Great article, Rebecca and I feel your pain. I am fairly short so sometimes have the opposite problem with mirrors having to stand on tip-toe but all good in showers!
“Why on EARTH are you taking pictures of yourself in the SHOWER, Rebecca?”
🤣🤣🤣
I can only imagine that conversation!
Can’t wait to check out those articles, and I only found two words to contend with today--“whinge” and “potswash.” Promptly adding them to my vocabulary. I’m sure they will leave my Southern U.S. neighbors scratching their heads!
I did find it interesting that I didn’t have to convert your height. You are a full foot taller than I, and I look for people like you at the grocery store. “I’m vertically challenged...would you mind...” While I don’t have the issue with shower heads, I have been to a camp shower with one of those mounted a full 3 centimeters from the wall. Since my problem is the horizontal sort, major acrobats are needed to wash all the parts!
We recently stayed in an Airbnb that was a “retired” camper. The bathroom actually had a tub with handheld shower head. Great water pressure, but I felt plenty claustrophobic in there. I can’t imagine anyone except a toddler could use the actual tub for it’s intended purpose!
LOL, Holly! 'Whinge' is slang for 'complaint', and I'd never heard the word 'potwash' myself until I started hanging out at campsites. On an early trip I asked a staff member where the washing-up facilities were, and he said 'oh, you mean the potwash?'. 'Erm, yes, I think so!' I replied. When you're camping it really makes a difference to have proper washing up facilities when your only alternative (in the van) is limited space, cold running water, not hot, and a tiny sink, no drainer.
'A full 3 centimetres from the wall'!!!!!! Nightmare! With a shower like that anyone'd feel lucky just to be able to wash their FEET!
How cool to have an actual bath tub in a camper, albeit with only a shower head. I'm ashamed to say that our bath at home isn't a good fit for either of us - one of these days we need to remodel our bathroom so that we have fittings that, well, fit.......
I have not camped since I was a teen so I know virtually nothing of this world. I confess that I take shower head placement for granted so you have my sympathies. With a new King and yet another PM, perhaps there's hope? 😉
We only started campervanning in 2020, having never had any desire to do so before! My husband had an exciting project which involved trips all over the UK over 18 months (not continuously, but a lot of separate trips), and this was the only affordable and convenient way to do it. We've learned so much over the last two years, and we're enjoying it so much that we even stole away for a night to our favourite local campsite (which has ADJUSTABLE showers!) last week for my husband's birthday.
I'll lobby one of our revolving-door PMs for decent campsite shower legislation right away. And yes, British politics are an embarrassment right now...!
I’m 5’3”, so when I rented my very first apartment I hadn’t really thought of shower height. The first time my partner (6’2”) came to visit, he spent several minutes explaining to me why my bathroom was terrible (the shower was too low for him). But he recently moved to a new apartment and it seems to be built for tall people - I’m dangerously too short to use the bathroom mirror! A nightmare.
You reminded me I haven’t been camping since pre-pandemic and I long to go, definitely already planning for next summer.
Gosh, 'dangerously too short to use the bathroom mirror' - it had never occurred to me that it would be an issue - but yes, of course it is! You have my sympathy!
Funnily enough (I'm not counting Girl Guide camp when I was 10) I hadn't been camping UNTIL the pandemic! I had never wanted to go camping as an adult - I've always liked nice hotels or cute little B&Bs - so when my husband came home with a campervan three days before the first lockdown - well, words were exchanged....! But guess what? I love it!
Being closer to 6’ than 5’, I feel this. And not finding trousers that fit length and width wise. Or bathing suits. Or shoes that don’t prompt some but of snark from a shorter person (more at work tbh.)
That loo in the garden is amazing, though. All the memes one could make with that 😅
Gosh yes, shoe sizes - I'm annoyed to have gone up a size to a not-generally-available-in-women's-styles UK-size 9 since I started my walking routine. If ever I'm buying women's trousers I opt for 'regular' rather than 'long', because 'long' just aren't long enough, and with 'regular' I can get away with pretending that they're MEANT to be three-quarter length.
Mostly, though I just buy men's trousers. Or I borrow my husband's. Astonishingly, although he's over four inches taller than me, we actually take the same size in trousers. He has a very long back, but we have the same length legs!
