End of an era!

moulesy
moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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edited October 2019 in General Chat #1

Well, with this year's main touring season drawing to an end, we have decided to sell our van and leave the "travelling-with-a-white-box" community for good! frown

This will be quite a wrench, because we've toured this way for over the 45 years we've been together, progressing from a tiny ridge tent to our latest van, and we both did with our families as children before that.

But over the past couple of years we've made less use of the tourer. This is for a variety of reasons - spending more time in the static down in Cornwall, going further afield and for longer abroad, and taking on more commitment at home.  So with storage/insurance/servicing coming in at almost £1000 and with the van reaching the age where we think bits and pieces are going to need replacing we decided now is the time to make a change.

We think that, over the years, we've covered pretty much the whole of England and Wales, much of Scotland and bits of Ireland and, in our tenting days, much of northern Europe. We've stayed at a variety of places, some truly spectacular, and others truly dire! wink But we've enjoyed the lot in one way or another.

And we've made so many friends and passing acquaintances In that time, including meeting up with, I reckon,.around 30 members of this forum.

We'll still tour "over here" and get out walking with the dog(s), but we'll base ourselves in cottages and b&b places instead of camp sites.

And, although no longer a club member, I'll still be on CT from time to time keeping up with what everyone is up to!

So, thanks for the memories, and good luck to you all in you touring in the future. smile

Comments

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #2

    It can't have been an easy decision to make, M but you are probably glad that it's finally been taken. 

    We wish you all the very best in your new adventures, wherever they may take you, and if they are ever in the same area we happen to be in I'll be more than happy to buy you a pint!

    Good luck.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #3

    Happy days, M. Onwards and upwards👍🏻🙂

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #4

    As always in life you (or onesmile) find that you do things sometimes out of habit but sometimes like in your case perhaps out of fondess for happy times gone by. You then take stock and have to decide if still makes sense to carry on, sometimes it is and sometimes not. 

    You have, like many of us, had many happy years of touring with a caravan and I'm sure there are many memories. 

    I've always enjoyed using the caravan to visit places and as you still have your health and with that you can still tour just not with the white box as you say. It will still be as much fun I'm sure without the aquaroll and wastemaster.

    Enjoy it all and glad to know you'll still be on CT

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited October 2019 #5

    One less for me to take the ***** out of over your choice of Kick ball team  frown

     

    Sorry to see you go away from the Active Touring Mob and the Dish Washing Chatterboxes Take care & look after yourselves, please BUT remember even Tigerfish could not stay away for toooooo long .

     

  • trellis
    trellis Forum Participant Posts: 1,102
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    edited October 2019 #6

    Mr M , in the relatively short time I've been on CT  it has always been a pleasure reading your posts. Wherever your legs take you enjoy ,but please don't become a stranger.😀😀.

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,192 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #7

    Moulsey sad for you both but sounds like it's the right time. Not easy and several sleepless nights no doubt. Wish you both happy travels by whatever method.

    As you may have read,on another thread, we parted with our motorhome 2 weeks ago. We had damp and couldn't cure 😤. We used a guy who advertises in the magazine, thought he was very fair, sadly he found aluminium corrosion on the roof, which explains why we couldn't solve. Actually him finding that made it easier to except that we had made the right decision. He was gutted too as he said what beautiful condition everything was.

    We'll wait and see what next year brings, as it will be me doing the driving. There's lots if ways of exploring our beautiful country and we may get overseas again! 😉

    Like you I'm not leaving CT as I want to keep up with folks, our membership doesnt expire until May so not cancelling - just in case 😉

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2019 #8

    Ecclesiastes 3:1 is probably apt Moulesy

    Good luck with your future plans M.

     

    Alan

  • JillwithaJay
    JillwithaJay Club Member Posts: 2,484 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #9

    My very best wishes to you Moulesy.  We have a feeling that the age of our van and our own age might coincide with a similar decision within the next five years but not just yet.

  • neveramsure
    neveramsure Forum Participant Posts: 712
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    edited October 2019 #10

    Good luck to you Moulesy.

    I have recently been contemplating packing in caravanning myself. Staying on sites is great but the towing is becoming more of a chore as I get older, having said that I have already been looking at sites for next year. Old habits die hard.smile

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #11

    I guess it will happen to us all at some stage M.

    I think if we lived where you do and had a static in Cornwall would probably be doing the same in a few years. 

    Since we bought our first caravan in 1980 we've only been without one for a few years, that was when we first returned form Germany. 

    Please do keep on posting I love to see where you go and what you get up to smile

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited October 2019 #12

    Good luck for the future M, it is surely a wrench, to stop, please keep posting on here frowncool

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #13

    Sounds as though you'll have lots of memories from your touring days Moulesy and I hope you enjoy all your future holidays too. Good to hear you'll be hovering around on CT as one of the "originals!"  smilesmile

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited October 2019 #14

    There's nothing that I can say that hasn't been said above. You know you have our very wishes for whatever you do in the future. Great to see that you will still be posting on here, and please keep in touch.

    I just wonder what Lady has to say about your decision!wink

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited October 2019 #15

    Less time on that keyboard, more time doing hard yards probably  !!

  • Freddy55
    Freddy55 Club Member Posts: 1,809 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #16

    What? Are you mad? wink

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
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    edited October 2019 #17

    Best wishes for the future Moulesy and yes please keep posting on here.

    Will be on one of your local sites in November at Cirencester for a week.

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,383
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    edited October 2019 #18

    Good luck M, not a decision I am prepared to make, going to leave it up to the DVLA and the medical profession to tell me I cannot renew my C1+E anymore. Only then will I consider the future. Hopefully by then I won't be too bothered.

    peedee