Best Christmas Touring Memories (UK)
Anyone want to share their memories?😁 We are all year round tourers, have been with both caravans and now MH. Castleton Club Site used to be our favourite local getaway early December, primarily to meet up with friends, see the lights in Castleton, and do some Winter walking. The Mam Tor- Lose Hill- Hope-Castleton circular walk in the snow was always a favourite, and one year we came across a TV film crew and Tom Baker filming in Cavedale. He was a lovely cheery person.
Our first proper trips away in our MH were both Winter ones. First we spent a week on a Private Site called Cliff Farm, not far from Pickering, so we had a week enjoying Helmsley, Rievaulx Abbey, Pickering, Goathland, and all over the NY Moors. Same year, we then shot up to Durham Grange Club Site so that we could do some Hadrians Wall walking, and take in the Xmas Market at Hexham. It was -10c that week, but we were snug as bugs, and thankfully didn’t get stuck in the snow. Lovely seeing all the towns and villages lit up, it’s one of our favourite times of the year to be out.
Haven't yet had a Christmas dinner in the MH, but only because I needed to be home to help with Mum and Dad.
Happy days though🎅⛄️🎄❄️
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I have none of those romantic memories- it was always sheer endurance.
I recall driving from Devon year after year to visit parents who lived near you. Five of us in one unheated bedroom while we were there - two single beds and stepping over three camp beds . Then the occasion when it took us three days to get back home on icy roads from there and an awful B&B in Taunton as an emergency stopover on the way.
We rented cottages twice in the Lake District as alternatives - but the beds were damp and the owners had doctored the Rayburn to stop us using fuel. So instead we actually went to live near Penrith for a few years, but quickly saw the folly of living head on to the Helm wind in winter and came south again.
Yesterday I was shopping in preparation for the invasion about to happen here. By Boxing Day I will be cooking and pulling corks out of bottles for ten. My thoughts remain as always - Thank god when Christmas over.
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Great post TDA, we've never toured at Christmas although near to it but I agree 100% with it’s one of our favourite times of the year to be out. Everything just looks better and there's no doubt in my mind though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!
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Had 5 nights one year between Christmas Day and New Year at Meathop Fell where the temperature didn't get above freezing after the first night.
Early caravanning days for us then. Had to travel back to Cheshire for a days work. Great walking though. Skiddaw was an ice rink on the loose slate. We brought home a full water bucket that had frozen solid.
Went to a CL last year in the week before Christmas to try out our new bikes. High Peak Trail in freezing fog, with snow lying on the fields. Magic.
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I suspect we’ve all had Christmasses we'd rather forget and that’s the best thing to do with them.
Although we've never been away in the van at Christmas itself, when we lived further away we did once spend a few days between Christmas and New Year at the Looe site. Until then I’d never realised that people went to town decorating their vans and awnings with lights. It was quite something - magical. 🎄
Good thread, TDA, and I’m sure there will be interesting tales to come from others.
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When I was working it was never an option to go away at Christmas. Lucky to be home by 18.30 on Christmas Eve and was back in work the day after Boxing Day. Since retirement I suppose we have carried on as before. Having said that we have "camped" in either the caravan or motorhome in the back garden when we have had a house full of visitors, much prefer them to have the house and us to have the peace of the van! Nearest we get to Christmas in the van has been visiting the likes of Chatsworth, Warwick and Blenheim in the weeks before Christmas day.
David
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We've never actually been away for Christmas Day itself, but have enjoyed a few December trips. Have also stayed at Castleton to see the lights and meet up with with youngest son to do the Mam Tor walk and then a few drinks in one of the many pubs.🍻
We have also enjoyed staying on a couple of CL'S in December to visit some Christmas Markets.
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Yes, we will be on the drive in the van as we (as ever) will have a house full.
agreed, we would rather be in the van with family in the house...we can have a morning cuppa in peace before the panic starts!
in fact, I've just filled up with water (loo, tea, shower) as we will also be heading off for New Year break with pals on Thursday.