I think your husband and I are on the same wavelength. I said out loud, "She took a picture of herself in the shower!". I think someone needs to investigate why the women's shower isn't setup like the men's. Just when I think I have seen everything, then you show me a toilet outside where everyone can see everything. Tell me who is going to go in there?!
LOL - it was all very good-natured, Matt, don't worry!
The toilet was actually not for use as a toilet, but for the emptying of vanners' Portapottis and such. Normally they're either in their own separate outbuilding, or - and more usually - don't actually LOOK like a toilet. I thought this one was hilarious!
I am only 5' tall and never have to duck under a shower head, but I feel your pain. I was right there with you in every bathroom ...wishing I was back home. Great writing, darned cute photos, Rebecca!
LOL - thanks, Sharron! And thank you for your lovely words about the pictures - gosh, I really, REALLY wasn't sure about posting them, but I know I'm amongst friends here! 😊
I hear you, Terry! Been there, done that! With the van we don’t have to unpack anything, and we get to eat delicious food brought from home - no dried-out scampi and chips in sight....!
Indeed. The campervan itself sounds alright: shades of Jack Kerouac -- but the thought of communal showers.... Brings back bad memories of school for me.
They're lockable cubicles, Terry - it's not an 'all in it together' kind of party! I get up at the crack of dawn so there's never usually anyone else in the building when I go for a shower. I get what you're saying, though. 😀
Camping in the U.S. can really be a scary prospect in having to use some campground facilities. I used to date a tall (5'11") girl in my youth and I can sort of understand what you go through on a daily basis. I'm sure being on the tall side AND left-handed has made you all sorts of adaptable. Hopefully, it's more of a blessing than a curse :)
Oh, wow, I’ve run into a few low shower heads in my travels, but those are just bizarre :-/ I can’t decide if they look more like too-low showers or too-high tub fills... either way, they’re just wrong!
Maybe you should try travelling in the Netherlands. As the tallest people in the world, I’m sure they placed the showerheads and mirrors are at the right height for you. 😄
Hmmm. We had a tall friend help us put up a mirror once, and lived in that house for five years without ever being able to see ourselves in it. I know. We could have moved it. We couldn't be bothered. We don't mirror much. Like you I don't 'do' my hair. Or would that be I don't my hair?
Anyway, so sorry you had such a sorry shower scenario cropping up. And that Elsan disposal point? I mean ...
LOL Jackie - I feel for you, but gosh, it just goes to show that we all know what's the right height for US, doesn't it? So I completely understand. And yes, you and I both DON'T our hair - I absolutely love that!
I visited a nature reserve at the weekend and enjoyed watching two pairs of kingfishers from a couple of their bird hides beside the lake. Two of the woodland hides, though, were useless: they were designed for standing in, but the windows didn't go nearly high up enough - the tops of all but one of them were approximately level with my chin, so there was little chance of actually seeing out of them!
The thing is, I'm not exceptionally tall for a PERSON, I'm just tall for a girl, at a smidge over 6ft. There are plenty of people out there way taller than me who I'm sure would also quite like to watch the birds without requiring osteopathy treatment - LOL!
Loved this humorous article! Aside from having short guys always wanting to dance with me, I quite liked being tall, and would often wear three inch booted heels to make me an even six feet tall, especially when in crowds. I’ve done my share of camping too and any spigot no matter its placement would be just right for washing my hair. The automatic hand dryer on the wall I would just get on my knees and blow dry my hair under it.
I've resorted to a similar approach with hand dryers, Gail! I don't wear heels often, but when I do I find a confidence that always surprises me. Normally I want to hide my height, but if I set out to be tall - I mean by donning heels - I guess I feel different!
Great article, Rebecca and I feel your pain. I am fairly short so sometimes have the opposite problem with mirrors having to stand on tip-toe but all good in showers!
Thanks, Rosy! I hadn't thought about the opposite issue of having to stand on tip-toe for mirrors - I sympathise!
“Why on EARTH are you taking pictures of yourself in the SHOWER, Rebecca?”
🤣🤣🤣
I can only imagine that conversation!
Can’t wait to check out those articles, and I only found two words to contend with today--“whinge” and “potswash.” Promptly adding them to my vocabulary. I’m sure they will leave my Southern U.S. neighbors scratching their heads!
