Remembrance

One thing I never lose sight of is how very lucky and privileged I am to have somehow managed to wangle the lifestyle that I have ended up with.

One of the things I do is write touring articles for magazines. As I often say to people, it's not a holiday, but it sure beats working for a living.

In other words I get to go to all these lovely places, but rather than relax and unwind I'm dashing about with my camera, researching stuff, interviewing people, and charging about from here to there like a madman.

And I absolutely love it.

One of the interesting aspects of such a task is that I end up 'having to' visit places and do things that I would otherwise not normally choose to do of my own free will.

Such an 'imposed' task was the town of Ieper in Belgium. It's better known by its French name of Ypres, or even the English slang 'Wipers'.

I'm not really into battlefields, military history, and all that. So I went along to Ieper to do my job, do my research, take my snaps, and head home. It was a pleasant-ish task that I had to do.

The reality?

It was anything but a task. It was one of the most deeply moving and humbling experiences that I have ever had the privilege to encounter.

As I learned more and more about the hardships and the sacrifices made during World War 1, it was very hard at times not to be moved to tears.

The municipal museum in the town is a great place to start, and thereafter head off on your own to some of the military graveyards. Big ones such as Tyne Cot are immensely moving by the sheer number of graves and some indication of the scale of the monstrosities. But these big name places naturally attract the tour groups, so it's hard to take a moment to yourself. My tip? Get off the beaten track, go to one of the smaller, less popular graveyards, and use that time to reflect. And believe me, there is so much to take in that you do need to just sit and reflect for a few hours. Deeply, deeply moving stuff.










On the practicality front, the municipal site in Ieper is in a great location, about a 10 minute walk through a nature reserve to the town. And great value at €14 (2011) for a fully-serviced pitch. This site was a great find using my free Alan Rogers iPhone app.









The town itself has been carefully reconstructed since its total decimation in World War 1, and very smart it is too.









Every evening at 8pm, 365 days a year, the Last Post is sounded at Menin Gate as a mark of respect to those who have fallen. I ended up going every evening, it was such a beautiful ceremony. It takes on different styles every time as different guests speak and perform. Highlight during my visit was some beautiful singing by a school choir from near Edinburgh, followed by a very brave lone piper who was but 12 years old. Utterly, utterly wonderful.


















After one of the most humbling and moving weekends of my life, it was time to head home. What an incredible few weeks I'd had!

Germany & The Netherlands

After the exertions of the Euro Gathering, it was time for a bit of R&R. A days driving North took me to the German city of Oldenburg. I parked up at the municipal site and spent an entire week catching up with my very dear old friend Peter.

Peter is the perfect host. For every meal we sat down to, there was enough to feed an army.

This was a typical light breakfast:





Or possibly a little pizza for dinner:







We spent the entire week just faffing about, mainly taking his beautiful Great Dane Anne for long walks in the Upper Saxony countryside:






And a daytrip to the lovely city of Bremen:






And dinner in funky restaurants in Oldenburg:






Waiting for the level crossing, I spotted this novel idea of a moveable living space using recycled containers - looks cool!






It was a fantastic week.


From there, I headed to the North German coastal town of Norddeich, just North of Norden near the border with the Netherlands. I was hoping to get a little kitesurfing in.

The site was pleasant enough, but… well, let's just say that it didn't FEEL right. You know what I mean. The coastline in the area is hugely overrated. There is grass verge, and at low tide there is mud. It's not pretty. The site was OK, but the very expensive wifi system did not cover every pitch and I had to use the laptop outside in the children's play area… and I 'lost' a whole day trying to do my laundry, the machine breaking, and the reception being closed till 3pm.

Oh yes, arrivals were only accepted between 3pm and 6pm. And to stay on after the midday check-out until 2pm (even though arrivals were not accepted till 3pm) would incur a whole extra night's fee. All this was carried off with an air of superiority and smugness like you wouldn't believe. And it got hot. Really hot. Here's a pic of the Alde control in the Airstream. This is reading 34 degrees inside, and 30 degrees outside.






