Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => Meets, places, trips and reviews => Topic started by: Dowser on May 07, 2012
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I have been mad keen to get another night under canvas and had been watching the Sunday 6th into Monday 7th (http://www.ni-wild.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3262.0)Thread closely hoping a kid friendly car camp like Bloody Bridge would rear it's ugly head. I had my two wee ones this weekend and there was no way I could have carried all the gear I would have needed to the Cascade River site even if it is one of my favourite camp sites in the Mournes.
A mate of mine has been telling me for years about a Lake he owns but for some reason I never really thought too much about it, until Friday that is and I decided to check it out.
What I found was amazing... It's five minutes from my house, totally private, fully accessible by car and to top it all off I have full permission to shoot and fish there for free.
After my recce on Friday afternoon I loaded up the car with all my gear, bundle in the kids and set off on my two mile drive to the campsite.
Here's a few pics of the quick overnighter... It's an Outdoorsy persons heaven!!!
Saturday evening 6pm - Blue Skies and no wind.
(http://i.imgur.com/u9NeW.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/gR8ul.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/bkWmG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/dHPhU.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/G0bao.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/92fQC.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZTKF3.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/H6mD9.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Ojn6b.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/n86Tx.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/FlFmR.jpg)
10pm and the Frost had arrived
(http://i.imgur.com/QkS3T.jpg)
The morning after
(http://i.imgur.com/cGvb0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/mG89E.jpg)
Toasty Warm... Having a nice lie in till the frost cleared
(http://i.imgur.com/ykgPF.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/j2vgm.jpg)
What a place to wake up... Another crackin' sunny day
(http://i.imgur.com/kcYEF.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/R1IOX.jpg)
It's also a brilliant place to launch my Canadian for a spot of paddling/fishing
(http://i.imgur.com/2dKyg.jpg)
Full access by car
(http://i.imgur.com/qkph0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1wlRu.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/pQr3V.jpg)
Swans drop in to say hello and add the final touches to the picturesque scenery
(http://i.imgur.com/yPfST.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/2ejKo.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ctImQ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/eiTNL.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/iKZNh.jpg)
;D
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Fabulous! Great to see you getting the kids involved so early in their lives too...wish I'd got into this much younger
Looks an amazing spot...
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Looks like a great spot dowser! What type of fish are in the lake?
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It definitely does look like an amazing spot. Untouched too!
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nice one dowser, love this pick
(http://i.imgur.com/mG89E.jpg)
you definitely got the better night this weekend, we woke up to heavy rain after our wee garden camp last night
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you definitely got the better night this weekend, we woke up to heavy rain after our wee garden camp last night
Was thinking that myself... I might not have been as impressed with the Lake as I was if I had woke up to the torrential rain that we got this morning.
The weather Saturday night and Sunday morning was just perfect :)
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we had a lovely evening oursleves last night, lit a wee fire in the garden and watched the moon rise
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/P1150459Small.jpg)
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Me too!
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Looks like an awesome spot. Hope you took a rod to catch your breakfast :)
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Looks like my kinda place
We had been away this weekend also and when we arrived back tonight your little jay dashed across the street bursting with excitment to tell us all about your camping trip. Sounds like he really loved it! We had been at the mournes so nathan and jay compared notes.
I will have to do a post with photos but in brief we hiked to the the donard commedagh saddle on friday evening and camped out. Then on saturday morning we continued on up to donard summit. Amazing weather and amazing trip. The kids did amazing.
I fancy a trip to your secret lake sometime.
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Interesting to see you mention the frost, I was out camping myself and I did feel a wee bit chilly during the night. What sleepings bags were the kids in, 3 season? I suppose there is a bit of warmth all being in the same tent as well.
I will have to do a post with photos but in brief we hiked to the the donard commedagh saddle on friday evening and camped out. Then on saturday morning we continued on up to donard summit. Amazing weather and amazing trip. The kids did amazing.
I'd look forward to seeing this, I did intend to camp up there a wee while ago but the wind changed our minds. All the while I was wondering whether there was much in the way of quality places to put a tent (or four as it was on this occasion). I have camped there a few times but not in years and it seems to be a lot stonier now than what I remember it was like.
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Dowser would there be enough room
For a NI Wild camp? I'm sure we could drop a few quid to your friend for the privilege of camping there..
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Looks like my kinda place
We had been away this weekend also and when we arrived back tonight your little jay dashed across the street bursting with excitment to tell us all about your camping trip. Sounds like he really loved it! We had been at the mournes so nathan and jay compared notes.
I will have to do a post with photos but in brief we hiked to the the donard commedagh saddle on friday evening and camped out. Then on saturday morning we continued on up to donard summit. Amazing weather and amazing trip. The kids did amazing.
I fancy a trip to your secret lake sometime.
It's brilliant getting the kids into the hill, especially when you get the weather for it. A trip to the secret lake shouldn't be a problem at all. Jay and Nathan would have a ball and we could squeeze in a bit of canoeing and fishing. It will probably need to be in June because Jay and Lucy are away on their holidays soon and I've a trip to England last weekend in May.
Maybe first or second weekend in June?
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Interesting to see you mention the frost, I was out camping myself and I did feel a wee bit chilly during the night. What sleepings bags were the kids in, 3 season? I suppose there is a bit of warmth all being in the same tent as well.
For my camp by the lake I cheated a bit... The Kids were in 3-Season bags but because I had the car I also had an insulated picnic blanket on the ground, a double duvet over that, then the kids in their bags with their duvets off their beds over them also. It was a crackin' wee nest for the evening. We would have been comfy at -40 ;)
Camping at the saddle and carrying all your equipment would have been a different story altogether... Well done Noble98 :)
I'll be waiting till the frost risk has gone before taking the wee ones up into the hills... Probably get a couple of days in August like that ;D
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Dowser would there be enough room
For a NI Wild camp? I'm sure we could drop a few quid to your friend for the privilege of camping there..
There would be room for a few tents ok and a load of bivvyers. The ground at the campsite is reclaimed with landfill and it's tricky getting pegs in. Would be ideal for a mass Bivvy :)