I did find it interesting that I didn’t have to convert your height. You are a full foot taller than I, and I look for people like you at the grocery store. “I’m vertically challenged...would you mind...” While I don’t have the issue with shower heads, I have been to a camp shower with one of those mounted a full 3 centimeters from the wall. Since my problem is the horizontal sort, major acrobats are needed to wash all the parts!
We recently stayed in an Airbnb that was a “retired” camper. The bathroom actually had a tub with handheld shower head. Great water pressure, but I felt plenty claustrophobic in there. I can’t imagine anyone except a toddler could use the actual tub for it’s intended purpose!
LOL, Holly! 'Whinge' is slang for 'complaint', and I'd never heard the word 'potwash' myself until I started hanging out at campsites. On an early trip I asked a staff member where the washing-up facilities were, and he said 'oh, you mean the potwash?'. 'Erm, yes, I think so!' I replied. When you're camping it really makes a difference to have proper washing up facilities when your only alternative (in the van) is limited space, cold running water, not hot, and a tiny sink, no drainer.
'A full 3 centimetres from the wall'!!!!!! Nightmare! With a shower like that anyone'd feel lucky just to be able to wash their FEET!
How cool to have an actual bath tub in a camper, albeit with only a shower head. I'm ashamed to say that our bath at home isn't a good fit for either of us - one of these days we need to remodel our bathroom so that we have fittings that, well, fit.......
I have not camped since I was a teen so I know virtually nothing of this world. I confess that I take shower head placement for granted so you have my sympathies. With a new King and yet another PM, perhaps there's hope? 😉
We only started campervanning in 2020, having never had any desire to do so before! My husband had an exciting project which involved trips all over the UK over 18 months (not continuously, but a lot of separate trips), and this was the only affordable and convenient way to do it. We've learned so much over the last two years, and we're enjoying it so much that we even stole away for a night to our favourite local campsite (which has ADJUSTABLE showers!) last week for my husband's birthday.
I'll lobby one of our revolving-door PMs for decent campsite shower legislation right away. And yes, British politics are an embarrassment right now...!
I’m 5’3”, so when I rented my very first apartment I hadn’t really thought of shower height. The first time my partner (6’2”) came to visit, he spent several minutes explaining to me why my bathroom was terrible (the shower was too low for him). But he recently moved to a new apartment and it seems to be built for tall people - I’m dangerously too short to use the bathroom mirror! A nightmare.
You reminded me I haven’t been camping since pre-pandemic and I long to go, definitely already planning for next summer.
Gosh, 'dangerously too short to use the bathroom mirror' - it had never occurred to me that it would be an issue - but yes, of course it is! You have my sympathy!
Funnily enough (I'm not counting Girl Guide camp when I was 10) I hadn't been camping UNTIL the pandemic! I had never wanted to go camping as an adult - I've always liked nice hotels or cute little B&Bs - so when my husband came home with a campervan three days before the first lockdown - well, words were exchanged....! But guess what? I love it!
Being closer to 6’ than 5’, I feel this. And not finding trousers that fit length and width wise. Or bathing suits. Or shoes that don’t prompt some but of snark from a shorter person (more at work tbh.)
That loo in the garden is amazing, though. All the memes one could make with that 😅
Gosh yes, shoe sizes - I'm annoyed to have gone up a size to a not-generally-available-in-women's-styles UK-size 9 since I started my walking routine. If ever I'm buying women's trousers I opt for 'regular' rather than 'long', because 'long' just aren't long enough, and with 'regular' I can get away with pretending that they're MEANT to be three-quarter length.
Mostly, though I just buy men's trousers. Or I borrow my husband's. Astonishingly, although he's over four inches taller than me, we actually take the same size in trousers. He has a very long back, but we have the same length legs!
I think your husband and I are on the same wavelength. I said out loud, "She took a picture of herself in the shower!". I think someone needs to investigate why the women's shower isn't setup like the men's. Just when I think I have seen everything, then you show me a toilet outside where everyone can see everything. Tell me who is going to go in there?!
LOL - it was all very good-natured, Matt, don't worry!