As you can tell, this is not a place I will be coming back to. Ever.

I guess what made it even worse was that I knew that my Airstreaming friends were having a jolly good time parked up in the yard of our Dutch friends Axel and Annieta.

So, there was only one thing left to do, and that was to join them.

What a FANTASTIC weekend!

In addition to Axel, Annieta, and their family, there ended up with three UK Airstreams and two NL Airstreams in their 'yard' enjoying an impromptu gathering. And I found the North East corner of the Netherlands to be a lovely, lovely, place.

We had A LOT of fun:














Sadly though I had to leave after the weekend. I had a 'job' to do in Belgium. And that's another story…

The Big One!

You know how it can happen when, at a social function when you're lubricated with a glass or six of vino de plonk, and someone comes up with an idea to which you pledge your wholehearted support? Then, weeks later when you're sober and pray that everyone's forgotten what you said, someone reminds you of your promise in front of a hundred people and there is no way of wriggling out of it?

Well, that kind of sums up how I ended up co-ordinating a caravan (convoy) of UK Airstreamers from the UK to a big Euro Gathering in the Netherlands.

If you flick back a year or so in the blog, you'll see how about eight or nine of us got together in Yorkshire joining two Dutch Airstreamers. There, we mooted the idea of doing it again in 2011 in the Netherlands. We reckoned that we would have about 5 or 6 Airstreams heading over from the UK, and the sum total of the Gathering would be about 12-15 rigs.

As it happened, I ended up leading 15 Airstreams from Gent to Venlo, where we made a Grand Total of about 35 rigs. EEK!

The first wave of UK Airstreamers all met up at Daleacres Caravan Club Site in Hythe, where we made an impressive sight as we lined up to leave:





All our travel arrangements, the ferry and the Red Pennant Insurance, were arranged by the Caravan Club. Organising the event was difficult enough, so I was so grateful for the Club taking care of the important stuff in such a hassle-free and efficient manner. Absolutely brilliant service. And cheaper ferry fares than booking direct.

The convoy of nine trailers to Dover held together well, but sadly we were split up (despite promises to the contrary) in the port. In fact, after arrival in Calais and I was almost the last one off the ferry (me, the lead vehicle), it seemed that the crew were doing their upmost to be as difficult as possible.

Fortunately we all managed to reassemble and pick up a tenth member as arranged just outside Calais.

First call was back to Gent, to Blaarmeersen. Now it all becomes clear why I went there two entries ago.

In addition to organising stuff and looking after myself, I had also taken on the task of making a TV programme about our adventure. As I tried, and generally failed, to do the work of three people on my own, I reflected that maybe this wasn't such a good call.

The atmosphere was jovial but a little quiet. I think that it was all just a little bit overwhelming, and we were trying to cram a lot of fun into a short space of time. And for many of us, this was just the first of many weeks abroad, so it had been preceded with some seriously mad rushing around making sure that everything was in order back in the UK before heading off.

On the last evening, in true tradition, we sat around the fire pit and I was presented with a little token a and card for my efforts, which was a really touching gesture.

But the next morning was the biggie - heading up 15 rigs from Gent to Venlo. Three of the rigs were joining us en route, of which one was even going to 'slot in' on the move.







Everything went swimmingly, although we will never forget the horrendous nightmare that is the Antwerp Ring. And people moan about the M25? It's a picnic compared with Antwerp!


The weekend itself was brilliant. The atmosphere was just amazing. People from all walks of life from completely different backgrounds and different cultures and countries all getting together, enjoying a common bond, and having a wonderful time.

Naturally, there is a video for you to watch. In fact, there is not one but three different videos!

Three very different interpretations of the same event seen through English, Belgian, and German eyes.

First off, my British video which visualises what you've just read:






Then there is Aline from Belgium's video:








And finally, Armin from Germany's video:




Altogether a truly memorable weekend.

Roll on the next one!

