youcamp.co.uk

Good evening campers…

Well after a lot of planning, dead ends and a long build up, freecamping in the UK is now setup on youcamp.

Now when you register you can select whether you are a camper or campsite owner, once logged in you can access the freecamp database and see what sites are offering freecamping. If your a site owner you can check out the competition from other campsites as well as add your own campsite (more than one if your a campsite entrepreneur). Add a photo, web link, facility details and more.

Please take a look and see what you think.

 OTHER EXCITING NEWS:

After having such good success with the latest web guy, we have decided to go for a full youcamp re-design, improving the layout bringing up to date and adding some exciting features, a fully integrated blog (sorry to this one but your getting the boot). Photo and text reviews, and better google maps integration. Fingers crossed in around 4 weeks time it should be going live, with the whole new look perfectly setup and you won’t notice any changes to your accounts or videos.

Its all very exciting, and today we have over 70 videos watched in 24 hours….we’re getting busier…

 Good afternoon Campers.

QUICK YOUCAMP NEWS

1. The Google Maps function on the site is being rewritten this weekend so that the postcode finder will work perfectly. And map the dot/icons on the map perfectly.

2. EVEN MORE EXCITING NEWS: FREE CAMPING is finally on its way again, after the previous web guy disappeared its taken ages to get round to finishing it and finding someone else. But Lee from Design14 web development has stepped up to the plate, and by the end of next week (18th of September 2009) the freecampers database and registration will all be up and running.

Firstly I hope to get some UK campsites signed up to the free camping idea before making it available to the world of campers, so that there are some available when people sign up and there is no disappointment.

It would be great if people can spread the word to any campsites they go to, or even mention youcamp when booking a stay. You never know they may let you stay a couple of nights free in exchange for a video on youcamp right there and then.

Fingers crossed with a bit of effort calling/emailing/pestering campsites around the uk the site will soon be flooded with freecamping opportunities and eventually full to the brim with campsite reviews.

Afternoon Campers

Just a quick hello, and Aaarrgh…

Getting married in 9 days to the future Mrs.You Camp.

All quite camping based…

Church wedding,

Spending wedding night in a delux teepee (tipi), with full double bed on frame, fridge, chimney all mod cons..

Reception in giant tent (well technically a Marquee)

Then we go on our honeymoon backpacking round the greek islands, we’ll try and stay at a few campsites and not spoil ourselves in villas too much.

Cannot wait for it all now, terrified of doing a speech but can’t wait for the day.

We’ll get some more vids on youcamp asap.

Cheers

Jon @ youcamp

Afternoon campers.

Just a quick blog to say we are heading off to Croyde on Thursday in the new youcamp vehicle our Mazda Bongo. Been to Croyde once before and its an amazing places with Saunton beach round the corner and Croyde Bay in walking distance, plus a few pubs (The Thatch is excellent) and lots of campsites its possibly our favourite destination in the South West, either Croyde or Perranporth.

Anyway, heading off there on Thurday and staying at Ruda campsite right by the beach, can’t wait, so visit the website soon to see a video review/tour plus maybe a few other camping related vids….

Plus free camping should be coming to the website soon….fingers crossed our new freelance web guy knows his stuff.

www.youcamp.co.uk

Evening campers.

Well after the success of incorporating google maps into youcamp.co.uk we are moving to stage 2 of the site design. Since the first day of youcamp the idea was always to work out a way to setup a deal so that campers could stay for free at campsites in exchange for making a video review or tour to go on youcamp.

Well after a good few hours with pen, paper and a lot of tea we think we’ve cracked it. So over the next month the site will be getting some add ons and hopefully set up a system so that campers can find campsites offering free camping in exchange for a video tour.  This should hopefully be ready to start getting campsites signing up by the end of September 2008 ready for campers in Spring 2009.

We will also offer a free service for those not so hot on the video editing, so that they can send the raw video footage to us (no more than 1 hours worth of footage for a site) and we will edit and upload it for you.

The ideas simple:

 Campers get a free camping weekend in exchange for filming a video tour of the site.

(Showing the views, facilities, local attractions, pitch sizes etc etc.)

Campsite owners get a nice video tour of around 3 minutes and it is showcased on youcamp for free. Including in the featured section for the first month.

