But I can’t wait to do it all again... writes LAURA BLEAKLEY...

STAYCATIONS were apparently all the rage last summer.. at least that’s what we were told by the UK tourism industry.

The recession forced more people to explore what there is to do on their own doorstep in order to save on the pennies. So when a few of my friends decided to take a cheap weekend camping trip only a few miles up the road, I was more than ready to embrace the joys of holidaying at home.

We are so used to changeable weather in Northern Ireland so our group of ten refused to be hampered by the forecast of torrential rain.

Our first stop was an afternoon food shop at Tesco in order to purchase everything we needed for the barbeque we planned that evening.

With such a large group buying food and a multitude of things being thrown into the trolley, our Tesco trip took longer than expected and we were unsuccessful in our aim to beat the rain and at least get the tents erected before the heavens opened.

We were surprised at how many other campers there were at Gosford Forest Park despite the weather. Donning our waterproofs, we first began the process of attempting to put up the gazebo.

In our heads, it seemed like a good idea to put this up first so we would have a wind shield when putting up the tent. With water coming through the roof, the sides struggling to withstand the strong wind and the fear that it would take off and fly away, the gazebo had to come down.

We had purchased a tent for the occasion but refused to heed the instructions, which encouraged familiarising yourself with the tent before arriving at the campsite.

The instructions were wet and in danger of blowing away so we determined to put the tent up without help from this quarter.

Putting up the outer waterproof cover probably would sound sensible to most people, but instead we worked on getting up the inner bedroom area first and making sure it was soaked through thoroughly before we accepted defeat and referred to the instructions.

Realising we had put it up completely wrong meant that it was two hours after we had arrived at the campsite that we finally got both tents up and were able to seek refuge from the elements.

No-one wanted to venture outside again and the barbeque was called off in favour of a ‘Chinese’ picked up by one of the dry members of the group who had conveniently arrived after work.

I may be coming across rather negatively about our Staycation, but in fact our spirits had not been dampened at all by the weather. It all added to our enjoyment, especially when the men had to tie the tents to four cars for fear that they would take off during the night!

With great company, playing games by candlelight with a few drinks, it was the best night of the summer! I also have to commend Gosford Forest Park for its facilities which were kept clean during the duration of our stay.

We woke up to a calm day and were able to enjoy our breakfast outdoors with a menu consisting of well-cooked sausages, beans, bread (as we couldn’t toast it) and warm tea all cooked on the trangia and served on paper plates with no cutlery (as we forgot to pack any).

Wanting to fit more fun and adventure into our holiday at home we decided the rest of the day would be spent wet bouldering at Bloody Bridge in Newcastle.

It has been years since I have done this and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Climbing up the river on rocks and trying to remain as dry as possible was soon replaced with jumping in and out of the freezing water in our clothes.

Overall, our weekend holiday at home was a wash-out with torrential rain and strong winds threatening the very roof over our head, but we had a great time!

If you like outdoor fun, stay in Northern Ireland and make the most of what it has to offer - even if the weather is terrible!