Unlike the last time I was at Commons Wood, where I went with a friend to see Kylie's amazing show at the O2, this time I was there and heading off to a concert of a completely different kind: Pete Yorn concert in the King's College Student Union Bar. A bit of a difference. But I was right at the front and made a couple of good snaps, including this one:






I have to say, I do rather like these intimate venues where the music is raw and the Jack Daniels is cheap.

My weekend continued in this happy manner at the UKAirstreamers/MyCoolCaravan Gathering in Leicestershire. It was the first time that the Cool Caravanners combined with the Airstreamers, and I for one really loved it. I like classic caravans anyway. If I had the time and means and premises…

Anyway, here are just a few snaps from a stonking weekend:



















No video this time, as I was saving myself for something rather big a couple of weeks down the line.

But before that, I headed up to the Wirral, to Wirral Country Park Caravan Club Site.

Now, no disrespect to Wirralers, or whatever the people who live there are called. It's a fine place and the scenery is lovely. But don't go there looking for windsurfing or kitesurfing. Sand buggying maybe, but when the tide goes out… it really goes out. And all that's left is acres of wet sand and mud. Camber Sands it most definitely is NOT.

But I was there to work anyway, and spent a great day with the folks from Hometyre Group who were fitting me up with Tyron Safety bands and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System that I have been putting through its paces for them. Next day took me to the lovely folks at Witter Towbars near Chester to be kitted out for further equipment trials. It's all very nice trying out this stuff, but the cabin in my Nissan is now a tangled mess of wires and random screens.

Move on to a place near Rhyl, North Wales. I found myself a lovely CL with an impossibly narrow entrance. I thought these were meant to be highlighted somewhere? Anyway, luckily I got the Airstream in and out OK. I was there to go and see the charming folks at Fifth Wheel Company and their latest product. Beautiful it is. Lightweight it ain't.

From there, it was on to the next site, Cae Mawr Caravan Club Site on the Isle of Angelsey. Cae Mawr, like Gwern y Bwlch in Wales, is my kind of site. No loo block certainly makes for a far more relaxed and chilled ambience than other sites. The wardens there were absolutely lovely. Nothing was too much trouble.

While there, one of my pet rats, Mr Pinky, sadly passed away. He was more than ready to go, bless him.






But of course, that left me with the small problem of a corpse to dispose of.

And so it was that I approached the warden with a question that I was very confident that he had not yet had in all his years in the job:

'Excuse me, is there any chance I could borrow a spade? And could you show me an appropriate spot to bury a deceased pet rat?'

Yes, this was a first for him. But he was very sympathetic and showed me a place in the adjoining woodland where Mr Pinky could be laid to rest.

But there was fun to be had on my visit, too. Rhosneigr on Anglesey is one of the premier windsurfing and kitesurfing spots in the UK.







Here I digress a little.

Camber, where I normally sail, is as South East as you can get. Lots of Londoners come down, and on a busy day the sea is crammed with kiters and windsurfers. But no matter what your discipline, everyone (well, most people) respects each other and helps each other out. I've had windsurfers rescue my board and help launch my kite. I've seen kitesurfers tow windsurfers with equipment failure back to safety.

And they say that people in the South aren't friendly.

So imagine my surprise at Rhosneigr. The wind was blowing an absolute hooley. Even the seagulls had given up. But I thought I'd give it a go… up went my kite, but even fully depowered I could barely resist the pull of it as I staggered painfully slowly towards the sea. One failed waterstart later, I was heading straight for the rocks. Deciding to chose the sensible option, I gathered my board and staggered out of the sea back to the beach. Throwing my whole body to the sand, I teetered on the edge of control as the angry kite pulled relentlessly.

I got to the kite down to a couple of feet from the ground, which in beach circles makes it blatantly obvious that you would like someone to catch it. You CAN release it and hold it on the safety line, but on a day like that you run the risk of major damage to the kite.

