Christmas on site
We were last away for Christmas about 7 years ago, so we have decided to go this year, we have picked one of our favourite sites which is Hawes. Booked a super pitch, bit of a walk to the toilet block for me, wife showers in the van just a little to small for me or l am to large, wife says the latter. As anyone been to Hawes at the Christmas break, we love the town and the surrounding area. l know their are other sites to visit at the Christmas period would love your feed back from some of them. l believe Castleton is a good one to visit at that period and so is Chatsworth but both are hard to get on. Would love to here your experiences
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I think that our situation may be different to yours Heethers. Our first trip away for a Christmas break was at the end of 2009 I think. We were booked into site at Bury for 10 nights but on proposed arrival date and the following day the warden advised that he was unable to keep the steep access free from ice and to delay. We went instead to Southport. Have been there every Christmas break since and leave before New Year. Nowadays we stay for 15 days.
At other times of the year we move every 5 nights generally. I would find 15 nights at Hawes too long. For us it gets us away from Christmas! Yes we do have decorations but Christmas is not something that we look forward to of itself.
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Heathers, I would think you should check whether anywhere is open on Christmas Day in Hawes. It's a very small town.
Here in Cornwall, in a town about eight times the size of Hawes, just one hotel dining room was open - serving Christmas lunch at £85 a head, catering for elderly men in blazers and cravats, and their elderly wives putting a brave face on the fact that their families didn't want them. All were sitting at tables for two and eating in silence. Hawes might be better than that, or it might be just as bad.
If I was in that situation I might be tempted to go on a cruise. Good luck either way.
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Eurotraveller, there are some wonderful hotels in Cornwall and they all do Christmas!
I would imagine there would be some Christmas lunches in Hawes or surrounding villages. If I was going away in the SW I'd probably choose Dulverton for Christmas. I also know people have a good time on the Hillhead site, the New Year is nice there too, we've done that a couple of times. It's surprising how many families go for Christmas breaks and there's certainly a nice atmosphere with seasonal type activities. But enough from me, it's August and I want to enjoy it!
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I'm surprised that Dave the warden thought that ..... must've been the suvvern softie in him
.... I never had a problem parking near the entrance (which is where the apparent steep bit is) when walking the mutt, even when it stayed frozen for months on end.0 -
I know it was cold weather. Southport was -14c most nights and did not rise above freezing. From my poor memory the rise is between the pub and the site. Could well be that particularly front wheel drive cars were having problems towing up but admit that I was surprised that it could not be kept clear
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Eurotraveller, don't intend to eat out, will cook Christmas dinner in the van small turkey crown rolled, Aunt Bessie's roasts potatoes and some mash, sprouts roasted parsnips' and carrots done in honey. Do the turkey first let it rest, enough room in the oven for Roast potatoes and the parsnips and carrots, do the Christmas pud in the slow cooker over night, bottle of plonk hey presto jobs a goodun. Sit back and enjoy. l am sure the pubs will be open Christmas eve, plus boxing day after a good walk. Hopefully their will be Christmas carols at the church at mid night service. What do others think anyone done their christmas dinner in the van
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Christmas and Boxing day meals in the caravan for the past seven Christmases. Usualy main lunch about 2pm. Last year it was half leg of lamb with all the trimmings. Not keen on aunt Bessie's roasters and usually take my own ready prepared and frozen along with duchess potatoes, bechamel sauce and decent home made stock. We are away for 15 nights and out most days but rarely venture out on Christmas Day itself.
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Your choice ,Heethers, though it sounds very sad, solitary and lonely to me. I will be in an old house with log fires, an eight foot Christmas tree, champagne before lunch, a dozen people at the table, small excited children scampering round, and presents piled up for everyone, Positively Dickensian. But I hope your Christmas goes well.
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Sure, and if I were alone and in that situation I would go to a good hotel in London, or more likely back to a cheap and cheerful, palm thatched beach front hut in the sun in Thailand - but a Caravan Club site for Christmas would be the very end, Sorry.
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As Brue suggests - we are all different. Many spend time with friends and family over Christmas. Well I can do that any time. We enjoy a meal out with friends and do so regularly when at home. I hesitate to do so on Christmas day as many venues struggle to cope at such times and to provided decent quality fare.
These days Christmas for us is spending time together without distractions. We go away for 15 nights as at that time of year on most days we would not be out and about that much. Being away we are out and about and active near enough every day. We really enjoy time together and that is particularly so over that period as it always is when we are on holiday with no other distractions.
