45 years on

This is my story

My parents had their first caravan when I was about 11 (mid 60’s) a Sprite, with a fold away double bed onto the back wall, then a new Sprite Alpine S 5 berth, 2 doubles and a bunk. So I was not unfamiliar with the concept only for old technology, gas lighting, and no running water, or fridge and no fixed heating. ‘My dad being a bit of a technocrat had a B &W dual voltage TV’. Happy memories.

Having a family myself, we as neighbours decided to go camping together to Tenby, that’s 5 houses in a row all with young kids, who all play together.  For those of us that did not have tents we went out and purchased one, ours was a little 4 man ridge tent, which you crawled into. The OH had never done anything like this; this was the start of something big. The Tenby bank holiday W/E was a wash out?

We purchased a Frame tent (new) at the end of season, saving a few £’s. We would have our main holiday, jetting off to somewhere, and BH weekends here in the UK. Our old college friends asked us if we would like to try France. Having a considerable amount of equipment we had expanded to a trailer. Glam ping in its early days, all mod cons and EHU if possible. France we did and have not looked back. It was June 2004 we were in the South of France, the OH and I, as the kids are adults and doing their own thing. The OH said “I want more comfort”, by September we were proud owners of a new Bailey Ranger 380/2.

The transition from canvas to aluminium was not that great, some of the camping equipment made the transition with us; we sold the trailer, tent, and a lot of other equipment, as a going job lot. Free towing tuition as we were first time purchasers and a deal on an awning. We are on caravan number 4, having had the Bailey, Sprite Alpine (fixed bed, not for us), and a Lunar Stellar (ticked all the boxes for us). Looking to change perhaps for a newer model, Lunar decide to revamp the layout. So we have one of their latest models a Lexon 420 L, which we ordered last year at the NEC. Towed by our second 4x4, but this one is a cross over, 2 wheel drive, with selectable 4 wheel drive if and when needed. We have had 2 trips in it this year and on both occasions it snowed. This year’s main holiday is Italy Via France (a first for us).

The technocrat thing has rubbed off, the Stellar I converted over to LED’s this one comes with them as standard, I made up a fully serviced water system (See other posts). My latest project is kitting the caravan out with a computer, not a laptop, IPod. This is a Home theatre PC that gives you HD TV, Blue ray and Wi-Fi. I have a 19” LCD wide screen, which it connects too via HDMI. The problem I have is getting Wi-FI, as the caravan acts like a Faraday cage, so I am sourcing an external WI-FI antenna to achieve my goal. I do not want to use 3G abroad as this will cost me a fortune, and Wi-Fi is usually free on campsites. (See other posts) From my dad’s B & W TV to an all modern technology layout. What next, perhaps a fully services toilet LOL.

With the escalating fuel prices, the new French laws, is our love of caravanning coming to an end, (only time has the answer to this question?)

My story continues.