end of an era

[colin-yorkshire]

hi all.
well it has happend, the vans gone sold it this morning to a nice couple from Derbyshire, they rang up last night and ask to look at it, and came this morning.
armed with a damp meter and keen eye for detail went over it with a fine tooth comb (exactly the right thing to do, so take notice you newbies out there) I turned on the gas and water so they could test all the equipment, and after a final look round agreed the asking price without a quibble.
gave us a 10% deposit and left, :woohoo: only to return within 1hour and paid the balance in cash. and that was it 2hrs after turning up it was on its way to a new home down the M1.
I am a little sad walking into a big empty garage now but if the new owners get as much pleasure out of it as we have done thats fine.
first time in 44+ years we have been without one, but now it's time to move on B) at least we have all our memories of years gone by, something we would not have had if we had not taken a gamble back in 1969. and bought the little airstream.
to all you lovely people with vans out there enjoy your days in your van it is a magical time that does not last forever.
and to those thinking of taking up caravanning I say go ahead you will not regret it. we have not.

ps if you know anyone who wishes to buy a starter kit at a reasonable price ask one of the mods to pass on my email as I will not need it all now. thanks for reading and enjoy.
colin.

 

[Gagakev]

hi all.
well it has happend, the vans gone sold it this morning to a nice couple from Derbyshire, they rang up last night and ask to look at it, and came this morning.
armed with a damp meter and keen eye for detail went over it with a fine tooth comb (exactly the right thing to do, so take notice you newbies out there) I turned on the gas and water so they could test all the equipment, and after a final look round agreed the asking price without a quibble.
gave us a 10% deposit and left, :woohoo: only to return within 1hour and paid the balance in cash. and that was it 2hrs after turning up it was on its way to a new home down the M1.
I am a little sad walking into a big empty garage now but if the new owners get as much pleasure out of it as we have done thats fine.
first time in 44+ years we have been without one, but now it's time to move on B) at least we have all our memories of years gone by, something we would not have had if we had not taken a gamble back in 1969. and bought the little airstream.
to all you lovely people with vans out there enjoy your days in your van it is a magical time that does not last forever.
and to those thinking of taking up caravanning I say go ahead you will not regret it. we have not.

ps if you know anyone who wishes to buy a starter kit at a reasonable price ask one of the mods to pass on my email as I will not need it all now. thanks for reading and enjoy.
colin.

Wow Colin that made my heart strings tweak a bit reading that!! What you must feel like I hate to think, but it's good you are looking on the positive side and have all those memories, good luck to you and your better half, and keep posting, your knowledge has been exceptional on here and has helped me a number of times, thank you and take care.

 

[Parksy]

That was a bittersweet post Colin, I hope that you won't miss touring too much
I hope that you won't desert us here on the forum, selling your caravan is no excuse for not visiting the forum.

 

[ProfJohnL]

All the best for the future, and do keep posting. There is nothing like experience, so please keep sharing yours.

 

[Dustydog]

Colin
I thought you may have had an eleventh hour reprieve and changed your mind.
This means you will miss months Woosiefest.
I wish you both plenty more years of good holidays even without the caravan.
Please keep posting.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Colin - sorry to hear you are giving up caravanning. All the best for the future.

 

[Gafferbill]

Colin...........Good luck with all your future holidays and don't abandon us
You are after all the Forum caravan electrician

Sounds like you had the perfect sales experience on selling your caravan and if you intend to rent then I can recommend this company.
I use their sites with my touring caravan and find them to be good...........they do off peak £5/night deals but that is with your own caravan!

Keep posting.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi Guys,
thank you very much for your kind words, to be honest this has been comming for a while I have been procrastinating since last years holiday disaster, on what to do with it as it became obvious to us it was time to move on.
I did toy with the idea of putting it on a site somewhere as Parksy suggested at the time but the problem is the van not the touring with it, the Woosie pot is just not suitable anymore and yes sadness too because now in retirement it should have been the time it got used the most but there you are thats life.

word here for DD, thanks mate, I will be thinking of you all at the woosie feast, and you never know one day there might just be a day visitor at a meet, after all there are plenty of BB's near the chosen site we will still be touring just not with a van.

and lastly I was serious about the starter kit. it's all there apart from battery wheel clamp and gas bottle I left in the van. the couple who bought the van did not need it as it was not their first van, apparently their last one had to be scrapped because of damp :woohoo: guess that is why they came armed with a damp meter and were so keen to buy when there was none. it explains a lot.

still the money is in the bank and looking forwards to a couple of weeks in Cornwall late September so it is not all bad news.

 

[Robtel]

Might be the end of one era Colin but it's also the start of a new one.

