STAYCATION

STAYCATION

We’ve returned from a fortnight’s caravan holiday in Dorset and Devon.    Results were mixed.

The first week we spent on a Caravan Club site in DORSET.   The nearest town was W    ellington.   It was rural country, well wooded and with cows as well as occasionally pigs and horses.

I have to confess l am rather particular about privacy.   When long ago in the days of our youth we went camping with our young children in Orkney, we went for several days running to a beech called Bu.   It comprised a long stretch of white sandy beach; shallow turquoise waters, sand dunes behind you and fabulous sunshine day after day with a slight breeze to cool us down.   We took blankets and pillows, umbrellas, picnic stuff and we rested there for three days.   It was unheard of to keep this kind of weather for more than an afternoon.   We knew how rare it was, so we made sure we got there before 9 am, to book  our slot.   But these were week days and the local population did not have leisure to enjoy their beach.

Way down the other end of the beach, another family picnicked also.    They were so far away that we had to use our binoculars to see who was doing what.

At noon, like clockwork, a young woman exercised a white horse in the foam the small waves would leave behind on the  shore.   On the fourth day another family arrived on ‘our’ beach and laid their towels out between us and our neighbours.  I turned to John in disgust and said, We cannot come here tomorrow.   This beach is getting terribly crowded!

You will understand therefore that I was   not very impressed with Weymouth,                             where it was difficult to park and you could not see the sand on the beach for bodies.   It took twice as long to get anywhere as it should have done, and this country has very narrow single track roads, twisty and hilly with high hedges and their regular road users (presumably locals who resent the mass takeover of their roads) were unforgiving.

In addition we had one or two technical problems – Dorset we were advised has the worst TV and wifi reception in the entire country; – in an Olympic week this was an absolute disaster  = and our wheelchair would only go in reverse.   We also were missing a small piece of the pump which makes the erection of our awning easy.   Mr Fix It gradually resolved these problems however and there were

some  good things to rejoice in.

We had some very nice meals, usually at moderate prices.   There were some lovely villages.   The weather although not idyllic was kind to us and it largely rained through the night and it was always warm and sunny when we needed it.

Our grandsons would arrive at our door about 7.30 am for breakfast and CeeBeebies giving their parents an extra hour in bed.  

We had dinner together at a long table, and ate the food Rob had generally cooked(very well) and he put up with Elisabeth’s  ‘ supervision ‘ with great patience.

Vacations in the UK are fine.   In some countries you can travel for hundreds of miles and the scenery is essentially the same, whereas in the UK, every village is quite different.

All that needs to happen is that those people who knowingly drop £300 into one or two flights and swan off to Greece, Spain, Malta – and we certainly have  had no report of any disorderly  conduct – need to get back, drink the coffee, and settle down.

May all your journeys be easy