Youcamp get a good collection of campsite video reviews/tours to increase the content of the site.

So come back soon to register as a ‘freecamper’ or a ‘campsite owner’

Also if you want to show your interest before please email us at:

Email: mail@youcamp.co.uk

and in the mean time please check out the current videos at www.youcamp.co.uk

Evening campers…

Hooray for the Russian web genius. We now have google maps incorporated into the site. So now you cna search for campsite reviews, places to visit and for sale videos by town name and postcode or just browse the map.

We also have a smaller google map on the main page which shows the whole of the UK and there are red dots for each video on the map.

So please take a look, upload some videos to youcamp.co.uk and lets get that map covered in red dots.

Cheers to the Russian.

Evening campers

POP UP TENTS….

They are now ridiculously cheap for fairly good ones, with inner and outer layers, ground sheet, 2 doors, and can be folded away with ease even if you do have to train for 10 years to know how and look like a crazed swan when you do.

Gelert now do one which has 2 rooms the bedroom and a small second room to cook in and keep your bags and shoes. Which is getting closer to what I’d like but no cigar. We have one of the now common pop ups which is a snug 2 person tent that packs away into a circular bag. Our one also comes with a great flower pattern so you can blend in with your colourful surroundings, and possibly look a little bit camp when camping.

After a couple of years with a non-popup tent we evolved into owning a campervan and still own one today. One of the main reasons for this was the pitching and packing up a tent in the wind and rain. Now that popup tents are cheap we have the small one for friends parties so we can camp in gardens or something but would not want it for a long weekend as there’s no room for much more than sleeping.

So I’m on the lookout / campaigning for some sort of super tent, the best tent in the World, one that’s big enough for mini gatherings of drunken friends, with maybe 3 rooms, lounge, bedroom and junk room, it has to pop up instantly, and pack away in seconds, if it could peg  itself out and put out guy ropes then all the better. We’d then insist on glow in the dark guy ropes, non-bending pegs,pockets on both sides of bedroom walls for phones and more, and maybe a skylight in the lounge, with vent incase you end up cooking in it. (Though  of course you’d never cook inside). Also make the tent small when packed away as the current pop up ones, although genius the design is, we don’t all want to carry it on our backs and end up looking like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

So come on to all those big tent companies out there please make the dream for the ultimate tent a reality!!

Whats better a Tent or a Campervan?

There are definitely benefits for both tents and campers.

We spent a good 5 years camping in various tents, each one bigger and better than the last. The friends and family joined in with the search for the best tent and this went on, with my Sister and her husband buying a massive Vango tent with 3 bedrooms, and kitchen and huge lounge all in one big aliean spacecraft shaped thing.

We eventually took the leap to a campervan  and bought a rusty old 1972 VW Bay Window camper, spent a Summer and Autumn doing it up and then camped in it. Have recently (last week) sold our first camper (Sheila) and bought a 1995 Mazda Bongo , which is more than a bit faster, has lots of mod cons and looks fairly cool too.

But Tents what are the positives:

Portable in an vehicle, leaving you a nice daily driver for every time your not camping.

Allows you to save your camping spot and drive off for the day. (Would need an awning for a campervan)

Far far cheaper, and you can just store it in your shed/attic/cupboard.

There are lots of different designs to suit every sized family.

The plus side of Campervans:

Lots of wow factor when you meet up with tent goers.

Allows you to be very comfortable on site and in car parks by the beach, with tea and food always easy to make.

Makes packing up to go camping alot easier, plus packing up on the way home is a synch, leaving the tent goers with wet ground sheets and a stressful morning packing everything away.

You can have electric hookup plug into the side of your van and charge batteries, run TV’s, charge phones, have lights. The same can be done with plugs with tents but its not quite so easy.

There are lots of clubs and forums to be part of for your specific camper.

Strap surf boards to the top and just go.

Well either way all I can say is that camping is a great fun and cheap way to holiday and you can do it any where and every weekend. My vote is now definitely with the campervan way of life, you just can’t beat that cuppa tea after getting out of a cold sea, take off your wetsuit, sit in the front seat, drink your tea and watch the waves…..hmmmm…..bliss….