Campsite Reopening

It’s been a week since we re opened. It’s been a full on week and I forgot to publish this blog as time just ran away with itself.

A glass of Coke and an early night ahead of opening still left me crawling out of bed rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, aching and tired after a very restless night. Waking up with random thoughts buzzing around my head in the middle of the night isn’t good the night before a busy day.

Best items of uniform selected I pull on my boots and brace myself for the fun day ahead. Office unlocked, toilet block unlocked, welcome packs boxed and on a table outside, countdown until 9am when our first member is due.

One last cuppa and a quick run through all our new patter and procedures, the skies darken and threaten rain as we head outside ready to throw the gates open and welcome the world into our lockdown garden.

First through the door with the biggest of smiles, a lovely couple, only second trip out in this van, excited to be back on site and out in the big bad world again. Cars with frazzled looking parents in the front, with the backs crammed with children, pillows and ‘keep the kids quiet’ paraphernalia.

Pitches allocated and payment taken in advance, the day ticks by like clockwork. A steady stream of units flow through the gates. All those happy smiling faces and sparkling clean vans.

The weather is kind and awnings and canopies are dusted off and released from their bags. Relationships are now going to be tested, they survived three months of lockdown, can they survive putting the awning up?

Chocolates to celebrate our opening are thrust into our hands by a grateful lady with a beaming smile on her face. We may have lost the weight of a small child between us but chocolate is always appreciated.

Bikes are unloaded and chairs angled towards the sun as it peeps from behind a cloud. And still they pour through our open gates. With over 100 timed arrivals we have tried to pace them to make the day flow smoothly.

Welcome packs handed out, fish and chips on site tonight, don’t forget to keep your speed down and enjoy! Repeated over and over, we’re spitting feathers, our legs and feet are starting to ache through standing constantly without moving around much.

A meander round site to get the blood flowing again. Our lockdown garden is alive, the rabbits and pheasants have taken cover in the undergrowth, goodness knows where the killer stoat is and the muntjac deer has probably left forever. The rooks protest noisily from the trees near the Goods Shed. Glasses chink and beer cans fizz as they are opened.

6 hours after opening and we have all our arrivals in. Time for a brew and a minute, oh yes, and of course a chocolate.

As our shift ends and we kick off our boots, a glance through our caravan window. Lots of strange objects now grace our garden. Bittersweet, it’s good to have them back but it was also amazing to have had it all to ourselves during this extremely strange time.