Caravans through rose tinted glasses.
I used to caravan with my parents way back in the 1960's and 70's. The caravans were somewhat different in those days. No double glazing, no immersion heaters, no mains electric, no motor movers and no purpose made leisure batteries. The caravan was lit
by gas mantles and the water was pumped by a foot plunger sunk into the floor. No flushing cassette toilets either, the porta potties being little more than glorified buckets.My dad rigged up some 12 volt car lights to a battery that was kept in the bottom
of the wardrobe, so we had 'electric' lights and an inbuilt (car) radio built into our van.
Many of the vans at that time had lounges at both ends, so it didn't matter which way round you parked, you could still enjoy the views. The vans were obviously much lighter back then and even cars with modest power outputs could pull a four berth along
quite comfortable. Nearly all petrol engines in the towcars back then too, as diesels then were very coarse and unrefined, with very few diesel models even available.
There was definitely more of a sense of community in those days, as before the 1960's the caravans were generally the preserve of the wealthy, for no other reason that it wasn't until the 1960's that car ownership became afforable for the masses. Those of
us that 'vanned in the 1960's were the brave new pioneers, discovering parts of the UK we had only ever heard by name. Motorways were in their infancy then, as were most of the modern dual carriageways and bypasses meaning the trip entailed passing through
every village and town on route. A trip that takes three hours nowadays, typically took six or eight hours back then.
The sites themselves back then (including CC ones) were predominantly grass, as only static vans went on hardstanding pitches (pads). They always seemed far more chilled out places to be than they sometimes appear nowadays. People definitely seemed far
more tolerant in those days and I honestly cannot remember people moaning about dogs, children or any of the other silliness that seems to dominate the modern caravanners lives.
What changes have you seen in CC sites, or indeed in caravanning in general over the years. The good, the bad and the ugly?