This weekend we got up to something completely different which I'm so excited to tell you about; a bushcraft workshop. What's that you say? Well, bushcraft skills are used to get by in the great outdoors without home comforts and mod cons. I didn't know exactly what to expect from our day course but I had visions of spending six hours on one of those bows trying to make fire – we've all seen it happen on those survival shows (it sometimes takes them days to make fire during which sanity is tested and physical exhaustion overwhelms. I wasn't sure this was how I wanted to spend my Sunday). Thankfully not the case. I suppose I thought we'd get a demonstration and some of us get to try things out. The group was made up of families; I think everyone bar C and I had kids with them and I was curious to see exactly how this was going to play out with what I assumed was quite a grown up context of activities.

Fenland Bushcraft is run by Andrew Callaghan who has a wealth of experience in bushcraft and survival skills to share. We congregated on the campsite before heading down to the woodlands and specially arranged area; there was a canopy shelter, and a campfire in the centre with logs to sit around. It immediately felt like we were going back to a wonderfully traditional sense of fun; giant kettles hanging over the fire and the wonderful wisp of smoke from the burning wood. Andrew talked us through the knives that are used during the workshop. The three in the range all looked a little bit mightier than I perhaps ought to be left in charge of. (Cue flashbacks of last year's incident when I accidentally cut my thumb trying to knife open a packet of chorizo before going all woozy on the floor). Andrew gave a demonstration on making tent pegs from scratch and explained what we were going to do ourselves and definitely made it look easy! There was a lot of emphasis on how to use the knives safely which reassured me greatly.

Although my first instinct was to hand the knife straight back to a responsible adult, another part of me really wanted to have a go. We had to go and find a suitable size branch to cut up which was harder than I thought it would be and then I got the fear a bit about sawing it with the really sharp looking saw. The good news is I still have every one of my fingers and not a drop of blood or tears were spilled on that day by me. There was only one plaster issued that I noticed for the rest of our group and that wasn't even knife related. We made our rudimentary tent pegs. Although mine is very much a novice effort I was smugly pleased with having completed it on my own. Deep in concentration and a safe distance away for others I didn't really take much notice of how the rest of the group was getting on other than to feel baffled at how smoothly it seemed to go.

The whole workshop seemed to be one of those rare opportunities for parents to work with their children on something; co-operating and exchanging ideas and feedback on a topic that neither was an authority. Spending time learning new skills and having fun outdoors without overbearing parental control; children were trusted to use the knives (albeit not the sharpest) but trusted with them nevertheless and shown how to use them safely. It was something I can honestly say I've not seen before.

We moved on to fire. Starting a fire. We were giving the Ferro rods and a cotton wool ball and shown how to get sparks to light our cotton wool. Of course C managed his no problem but it took me ages to get the knack, I squealed gleefully when mine caught light; a feeling no doubt our distant ancestors felt all those tens of thousands of years ago. They didn't have the luxury of cotton wool so natural tinder had to be sought; the fluff from thistles was amazing, they went up in a burst of flames double quick! (my picture is a blur) We used papery silver birch bark which worked well too, tried cow parsley seed heads but didn't manage to get them lit. It was brilliant fun scouring about for things to set light to before starting little fires back at the camp. Such old fashioned fun and the kids loved it of course.

We were given a demonstration of the bow method for lighting a fire (I think I sighed with relief I wasn't going to have to try it; the process was even more intensive than I originally thought). Great to see it with my own eyes. The kids were captivated.

Next up was how to put up a shelter. I think I just about grasped how to put up the ridge rope between trees and put up the tarp and secure it which was just as well because for our final task we were spilt into teams for the challenge of erecting a shelter, building a fire and boiling an egg.

This was fun and forced us to exchange ideas with the aim of working as a team. We must have learnt something as each team completed the activity successfully!

The day was a really relaxed one; no strict schedule, snack at your leisure, unlimited tea, coffee and squash, run around (kids too), just stick within the boundary. I was thankful for coffee. The workshop was held just outside Wisbech at The Secret Garden Touring Park which is a fabulous site from what we saw. Tidy, organised and yet with a delightful 'back to nature' camping experience; Lesley the owner was a lovely and helpful lady.