Soon after that we will leave the cold weather behind..🙂☀️🕶️
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We have been away in our caravan over both Xmas and NYD for nearly every year since before I retired over 20 yrs ago, so stacks of good memories. We usually take a packed lunch out with us on Christmas day and have had sat at the top of Ingleborough, Shutlingsloe, White Edge above Curber & The Roaches to name a few. As we are getting on a little bit in years sitting out in the open at this time of year does not appeal as much as it used to. However we will see what tomorrow brings.😁
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🤣🤣 Yorkshire has improved a bit since then EuroT. We’ve always had proper 4x4’s, so love the snow and ice, but that’s a heck of a trek if you were in a conventional car. We love going away in cottages as well, have done a few Chrismases that have been lovely and welcoming.
This will be our first Christmas for years on our own. Not by choice.😢
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We haven't spent Christmas day in the van yet but hope to in the coming years. We have been away before and after Christmas but while Mum was still with us we have always spent Christmas day with her since our return to the UK.
We spent many years in Germany, Christmas day the house was always filled with as many single soldiers as we could manage. Hated the thought of those who couldn't be with their families being in camp.
We have some great memories from those times, soldiers crawling round the floors playing with Lego or setting up the Scalextric in the hallway with our boys. Boxing day usually saw us in the mountains skiing.
This year will be spent with my sister, BIL and their daughter and her children.
We have once spent Christmas day in an airplane flying back from Barbados, never again.
We have only twice spent Christmas apart in 50 years, not bad for a service family.
Merry Christmas all.
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Funniest memory I have is sending the chaps onto Castleton with the vans, then chum and I agreed to meet up after work to catch train from Sheffield to Hope. I got there nicely, but no sign of chum, train in danger of imminent departure, then in the distance, I could hear dee dah, dee dah, followed a couple of minutes later by chum running along platform, having hitched a ride on a “company” vehicle🤣🤣 We just made it, lads on hand at Hope to pick us up for a lovely pub meal in Castleton.
We had two tiny Airedale puppies with us that trip as well, carried everywhere in our coats. ❤️0 -
Never been away in the 'van over Christmas of New Year - just not possible with other commitments, but I do remember spending an extra night at Poolsbrook Country Park CAMC site when we got snowed in - it was the year of the 'Beast from the East'... 🤣🤣
David
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We've had a few Christmases away in the van, a number of years ago now. We've also visited some of the German and Dutch Christmas markets in December. One Christmas I remember in the MH was at Hawes many years ago; on Christmas Day the wardens invited everyone for mince pies and sherry in the office; after that we went for a walk before cooking Christmas dinner and walked across some fields. Came across a poor sheep which had got it's head stuck trying to get through some wire fencing. The gaps in the fencing weren't that small, but it couldn't go forwards or backwards, so we tried to help it. Eventually managed to get it through by manipulating the wire just big enough so we could pull it's head through, me holding the wire and OH pulling the sheep's head, and as soon as that happened it was off! Lucky sheep. Funny, the things that stick in your mind.
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Mince pies and sherry in the office - the Club certainly knows how to throw a party at Christmas. Excitement!
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We didn't get a van until we retired and then did some trips away all year round but not for Christmas itself. We used to meet up with friends for New Year, had a couple of very good New Years at Hillhead when there was a generous amount of food and a big party. Sadly our friends didn't enjoy a long retirement due to ill health but we have some happy memories of our get togethers....and some awful ones too but I will draw a veil over that. I suppose with all things you can expect the unexpected!
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For many years I've spent Christmas in Devon, normally at Hillhead. I intended to book for next Christmas but the deposit is well over a hundred quid so I'll leave it and maybe look for something different next year. Also, I tried to book on my tablet and when I tried to enter my age it wouldn't allow me to type it in directly. I have to click 792 times to get the right date.
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