What do you miss on tour?

[LizziePope]

In his latest blog, our columnist Martin Roberts rather lets his imagination run away with him! But, in truth, what do you miss on tour?

Or is the point that you're touring to discover new places so you don't feel you're missing anything?

Please post and let us know.

 

[saint-spoon]

To be honest I don’t really miss anything when I am away, and we don’t have a telly in the caravan or a portable wifi thingy either. That’s the whole point of it.

 

[Robtel]

Nope, can't say I really miss anything either. Although Martin Robert's blog about his fantasy caravan garden did make me think that I really prefer pitches with a defined boundary set by hedges as often found on French sites compared to the more open plan layout of the likes of most CC sites. So perhaps that little bit of privacy that the garden at home brings would be the only thing I could say I "missed", not a big deal in all honesty though.

 

[SamandRose]

To be honest, Martin's fantasy sounds like my idea of hell. The beauty of having a caravan is being able to discover new places. Who wants to spend their holiday gardening?!

 

[Martin24]

I wouldn't mind leaving the children at home and then pretending to miss them.

 

[Robtel]

I don't imagine that Martin was hoping to be doing the gardening work himself ( nor would I, takes me all my time to deal with what I have at home!) But SamandRose's post reminded me of a small site I visited in the Dordogne a few years back. A lovely quiet site, think it only had 10 pitches, all hard standing with a small flower bed along both sides and the back of each pitch. Having a chat with the English owner one day who told me of a guest who had visited earlier and had asked if she could borrow one his small gardening trowels and hand fork. The lady then spent a large part of her holiday weeding the gravel standing and keeping the flower beds tidy. So, for some at least, doing a spot of gardening is something they miss.

 

[Parksy]

I always enjoy reading Martin Roberts quirky take on caravanning and can relate to his idea of missing some aspects of home life when we're touring.
We love to get away from the busy West Midlands urban area that we live in to explore distant greener quieter countryside and coastal destinations, and while we're away doing that there's nothing much that I miss apart from Pickles the cat who is in the cattery.
The homesickness pangs start for me around the evening before our journey back home.
I've enjoyed a lovely holiday or short break with every home comfort and the daily choice of walking to take exercise and to look at the scenery or simply lazing about around the caravan re-charging my batteries, but at the end of the trip I'm always happy to journey back to my familiar hum drum home and social life with the d-i-y jobs, the weekly shop, the choirs that I sing with and my mates at the pub.
The familiar home routine is comfortable, we can enjoy planning future caravan adventures and I can anticipate our next caravan outing or daydream about new caravans worthy of lottery winners, lovely holiday sites and sunny skies as I mow the lawn at home.

 

[pitpony]

Can't say I miss another having always worked away, but I do think about what the grass will look like in the garden when we arrive home, so last year I put down a membrane and four and a half tons of gravel

 

[Raywood]

I miss nothing in the caravan. Life is far easier when you have only a long narrow corridor to organise rather than a house with a living room bigger than the entire caravan. Well perhaps I miss having a toilet that is connected directly to the sewer and does not need emptying every couple of days.

 

[Hutch]

After a 6 weeks tour in Europe, I miss a good British beer, in a British Pub. We love our Caravan life/ hobby, just wish we had three times the money to really enjoy, the way of life we have, just want to find more winter sites near to good pubs.

 

[Beehpee]

Hi Hutch, don't know which part of the U.K. you live but we've just had a brilliant weekend at a small site that's run and owned by the adjacent pub, it's the drum and monkey at Upton on (or is it upon) Severn, easy to find if you google it, there's 6 ehu points and room for several none electric pitches, it's a grass field and while it's not bowling green flat it's not too bad at all, clean showers, though unheated and the pub which is just a 100 yd stroll across the field, plenty of choice of beers and food was great.

BP

 

[Hutch]

Beepee, there is a clue at the bottom of my foot note, Milton Keynes, just down the road from yourself.
Thanks I'check that site out.

 

[Mogwyth]

Oh misses a proper bath but apart from that not a lot. Living on a 65 acre farm, miles from the nearest decent shops or pub is not dissimilar to staying on many CSs anyway just a new view.

In fact after a winter trip, its more what we miss being at home, being the heating as we rely on a solid fuel Rayburn and log fires at home

 

[Hutch]

Mogwyth, sounds almost idilict, but I know its not.
I sometimes miss a good thunderstorm, had a great one near Lake Annecy, France, no rain, but fantastic light show. But also love a great rain storm as long as the dogs don't want to go out. And the pubs not too far away. :lol:

Beepee, check out Oberry fields , Lighthorn Warwickshire, CV35 0AU. Lovely pub, The Antelope, about 1/4 mile /1/2 mile away depending on the direction you walk. Near to Gaydon, M40.

 

[Mogwyth]

Mogwyth, sounds almost idilict, but I know its not.
.

Its not that bad actually, I will confess we are not full-time farmers and both the wife and I have relatively good office jobs, which means we don't want for much.

 

[Tuningdrew]

No, I don't think we miss anything other than a proper loo! The bed is more comfortable than at home, we don't watch television at home or away but we do walk the dogs more, read and relax and thoroughly enjoy the lifestyle.
This summer we had amongst other domestic breaks two and a half weeks near Cherbourg. At the end we seriously thought about staying on an extra week or two. I'm self-employed and my wife can work anywhere she has a wi-fi signal and the thought of coming home was depressing.
Should we be spared to retire in five years time I imagine we will spend most of our time in the caravan after downsizing the house, we have a grand plan to tour the UK and Europe, following the sun.

 

[RayS]

Basically we miss the worst of the British winter and with it coughs and colds dark cold evenings and large heating bills. None of these seem to occur in Andelucia - or at least, not to us.
But we are always glad to come home in April perhaps getting our third spring in the year - first in Spain, second in France on the way home and the third in rural Somerset. We enjoy the first cuckoo three times over.

Come the autumn the same sort of things but not for so long or so far - Provence Alpes.

We don't have to miss much of the relatively few things we like to watch on TV thanks to internet and Filmon and get favourite radio by the same route. It's now possible to get some reasonable British beer in Spain - bottled or canned rather than draught of course, but well better than no having any. Newspapers can be read on-line or bought occaisionally. Real black pudding is not too easy to find but tastes all the better when back home. Fresh produce from the garden is not a problem since we time the touring to be home when it is in season.

So - as you will see - very few 'misses'

 

[saint-spoon]

No, I don't think we miss anything other than a proper loo!

Can you miss not having to empty the blackwater cassette?

 

[Raywood]

No, I don't think we miss anything other than a proper loo!

Can you miss not having to empty the blackwater cassette?

Only letting it get too full when it weighs a ton.