Imagine my surprise as three people in wetsuits totally ignored my situation. I was dumbfounded. And still staggering about the beach on my knees. Eventually, after what was probably two minutes but felt like twenty, a young lad sprung over the wall and helped me land my kite. Voicing my gratitude, I told him about the three who had ignored me. 'Oh yeah, well they're windsurfers' he replied, as if that suddenly made it all better and acceptable. Certainly doesn't in my book. Respect is a two-way street.

Fortunately, the wind subsided and a couple of days later I enjoyed one of the best kitesurf sessions in my life, ever. The waves at Rhosneigr really are awesome.





(no, that's not me, I'm the photographer...)



From Anglesey I drove down the A5 to Henley-on-Thames, and the Caravan Club's Four Oaks Site. Two very dear friends of mine, Terry and Wenda, are the wardens there, so it made sense to go and visit them (and of course, be fed) while attending a nearby car launch.

Four Oaks is a great site. OK, it's right next to a busy road, but what I love about it is that you can walk into Henley in about 10 minutes. And Henley is a very nice town crammed with cafes, restaurants, and independent shops. Yes, it's a bit posh I suppose. But when you're caravanning, you're on holiday, so treat yourself,

It's a shame Four Oaks closes in the autumn, as it would make the most perfect Christmas Shopping and New Year Site. Maybe we will have to start a petition.

So, from Henley, it was back up the M40 to Broadway to cross the Ts and dot the Is of the feature I started in February. I was meant to be going back there with the family in the Bailey Pegasus, but life threw other stuff at us which meant I had to go back without them.

May was rounded off paying a visit to Airstream Europe's new Southern Base near Cheltenham to admire the new Series 2 684. Ooh I say, tasty!

From there I continued back to the South East. I had over six month's worth of planning to bring to fruition. An exciting trip lie ahead.

Welcome back after the break.

Right now I'm in the Airstream having just enjoyed an awesome kitesurf session at Camber Sands. I'm on a Caravan Club site ready to do a review of a yet-to-be released tourer that is embargoed for another two weeks. So I have to try and prevent the other 150 or so other carvanners on site photographing said tourer over four days. Meanwhile, one of my delightful pet rats, Chalkie Le Blanc, is busy pulling the throws off the seats.

But I digress.

So, April, and my summer of living in the Airstream had begun.

Commons Wood Caravan Club Site in Welwyn Garden City made an excellent place to kick off. It's only a five minute cycle ride to Hatfield station from where it takes about 20 minutes to reach King's Cross by train.

After my date with Her Most Loveliness Dame Kylie of Minogue at the O2, it was time to get back to work and take a close look at a Stealth Caravan.

People disbelieve that either Stealth or Airstream caravans even exist as they never see them on site. So imagine people's surprise if they saw this sight - both brands side-by-side!







And, like number 10 buses, a silver-nosed Stealth pulled out of storage while I was there.

After that, it was time to haul the Airstream to Newark showground for a task of a very different kind. I was one of four driving judges putting over 50 motorhomes through their paces for the Caravan Club Design and Drive Competition. It was a demanding, but fun, week. And I started to 'get' motorhomes. I mean, maybe I could tow the Airstream with a silver camper van where I can fold up the bed and bring the motorbike… then I would have a day van too. Hmmm…..

The competition ran into Easter weekend, so off I toddled down the road to Ferry Meadows Caravan Club Site. Remember the weather at Easter? It was amazing. Sunny, warm… The atmosphere on site was heavenly. Children were playing, families were laughing, and everyone was enjoying themselves. It was utterly perfect.

From there, it was time for an altogether different camping experience at Dunn St Farm Camping and Caravanning Club Certificated Site, near Ashford in Kent. I took the field where access was… interesting. Thank goodness I had the mover to unhitch and get the trailer in. But once settled, it was fantastic. Children bottle-fed the orphaned lambs, trees were in full blossom, and there was a 'proper' country pub serving good food and real ale just five minutes walk away.

