Well, Kizzy has taken to caravanning like a duck to water! Having said goodbye to dear little Milly, the Avondale Dart caravan that was our temporary home for a couple of weeks last summer as we moved house, we ventured out in the replacement 'van, an Elddis Xplore 452.
Off to the
Club Site at Mablethorpe we went, a location the chauffeur and the maid had not visited in all the time I’ve been alive. The last time they went, about ten years ago, it rained, and rained… and rained. But they were cosy in their little campervan and, with no dogs to walk, they were happy to stay put and wait until the bad weather had passed.
So we were fortunate that it was mainly dry for our visit. But oh, the northerly wind certainly made the east coast seem decidedly chilly for the second half of April and at one time we were bombarded by hailstones. Luckily the as yet unnamed Xplore benefits from blown air heating,so we were all toasty and warm as the evening temperatures fell.
But what of Mablethorpe, and this particular Club Site? As you can probably see from the photos, there’s plenty of room to pick a nice spot. There are more than 100 pitches, many with hardstanding, and you could, if you were feeling energetic, walk into the centre of the seaside town of Mablethorpe.
The sea looked grey and choppy but all the signs were there that, as the summer approaches, this will be a busy resort and the Club Site will be popular too.
Since the chauffeur and maid had last visited, a lovely new toilet and shower block had been built, which, said the maid, was warm and light with plenty of hot water and even free hairdryers… ideal for drying off after a damp day out.
For us four-legged friends, the site has its own dog walk, but Kizzy and I preferred to trot on the promenade just off the busy, amusement arcade packed town centre. The last time we were all on the prom, in the late autumn of last year, a tiny goldcrest, a bird even smaller than the wren, amazed us all.
The maid and chauffeur had just settled into one of the small shelters that face the sea when the bird flew into the shelter, landing in an exhausted state on the chauffeur’s green fleece. It appeared to have flown across the sea, probably from eastern Europe or Scandinavia, as many do as winter approaches, so the chauffeur cradled it in his cupped hand and held it close to the warmth of his body.
After it had recovered a little, he placed it safely in the centre of a bush to relax after its mammoth journey to our shores. So who knows what you might see on a visit to Mablethorpe!
All that sea air made us hungry, so while Kizzy and I tucked into our favourite dinner, the maid and chauffeur decided to opt for a pizza, which was delivered to the Club Site by a takeaway business in the town. Just look for the signs outside the site shop.
Well, my two-legged touring companions say you can’t go to the seaside without having chips, pizza or ice cream and although I’m not keen on any of those, I did enjoy helping them devour the topping of their hot chocolate cream and marshmallows at a very nice dog-friendly café just over the road from the pizza parlour. Well, you have to get into the holiday spirit, don’t you?
Next time, I’ll be planning our first summer holiday in the Xplore...