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Having ‘won’ an awning on eBay, a trip to collect it from Hailsham was the perfect excuse for what will probably be our last caravan trip this year. We decided to make a long weekend of it, catching up on friends and revisiting old haunts. This was to be out first venture out of East Anglia, and a chance to find out how the old girl copes with towing up and down hills. We gave ourselves plenty of travel time, setting off mid morning on Thursday for the drive down to Barn Caravan Park in Lancing.

The journey went well, although crossing the Dartford Bridge was a bit scary, with lorries overtaking on both sides. We got a bit worried when a van overtook us, pipping it’s hooter, but they were just wanting to give us the thumbs up, not warn us that something had dropped off!

We arrived at the site at about 3.30, pitched up under the watchful eye of a local swan, and had a cuppa before setting off to collect the awning. Unfortunately we hadn’t realised it was going to be a two hour round trip, so by the time we got back to the caravan it was cold and dark and we were not in the best spirits. Thankfully we had brought some ready-made chilli with us so dinner didn’t take long to prepare, the heater soon warmed up the van and after a stroll down to the seafront we settled down for a cosy night in.

The next morning we decided to get the coastal bus into Brighton to give the Herald a day off after all the miles covered the day before. We spent several hours wandering round the vintage shops in the North Laines, with Paul bagging himself a bargain jacket for the next time we have to dress to suit the era of the car. After the obligatory stroll and ice-cream on the pier, we returned to the caravan for dinner and an early night.

Saturday dawned bright and almost sunny so after a bacon and egg breakfast we drove to Devil’s Dyke for a walk. It was a busy place with lots of walkers and cyclists, and a lovely view across the South Downs.

We spent a lovely evening with Karen and Dave in Hove, catching up and retelling stories of the days when Christina and Karen taught together, then back for our final night in the van.

An early start on Sunday morning saw us climbing the long, drawn-out Handcross Hill, which was done in a slow but steady manner with no complaints from the old girl.

So, now we have coped with the M25, the Dartford Crossing and hills, where shall we go next?….

The Totally Triumph weekend at Hemsby had been long anticipated by both of us as we had set it as the deadline for having the caravan make-over completed. Setting off we felt slightly conspicuous with our matching pair, but soon began to enjoy the hoots, smiles and thumbs-up from other road users! We arrived at Longbeach mid-afternoon to a warm welcome from Mike, and within a few minutes had the kettle on and chairs out. It was interesting watching Julie and Micky constructing their beautiful, all original 1980 Rapido on the next pitch.

We had decide to seek out a local fish and chip shop for our meal, before joining the ‘Meet and Greet’ at Hermanus. Having located a nearby chippy, Christina decided she could put it off no more, took a deep breath and drove the Herald for the first time. Despite there being no mishaps with this, we still decided we would walk to Hermanus as we had been told there was a footpath that went directly there. Unfortunately we didn’t find this footpath (and doubt its existence to be honest Mike 😉 ) but managed to arrive safely after a dodgy walk along the main road. We spent a pleasant evening in the company of other TSSC members before bracing ourselves for the walk back.

Saturday morning dawned with the promise of sunshine after the autumnal chill had gone. After a traditional breakfast of bacon and eggs we collected the paperwork for the run, put the top down and set off for what proved to be a lovely day out, driving a well planned route around the broads. We stopped off at several places, and chose Ranworth Broad for our picnic lunch stop. After a relaxing drive, we returned to the caravan for a chilled afternoon, before scrubbing ourselves up for the evening. The dinner was first class, we enjoyed getting to know Jenny and Nigel, and hearing about the 7 year restoration of their GT6. Nigel and Paul were able to swap experiences of restoring and modifying their classics. The evening ended with dancing, with TSSC members taking the floor by storm.

Sunday was the day of the show, and with prior agreement we took the caravan into the show with us. She proved to be quite a hit and attracted lots of interest! Paul’s towing skills were put to the test when he was asked to do a lap of the ring with other Triumphs.

The threatened rain held off and a pleasant afternoon was spent watching various entertainment (including the now infamous ‘Tug a Triumph’) and sharing stories with other Triumph owners. When prize-giving time arrived we were really pleased to see Nigel’s GT6 in the line-up of tintop winners, and thrilled that our own little combo won the best ragtop.

This was another fairly local show for us, and as there is a campsite next to the showground we decided to make a weekend of it. The caravan make-over wasn’t quite complete but still habitable so we set of just after lunch, taking the scenic route to avoid crossing the Orwell Bridge as it was very windy. After quite a noisy night, with the wind and the rain, the sun came out ready for the car show so we took Triumph round to park in the Phoenix stand and helped set up the gazebo. The day passed very quickly as we had plenty to do, with the car boot sale, various car stands, a chat to a couple showing their car/caravan combo and entertaining guests back at our caravan. We even came away with a pair of new wheel hubs and a genuine vintage radio for £15!

