Despite the weather, It's carry on camping on the Isle of Wight | Rick Jackson

Now that’s what I call a baptism of fire! Camping virgins heading to the Isle of Wight with a second-hand tent and two small children. What could possibly go wrong?
INTENSE: Some Isle of Wight visitors who had no problem pitching their tents... Picture: PA WireINTENSE: Some Isle of Wight visitors who had no problem pitching their tents... Picture: PA Wire
INTENSE: Some Isle of Wight visitors who had no problem pitching their tents... Picture: PA Wire

Sunday greeted us with strong winds so it was a brisk sailing to the island.

The ship was only half-full but still you had to wear a face mask at all times inside and could only eat or drink on the top deck.

But no dramas.

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My mum had cooked us a lovely roast dinner to set us up for the day and after lashings of roast beef and chicken we left the kids with my folks and set off to find the campsite.

It is nestled nicely in the woods off the main Ryde to Brading road, a stone’s throw from a massive Tesco Extra. Very handy.

We were taken to our pitch as the sun shone but the wind blew. We’d watched loads of YouTube videos, but now it really was our turn.

We secured the base easily enough, but as the rods went in and it was time to lift her up, well it was like flying a kite.

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It was obvious that this seven-person tent was going to need more than two people to put it up.

Thank the lord other campers are a happy, generous lot.

Four other people were now helping us put this huge kite up.

Rods buckled, hooks bent, we were knackered.

In the end, a lovely lady opposite us in a quite magnificent camper-van put our kid’s beds together!

By 8pm we were in and got the kids settled by 9pm. We were exhausted and turned in soon after ourselves, just as it started to rain.

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I woke at 5am just as the sun came up... and the heavens really opened.

We’d sprung a leak. My pillows were wet and so was the end of our airbed.

Luckily, we’d put the kids into these single black-out tents so they were warm and dry.

So on Monday it poured and the wind howled but we managed to contain the leaks and we were happy and dry.

A bad start you might think?

Nope, we were loving it.

Birds sing, trains whistle and exhausts roar through night

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The budget is well and truly blown. We’ve had to buy a new airbed as ours sprung a leak; we had the wrong electric cabling, and we needed another table. The bills are mounting.

We’ve settled in nicely and our campsite is brilliant. It has a large log cabin for amenities which is modern and spotless and we’ve already suffered caravan envy for some of our neighbours’ set-ups.

You hear the distant sound of the Ryde to Shanklin train and the whistle of the Havenstreet steam train, but bizarrely, it seems that on the Isle of Wight people who have not had their exhaust pipes modified are not allowed on the roads after 9pm. Honestly, every boy racer in town must be on that road every night!

I grew up here but now I’d call myself a proper grockle

I bet you look over at it quite a lot, but when was the last time you explored this close but distant isle?

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Spending the first 23 years of my life here, it seemed weird going to Sandown Zoo for the first time. What a great place though, rescuing lions and tigers that had been tortured in captivity. I was less than six feet from three tigers play-fighting, it was breathtaking.

We are venturing on to Sandown beach tomorrow, five miles of golden sands. This section down to Shanklin must be one of the most stunning in the UK. Then it’s off to Blackgang Chine and some coloured sand-finding at Alum Bay, The Needles and an open top bus ride. I’d call myself a proper grockle now!

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