My girlfriend and I headed to Wales this weekend for a friends 50th and had a great time catching up with my old friends (her now new friends) and making new friends...
It was a bit of a flying visit due the GF's Friday and Monday work commitments - a classic 15.30 leave on the Friday then return by 16.00 on Sunday - roughly 5 hours of driving each way, but the journeys were both relatively smooth with a couple of breaks en route.
We had planned to camp in the car but got an upgrade to my friend's van while another friend supplied us with a memory foam mattress, and I must say a van with no shit in it, just a bed is very spacious and comfortable.
Camping arrangements were cool - there were about a dozen of us in a quarter acre paddock, so large enough to fit us all in and cosy enough for it to not be too spread out... and everyone free to do their own thing, obviously....
My friend whose 50th it was is renovating a house, near coast in South Wales, and so is staying in a static caravan in the meantime - which was the main base for all of us, so it was cozy but nice.
The main party was on my friend's partner's parents 38 acre farm in a 17th century cow shed which had only recently been cleared of shit - but was remarkably clean...
It was a very chilled affair - about 20 people in total, more of a family gathering than a roof raiser, but these days that is fine by me!
I just had a great weekend chatting with people and seeing what everyone was up too - I spent my youth with the guy whose party it was and there were two other guys there in the same social circle, and it's amazing how diversified people's life paths have been, and I'm glad to say that all of us seem to be in very good places 30 + years on from our youths!
On Sunday we got up quite late, hung out a bit more and then headed to an amazing beach.....
And then found a great cafe where we had the most amazing Paninis and Cake...
After that it was just a matter of the 5 hour drive home...
All in all, a great trip and well worth the journey!