I'm sure I can remember you posting a few years back about having to consider giving up the caravan due to health reason ( the better half's health if I recall correctly). Whatever the reasons are I wish you both all the very best for the future. As others have said please continue posting if you can, your posts are always informative and helpful with a common sense and friendly approach.

For all the years I've posted on forums I have only ever met up with one forum member whilst on site. I have a mental list of those I would have liked to have been pitched next to on some occasion and sadly it seems I'm going to have to take someone of that list now.
Best wishes to you and your good lady, take care and please keep in touch.

Rob

 

[Gabsgrandad]

Can I echo the sentiments of Robtel.
If I did see you I wouldn't know you from Adam, but through this forum you get the feeling you do 'know' someone and read as though you are talking with them and like them, you are one of them, keep "chatting" and all the best to you and your lady.

 

[LizziePope]

Colin, a lovely post, very moving, so thank you for taking the time. Have you an image of your dearly departed van on site, in the prime of its life with you? And, as others have said, we hope you still frequent this forum – experienced voices are indispensable.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

Colin, a lovely post, very moving, so thank you for taking the time. Have you an image of your dearly departed van on site, in the prime of its life with you? And, as others have said, we hope you still frequent this forum – experienced voices are indispensable.

hi Lizzie, thank you. yes I probably have a few dozen now wether I can upload them to the forum through photobucket is different thing altogether I have followed the instuctions several times but it never works :S :S

 

[mealsonwheels]

Sorry that things worked out as they did for you and you've sold your caravan - something that has to come to us all one day and which none of us look forward to, but one door never closes, without another opening.
All the best to you both and we hope we continue to see your name on the forum, giving your valuable advice.

 

[emmerson]

Interesting post Colin .Herself and I have been thinking along those lines for a couple of years now. Then we go off to Europe again and meet up with all the friends we've made over the years, and go on to make new ones almost every year, so we keep going back, and so it goes on! Our major problem with giving up the van is our two ageing dogs. We will not go holiday without them, and we don't fancy being stuck in one place because the hotel takes dogs, if you see what I mean.
We are both in our seventies, been caravanning for 47 years, and cannot imagine what we will do when the day comes when we have to stop. My health is reasonable, but Herself's is not good. Every year I leave the decision to her, and if she says we go, we go!
This year, though was a bit traumatic, as we had three breakdowns, which she found stressful (at the time - she soon recovered when we were back on the road), so we will see what next Spring brings.
I don't think we'll give up totally, maybe just make the Euro - jaunt a little shorter, say four weeks instead of ten, and see how that goes. We will carry on in this country, though.
Anyway, I'm sure you and your good lady put a lot of thought into it, and it was the right decision for you. Good luck to you both.

 

[Mel]

Life is a series of endings and beginnings. Generally in that order. The sadness of the parting will linger but the joy of new adventures will not be far away. I'm sure that you and Mrs Yorkshire will enjoy many happy holidays that don't involve a 'van. If the pennies will stretch, I can recommend a cruise!
mel

 

[colin-yorkshire]

thank you all once again.
yes Emmo I am sure it was the right thing to do, due to circumstances the love affair with the van had waned quite a bit these last few years as it got more difficult to use it. so it had to go.
my only regret is I think that I under valued it a little, I set the price between dealer trade in and market resale value.which seemed fair at the time however looking back I did not take into account its condition or the extra equipment it had on board like the mover new battery and full gas bottles. it was still like new and would not have been out of place on dealer forecourt amongst the new vans.
still it now has a new home with owners who hopefully will look after it like we did.

Hi Mel,
the new beginnings have already started B) we have booked into a static at a very reasonable price for the last two weeks in sept near Bodmin a central area we like, and have booked a log cabin for the new year in Callander .

 

[RayS]

Hello Colin, just caught up with this thread. Having been faced with the serious probability of having to sell my van and give it all up recently, I have every sympathy with you feelings and admiration about how you've come to terms with it, I'm lucky in that things have turned out I have a reprieve for at least the next year. My OH has taken over the towing and the good old NHS has reassured me that things are not as bad as seemed at first.

I'm sure that with your attitude you will find another 'addiction' as some form of substitute - i'm exploring such possibilities too - and may I wish you interest and enjoyment with it.

Ray S

 

[CyberCynth]

Life is a series of endings and beginnings. Generally in that order. The sadness of the parting will linger but the joy of new adventures will not be far away. I'm sure that you and Mrs Yorkshire will enjoy many happy holidays that don't involve a 'van. If the pennies will stretch, I can recommend a cruise!
mel

Well said, Mel, couldn't have said better myself, but will add my own best wishes to Colin and OH for very happy holidays in the future, and may you be blessed with good health to enjoy them.