The month is April, the Bank Holiday is coming up and the sun is shining (at last!) so that can only mean one thing…. it’s time for me (along with many hundreds across the UK) to bring my caravan out of storage!
I’m going to admit, it was with a certain amount of nervousness that I made my way to the storage space. After having about six months off of towing and the last memory of it being getting my van into storage (bit stressful with stone walls and some tight corners – or at least that’s how I remembered it) I was anxious about remembering everything and getting it back out again!
Luckily my Brother-in-Law was at hand to give me some calm advice as he has their caravan at the same place and reassured me that after dealing with nearly seven weeks towing and living in my caravan all on my own last year, it was going to be fine! I also still had my checklists from last year to jog my memory – very handy.
And he was right – I had no problem! It’s always trickier manoeuvring the caravan on my own without a second pair of eyes to keep an eye on corners etc, but as someone pointed out to me recently (hello to David, who contacted me through my blog!) he believes it’s easier on your own, rather than having someone who thinks they know better with you!
Luckily my Dad (who also stores their caravan there – we’ve taken over the space!) had checked my tyre pressure and put the battery back in (had been taken out over the winter) so all I needed to do was give the surfaces a bit of a dust, clean the fridge and check I still had everything I needed, pack a few bits and get it to the campsite we had booked for the BH weekend.
We were all heading to Woodhall Country Park in Lincolnshire. I was in my caravan, my parents in theirs, my sister, her husband and 3 year old in their van and my other sister and her other half were in a wooden Pod on the site. Sadly, my older Nephew was away, so couldn’t make it.
I had some company on the drive, my younger sister and Nephew came along with me as my BIL was at work, so wouldn’t be arriving until later on the Thursday evening. It was actually really nice to have another pair of eyes for my first journey back – especially when you may remember I had a number of issues with my sat nav last year, so have trust issues! I’d written out the journey too (I’ve learnt) but it’s hard to drive, tow, look at the sat nav, plus check the written notes all at the same time! It’s about 2.5 hours drive from home, so not too bad and all along A roads until you get very close.
No issues on the drive! Lots of sunshine, my Nephews ‘music’ on the stereo and easy roads to drive. No angry drivers expecting me to speed to accommodate their journeys and everything went smoothly. Phew!
Arrived at the site and there was a lovely big entrance and clear directions to the reception. Was greeted by a friendly welcome and directed to my pitch, which was next to my parents and sisters, plus right next to the Pods. Lovely clean site, with woods all around, a play area, small shop and great fishing for my BIL. Plus it was walking distance to the beautiful village of Woodhall Spa and a pub!
We were all on hard standing (I prefer this) and had electricity, water and waste disposal on each of our pitches. Unfortunately, my parents are the only ones of us with all the kit to accommodate this, but at least the water was close by for me!
Toilets are accessed with a special ‘key’ that you pay a deposit for, which is excellent as it means kids don’t go in there alone and make a mess. Which meant the toilets and showers were very clean and tidy – big positive for me! Showers were also free, very hot and warm.
Set-up was straight forward…..until I turned on the water pump. Instead of filling up my hot water tank, I instead filled up my under seat storage space with water! I had a leak. Turns out (thanks Dad!) that one of the connectors had failed. Luckily there was a nearby campsite with an accessories shop that had what we needed. So all was fixed by my Dad pretty quickly. The fantastic weather meant that it dried out over the four days too and normal service resumed.
I still love my caravan! It was so lovely (especially in the sun) to be outside, with my family, in lovely surroundings and enjoy the fresh air and surroundings. We shared the cooking and washing-up and ate out too, but really just chilled out. A lovely weekend with my lovely family J
Looking forward to lots of weekends away this year, with friends, family and some on my own too. Maybe I will see some of you on my travels! Please send me your recommendations for campsites and places to visit – thank you!
My recommendations:
Woodhall Country Park – www.woodhallcountrypark.co.uk
Brilliant location, easy to find and access, clean facilities and lovely wooded areas to stay in. Highly- recommended. Plus you can stay with friends and family who don’t have a caravan or tent as they have Pods, hideaways and very posh chalets too! It is so quiet at night you can hear the owls in the trees and the smell of pine in the sunshine – wonderful.
Also, if you are crazy like me and like to go for a run every day, there are lots of lovely places to go. I left the campsite, turning left along a small section of road, onto the path into Woodhall Spa (everyone is very friendly that you pass!). From the village I turned right down the high street and turned into a residential street that looked like it would loop round to the high street and luckily it did! Then ran back the way I came. Another option is the footpath that takes you past the Kinema in the Woods (see below) which also goes past the local golf course and through some lovely woods – just look out for the tree roots! These runs also get you to the village if you walk!
Walk into Woodhall Spa and visit the museum:
Woodhall Community website – www.woodhallspa.org
As explained above, it’s really easy to get to the village from the campsite on foot. When there, you can look at the lovely shops, visit the Cottage Museum (I didn’t have time sadly, but will be going back) and take a look at the war memorial and information boards around the village to get an insight into their history, especially during the Second World War, where the village housed a lot of servicemen and women and played a part in quite a few major breakthroughs and emergencies.
Bakery in village – Artisan Boulanger, Ronde Des Pains
You HAVE to visit this place! It’s on the high street and called ‘Artisan Boulanger, Ronde Des Pains’. It’s an artisan bakery and deli. The bread is amazing and the cakes are huge! I didn’t get to taste any of the delights on offer, but my family did and highly recommend – just look at the photos!!
Marblethorpe beach:
Though I wouldn’t recommend the place itself (unless you like arcades, kiss me quick, greasy burgers and fairgrounds) the beach was spotless and about 50 mins from the campsite.There were also toilets for 20p very close by. We had fabulous weather and spent all day there with my small Nephew.
Belton House – www.nationaltrust.org.uk/belton-house
I have to visit a NT property when possible when I am away and this was a lovely one. Easter egg hunt for the Nephew, nice (if a little expensive) Pavilion to buy food from and then eat on the lawn, plus lovely ground and an interesting building to look around. PLUS an AMAZING adventure playground, mini train line, water features and sandpits! It’s worth the money to get in just for that if you have kids. I was also happy to find a second-hand bookshop, where I bought two books. As I am a volunteer at a local NT house, I get a small discount on the tea rooms and gift shops – lucky me!
The Village Limits Pub and B&B – http://villagelimits.co.uk/
We ate here on the Sunday evening and the food was excellent and the Ladies who run it and work there were lovely – really welcoming and friendly. Was very busy, so need to book, but would highly recommend this place, plus you can walk from the campsite to get there. You can even order dessert to take away if you’re too full after your meal J
Kinema in the woods –www.thekinemainthewoods.co.uk
Tea House in the Woods – https://www.teahouseinthewoods.co.uk/
Disclaimer: I didn’t visit either of these, just took a look. The Tea Room was shut on Bank Holiday Monday (!!) but I will return!
One (wo)man and her (cara)van 
I’ll second all your recommendations .
It was a lovely long weekend.
LikeLiked by 1 person