After so many weeks of moving around, we leaned hard into doing very little this week. Luckily, Nolan and Nina are perfectly capable of turning a campsite, a playground, and a box of marshmallows into several days of entertainment.
A Slow Sunday
We started the week with something that has become increasingly rare on this trip: a morning when nobody was in a rush. We had plenty of time to arrive, unpack, and let everyone play, followed by an equally relaxing afternoon. Dad’s favorite parts were both halves of this wonderfully uneventful day.
Mom played the wolf game with Nolan and Nina, then we all watched the Patriots game together in Lightning McQueen. Nolan’s highlight was snuggling with Mommy in the bed. Nina said hers was “listening to my radio and sea cucumbers eat poop, yummy.” The wisdom these Yoto’s impart never ceases to entertain.
Park Farm Caravan and Camping
The next few days were all about settling into campground life. There was a playground, a real campfire, and s’mores, which meant the kids immediately considered the place a success. Nolan chose both the playground and campfire as his favorite things, while Nina stuck with the playground. Mom and Dad went with the fire, because after months of European campgrounds where fires weren’t an option, sitting around an actual one felt like a major luxury.
We also had one of those magical family days when Nolan and Nina got along from morning until night. Nolan said his favorite part was watching Nina be terrific, plus being Buck and climbing a tree. Nina returned the compliment by choosing “watching Nolan be terrific,” along with spending time in her cave. These are the memories we will hold onto, for we assume they have since returned to arguing about who touched whose toy.
On Tuesday we packed up our Airbnb around 10:00 and made our first major English grocery run at a Tesco Superstore. Tesco for the win! It felt like being back in America—they had everything. We filled the cart, ate lunch, fueled up Lightning McQueen, and drove to Park Farm Caravan and Camping for four nights.
Once we arrived, we set up camp and got straight into the usual routine: playground, school, work, dinner, and then another proper campfire. Dinner was salmon, followed by roasted marshmallows and s’mores. The kids loved it, and so did we. Showing Nolan and Nina castles and mountains is great, but handing them sugar on a stick over an open flame remains extremely difficult to beat.
The next morning was rainy, so we got a late start and let the kids watch Ice Age upstairs in the van while Mom read and Dad worked. They thought they were being very sneaky when they started a second movie. We knew exactly what was happening and chose to enjoy the peace and quiet. Sometimes good parenting means setting boundaries. Sometimes it means pretending not to notice the collusion that the second movie has begun.
Eventually Coons took them to the playground to burn off some energy, then they came back for school with Mom. We had dinner and made another fire with more s’mores. At this point, marshmallows had become less of a special campground treat and more of a nightly food group.
Thursday was another classic, quiet camp day. There was more playground time, plenty of snacking, toys by the van, Uno, Play-Doh, school, work, dinner, and yet another campfire. Dad’s favorite part was playing Uno and wrestling with the kids. Mom played Ellie, Diego, and Buck with Nolan and Nina at the playground. Nolan chose the campfire as his highlight, while Nina picked snuggling with Mommy. Lightning McQueen barely moved for a few days, and nobody seemed to mind.
Bodiam Castle
On Friday we finally made it out of the campground. After a morning around camp, we got the e-bikes ready and headed toward Bodiam Castle. We took the footpath, which quickly taught us that English bike infrastructure is not quite the same as Dutch bike infrastructure. Instead of a smooth, easy trail, we got bumpy, bumpy grass. Nolan and Nina were not fans.
We eventually made it to Bodiam Castle, which was built in 1385 and looked exactly like a castle should: huge moat, fish in the water, and ramparts to climb. We explored the castle, wandered around the grounds, checked out some bunkers, and met several puppies. It was also nice being able to speak English with everyone again. After months of fumbling through basic interactions in other languages, even chatting about someone’s dog felt refreshingly easy.
Across the street, we stopped at the Castle Inn for dinner. Mom and Dad ordered two fish and chips and a bottle of wine for 50 quid, which felt like the appropriate meal after biking to a 14th-century English castle. Nolan and Nina had a burger and mac and cheese, and everyone was happy.
For the ride home, we decided to skip the bumpy footpath and take the road. That meant climbing some hills, but it also meant coming down one enormous one. Coons and Nolan went down without touching the brakes and hit 50 km/h. It was Dad’s favorite part of the day, and Nolan specifically chose “that huge fast trail” as one of his. Mom’s favorites were exploring town, visiting the castle, and eating dinner together before biking home. Nina chose getting cookies, because she remains focused on the finer things in life.
Back at Park Farm, we finished the day with—any guesses?—a campfire and s’mores. Nolan included the fire among his favorite things, meaning a medieval castle and a 50 km/h bike descent still had to share top billing with another toasted marshmallow.
Windsor
Saturday morning was cold and wet, and there was a lot of cleaning to do before we could leave camp. Thankfully, Nolan and Nina were super helpful. Kourt did the dishes with the kids while Coons filled the water tank, and we finally pulled out of Park Farm around noon.
Thirty minutes later, we stopped at Tesco for another big grocery run. Man, we love that store. Dad was flying to Nashville early Sunday morning for a work conference, while Mom and the kids would stay in an Airbnb in Windsor, so we stocked everyone up before the hour-long drive.
We checked into the Airbnb without any trouble, then Mom walked into downtown Windsor to get her nails done while Dad unloaded Lightning McQueen and the kids got some TV time. Coons cooked salmon for dinner, and Nolan and Nina immediately emptied out and played with ALL the toys in their toy box. An Airbnb with toys continues to be one of the most reliable crowd-pleasers in family travel.
After dinner, we walked through the very cool downtown to Creams Cafe Windsor for late-night ice cream. Dad, Nolan, and Nina all independently chose the ice cream as the best part of the day. Mom chose reaching the Airbnb and getting her nails done, which was probably the more practical answer but did not have the benefit of sprinkles.
Then it was back home for bedtime, with Coons facing a 5:00 a.m. start for the airport and Mom preparing to hold down the Windsor fort with the kids. Nothing says the end of a relaxing campground week quite like an international work trip before sunrise.