Long Time No Hear! 2016 Roundup!

Well, what can I say?

It's been a long time and I've neglected this blog in favour of another that I write over at "Fat Bloke Travels".

So I hope you will join me over there to see what I'm up to on a more of a regular basis.

This year has seen some major changes to my life!

In Easter I got married to my gorgeous Kiera, we had a fantastic day, big smiles all round.

Honeymoon should of been in the South of France and Italy on a touring holiday on the motorbike, however less than a mile from home we came off and damaged the bike, so a quick rethink and we were off to Scotland staying in some top hotels!

Our house is almost complete after having building work inside and out, finishing touches are being done as we speak.

Being a step dad is a challenge but I'm enjoying it. Of course there are moments when I want the solitude of my caravan and a large field to hide away in, but I get away regularly on my motorbike camping, which keeps me sane.

Talking of motorbikes, I've a new one - it's a Ural motorcycle and sidecar! Great for camping trips!

Just to prove I'm not a complete Bah Humbug, decorated for Christmas!

I'm still bus driving, but not enjoying it, so for 2017 there will be a change.

With all these new and wonderful changes in my life there are a few things that haven't changed - chiefly that I'm still fat!

My eccentricity has I think got worse and my dislike of crowds and people in general has grown!

Apart from that - I promise that I will try and write more on this blog as for some unknown reason my rantings and talking nonsense appears to strike a chord with some folk!

Have a Happy Christmas and I hope your 2016 has been as good as mine.

Till later...................................

Classic Coachbuilt Cotswold Windrush 4 Berth Caravan

I often find myself looking at ebay, and I tend to always be drawn back to the caravan listings.

This little beauty caught my eye, it looks like it is in really good condition and has been well looked after.

All you need to do is buy, hook up and drive off to a camp site!

It is down as a Cotswold Windrush 4 Berth Caravan, age unknown but around late 60's to 70's at a guess?

If you want to find out more about this pretty caravan click "HERE"

Till later...............

The 28 Day Rule Camping and Caravan - How Does It Work? FAQ

One of the most frequent questions asked is "How long can I stay on a site for"?

Well, this is not an easy question to answer as there are a few matters that need to be taken into consideration first.

So what I will try and do is explain the situation as I see it. The examples I talk about have all happened to me personally so I do have first hand knowledge.

OK, lets take a look at the rule to start with.

The rule states that you must vacate your caravan for 48hrs and not return within that period after 28 consecutive days spent in the caravan.

How on earth a Council Representative enforces this is anyone's guess, but it is at the discretion of the camp site owner to enforce this rule.

A camp site owner should keep a record of everyone who stays on their site with full details etc, but in practice this rarely happens.

In my experience, it is a 50/50 split between owners who play by the rules and the ones that are happy with the pound notes going in their pockets!

But how do you tell which sites will allow you and which ones won't?

Well, you can never tell to start with, but as a general rule of thumb, the smaller the site the more likely it is that the owners are more likely to let you stay longer. 

What I do is firstly on my first stay at a site I only ever book in for one week, possibly two if I get a good vibe on a pre-visit inspection.

Then once I've stayed around 10 days and have made a point of talking to the owner and generally not making any noise and keeping my pitch absolutely spotless I ask about possibly staying on for another week.

If they say yes, they have all ready sussed that you full time, your no problem and they are happy with your money, but on the odd occasion that they do say no, pay up promptly if you have not all ready done so and move on when you have to.

It's always worth asking if you can come back for another couple of weeks in a month or so's time. 9 times out of 10 they will have no problems with this.

I have stayed on a couple of sites for many months at a time, built up a friendship with the owners and helped out on a regular basis with bins, cleaning, litter picking etc. As they say every little helps.

So in general, play it by ear, never go in and book for a month it will put the wind right up the owner!

Make no mess, no noise and keep yourselves to yourselves.

It works for me so I hope it does for you!

Till later.............................

Vintage Camp Sites That Are Still Up And Running Today

I often come across old photographs of camp sites, which I find interesting.

Looking at the old caravans and cars that towed them, such a cutting edge thing to do at the time!

This site was called "Little Switzerland" Caravan Park in Folkestone, Kent.

It is also a comfort to see that it is still in existence today! 

"Little Switzerland" is still going strong and can be seen by clicking on the link "Here"

Another campsite I came across was Sandgreen Caravan Park in Dumfries.

This postcard picture was taken in 1967.

This site is also still up and running and looking very busy! You can visit their website by clicking "Here"

Finally today is the Whitecliff Bay Camping Site at Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, this has changed beyond all recognition!

It is now a Hoseasons Holiday Park which you can see more of by clicking "Here"

Till later..................

Ham Egg Cheese Bread Bowls - No Washing Up!! Camp Fire Food!

A great "No washing up" breakfast idea that's great for feeding a crowd.

Simple and easy to make!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 bread rolls (soft or crusty)
• 4 small slices of ham, or 2 big ones cut in half
• 4 eggs
• Grated mozzarella cheese or any other that you have handy!
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Get a fire going, BBQ warmed up or your Cadac up and running!
2. Cut the tops off the bread rolls.
3. Scoop out the centre. To be neat, use a small knife to cut a round outline before scooping out the centre.
4. Line the bread bowl with a layer of ham. Try to use one whole piece if you can because then there is less chance of egg seeping through and being soaked up by the bread.
5. Crack in an egg.
6. Top each with 2 tbsp of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of parsley (optional).
7. Put the top back on each roll. Wrap with foil and bake for ~10 to 15 minutes. Take a peek at 10 minutes to check them. 10 minutes = very runny yolks. 15 minutes = firm just cooked yolks. 15 minutes + = very cooked yolks.
8. Remove from BBQ, fire or Cadac, unwrap and serve immediately.

Enjoy!!

Till later..................

Goodbye 2015 Hello 2016

Well, where do I start! 2015 has been a busy year with lots happening, unfortunately very little I have documented.

Life has just got in the way, I'm sure every one has the same problem.

So in short, I will summarise.

2015 started with me being off work due to a bad back, which sort of scuppered plans a bit, not that we had many, but it put everything back by at least 8 weeks.

Once I had recovered, I set about the rear garden and we had a patio laid and over 2 tons of stone poured in to completely cover the remaining area.

I then did the front of the house and with another 2 ton of stone and that was the gardens completed.

A number of bbq's took place with various friends and family in attendance.

We spent 2 weeks over in Holland during the summer, staying at Kiera's Dad's house. Just an hour north of Amsterdam, we had a fantastic time.

The VW camper has not been used as much as we would of liked, but with my work schedule it was difficult to find enough time to do anything.

We plan to change this in 2016!

Christmas/New Year crept up on us with little warning, even though it seems to be rammed down our throats from August onwards!

We have also been very busy with wedding planning, which as we are now in 2016 is only 3 months away (Easter Sunday).

There was also a problem with one of our cats, he some how managed to break his leg in two places. So nearly £3000 later he has made a full recovery and is still as daft as ever.

So all in all a fantastic year, full of fun and laughter which at the end of the day is what it is all about.

What ever your plans are for 2016 I hope that you achieve them.

Till later..................................