My new bell tent has just been out for the third outing, and considering the vast range of weathers it had to cope with, I thought it was time for another report!
Bell tenting has really captured the imagination of the Druid camping community and there is now a large array of them, and very beautiful they look too nestled together around little hearth fires like tiny settlements. As we happened to be at the bottom of a large field, with the caravans and ‘pleasure palace tents’ at the top – dubbed ‘Knob End’ – it was inevitable that ‘Bell End’ was the emerging nomenclature, though we did prefer ‘Bell Bottom’!!!
As described in the first report, I had decided to go for a 4 metre standard tent as the weight of the deluxe version, with its sewn in heavyweight groundsheet, had put me off. The ‘roll-up’ sides of the basic model really came into their own this week though – it was a sauna in the tent without this and the through breeze was very welcome on the extremely hot days we experienced. Some bell tenters have really ‘pimped up’ their tents with sun canopies outside as well – the shade was a very popular spot with lots of us crowded around under it!
4 metres diameter seems like a huge space with usually only me in it, though I am not too well at the moment so my teenage daughter put the tent up for me and stayed in it on the first night. She managed absolutely fine with direction from the camp chair with me in it!!! The ground was very hard after the heat and a mallet was essential. We did however have some very high winds, thunderstorms and torrential rain, which was very refreshing after the heat, with many Bell Bottom residents dancing joyfully in the downpour! The tent withstood all of this and was perfectly dry. My pegs needed bashing back in a couple of times as the wind got up and I am thinking of investing in heavier duty ones for the base of the sides, which can come loose and flap about, leading on one occasion to the escape of a pair of knickers which had been carelessly tossed aside!!!
One bell tenter had invested in a 5 metre which looked absolutely palatial – sheer luxury, and with his beautiful dog Chief guarding it, represented the Chieftan’s roundhouse at the entrance to the village!
Having only bought my tent in April things are still a bit basic and I am planning improvements. I need more flooring so am saving old quilts and rugs. I also need a burner to brew up independently rather than cadging hot water off other campers. I also checked out a very beautiful hanging device in a couple of tents using heavy duty string and wooden rods, which allowed for hanging a lamp and rigging up a lightweight washing line for airing towels etc. Very useful.
I am planning on going to the Wilderness Gathering with the tent but the next big trip will be at Samhain, so I am thinking now of insulation and warmth as it can be very cold at night going into November. Many tenters are thinking about woodburning stoves but this freaks me a bit, not to mention the cost, so I am looking at a small catalytic heater just take the chill off at bedtime and in the morning. I have reserved an inner tent as well, which provides another ground sheet and extra insulation, making a four season tent. As I am a tent slob, it should also help to keep things tidy by having the bedding and clothing (including the knickers!!) zipped up during the day!!
All in all, summer bell tenting was a wonderful and romantic experience. I am well and truly ‘hooked’ and can’t get out in it often enough!
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