Show report: NOT Stanford Hall 2012

The British weather system is one of the finest and most varied systems in the world - nothing too extreme, but just about every variation of weather type can be had in the UK. Just occasionally though, the rain can be a real annoyance. Last weekend's Big Bang at Santa Pod raceway was abandoned early on the Sunday morning due to high winds, rain and water-logging... with the riverside location of Stanford Hall just a few miles away and seven days later it was always going to be in doubt.

An email arrived on Friday morning from the organisers announcing the inevitable; postponed due to the stately home (understandably) not wanting their pristine grounds churned up by a thousand campervans.

So what to do with our group of campers? How and where do you put seven (already packed) vans and occupants eager to camp for the Bank Holiday weekend...? After a few frantic phone calls, texts and a bit of Facebooking we were all booked on at The Yorkshire Hussar campsite at Markington near Ripon. Off we go...

The weather miraculously played ball, allowing for outdoor cooking and dining before the cold clear skies forced us indoors. The campsite itself was pleasant enough (although a few too many static caravans for my liking) and they had kindly given us a tree-lined row of plots, most with electric, so we could camp as a group.

Sunday provided yet more sunshine so a visit to the Lightwater Valley theme park only a few miles away pleased the kids in the group, large and small.

Thankfully Stanford Hall has been rescheduled for the 1st July when hopefully things should have dried out. This last-minute weekend did a great job of lifting the spirits, blowing away some cobwebs and finally getting some fair-weather camping in. Fingers-crossed normal service will resume shortly!