It was a great value day for all involved, plus everyone is invited to the beer and sausage tasting afterwards at the campsite which is really popular too. We had a brilliant day out; learning some new skills and whetting our appetite to do more. There are other courses run by Fenland Bushcraft which a whole range of things. I'd love to learn more and C likes the sound of the several day courses. My imagination is running riot with the idea of wild camping, it sounds like such a perfectly natural way to spend time outdoors. I would wholeheartedly recommend this workshop to parents who want to keep their kids entertained. It was absolutely smashing fun for everyone involved and all the kids were focussed on the tasks in hand (as well as enjoying a good bit of running around). Let's face it, how often do kids these days get to use knives and start fires? They clearly relished such a rarity of freedom and excitement while in a safe environment.

To find out more then visit the Fenland Bushcraft website and follow @fenbushcraft on Twitter for the latest

Sophie.

PS. I even wore a pair of those frighteningly practical trousers which unzip at the knee.

We pick up the tale on Friday morning when I awoke with distinctly stuff shoulders in a rather stuffy tent. After a hurried wet-wipe wash and |I'd pulled on some clean clothes a hasty exit was made into the fresh morning air. We soon felt revived after a coffee and set off in search of a bacon butty (which was to become our staple breakfast for our stay.... with varying degrees of pleasure in the way the bacon was cooked).

There is just so much going on at once that it's inevitable you will miss a few things you really want to see. Hazel bought a program book, it really was a book! We scoured the timetable for things that took our fancy and each day highlighted a few things to try to get along to see. Throughout the weekend I had about 4 things that I particularly wanted to see and the rest of the time was up for grabs; just enjoying the time in good company with some live entertainment.

It turns out that there is almost always something great going on in the Comedy and Cabaret areas; we saw loads of amusing people (mostly stand up acts) who really made me laugh. I cried with laughter at Alan Davies, he was hilarious. I'm very much a laugher, I love to be entertained and watching so many funny people was an absolute treat which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The weather for the entire weekend was unbelievably good. Warm and sunny every single day, temperatures at a perfect level with a cooling soft breeze to maintain a comfortable equilibrium. We neither burned, nor froze. Naturally we applied sun cream each day and I usually carried a jumper just in case (which also came in handy for sitting on sometimes). The blue skies say it all really. Some mornings it was cloudy to start off with and on the Sunday morning it rained on and off for a while between about 6 and 9 am which meant my vacation of the tent was delayed.

I was particularly grateful we brought along our camping stove and kettle so we could feed our coffee habit relatively cheaply on Azera (not quite as nice as our Dolce Gusto machine we have spoilt ourselves with at home) and chairs. It made for a rather Royal experience to neither stand nor sit on the floor and instead have a wonderful seat take my weight.

A pint of almost cold cider was relished on rather a few occasions. Somersby. Would recommend for all sweet toothed drinkers. I also tried to stay hydrated with plenty of water and fuelled with plenty of food. We tried to eat a variety of things on offer. My favourite being pie and mash then second favourite was pizza. Oh yum.

The Lake stage was a dark horse for music; being quite small and pretty much just part of the food wagon line up it was quite nonchalant in appearance but I enjoyed every single act we had the fortune to catch playing. Varying Rae Morris (who had a beautiful voice and we saw most of her set) we arrived at the Lake stage in time to catch the last two songs of each act before they scuttled off, never to return.

The BBC 6 Music tent was huge. Enormous. I insisted we went in for Wolf Alice. It was awesome except mother nature called loudly and I announced with no uncertainty that I had to pee NOW. Sadly, I caught my most favourite track with a lot of added reverb inside a portaloo but I guess I'll remember it at least. I kinda sung along. Catfish and the Bottlemen was another of the acts I wanted to see in the tent and they didn't disappoint. On the whole the atmosphere was pretty good; music too loud, bit hot in there but always a few idiots who think they're special enough to shove their way through a tightly packed crowd to get nearer the front (cue me repeatedly saying SERIOUSLY?)

I can't believe I'm nowhere near wrapping this up yet, there will be at least another part in the Latitude saga, stay tuned!

Sophie

Almost two weeks ago now we were setting off for our very first proper festival, Latitude, in the neighbouring county of Suffolk. I'd booked the tickets back in January without taking much time to find out much information beforehand, deciding that this year we were going to get out and enjoy a good lot of live music. It just so happens that Latitude is a much bigger festival than I imagined, with an astonishing number of acts appearing over the weekend (seriously, the mind boggles).

