There is nothing better than a Summer with some sun… if you live in the UK and specifically Manchester, you will understand we all seem to have forgotten what the ‘currant bun’ looks like! Sitting in the garden of an evening, with a nice crisp glass of Rose (preferably sweet and crisp if you are interested!) it’s lovely to reminisce about by-gone summers when you were a carefree child, embarking on adventures with your friends in the great outdoors, begging for an extra 5 minutes outside before bedtime.
When I was younger most of my holidays were spent on the road partaking in caravan holidays. Not very glamorous you may think… think again, my Mum is a snob and we had a very nice caravan. No matter how comfy my bed in the caravan was I still preferred to sleep in my own little tent, in the awning. It was my own little space, filled with pre-teen knick knacks and my Sony walkman which I would listen to until I fell asleep.
We all fell in love with a particular caravan site located in Scotland near Stranraer which was right on the beach. New England Bay had everything, it was simply stunning. For a kid it was an adventurer’s paradise! The gorse filled campsite bloomed vibrant yellow in the summer and proved fantastic for den making. It was also highly lethal as my legs used to be scratched to buggery! You also had to watch out for rabbit holes, something I clearly didn’t do as one day when tripping and spraining my ankle in one hole, I walked a few steps and repeated the process on my other ankle. Sitting on a chair and watching your mates whizz about on the bikes was not fun!
Those were the days when all the parents would drag their chairs and tables together whilst they spent the night’s drinking and chatting away whilst the kids played around the site and on the beach – everyone knew were we where as we weren’t exactly quiet! Every summer it used to be the same people (think “Benidorm” but on a caravan site). It was great fun and everyone enjoyed the annual reunion!
With so much to do and so much freedom it was an amazing holiday for children and utterly relaxing. I used to come back after 2-3 weeks with an amazing tan, which made people look at me with quizzical looks when I mentioned I had been on holiday in Scotland for the summer.
I often do wonder what happened to all my New England Bay buddies – though one family are still firm family friends almost 20 years on! I would love the chance to go back to the site and take Liv with me, she would absolutely love it! Recently I have been looking into camping and everything we would need, something Liv and I can do together as a little adventure and even take the dog along. The investment in camping gear is hefty, though I am sure if I start when the summer is over and the sales are on we shall be ready to start next year – of course when the weather is better! There is no chance you would catch me erecting a tent in the pouring rain, not at all! I will be the one sitting in the car watching someone else do it for me!!
Please see my Disclosure Page for further details
