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I'm starting this blog in a very comfortable lounge in a beautifully renovated cottage in Kentisbeare. I'm having a little holiday. Until Boris tells me different I'll continue to have as many little motorhome holidays as possible. Like it or not, I'm one of the droves of motorhomies cluttering up the roads this year. Loads of them would be taking their hard earned cash to Europe but instead have decided to stay at home. Good for them.
The first time I remember any sort of caravanning holiday was when my dad bought a touring caravan in 1967. Back then my brothers and I would count all the other touring caravans we would see en-route to wherever we went on holiday. That year, for August bank holiday we went to Windsor. We counted six!
Most of the holidays I've ever had have been some sort of camping or caravanning. When I left home I don't remember having any form of holiday. When I was first married we just got on with house renovation stuff but managed to get hold of a VW T2 (bay window) campervan. It was Dutch, orange and white, with a pop top. I loved it. But like most things it eventually went. I dipped my toe in a package style holiday. Not really my cup of tea. I enjoyed it but not to the extent that I wanted to do it again.
Instead I found myself a trailer tent. Oddly, another Dutch thing. I had this when I met Tricia. I'm not sure if Tricia was too sure about a camping holiday at the time but it was a case of, don't knock it till you try it. She tried it and loved it. A regular package holiday was definitely not for us.
The trailer tent eventually got moved on but soon another holiday was needed, not only for Tricia and I but for the girls as well. We bought a touring caravan, funnily enough from the friend we're with this evening.
That worked really well. But the girls grew, holidays were changing. The last holiday we all had together was a biggie. Three weeks in Australia. What a fabulous holiday (in a right wing police state). Definitely a holiday of a lifetime and the reason Lauren has been living there for the last four years.
The next big change had occurred. We found ourselves holidaying without the girls. So what was our first holiday without children? A trip to Brittany camping in an actual tent on an actual motorbike. We enjoyed it so much we did it again for our honeymoon.
Actually it seemed it was Brittany we liked and by good fortune we had a reasonable bit of loot come our way, enough to buy ourselves a holiday cottage. Our holidays for the next decade or so revolved around our own little bit of France.
Eventually we wanted to see a bit more of the country. A bit more than a day trip. One day Tricia asked, in passing, “could you build a campervan?” “I suppose so” says I, so I did. Eventually we realised we were spending more time in our camper than our cottage so we sold both and invested in our motorhome . Now we could holiday in comfort everywhere (in our luxury apartment on wheels!).
So our present holiday situation is motorhome centred. So what in the world possessed me to travel overland to Gibraltar sleeping in a tent? I'm not sure but I did. We’ve also tried a narrow boat holiday and explored the finer Airbnbs on a tour of Brittany in our little red sports car. But we still prefer our motorhome. (Last year we even spent a month in it on our drive!). The only time we have strayed is when we stay in a beautiful apartment at our friends chateau. It’s where we were very generously offered to stay for my convalescence after my bowel surgery three years ago. And why not?
I know, it takes all sorts and I’ve painted with a very broad brush. When you need a holiday, any holiday is good. I just know what I like.
On Tuesday our little holiday needs to draw to an end in favour of the projects calling me at home. But that’s not completely the end of my “holidaying" for this week.
I’m having a micro holiday on the north coast of Cornwall for a few hours walking around the Gannel estuary with some friends. Do you fancy a micro holiday? Then come along as well.
It’s to help raise some cash for the charity Bowel Cancer UK.
Am I repeating myself? Good!
It’s at 10am on Thursday (15th October for those of you reading this later). All you need to know is here is where you can find and print off or download a map and directions.
But this isn’t the only walk. If by any remote chance you’re reading this in Sydney (Australia) and you’re not Lauren then you can join her for a simultaneous walk at 8pm starting from North Bondi RSL to Clovelly (not North Devon) and back.
And even further, through the wonderful medium of modern technology, you can donate by following this link
Or bring cash on the day. So far we’ve raised £326.25 and A$ 20.00 we still have some cash to pay in. Astounding!