Dad looks amazing, so well! It’s odd not being able to hug and kiss hello, but we aren’t risking it. We’re tired (Ian more than me as he drove all the way) so having dropped off the musical instruments we didn’t want to put into storage, and some spare Calor gas canisters, we head to our park-up. We’ve always stayed on campsites or on friends’ and family drives before, but today, in the spirit of our new adventurous life, we are staying….. in a pub car park! What more could you ask for? A flat car park, a pub with good food, beer, and a canal to walk along in the evening. So The Pilot Inn, Hardwick, Gloucester becomes our first of many ‘houseless not homeless’ stops thanks to the Search for Sites app.
I’m always amazed how well we both sleep in Agy, we both sleep terribly usually, but in Agy, we’re so relaxed and comfy we sleep better than normal, despite being in a pub car park, on a slope, or wherever we might be.
It's great being able to catch up with family and friends, we both grew up here so lots of happy memories, people and places to go. Social media may have lots of issues, but without it, I certainly wouldn’t have reconnected with so many people who are very important in my life. Ian was able to see his best friend, and we could have dinner with friends who many moons ago we were venture scouts with., To be honest they are so much more than that… I spend most of my summer holidays camping with my friend and her family when I was senior school age.
I remember camping at a pig farm in Hull, having to use the CB radio to find her dad driving in the Land Rover we were supposed to be following, in her mum's car only15 minutes into a 5 hour journey.Nan’s corset lace being unceremoniously removed in the car, to tie the exhaust on mid journey. Extending our stay by a week as the cat/tortoise/dog/rabbit has gone walkabout (OK, it was generally the cat, but you get the picture). Glorious freedom with fabulous people who not only took me on holiday, but were my Guide and then Venture Scout leaders.
Ian worked with my friend's husband (another fellow venture scout) for years and once they get going, their stories are as entertaining as our youthful camping ones. They were amazing times in our lives where we grew up, discovered who we were, and remarkably many of those Venture Scouts friends are still part of our lives today. In fact, several of us married our fellow scouts!
We were also able to have time with my sister and niece, again lockdown had a massive impact on our ability to see each other – not that we see each other much, but this has been far too long. Funnily enough, as a family we have spoken more (mainly via WhatsApp) during lockdown, than for years so certainly there's some good come out of it.
Ian’s family also live locally, so it was great to see them too, maybe once we get to the island we will see more of people as it's a great holiday destination. There wasn’t time to see everyone and there were a couple of people, who were and still are incredibly important to me, that we just couldn't make work timing wise, but it was good to spend some more time with those we could and know they are OK.
After a night over near Tewkesbury at Ye Olde Hobnails Inn (Oh, that pie was amazing! And sheep for neighbours) we headed into the Cotswold's for a day out.
Being in a van means you do need to plan a bit, but Broadway isn't usually too crowded, so we headed there and found a parking spot where we could have a wander before heading up to the tower. There are so many beautiful villages in the area, but some are always busy and a sunny day, even with the restrictions of the virus probably, meant a van in Bourton-on-the-Water wasn't a good idea. Who needs it, when you have Broadway?
We headed back to Gloucestershire for one more night to say our farewells, and then set off, stopping for a night at The Whitminster Inn, before heading to our first campsite in 5 days. Water, waste emptying, and showers awaited in Cirencester. The joy of a shower when you haven’t been able to have one for a while is hard to describe! To be honest we may not be hugging friends in our usual bear hug way, but we did need freshening up, my hair certainly thanked me for a decent flow of water!
Our final night of catching up with friends took us to Chippenham. We're hoping next time we see them, they will be in their caravan next to us in Agy. Do you think it's an age thing? We seem to have a fair few friends with a van of one sort of the other now. Our friend's drive, washing machine and another shower, topped off with an amazing BBQ and company, set us up for our first week of real wild camping. No water, no electric hook up to top our power up, no toilets nearby, just us and what’s on board.
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