New member

The journey of my wife and I has taken a predictable path: cycle camping - then car camping - then a VW campervan (T25 Autosleeper) - and now, in our mid-seventies, a motorhome (Talisman 2004) which we picked up 2 weeks ago. We got soaked cycling in Padstow last week, hung our clothes in the toilet/shower room with the warm air duct on and everything was dry in an hour! Unimaginable luxury. We love it! And you don't have to go out into the wind and rain to visit the loo in the night. Seems like cheating to us, but I've a funny feeling we'll get used to it! I have already found this forum very helpful and informative and look forward to contributing.

Welcome to the forum

Hello and welcome to this most friendly and informative forum. Yes, as you highlight, unimaginable luxury that only comes from previous camping experience that by comparison to your newly acquired van was roughing it? 

See you come from one of my favourite areas

Thank you all for your welcome. Yes Roli, the Forest of Dean is a lovely place, I'm proud to be an adopted Forester. The people here have a long tradition of independence (obstinacy some call it) which I admire, standing as the Forest does in isolation between the Wye and the Severn, neither in Wales (literally) or in Gloucestershire (in peoples' minds). In the words of Dick Brice, a Forest singer/songwriter, the Forest of Dean is "Where the tongues sound rough to strangers' ears but the words they speak are kind".

Welcome from a misty Selsdon. Forest of Dean and Padstow, two of our favourite places.

Welcome from another ASOF member in the Forest, although technically as the statutory forest boundary marker is a few yards away I suppose I should be a Severnsider.

Tony Comber

Thank you Bobskate. And thank you shipbadger. Great username! I'm not quite inside the statutory forest either.

Hello & welcome from S/yorks. 

Thanks modelman. We are planning to visit Yorkshire as soon as conditions permit, a county we do not know at all, apart from a short trip to York 40 years ago. I am in total agreement with your motto! Childlike wonder is a great philosophy to counter cynicism and despair.