Campsite Review : Orchard Campsite, Wickham Market

Gorgeous location and popular with lots of V Dubbers so you know its going to be a cool site

This was our first proper camping expedition in Barbara since I spent a night alone in her on a windswept moor outside Bradford on my 41st birthday last November (I will leave that particular tale just hanging there for now.....) I decided to choose The Orchard Campsite outside the cutesy Suffolk market town of Wickham Market for her first proper test as its about twenty minutes from our house and is one of the few sites in Suffolk that allows open fires.

On arriving it was obvious the site is popular as it was nearly full but did not feel crammed or cramped. Other campers told us the owners don't like to overfill it and it is often closed for bookings when there is still space they could cram punters into. Genorous and gently sloping site dotted with mature fruit tree's (in blossom and looking lovely) and large ponds and good facilities.

Who planted that bloody tree in my bus!

You can hire one of two gypsy caravans.....flake bars included (that jokes for the over 40's)

It was clear this place is popular with the VW camper crew as there were two other early bays, a Brazilian bay and several  T25's and T5's. Straight away we realised that having a camper on a campsite is like being campsite royalty as Carl, owner of one of the aforementioned bays, came over to say hello and we hit it off straight away. (Carl's bus is the all Burgundy bus in the foreground of the pic at the top of the page)and we got instant access to their more established and better equipped 'enclave' and ready lit fire and luxury gazebo's and awnings.

On the negative side, our stay coincided with a football match  involving a certain West London team of over payed and privileged aledged adulatorating lumps (cryptic clue) and a team from Germany. It was broadcast on a large flat screen outside the wash areas and although the TV was not loud, the boorish group of blue shirted adults and their bored and fed up progeny were very loud. Oh well, i just went to the bus and pumped a bit of Lee Scratch Perry and decided to give up on putting the awning up and had my fist larger of the night from my mini fridge (Life's not that bad). Meanwhile the little 'un was having a great time in the nightly mosh pit of kids going for free glow bands that were tossed up in the night air by the friendly and warm campsite staff.

That night was great spent around the camp fire of Carl, Rachel, Steve and Denise of the Bootiful V Dubbers club (That's right, its in Norfolk, but there eye brows were separated and everything! ) Lovely people who played some very cool tunes out of their equally cool early bays. Definitely going to the White Noise VW event in Norfolk now on their recommendation. They really liked the site but were only annoyed like us that the owners do not allow you to bring your own firewood. Shame I had half a tree and an axe in the back of the bus, although some of it might of got accidental 'singed' towards the end of the night on our friends fire. (Hope this doesn't get me banned)

Putting some I.C.E in the bus

Ammo case......

......hiding the stereo

 No I have not added an M60 machine gun to the bus (But it would be useful in dealing with 'Chelsea Tractor' 4x4's!) Pretty pleased with the installation which means i get to keep the original tape cassette player in the dash.

I.C.E by the way stands for 'In Car Entertainment' but i won't be adding a bass tube as the 6x9 kenwoods under the bench seats are going to add a definate 'boom' to the bus as the cavity above the wheel arch will act as a pretty good speaker box. I  wanted to save the door cards so mounted the smaller 10cm pioneer speakers in the front kick panels...i just hope they dont get kicked by careless passengers.

To test the bass out i made this dub steppy mix, which makes a change to the vintage sounds i usually play in the bus (see the previous post :  Beats for the Bus )

Dubstep/DnB 2012 mix by Blessed Love Studios on Mixcloud

10cm Pioneer's in the kick panels

6x9 Kenwoods under the rear bench seat

Using the VW as a removal van

Barbara is converted into a removal van

Barbara did her first proper 'job' today, although not in cash terms as we were moving a friend. Was keen to see what Barbara could carry 'fully loaded' and with the Danbury conversion in emperor bed mode (see pic)

Anyway i was shamed as i could not get either of my friends sofa's in via the sliding doors without removal of the buddy seats (no photos of this embarrassing spectacle). Another friend had a large Fiat estate with a dropping tailgate and the sofa's just slipped in! Very embarrassing to be beaten by a Fiat although i remember my old Fiat Panda regularly carried a 2 kilowatt sound system and seemed to have Tardis like abilities.

She did carry a lot of boxes and looked like she had been lowered by a few inches.