Why did I volunteer to film a camping club?

Back some years ago, I was involved in the making of a documentary film about camping for The Camping Club of Great Briton. The last time I tackled a tent was about aged ten, with the help of my brother aged eight. I remember it being so simple then. Therefore, when a group of us set off to film a camp Site one weekend, we thought it would be quite a lark. 

After work on the Friday, we collected the brand new tents loaned to us, loaded up all the filming gear, food etc. and set off . When I say it “rained” on the way down to the wilds of the New Forest, I mean “Monsoon,” with a touch of Typhoon thrown in.

When we finally found the location spot, it was pitch dark and no sign of a camp commandant. The site was deep in mud and cowpats. Faint orange shapes could be seen silhouetted against tent walls. The shapes sank down and one by one, the lights went out in their cosy nests. We were deserted in the drenched gloom as the gusts of wind buffeted us and the rain beat against our faces. “Can we spend the night in the cars?” someone said. “Yes, I think so,” said another. The gale seemed to strengthen, but the rain was ceasing. So we decided to pitch the tents.

We dragged out the canvas bags and unpacked them with the aid of the car headlights. The contents consisted of lots of telescopic metal poles, vast acres of canvas, ropes, pegs and mallets, none of it looked remotely like the tent of my youth. Also there was not a Boy Scout among us. The wind howled and

 tried to inflate the canvas, sending it off across the field. We slipped and slithered about, holding on like grim death. I have to admit that swearing was the norm.

At last one group managed to erect their tent as the batteries ran down on the car headlights. We all huddled inside the one tent, unpacked the little stove and brewed up. We left the other tent in a crumpled heap until the morning. Two crew members slept in the cars, they refused to allow their precious equipment to spend the night in the tent. Day dawned and we emerged stiff and bedraggled to a bright and sunny day. We found it was really a very nice camp site with, low and behold, “HOT SHOWERS.” In daylight the erection of tent two was quite straight forward and almost relaxing. The days filming went well and there was a good Pub almost next door.

The following Monday at the Club Meeting with one member of the crew suffering from a cold, we showed the rushes. All that was said by those that were not at the location was, “that was a good excuse for a nice relaxing weekend!”

The next location was at London Airport for shots of an Air Ambulance Service landing at a special runway. I was shooting seated in the back of an open van as the plane came towards me, (hoping it would stop in time). Need I say, it was raining buckets. But the lights made the rain drops look very pretty. Really dramatic!