April 2021 - Back on the Road!

Thursday 15th April - Sunday 18th April 2021
A Tale of 2 trips in one weekend!

We are finally free! Free to roam in our own country. Well, kind of, within very strict parameters, but that's OK! We are all incredibly excited to get away, especially Steve who was so excited that he set off a day earlier than the rest of us.

Once he got the motorhome engine started, which took a couple of hours, a lot of effort, a failed jump pack and a desperate call to a mechanic friend, Steve's first stop was Lyndon Top Caravan and Camping Site 

Situated on the banks of Rutland Water, just 2 minutes from the nature reserve and visitor centre, Lyndon Top is a quiet campsite which welcomes families and couples.  Although there is currently no electric hookup or toilet block, the campsite provides fresh water, elsan waste disposal and rubbish bins.  It was the perfect place for a catch up with our good friend Phil, who also helped change the Kon-Tiki's battery.

Steve enjoyed a leisurely morning, drinking coffee and chatting more with Phil. My morning was a little more frantic with packed lunches, school runs, business accounts, yoga, cleaning the house and running around finding everything we had forgotten to pack in to the motorhome.  

Arriving at Willow Fields campsite mid afternoon, Steve soon settled in to camp. He had a wonderful afternoon and evening meeting new friends and catching up with some old friends too. All perfectly socially distanced, but all perfectly lovely.  

After picking Eddie up at 5pm, all 3 boys and I finally got on the road. With loo breaks, food breaks and charging stops it took almost 3 and a half hours to get from Milton Keynes to Doncaster. But it was well worth the drive!  We spend a lovely couple of hours around the campfire, then enjoyed our first night in the van together in over 4 months.

Saturday dawned bright and lovely.  Steve settled in for a day of socialising and I packed up the boys and headed to my sister's house.  It was the first time I'd seen my Dad, Aunt and Sister's family in far too long. The weather was gorgeous, and perfect for sitting outside catching up on several months of separation and eating homemade pizza. My boys and their cousin's had the best fun playing and chatting and generally loving the time with each other.  2020 has been hard on all of us in so many ways, but the thing I have missed most is family time, especially with my Dad.

We returned to Willow Fields slightly sunburnt, but very very happy, and found Steve slightly drunk but also very very happy. After a brilliant day, we spent the evening talking with friends around the campfire.

This fabulous weekend was the perfect antidote to a long, dark isolated winter. It was really a long overdue tonic and we loved every minute of it.