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Peoples circumstances are all different, our children both live away from home. Youngest son in Malta, his MIL spends Christmas with them as she is on her own otherwise. Eldest son sometimes comes North for Christmas sometimes not. Last year we went on a cruise for Christmas, first time away from home, not sure that we enjoyed it that much but I think it was the (cruise) rather than the being away from home.
Eurotraveller, your Christmas sounds very much like the ones we used to have when the children were small and we live in Germany, our house was open to all on Christmas day so we often had lots of single soldiers popping in. The boys loved it, lots of people to play with them and of course the 'singlies' loved the family atmosphere. Nowadays though I couldn't be doing with it. Not sure I'm quite ready for your picture of a hotel Christmas dinner either (how did you know what it was like if you were not there)
Sitting at home just the 2 of us sounds depressing to, so going to a campsite for a few days might well be the better choice as there is always people around so no being 'Billy no mates'
The one thing I do not want to do is to be in a place where folk just drink drink drink all day and make a nuisance of themselves, I've no time for that kind of celebration.
Wherever people spend their Christmas it doesn't matter, as long as they do so of their own free will and they enjoy it.
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Heethers
It's not something we have done, but I really hope you have a good time. Because of the work I did all my working life Christmas was generally just Christmas Day and Boxing Day and then back to work. Invariably I arrived home usually early evening on Christmas Eve so I expect I have a different perspective on Christmas than many. We do sometimes spend Christmas on our own at home but we don't particularly mind that. I think that perhaps Christmas away in the van has possibilities, more so that the Ebenezer Scrooge's of this world would have you believe. A nice country pub with a blazing fire, a nice walk in the fresh air to fine tune the appetite. Sounds good to me.
David
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David,at least you got xmas off,when I was working it was a three out of 5 chance I would be working over Christmas Boxing Day or New Year.
The management would come down in staff, but on the pretext if you were required you had to come in.
If we had the day off it would still come out of our holiday allowance,but it was normal and we just got on with it the best we could.
So Xmas no sorry not for me,family is too large for that now,but New Year is different,could easily go away then,grandkids cannot stay up that late anyway,our children out with their friends and us older generation just watching Jules Holland, again, pre recorded earlier in the year,waiting for 24:00 so we can sing Auld Lang what ever it's called, listen to Big Ben dong away, then wait for bloody happy new year texts to come in from people in the next room,then,go to bed!
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We've always had the family over for Christmas and I've always loved it, a dozen or more invited and then open house. Sadly the numbers have dwindled down to 4 at the most these days when it's my turn for mum, 3 otherwise. Mum wants to leave very early evening so no longer riotous board and card games 😢. Our daughter lives in NZ and Christmas in the heat ain't right 😉 so miss out replacing the lost generation with grandchildren at present 😉. But like Tammygirl I'm not sure I can be bothered with all that now. We tell our son were happy to be alone, he and his partner of 6 years have yet to spend a Christmas together 😲, but are delighted he returns home, although it's sad to recall the busy Christmases.
Life changes for many different reasons and I'm glad once the new year has started, I'm always melancholy new years eve and happy to be asleep before the midnight hour.
Heethers I hope you have a great time, if I found we were going to be alone I'd try to persuade himself to go off in the van, but even if we are in that position this year we won't cos we're off to NZ on 27th 😆
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We've been away in our caravan nearly every X-mas & New Year for at least the last 20 yrs. We're quite happy with our own company, usually packing a festive picnic lunch and then heading out for a decent walk. Have spent X-mas lunchtimes on to of Ingleborough, Great Wearnside, on The Roaches etc, Then back to the van and a full X-Mas dinner with all the trimmings. As others have said "each to their own".
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Thanks for your replies, l too was on call at Christmas elected to do it due to the wife being a sister on the district she always worked Christmas day and Boxing day to give her young nurses with children Christmas off, she had New years day. We have always had the family round for the last 20 years or more, my sister in law has moved back nearer home and intends to take the mother and father in law for Christmas, Daughters due to go to her in laws this Christmas so we thought a great opportunity to try Christmas in the van this year. We may get cold feet one never knows but up to now we have booked Hawes will let you know how we get on. Before that though a few more weeks to be had in the van. Poolsbrook being one, Bridlington has been cancelled by the club, so l think we may go back to troutbeck or if poolbrook lives up to the reviews its had a return their, will have a look on the web for other places to visit
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