Like Going Home

The weather has been cracking the flags for the last few weeks and true to form just as we decide to take the caravan out the forecast turns wet. Luckily, day by day as our arrival date gets closer the good old BBC start to change their predictions, it might not be that bad after all.

This is going to be only our second trip out in about 18 months. Due to us working on site last year, one thing and another, apart from eight and a half months of living in it, we haven’t used the caravan for it’s true purpose. We had 3 nights at Rookesbury Park at the start of the season. The weather was cold, wet and windy and I just couldn’t get my mojo back as far as writing or caravanning was concerned. My mantra has always been that to enjoy caravanning in miserable weather you have to have caravanned in lovely weather, as yet we have haven’t been away in good weather for a good few years.

What do you take when you go away, what do you need and what don’t you need? As we’ve more or less lived in our van for the time we’ve worked for the club, we’d accumulated loads of crap that you need for living but not necessarily holidaying. Van emptied and filled with essentials including a tub of puriclean off we trotted. New Forest, Centenary Site here we come.

Back to the site where our career with the club started. It’s like coming home as we pull into the all too familiar entrance. This site holds a little piece of my heart. Checking in we get to catch up with our old managers, so good seeing them again, massive hugs and fond memories exchanged, then to check in. Back to the car, time to head off to find a pitch which with this glorious weather will be grass. About to set off and out of the corner of my eye I spot the Flowerpot People that we made way back in 2018. Oh the memories come flooding back again. So good to see they’ve stood the test of time and still taking pride of place outside reception.

Set up on pitch quite quickly, since leaving the job we’ve treated ourselves to a new canopy. Quite pleased with how quickly it went up and hopefully will provide a bit of shade if the forecasters are consistent getting their predictions wrong. Tandem off the roof rack, kettle on, time for a brew before heading on the bike into Bransgore for a few essentials, you know, crisps, nuts, beer… We failed on the ride back too, fish and chip van standing proudly in the car park, the pull was too much, we succumbed. Blooming good it was too.

Didn’t sleep too well on our first night, settling back into being in the caravan hopefully won’t take too long. Two torrential 5 minute downpours during the night disturbed me, then the 55 times I seemed to need the loo didn’t help.

Breakfast sorted, what to do today? As per usual, I’m craving the sea, the beach is only a few miles down the road so off we go. Parking proved to be the biggest bug bear, loads of spaces but pay by an app that seems to keep sending you round in circles, then it comes to the arm, a leg and a kidney donation that they want in exchange for the parking space. The weather is lovely but windy which is helping to keep the temperature manageable, just sitting on the rocks watching the waves and listening to the sound of the sea is good for the soul. It’s like setting a recharge button and despite no longer working full time, my reset button is in desperate need of recharging.

Back to site with a trip to the supermarket on the way home, we’ve got friends coming across to visit tomorrow and I said I’d do an afternoon tea. Ping, ping curry for tea, then sitting out enjoying the sunset with a cuppa, I think I’m slipping back into caravan life quite easily.

Enjoying people watching whilst we wait for our guests to arrive, I am finding it quite amusing just observing. Let’s make up some names, Kevin and Doris, have gone on a pitch with a brown peg, non electric, he’s now walking around scratching his head with his lead in his hand. Paul and Sandra are soaking up the sun, her knitting whilst he’s reading his book through his closed eyelids. Fido across the way has gone that far under their van to escape the sun that Betty is looking slightly confused wondering where he’s gone. That’s enough of that, our guests have arrived.

Conversation and tea flows and before we know it the butties have been demolished and I forgot to take a photo of my creative masterpiece. Anyway, here’s what was left. Don’t tell The Boss but that’s his lunch tomorrow. It’s so nice catching up with people who we were once very close to you but now the miles make meeting up slightly harder.

The following day we’ve got a bike ride planned. Shady tracks through the forest with yesterday’s leftovers stashed in the panniers with a picnic blanket. The bike seems to be behaving itself, we treated ourselves when we retired from the club to a brand, spanking new, tandem. We had a bit of a spoke malfunction a couple of weeks ago, looks like we are now hunky dory. We rode 24 miles and had a really good day. Apologies in advance for the photo spam of our ride.

Getting through the tunnel was hairy, you can’t really tell from the photo but there are about 50 ponies hiding from the sun to navigate through. Lots of mares had young with them and were quite protective. One or two were quite feisty as we tip toed through, trying to shield ourselves with the bike. We did tip toe too, rather than cause holy hell and attempt to ride through them, which consequently now means my cleats are gunked up with horse do do!

Time in and out of the van was lovely. Sitting out on pitch in the sunshine with a book, saying hello to everyone who dared to pass, I forget sometimes that I’m not wearing my uniform and speak to everyone. They in turn politely mumble pleasantries and wonder who the amicable northerner is on the end pitch.

Our time has been spent mainly outdoors, reading a book, riding the bike and sitting listening to the waves roll in on the beach, it really has felt like a holiday. Close the blinds at the end of the day and I still have to pinch myself and remind myself that I’m on a pitch on holiday, I’m not in a staff compound with one ear listening for the emergency phone that might just ring in the middle of the night. Once I’d driven those thoughts away, after a night or two, a deep sleep came naturally, probably sleeping better than we have done in a long time. Site was so peaceful we’d find ourselves looking at the clock when we woke to see it proudly boasting that it was 9am. Completely unheard of for us.

So it seems, my love of caravanning might be returning, albeit a bit late in the season. Now, let’s see if we can plan another trip.