The toilet was actually not for use as a toilet, but for the emptying of vanners' Portapottis and such. Normally they're either in their own separate outbuilding, or - and more usually - don't actually LOOK like a toilet. I thought this one was hilarious!
Ah, thank you for clearing the air. I guess I misinterpreted the toilet talk. :)
I don't blame you, Matt! Our first impression when we first arrived at the campsite was that it WAS the toilet! 🤣
I am only 5' tall and never have to duck under a shower head, but I feel your pain. I was right there with you in every bathroom ...wishing I was back home. Great writing, darned cute photos, Rebecca!
LOL - thanks, Sharron! And thank you for your lovely words about the pictures - gosh, I really, REALLY wasn't sure about posting them, but I know I'm amongst friends here! 😊
I will let you know if you ever cross the line, Rebecca. (Wouldn't want to get the hooligans too excited... )
🤣
My idea of camping is staying in a Travel Lodge.
I hear you, Terry! Been there, done that! With the van we don’t have to unpack anything, and we get to eat delicious food brought from home - no dried-out scampi and chips in sight....!
Indeed. The campervan itself sounds alright: shades of Jack Kerouac -- but the thought of communal showers.... Brings back bad memories of school for me.
They're lockable cubicles, Terry - it's not an 'all in it together' kind of party! I get up at the crack of dawn so there's never usually anyone else in the building when I go for a shower. I get what you're saying, though. 😀
Well, fair enough I spose. :-D
Camping in the U.S. can really be a scary prospect in having to use some campground facilities. I used to date a tall (5'11") girl in my youth and I can sort of understand what you go through on a daily basis. I'm sure being on the tall side AND left-handed has made you all sorts of adaptable. Hopefully, it's more of a blessing than a curse :)
LOL - they’re not unsurmountable challenges, for which I’m grateful, Mark! 😀
So far I haven’t felt unsafe on any campsites I’ve been to here - long may that continue!
Oh, wow, I’ve run into a few low shower heads in my travels, but those are just bizarre :-/ I can’t decide if they look more like too-low showers or too-high tub fills... either way, they’re just wrong!
And thanks so much for the shoutout :-D
Thanks, Jacquie! And that's very much my pleasure - yours was a great post and I learned a good deal from it! 😀
You look beautiful--and not a stitch of makeup. And tall too! Your husband must be saying "Wowza" every day. xo Mary
That's such a kind thing to say, Mary. Thank you.
Maybe you should try travelling in the Netherlands. As the tallest people in the world, I’m sure they placed the showerheads and mirrors are at the right height for you. 😄
Great idea, Anna Maria! We're looking forward to taking the campervan across the Channel one day - I'll report back in due course! 😀
Hmmm. We had a tall friend help us put up a mirror once, and lived in that house for five years without ever being able to see ourselves in it. I know. We could have moved it. We couldn't be bothered. We don't mirror much. Like you I don't 'do' my hair. Or would that be I don't my hair?
Anyway, so sorry you had such a sorry shower scenario cropping up. And that Elsan disposal point? I mean ...
LOL Jackie - I feel for you, but gosh, it just goes to show that we all know what's the right height for US, doesn't it? So I completely understand. And yes, you and I both DON'T our hair - I absolutely love that!
I visited a nature reserve at the weekend and enjoyed watching two pairs of kingfishers from a couple of their bird hides beside the lake. Two of the woodland hides, though, were useless: they were designed for standing in, but the windows didn't go nearly high up enough - the tops of all but one of them were approximately level with my chin, so there was little chance of actually seeing out of them!
The thing is, I'm not exceptionally tall for a PERSON, I'm just tall for a girl, at a smidge over 6ft. There are plenty of people out there way taller than me who I'm sure would also quite like to watch the birds without requiring osteopathy treatment - LOL!
Loved this humorous article! Aside from having short guys always wanting to dance with me, I quite liked being tall, and would often wear three inch booted heels to make me an even six feet tall, especially when in crowds. I’ve done my share of camping too and any spigot no matter its placement would be just right for washing my hair. The automatic hand dryer on the wall I would just get on my knees and blow dry my hair under it.
I've resorted to a similar approach with hand dryers, Gail! I don't wear heels often, but when I do I find a confidence that always surprises me. Normally I want to hide my height, but if I set out to be tall - I mean by donning heels - I guess I feel different!