The Glorious 12th
April 12th 2021 was an important day , a glorious day , a new glorious 12th, a date reclaimed by Motorhomers , Caravanners , tenters and those intent on staycation, as the masses were released from the required stay home order. Reclaimed from grouse hunters the glorious 12th no longer resides in August, but in April where it belongs.
We couldn’t travel as far as we would have liked , but we could travel and that for now is far enough.
Within the on line communities of travellers you could sense the stirring as the date approached , the excitement and longing to travel , to get going on the road and out into our beloved vans . Released were the stranded van lifers , weekenders and long stay travellers. Some shared on line their plans with enthusiasm and Andrew Ditton returned to You Tube just in time to raise our spirits further.
We occupied ourselves of course as a community through social media, especially You Tube with concern for Bob Earnshaw’s cataracts and BINGO as our finest product reviewers Here we Tow entertained us and distracted us from the boredom. Chats with Bob and Jason on a Friday , Rob and Lyn on the Van sofa and of course high octane stuff to give us our adrenaline fix from Andy and Michelle at Extreme Motorhoming Adventures. Poshcats Camping helped us plan north , south, east and west and Jenny Earnshaw educated us about Scottish site options and we excitedly followed the new career steps of Next Stop Everywhere - we so want those guys to succeed. What a great way to arrive on site to be met by those two smiling faces. Enough to lift anyone.
Dolittle Campers our pet Instagram influencers informed our choice of breed of pup , a cockapoo called Poppy, a real delightful little addition to our travel gang. It raised questions would she like the van life. We needn’t have worried of course as she settled in like a veteran.
We learned more about community members through chats with Roaming Radfords , Doolittle Campers Review and guests on the Bob and Jason Show.
We polished up our You Tubing skills, trying to reach filming standards set by Camper Vibe and Extreme Motorhoming Adventures , the bar is high , but that’s where bars should be.
The 12th arrived and you could sense we were part of a huge movement of like minded people , some leaving immediately , some delayed but ready to travel in spirit . Some had been polishing for weeks , some like me left it until the last minute, others couldn’t wait and started to travel early . Some were so enthusiastic they started doing product reviews on their driveways , hang what the neighbours think , don’t they know the glorious 12th is approaching. ! None seemed more relieved than the full timers , and not before time , like caged zoo animals they started acting really weird. John and Tash got jobs, and moved into a static and John and Mandy stopped eating meat !. Thankfully an early session at the pub on the glorious 12th saw a return to normality all round. They are free to roam now like Ronin across the land. Jeff and Hazel , after 45,000 miles plus and three years touring Europe and beyond hung out in Europe as long as they could but eventually came home - I knew with this news the pandemic was serious. But perhaps they came home to write a book , it would be one hell of a read.
Campsite Wardens or Managers waited for the onslaught of course some with dread some with excitement , either way the tidal wave was approaching - it could not be stopped. Armed with red wine for our local wardens , Keith and Sarah in order to travel gratefully , we pitched with efficiency and well done to the Caravan and Motorhome Club, always there and always the backbone of our UK travelling agenda. A couple of days at Thetford Forest under our belts we move tomorrow to Suffolk while we wait to see whether the Scottish borders will open. Travel plans this year are flexible , which suits us.
Having pitched and introduced Poppy to the site , delighted to find everything working in the van we took breakfast in the sunshine, which amounted to Lemon Drizzle Cake and Coffee. A quick twitter poll ensured that moral justification was in place for such frivolous food choices on such a fine day. ( You would have to follow us on twitter to get that one. @hestreks). If you stay at Thetford Forest you really should visit Lynford Arboretum , a short drive/walk/ride from the site.
With Cake in hand , we reflected that many can’t be here , but we take them with us as a movement , as a community and as those that were lost this year we dedicated to this moment to them , they are and always will be part of our lives.
For those still in work we will have glass warmed and wine decanted for the weekend. God Bless and safe travels
Helen and Martin