Today was to provide a much needed rest for the pair of us, and a relatively late start as it is only a few miles away. We arrived and parked within half an hour of leaving home and just as the promised sunshine was beginning to show. Helmingham is a popular show, with a few side stalls and the gardens to look round, and it soon got very busy. The main entertainment is watching the cars going down the concourse, although we felt that the commentary was a bit too long-winded with prolonged chat between vehicles drawing it out a little too much for all but the most avid of car enthusiasts. Being a local show, we bumped into several friends, both exhibitors and visitors.
A lovely, friendly show which we will certainly visit again.

Four weeks after our first caravan trip and following several minor (and not quite so minor) tweaks to the herald (new suspension fitted, tyre pressure adjusted, stabiliser bar added), advice taken from experienced caravanners, and research around nose weights, we were ready for a slightly longer journey up the A14 to New Lodge Farm at Bulwick, for a long weekend taking in the Nene Valley Railway Show on the Sunday. Travelling at a steady 50 meant that our planned stop-off at the Cambridge Services took 2 hours rather than the anticipated 1 and a bit, but Paul was happy that the Herald seemed to be coping well with the task and even suggested that he was enjoying the towing experience. After a slight detour to visit family, we arrived at New Lodge to another enthusiastic welcome “can I just say, I am in love with your car/caravan combo”. This was our second visit to New Lodge, our first being two years ago when we had the camper and the herald, and it was good to see that the facilities were all as clean and fresh as they were two years ago, when the site was in its first season. We attracted a few glances as we parked up, and soon had people stopping to ask about our duo. The weather was beautiful and so Saturday was spent sitting by the ‘van doing very little. Christina got on with sewing new curtains for Bluebell, while Paul and the herald recovered from the journey. A ‘gentle evening stroll’ around the neighbouring fields became more of a route march as we got lost and feared we would not be back in time for the fish and chips we were planning to get from the site cafe, but we made it in time and spent a couple of hours in the bar chatting with other campers. An early start on Sunday morning meant that we arrived at the Nene Valley just as the gates were opening at 9.00, so we got a space in the show field. We decided to take the first steam train out to look around ‘Railworld’ in Peterborough, then be back to sit by the car for the afternoon. Unfortunately though, vandals had emptied the water tank at the Peterborough end of the line meaning that the engine had to be refilled by hose pipe which caused delays and a total abandoning of the timetable, so after walking round Ferry Meadows then returning to the station for the planned 14.40 train, we found we had missed a train by about 5 minutes, and the next one wasn’t due until after 5pm, which would mean that the whole car show would be over by the time we got back. After a chat with the man in the ticket office, he very kindly arranged for us to have a taxi back, at their expense, so we did get back in time to see most of the cars before they started to head off. Not quite the afternoon we had planned, but an experience nonetheless!
Monday was another restful day, with a quick trip into Stamford to pick up some provisions for our evening BBQ, and a stroll around the shops. An early start on Tuesday morning, good clear roads and a confident drive meant we were back home by midday and already looking forward to planning our next trip.

Another weekend with a lot of driving. Drove down to London on the Saturday to stay with friends, deciding that I really don’t like the A12 when it gets near to London and the North Circular even less. Got to Fairlop Waters for the start just before 9 on the Sunday morning. Had another friend waiting for us there who had popped down to see the cars start off. Picked up the tulip route, thought it might have been straight down the main road to Southend but instead had a very pleasant drive through the Essex countryside to get there. Arrived and parked up on the Southend seafront along with a good selection of cars, although I don’t think there was the expected 130 there, but still, a good show and with a fish ‘n’ chip lunch and ice cream a good weekend.

Went to this one last year and really enjoyed it. With the railway and buses operating makes it means there is plenty to do and too good a show to miss. Stayed over in Kings Lynn visiting parents (without caravan, perhaps next year). Got a place on the Pheonix CVC club area. large showing of cars and caravans – the new interest and gave us the opportunity to get some inspiration. Took the train to Sheringham for a wander around. That combined with the weather made for a good day out.

Discounting a couple of trips round the block, our first proper ride out with the herald towing our newly acquired Viking Fibreline caravan (aka Bluebell) was to the Cakes and Ales campsite at Theberton. Although only a few miles up the road, it was a journey made with great trepidation over how the old girl would cope with her new task. The fact that it was pouring with rain didn’t help the nerves, but arriving at the campsite to be greeted with “Wow, that is fantastic” by the manager, helped to reassure us that it was a worthwhile thing we are doing! Pitching was easy on a nice level site and the kettle was soon whistling away. The back end of the herald seemed to have dropped slightly, which was worrying and Paul started talking about replacing springs and suspension. After spending some time that evening researching over a pint, we realised that we needed to put a bit more thought into loading the ‘van to get better weight distribution. After spending a comfortable night, we moved some of the heavier items around and hitched up for the journey home. It was a useful first trip, with a few lessons learned and questions that needed answering.