We rolled up in pre-meditated convoy with Hazel on Thursday afternoon and parked in a huge area filled with vehicles, with no sign of the entrance on the horizon. It was at this point I first regretted over packing. Hazel lifted her boot and I saw only two bags, which alarmed me as our boot and back seats were piled high with all manner of camping supplies and sundries. After a brief head-scratch it became apparent that absolute essentials were the priority on the first trip. Tickets, tent and the first wave of oddments. Somehow C managed an excellent impression of buckaroo and piled himself high with a selection of items, three times the quantity I could bear. The walk to the main gate was a sort of draggy-shuffle with bags rubbing against legs and gnarled fingers numbing under the weight of straps. We did make it to the check in area where there was no queue at that point. Once wristbands were secured we burst out into the camping field and surveyed the vast area in front; this was the second time I regretted over packing. With a vague idea of direction we set off in the general setting of 'away from the entrance, away from toilets' before settling on a patch in the red camping area. Being well-seasoned campers (and refreshed with a dry run the weekend before) we made short work of putting up our medium sized, very practical 6 man tent. It was a shame that we forgot the mallet, but pegs were secured sufficiently but no more (and far better than some of the rubbish attempts we saw. At least we put our guy lines out). Once we'd got this sorted I insisted we hired a trolley for the remaining two thirds of our stuff and if you ask me, that was the best £10 we spent all weekend. By the time we'd finished all that I was relieved that it was over.

The first visit to the toilets was a little alarming. In some unfortunate twist I picked possibly the one cubicle (if you can call it that) without a lock and also there was no sign of any loo roll, thank goodness I had the foresight to carry plenty on me at all times. Toilet paper is on a stand next to the toilets so you have to make a guestimate of how much you are going to need in front of a small crowd. Again, patting self on back for carrying plenty of extra in my bag.

There is something worrisome about a toilet door which shows feet and doesn't lock. The raised tin toilet blocks reminded me closely of the metal crates that cows get lined up in for milking. I was uncomfortable with the concept for a while but 24 hours in resignation took over and just not having to queue for long was a joy.

The Thursday late afternoon dissolved into evening as we walked through the 'village' and into the main arena area. The village holds a great array of places for the weekend campers, including first aid, a supermarket and the showers. We didn't make it to the showers (yuk, I know. But we used a bazillion baby wipes), the opening hours were limited and the queues were crazy. Word is that they're communal too which doesn't bother me as such. An all in one shower gel/shampoo would be best for an almighty wash down and swift exit.

Not much goes on on Thursday, it's quiet and relaxed with people milling around steadily. We took a wander around the site, trying to familiarise ourselves with the place and find our feet with a trip to the bar. Cider was my beverage of choice for the weekend. Tiredness decided we needed an early-ish night so we headed back to the tent just in time to miss all the fireworks. Typical.

As I've waffled on so much I'll have to post the rest in at least one other piece. Keep your eyes peeled.

Sophie

When The Fire Pit announced they had an open evening on I got all excited and popped a note in my diary to ensure I wouldn't forget. There have been several occasions when I've noticed the double decker parked in the field as I've been driving through the countryside and we've always wondered why. On Wednesday I finally found out! Rachel gave me a guided tour of the site while I enjoyed one of their coffees and I also said hello to Sarah as well, it was clear how much passion they hold for the business they have created and their enthusiasm was rather infectious.

Located in the village of Wendling near Dereham in Norfolk, The Fire Pit is an eco-friendly campsite with space for 10 - 15 tents, lovely modern showerblock and washing up facilities (a converted goatshed), lots of playing areas for kids and the piece-de-resistance – the fire pit! The retro double decker bus is now an arts and crafts play area for children (and big kids too, I could have happily spent a good few hours in there myself!).

When the fire is lit in the evening, I can imagine how cool it is to gather around on the benches for a great catch up with others, telling stories, sharing ideas for trips out and generally making memories.

The Wren's Nest is the most amazing structure I have ever seen; it is a handmade hazel bender dome tent made by Matt (Sarah's husband) using local hazel which has been bent over and over in a natural lattice structure, covered in hessian, blankets and recycled tarps. The flooring is made from recycled pallets (but looks phenomenal), runs on solar power with led lighting and power, has a glorious woodburning stove, there are also gas rings for cooking. I was blown away with the natural feel of the Wren's Nest, it was like I had shrunk and walked inside a root-ball of a large tree! Up to 8 people can sleep in here with plenty of space for everyone, yet still feeling cosy. It really has to be seen to be believed!

The Firepit is available for camping, hiring the Wren's Nest, or hiring the whole venue for a party or wedding. I rather like the sound of the upcoming Fire Pit Slow Food festival

Thanks to Rachel, Sarah and Matt for making me welcome at their marvellous site in the lovely Norfolk countryside. If you want to find out more them there is plenty of information on the Fire Pit website.

Sophie