While I was there I took the opportunity to try out my new Nordic Outdoors folding fire box that I bought at the NEC:





Verdict? Not so good I'm afraid. It's impossible to get it elevated enough so that it doesn't burn the grass underneath. But the holes in the base do make for a roaring fire!

After a wonderfully relaxing week (apart from having to do the day job, but we try not to think about that) May was upon us and it was time to hitch up and head off.

Cue the next video:





The weather was still incredibly kind. First stop was Gent, a wonderfully majestic Flemish city. Camping Blaarmeersen, a most pleasant full-facility municipal site, is a mere 15 minutes cycle ride from the town. Next stop was the coastal resort of De Haan. De Haan is, in my opinion anyway, the nicest town on the Belgian Riviera. It suffers none of the over-development of other Belgian coastal towns, and none of the airs-and-graces of others. Camping Ter Duinen is highly recommend. Lawrence, the owner, loves Airstreams. But more importantly, the campsite is clean and tidy, and a mere 400yd walk through pine forest to a wonderful sandy beach:





That could only mean one thing. Kitesurfing!


And afterwards? CAKE!






Altogether a brilliant short break, and in true tradition was nowhere near long enough. But it was time to head back to the UK and to Bearsted Caravan Club Site. I had a caravan waiting for me.

Having enjoyed the original incarnation of the Bailey Pegasus (remember Switzerland?) I was more than ready to take away the new Pegasus 2 for a week. And it didn't disappoint.

Destination was Kingsdown International Camping Centre near Deal. Formerly a scout camp, facilities are… well, 'rustic' is a good term. But they are clean, free hot showers, and painted in funky colours. And, when you're paying just £6 per night, who's complaining? Especially when this is the view.


My family and I very much enjoyed our time together in the Bailey, but it was nice to get back to 'Auntie Sue's' gaff (aka Bearsted) and move my goods and chattels back in to my usual home.

From Auntie Sue's I headed to my 'hideout' CL which I'm afraid remains secret. It's £4.50 per night, I can use my fire pit, and there is always space even during busy periods. I *might* reveal it at the end of the season…

I went home for a couple of days, did the washing, did the admin (or at least the bare minimum I had to do without getting anything cut off or being sent to jail) and then it was time to once again head off and away.

First stop, just like last time, Commons Wood….

Winterisation

You may or may not have noticed that once again I lagged WAY behind in keeping the blog up-to-date. Possibly a sign of taking a little too much on at one point. Then of course, the further it gets behind, the greater the task to restart.

'Just say that lots happened and restart it' advised friends. So this is that entry.

Lots happened.

But I can't just leave it there of course. While it may not be very detailed, here's a brief recount of the bits between then (September 2010) and now (July 2011).

So we were at Ludlow for the fourth UK Airstreamers Gathering. What a top bash.

From there, I headed on to Gwern-Y-Bwlch Caravan Club Site near Machynlleth to do a feature for the Caravan Club. Gwern-Y-Bwlch is my favourite kind of site: Quiet, green, lush, and remote.






My friend Mat joined me and took some brilliant photos of me kitesurfing on a pretty wild day on Yns-las Estuary.





From there it was an 'accidental' overnight at my favourite mountain bike centre, Nant Bwlch Yr Arian. It was accidental as - ahem - someone hadn't thought to fill up with diesel, and the filling stations in remote West Wales were all closed by the time I realised...

From there, on to the fab CCC Site at Kingsbury Water Park to review a rather lovely Lunar, and do the last couple of Milenco vids.





After that, I had to put the Airstream away for a couple of weeks as I was hopping on a plane to Chicago. My destination? Well, guess…





I spent a fantastic week in the company of the good folks at Airstream. I lived the life for a week, getting up at 6, being on the factory floor by 7.30, going back to my motel at 3, editing and writing, meeting up with the gang for food and beers in the evening, and falling into bed far too late every night. I loved it. I really loved it.

