We have a caravan. Yes, we are one of those families, who you see hogging the inside or middle land on a motorway, dawdling along at 50, and holding up the traffic. Five years ago, Mr Scottish and I were of the opinion that the average caravanner was put on this earth to be the scourge of all other motorists on the road. Mr Scottish would happily shake his fist, and rant that caravans shouldn’t be on the road (ala Jeremy Clarkson and James May style). Now he is the one that everyone else is shaking their fist at. It always makes me laugh.
Special needs children meant that they couldn’t cope with crowded airports, long queues, and being away from their own beds etc. We tried camping in France and it was an instant hit. Just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, we tried it again via hired caravans in Scotland and yahey, the kids loved it. The outdoors, being at the bottom of mountains, and just riding their bikes all day, or playing with other outdoorsey type children was what they enjoyed.
We tried a couple of commercial sites, and although Mr Scottish liked the evening pint, and the kids do like a bit of entertainment now and again – I absoulutely detest those sites. I agreed to compromise with one week a year where I suffer the holiday camp style entertainment. The rest of the time I love.
We ended up with a caravan as I couldn’t cope without my hairdryer, or my straighteners (frizzy hair). The last straw was having no cooking facilities, nowhere to sit, no heating, damp bedding, and no toilet and watching all those nice and comfortable in their vans. I decided that if everyone in the family was going to enjoy this lark, and we were going to go away every school holidays for now, then it would have to be in comfort. I was not prepared for how much I would love the kick back in the middle of nowhere type of holiday at home in Scotland, but I do.
Introducing the Peg. You might just hear quite a bit about her this year. Who else braves the UK weather in canvas or tin tents?