Caravanning - A New Adventure

It is a fact, boring but true, that when life is so exciting there is lots to write about there isn't enough time to write, and when there's lots of time there are fewer adventures to talk about. Caravanning was a Proper Adventure, though, so deserves a mention even a few weeks late.

In mid September Ron bought a touring caravan. We've never had one before, but this was a bargain not to be missed. A lovely little thing, 12ft long, in very good condition but an empty shell, not equipped at all with anything. After a week of dashing around acquiring replacements for all the useful stuff we sold with the boat - a chemical toilet, melamine plates and cups and stuff, cutlery, corkscrew, pots and pans, - we set off for our first adventure the last Friday of September, taking full advantage of the proper summer weather we'd been having.

The caravan lives in Weaver's Field, and to get out to the lane it has to go steeply downhill through two field gates, one to keep the geese in and the horse out of the caravan-boat-van field, the next to keep the horse in and the traffic out of the lower end. I opened the first gate and watched Ron driving through. The caravan tyre was flat! Absolutely flat, even at the top. Half an hour with a mini air compressor later it seemed all right so we set off, pausing regularly at laybys to check for the first few miles. In fact, the tyre stayed up and is still perfectly OK, so the lack of air remains a mystery.

We only ventured just to the edge of Dartmoor, a holiday park called Langstone Manor between Tavistock and Princetown. Less than an hour in a car from home, but quite far enough, we felt, for our first venture as 'shed-pullers'. The sun shone, the sky was blue, the people were friendly, the food was good (I didn't cook much, as evening meals were available in the bar). Ty and I strolled among the gorse and the heather, but didn't venture very far as I don't trust the moors enough to go exploring alone, even when the weather is good. We did lots and lots of walking sedately and carefully through flocks of sheep, but even more just sitting in the sun and soaking up the silence. I watched a pair of ravens flying in formation for hours, wingtip to wingtip, spiralling across the cloudless blue, while in another sector overhead a buzzard was being mobbed by jackdaws. When the two groups met the ravens just soared effortlessly and carelessly above the mob.

Ron did adjustments to the electrical system, wiring up batteries and getting things working properly, and a lot of reading. So did I actually, more than I have for months. We had no TV, no radio (the one in the caravan didn't work), no internet or email. I'm not sure if the mobiles worked; I don't think I tried to talk to anybody. We took the laptop and some DVDs in case we wanted to watch a film - we didn't bother. Oddly enough, Ron missed the internet more than I did, and insisted on acquiring a dongle as soon as we got home, ready for the next adventure. (I have actually used it on the train now, but that's another story!)

We came home on Monday hooked on the whole experience. Obviously we will need to make improvements (and remember the tin opener next time!), but in general it was good. It's like boating only a lot more comfortable, and probably rather safer...