The actual visit warrants an entry in itself. Maybe in the future…

Come the end of October, it was time to head back up to Wales and to Coed Helen Caravan Club Site. It's one of my favourites since visiting last year, mainly due to its proximity to Caernarfon. Mind you, it looks like it may soon close (rotten land owners want to put statics on the site instead as there obviously aren't already enough in Wales) so go visit quick!

My task while there was to climb Snowdon. I had wanted to last year, but the weather wasn't amenable. This time, my friend Miguel and his dogs came along for moral support, and despite the awful weather we did it!

At the summit, the weather was so bad that they closed the shelter just as we got there. Read that again. Then go figure.





November, and after a way-too-brief visit to Cherry Hinton Cambridge (Adria Altea) and to Clumber Park (Coachman Amara), I was back in my Airstream joining friends for a weekend in the New Forest. The autumn sunshine shone as I enjoyed the walks and the company. A brilliant end to the touring season.

December was quiet on the Airstreaming front, for two main reasons. The first was a rather nasty bout of Bronchitis. We're talking cant-even-get-out-of-bed bronchitis. As soon as I was approaching fit, it was time to shoot off on a big project for Bailey Caravans, trialling the new Orion which at the time was still top secret.

My friend Steve from Seattle joined me for the trip to Barcelona via the French Alps, and once there fellow Airstreamer Tracey joined me as Steve tried, and mainly failed, to get home by plane. Remember the snow paralysing the UK Airports? Steve does. Sadly, I had family drama to attend to as well so the trip back was a little more intense than we would otherwise have hoped. Witnessing a car hit the central reservation, flip over repeatedly, then children crawl out of the wreckage, was further drama we could have done without. At least they all seemed to be OK; a testament to modern car design.

Have a look at the video you have a spare 10 minutes:







Very little caravanning was done in January. Many days were spent working for colleagues, something that I would reap the benefit from when they work back for me during the summer. I DID have a very lovely Range Rover Sport for a week which was nice. And only an all-too-brief trip to Alderstead Heath in the Airstream. At the end of the month I took off to Gran Canaria for a week of kitesurfing. Sometimes, it makes a change to be herded onto a SleazyJet plane and put the brain into neutral for a week.

February, and on a very sunny week I enjoyed the brilliant little Elddis Xplore at Alderstead Heath:





Of course, February also means NEC. And what a busy, busy, busy week that was. Judging every day, and a dot attend every evening. It was hectic but a massive amount of fun. Highlight for me was tea and biscuits on the Coachman stand with Christine, a very lovely woman that I met on the Isle of Barra who makes the caravanning pilgrimage back there every year.

Immediately after the NEC week I took a few days to chill out at the Broadway Caravan Club Site. JUST what the doctor ordered! A lovely site, and Broadway itself is, if I dare say, a more enjoyable place in the winter than it is in the summer when the hoards arrive.





March, and a full-on week at Ferry Meadows doing a Swift Challenger, Lunar Delta, and a Roma. Add the Airstream, and I had four caravans on site that week. Now you see why I often have to work off peak.

April saw me back on a plane, but to Seattle this time to visit my best friend Steve, and see one of my favourite singers, Pete Yorn, in concert. Steve followed me back to the UK and the following week we went to a concert of a very different kind - Kylie at the O2! She was amazing.

This period also marked the beginning of my summer living in the Airstream. I decided that going home for four days every three weeks is way too much hassle. Now I go back for odd days here and there, just to do admin. I don't sleep there any more.

This makes a good break to close one entry and open another. Go on, put the kettle on. Milk and no sugar for me please.

On a trip...

I'm still enjoying my trips in the Airstream. But I'm on a trip of a different kind right now.

A guilt trip.

I enjoy so many blogs and social websites on the net, but haven't been contributing in a while. There are some good reasons for that, which will become clear in later posts.

But as I look forward to the UKAirstreamers Spring 2011 Gathering next weekend, my mind is set to get this blog back up to what it used to be. There's so much good stuff to share when enjoying this lifestyle. To keep it to yourself is almost criminal.