Resigned to the fact that I need to share my musings with someone other than the dog that we are fostering for our son!
This blog will document our travels with our new caravan, expected delivery is late March.
The Beginnings
Prologue - the slippery-slope towards caravan-ownership, August 2011
We were under canvas in the
New Forrest, the grandkids having a great time riding their bikes, and running
amok, when the wind began blowing across the campsite that had started life as
a WW2 airfield. It turned into a full-on gale, rain lashing down and the tent billowing.
We were running around making sure the pegs were still in the ground, that the
BBQ and the chairs were inside the tent, and all the time the grandkids, not to
mention the wife, looking a tad worried, well I say all the grandkids, but Cooper was running around woo hooing everywhere, hoping against hope that the tent was going to take off, with him hanging on to the guy ropes!! We gave it a fair go, but the better half said,
“B****r this, let’s go home” So we did,
and on the journey, the hitherto-hideous possibility of a caravan raised its
head again - "we can buy a caravan, pay the site fees, and still enjoy the
freedom, but we will be quid’s-in plus we’d be warm and cosy, and the kids won't
be quite as much of a problem in a 'van." (See how easily that slips in -
" 'van " - like a natural already...).
When we arrived home, dried out the tent, I fired up the laptop and checked out EBay,
and lo & behold, there was the answer. A nice looking 2 berth Abbey County
‘van, located not too far away either. As
it was the August bank holiday and at something of a loose end on
the holiday Sunday, we meandered over to Farnham for a look see. We had agreed
on a “safe” word so if it was flakey, we could get away. As it turned out this
wasn’t necessary as the ‘van was a gem, no sign of damp or bodged repairs, good
tyres and all the electrics worked. It also had the benefit of a brand new
awning, all the water & waste gizmo’s plus, the deal clincher, a motor
mover.
We talked with the owner and a
deal struck, money exchanged hands and the deed was done, we were now members
of that plague upon the motorways of Britain, caravanners...
