the rain stayed away. Everyone seemed to enjoy their stay and we managed to accomodate a couple of groups of families who made lovely little encampments with their tents with communal dining/socialising areas in the middle ( see pic! )

Those that pitched in the alcoves were glad - as they were sheltered from the wind! Our little shop was a success - providing a few basics and a few luxuries - ice creams, drinks and snacks. We will continue with it for the season. The field is still very dry as we have had little rain for two months?- I suppose some rain would be good.... but not on a busy weekend!

May 2011?

We have had fantastic weather with little rain for over a month. Last weekend was very sunny?and?the Steam locos were active! Much enjoyment was had by the many steam railway enthusiasts who stayed with us again. We have received many reports of the sound of nightingales in the wooded area. For those who wish to improve their knowledge we see that on 14 May if you are early risers you can go to Batemans for the "Dawn Chorus" (5a.m) and a little later in the day but still before breakfast the chance of a "birdwalk" at Sissinghurst Castle There is much going on in the area - here are a few examples - If Tulips are your "thing" then don't go to Holland but the last chance to see the 22500 or so at Pashley on 8 May. On 15 May Brede is holding a Craft Fair There is a short dog walk on June 12th at Blue Cross, Northiam and in aid of the centre. And 19 June Senlac Rotary Club Classic Car Show at Bodiam Then the Red Arrows are visiting Rye on June 11th We are within easy distance of all these and many more Summer activities which we will try and promote on the notice board in due course.

You can now access electric hook up from two of our alcove pitches - 16 & 17. This weekend we had two motorhomes on the pitches, but it is ideal as a double pitch for a tent that prefers an alcove but wants electric. We now have two small secluded pitches designed for back packers at the front of the site. See pics below!

February 2011 Only 2 weeks until we open again for the season and we are busy trying to complete all our jobs in time! The washing up area has been improved with new sinks, worksurface and tiling. We have replaced the boiler with a new model that has three times the capacity of the old one - so there should be plenty of hot water at peak times. The toilets and showers are also being redecorated and tiled. On the Camping field we have improved the drainage and seeded and turfed various areas. At the moment it is very wet but some areas are firm - we need some lovely fresh and sunny Spring days to dry everything out! The little green caravan has had a lick of paint and a reorganisation... we hope to sell a few essential provisions in high season. A new office is a possibility... watch this space! A couple of weeks ago I met Phil and Kathy - new owners of The Mill Toy & Pedal Car Museum (a 2 minute walk from the Park). They are opening on March 19th and as well as their lovely and unique display of collectables they will be opening Tea Rooms. I'm sure this will be well worth a visit! www.themilltoymuseum.com The diary is beginning to fill up for the Bank Holiday weekends with many of our Visitors from last year returning which is lovely. Here's a photo taken from the top of the field on a beautiful Winter's Day!

?10 August 2010 This morning it rained! The first real rain we have had for a while. It cleared by lunchtime and it is still warm so the Campers are out and about again this afternoon. Last weekend was our busiest ever and there was a lovely relaxed atmosphere on the field. Despite being full it always seems peaceful with everyone enjoying their space in their own way. We have adopted a beautiful cat named CC (short for Company Cat!). She happily socialises around the Park and will always roll over for a tummy tickle. She is very adept at avoiding the dogs (our own) and visiting dogs by hiding behind a tree or shrub or taking a diversion. We have been selling a small selection of ice creams and cold drinks which have been popular in the hot weather. We even sell bags of ice - perfect for that early evening G&T! We still have mid week pitches available in August but are fully booked for the Bank Holiday Weekend and almost full for the weekends in between. Let's hope the good weather continues and this morning was just a blip to save us watering the flower pots for one day! Jackie 9 July 2010 There was great excitement earlier this week when a Hot Air Balloon made an emergency landing in the camping field! Fortunately it landed in the middle of the field away from our pitches but some Campers received a rather unusual early wake up call! I imagine the sound of the balloon coming down when you're asleep in a tent must be a little scary! You can see by the light in the photos that it was early in the morning! Thank you to Rebecca, one of our guests for emailing me her photos. We have had a prolonged spell of beautiful hot weather. The flowers are taking alot of watering but look very pretty, especially around the 'little green caravan' reception. We have been very busy and the diary is fast filling up for the school summer holidays. Many guests are already returning and we try to allocate them their preferred pitch. There is now a site plan on the website which helps newcomers decide where they might like to pitch up! We continue to keep the centre of the field pitch free so even when we are fully booked the Park still feels spacious. The small play area has now been extended to provide swings, including a toddler swing. It has proved very popular with the youngsters. I note too that the Kent & East Sussex Railway will be repeating their 'Kids go Free' promotion this Summer which is great for families - see their website for details. Long may this weather continue! Jackie 3rd June 2010 Finally I have managed to find some time to add some news to my Blog! We are having a lovely Whitsun Bank Holiday and Half Term with lots of guests - some familiar faces and lots of new faces! We have welcomed some beautiful and impressive tents, gorgeous VW Campers and some rather lovely touring caravans with magnificent awnings and all the kit! Our new tree planting is doing well ( and surviving the rabbits attention so far!) and we are continuing to work on our woodland trail. The newly restored pond is looking healthy and we are happy to see a family of baby Moorhens have arrived - they are very black and fluffy and quite cute! We now have a small play frame which the younger children have enjoyed this week. The portaloo facility in the woods is working well saving a late night or early morning trek to the toilet block. Now we have had a good few days of good weather the pots and planters are finally coming to life and should provide lots of colourful flowers throughout the Summer. We continue to enjoy the sound, sight and smell of the Kent & East Sussex Railway running adjacent to the Park. They have many events running throughout the Summer, the next being the CAMRA Beer Festival at Tenterden Station the 12th of June and a celebration of the 20 year anniversary line re-opening to Northiam, at Northiam Station on June 12th & 13th. We are very close to celebrating our 1st Anniversary at Rother Valley and we are so pleased with what we have achieved and created. There has been nothing more satisfying this week than wandering onto the Camping Field on a beautiful evening, smelling the barbeques, hearing the quiet chat and enjoyment of familes and friends while looking over the Rother Valley at the beautiful countryside and never ending sky! Here's to a great Camping Summer! Jackie