The great escape | Meet the Trudgians

The great escape

Posted by on Jul 11, 2020 in Featured, Trips & Adventures | 7 comments

The great escape

To be honest, I never thought we would be out in our caravan this summer. Lockdown has persisted since March and I was comfortable in the knowledge that we should aim for an autumn or “Indian Summer” holiday.

But here we are, in July and after having a couple of days away at the beginning of the month we are once again happy to go on our travels. But our new “great escape” will be slightly different to recent trips. We are planning to maximise the time in the caravan, minimise excursions to attractions and take advantage of some wonderful landscapes to enjoy all on our own terms.

However, we haven’t seen any of our wonderful friends for such a long time and we are really missing them. In fact, we were originally planning on visiting South Wales, specifically Fresh Water East, and a group of friends were all set to join us. Of course, with the lack of clarity and it being uncertain if we could escape to Wales, we have ditched those plans and instead we are visiting the Cotswolds.

In total, 6 families will be joining us and we will be really glad to see them (socially distant of course). We have several children with us, aged from 4 to 14 and without trips and excursions planned or booked, we are looking for activities for them to make this trip truly memorable. So, our friends from Camping Cinema will be joining us and hosting an outdoor cinema, with lots of family friendly films, classic flicks from the 80s and a couple of modern masterpieces, we hope to create a wonderful experience for all the families to enjoy. Of course, being sympathetic and courteous, the audio will be headphone only and will not interfere with any other campers. So, beanbags, popcorn, cosy blankets and a cuddle at the ready, This cinema experience will be shared on a future vlog.

Of course, No caravan trip would be complete without great food and we are planning a group BBQ, where each family cooks their own food, joins the tables and have a feast where we can all chat, eat and enjoy each other’s company. This is something none of us have done for quite some time.

And onto the tricky subject of socially distant activities. Badminton, rounders and tennis are obvious candidates, and no doubt I will be roped into taking part. However, something which is happening whilst we are away is the NEOWISE comet being visible in the night sky. Some of us are hoping for a clear evening so we can capture the tail from the Neowise comet and hopefully just star gaze enough to witness a shooting star.

All in all, with just a few activity ideas for when we are on site, and the prospect that we could visit the local Wildlife park, Stately homes and some great walks, the upcoming “great escape” looks to be a great relaxing time with a strong emphasis of being with the ones we care about the most.

*Weather dependant of course.

7 Comments

  1. What night is the comet due?
    Have a great time and hope the weather is kind.

  2. Fun, fun, fun!!

  3. Fun, fun, fun!

  4. Wales is open to visitors so South Wales is waiting for you and your family. Take a look at Dan-Yr-Ogaf, a large country park with the national showcaves of Wales as part of the attraction onsite, a petting zoo and great walks with breathtaking scenery as is normal in Wales. Pitches are fully serviced and either large open hardstanding or sheltered nook type hidden it trees, its beautiful and not far from the Brecon Beacons national park, check it out for the future.

  5. Sounds like a great trip. Can’t wait to see the vid.

  6. I hope you all have a fantastic time and thanks for the blog post. Stay safe!

  7. We are looking forward to meeting up with Dan shortly as it makes a change for the years back in the late 80’s where I was exposing him to The Caravan Experience!
    The boot is firmly on the other foot – and I am taking advice and tips from my Son in the New Modern Era of Touring.
    Our early years with a Sprite Musketeer being dragged around on the back of a powder blue 1st edition Vauxhall Cavalier. I learned very quickly about weight distribution, nose weight and “snaking”. So Rolls Royce had some bits over while they were building Concorde and had a version of a “Snake Charmer” which stopped the weaving around. Next was the “AeroFoil” – a necessity in those the days when Caravans had all the aerodynamics of a breeze block.
    Then came our Swift Corniche with many company cars over the years, mainly Cortina’s and Cavaliers – they we’re the golden years of touring. Dan managed to christen it with a well shaken 2ltr bottle of Coke which had its consequences in testing my temper!!
    Most weekends would find us on Club, Municipal or CL’s in the West of England, Wales or France. We also became a Member of “The Avons” which got us into Winter Touring for Halloween, Bonfire Night and New Year festivities. Dan has many memories of my cock ups over the years which has taught him to mind branches which are harder than Caravan skin, and ensure the hitch is on the ball before moving off!!!!
    So this is a proper Family Reunion with a 35 year gap as we are now the proud owners of a Fleetwood Countryside and Kampa Air Awning, courtesy of Dan.
    Here’s to learning how to Tow and reverse park – all over again, this time with Dan’s help.

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