by Tom Leaning
And just like that, Easter is almost upon us. The school holidays are already underway, which has prompted the CaravanTimes office to reminisce of memorable Easter Hols gone by. So we’ve asked both our readers and the team from Broad Lane Leisure to share their favourite Easter memories with us.
From the CaravanTimes Forum:
Caravan Bill:
“I remember the days Auntie Mary and I used to collect sequins. We made a wonderful dress whilst at the campsite, as the weather was very bad. I gave this dress to my niece, she loved it. Easter is great.”
Lesley Paterson:
“33 years ago, Easter found my husband and I en route to York with a caravan, borrowed from my parents. I was almost 6 months pregnant and I was driving. Our route took us through Edinburgh – right down Princes Street and turning right (south) past the North British (now the Balmoral) Hotel and the Scotsman building.
“We were nervous, it was our first time towing and we took turns driving.
“What a fabulous holiday we had… we stayed in the North York Moors, and the Rowntrees Park in York. We went for walks to Fountains Abbey; travelled on the steam train to Pickering; ate well in Whitby (fish and chips) and in York at the Judges Lodging.
“Now we are retired, the caravan has been upgraded and trips are even more frequent. We have spent Hogmanay at Grantown and Stonehaven, with friends… Yes, at least four of our friends have also bought caravans and we have great fun on sites together. This year we will all be going to the Edinburgh Festival again for the fourth time.
“We currently have a 2015 Elddis Avante 554. It has a fixed bed and a double can be made up in the front seating area. The layout is perfect for us, with excellent storage.”
From Dealers:
Darren Brown of Broad Lane Leisure:
“The memories that do stand out, and are still fresh in my mind, are those spent in Devon with my own children over the years as they grew-up.
“I remember our son Thomas, who is now 25, learning to ride his bike at Burrowhayes Farm in Porlock. (At one stage there was only one other caravan on the site and they asked me for a ‘word’! I was worried that Thomas may have been near their van with his bike and perhaps caused some damage. as it was they wanted to thank us for making their week. They loved watching me teach our little lad how to ride.. He could only go anti-clockwise around the van!
“We also took some caravanning friends to the same site a few years later and we lost their children and ours for five solid days building dams in the nearby stream in bare feet! They never once complained that the water was cold.
“Finally, I recall one time that my wife and I headed down to Shorefields, in the New Forest, in advance of the in-laws bringing the children down the next day. The plan was to set-up camp with the awning and annex and then head to the local pub. After a busy day, at about 5pm we headed to the shower block to get ready. I got back to the van first only to find that it was in the shade; after a quick phone-call to the reception, I arranged to move and after I pulled all the pegs-out and threw the awning on-top of the van I moved it about 50 yards along, into the sunshine. I watched a startled Claire, my wife, come-out of the shower-block in her dressing-gown, only to think either she’d gone mad – or I had gone home without her! It was so funny!
“We have been caravanning all over the UK, especially in Scotland and the Lakes, and absolutely loved everything about it. although not so much now, we still go, but without the children!”
Now we want to hear from you – please tell us about your memorable Easter Holidays and what you’re getting up to this year…
