The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

Islandmaid

We had to live in a caravan when our parents divorced 40 years ago, over winter, no heating, mould everywhere, going to school smelling of damp - was bloomin awful - put me off for life, but I know many people love 'em.

Floss

Only ever done static vans, when the boys were small we camped...in fact DS1 is a happy outcome of one camping weekend

Still remember being flooded in York...we were pitched across the flow of water which went over our groundsheet...and the canvas of our frame tent blowing out to sea on the cliff tops at Whitby...and doing bacon on the still hot bbq when we got back from the pub

Floss

Seagulls dancing on a static roof make an awful racket though....until you learn to throw the bread on someone else's van roof :D

Hard_Up_Hester

We've made it to Great Bedwyn, 8 hours, 13 locks and some swing bridges. We stopped in Hungerford, bought some baguettes and had lunch. We buddied up with another boat, there are 4 of them on their boat so we've taken it in turns to do the locking.
We've eaten early and aim to be in bed before 9 as we are both knackered.

MMF007

My parents had a Sprite Muskateer, small touring caravan. We had 2 weeks every summer in Scotland on a massive and nearly empty patch of sand dunes with a lovely beach. Such freedom!

I was the eldest so I had the top bunk. It was just a sort of fabric sling with 2 poles as the sides. My ilttle brother (who will be 50 y.o. next month!) was lying in the bottom bunk when he thought it would be a great idea to push his feet up into my back. His action lifted one of the poles out of its holder and I teetered there, shouting for mum! He hadn't thought about the possible consequence, ie being crushed by me :rotfl:

One year we took the dog. The dog happily lay under the caravan in the shade one afternoon. On the day we were to return home dad hooked the 'van up to the car and did the 'lights check' before we set off. No lights! Nothing. On investigation he found the dog had chewed through the entire lights cable. I can't remember how he fixed the lights, assume he bought some connectors and rewired them all.

I still refer to my mum's supreme skill at judging how much she can fit into anywhere, and for organising the most practical solutions in small spaces!

camelot1001

My parents had a Sprite Muskateer too MMF, I remember the bunks too. I was always on the bottom, my brother on the top because he could climb up there better than me. I do remember the incredible heat in the van during the summers in Cornwall.

After my Mum died, my Dad gave us their caravan (not the Muskateer) a smaller one. Only 2 berth but with a huge awning. As there was me, my DH, 3 children and 2 dogs it was a bit of a squeeze. DH and I slept in the awning with the dogs, the children inside the van. One night one of the dogs (a Whippet called Sticky) must have crawled under the awning and went chasing rabbits. We heard him barking but he was at the wrong van! We kept very quiet the next day.

Good memories, the children had so much freedom, we spent many a weekend parked up on beaches here in the West of Scotland and only saw the children when they were hungry!

silvasava

Haha - our first 'van was a Musketeer - we'd swapped a speedboat for it. It had a gas fridge that you lit by putting a match in a sliding thing at the front that you slid to the back to ignite it. I could see loads of dead matches down the back but no way to clean them out! It also had a foot pump for the water but it was a big step up from a tent! When it got too old to tow it was used as my sewing room and an overnight doss when the boys came home late!

System

Slinky wrote: »

Is that where your signature came from?

No, it came from The Big Bang Theory.:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Z0kTkFFWc

System

Tried trailer tenting once. Only once, never again.

Our first van was an Eccles Topaz. Rotten as a pear.:D Then came the Eccles Amethyst. Not rotten but killed the car on a trip to Wales.:rotfl:

Oh how i dreamed of having a caravan with plastic windows.:o

shanks77

Happy birthday Ginny hope you have a great day xx