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Category Archive: Caravan
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The Costellos Go Surfing – The Gallery – Sport
Well, its been quite a week for sport putting it mildly. Although we are still in France, Olympic fever is still strong here (except for French TV not showing Tom Daley in the diving tonight but I won’t harp on about that!) The beginning of the week started off with our Olympic adventure from Biarritz to London and back again within 36 hours (blog post to come soon!) and by Wednesday we were all back in the sea. Even Tara has developed a new obsession with the waves. A long time ago you may remember me posting about my list of things to achieve before I’m 40 (53 weeks tomorrow by the way!) Having a go at surfing was on the list – I have to admit I’m not sure why, I’ve never been THAT desperate to have a go but on the list it was. I was having a rare moment alone in the sea (anyone who has ever been on holiday with a 10,6 and 1 year old will know that you don’t get an awful lot of time alone) when Derm joined me complete with surfboard telling me I was having a go. Tara was being looked more »
How to pack a caravan – Five Go Caravanning
It that time of year already – The Costellos are on the move and preparing for our first trip of the 2012 season. Every winter we completely empty our van (even down to putting the cushions in the loft) so we have to start from scratch on the first trip of the year. If I was organised I would probably have a comprehensive list of everything we need … but I’m not. As you can see from the picture, the clothes cupboards are still very empty (I have got a pile mountain of clothes waiting to go in them but it still seems very empty compared with how it ends up at the end of the season. Our first excursion of the year is always a small one, not too far to travel in case we forget anything major (I did hear last year of a couple that travelled 250+ miles and forgot their caravan keys!) I’m still panicking though that we will forget something vital – we are somewhat lighter than last year anyway as we don’t need the Moses basket or the steriliser but this only adds to the panic! Here are some of the items that we have more »
Five Go Caravanning – 2012
Well all the Christmas festivities are now over and so our attention turns to the caravan season. It may only be 2 months since we last went on our travels but we miss it already. Our plans for the 2012 season are slightly different this year. We have decided not to go with a seasonal pitch but instead to explore quite a few caravan parks. We have loved being in Abersoch for the past 2 years but there are sites in the Lake District, Yorkshire and Cumbria that are really easy to get to for us. Mr Costello is still loving his surfing (and no, I haven’t joined him in the water yet) so I feel a trip to The Gower is on the cards this year too – as well as our yearly trip to the South of France. The world is our oyster as they say! We are still undecided about whether to go with a new van or hold on a bit longer. Our van is still in good shape but with only basic bathroom facilities. We have discussed perhaps joining in with some caravan rallies but would need a proper shower in the van first. Rallies more »
Five Go Caravanning – The End of Our First Season
So this weekend was our last weekend away of the 2011 season – It marked the end of our first season carvanning as a family of five. And we survived – in fact, we more than survived … we blinkin LOVED it! Here’s some pics above (it will hopefully be changed into a slideshow just as soon as I work out how to do it!) and some stats to sum up our first year of Five Go Caravanning: 5 – The number of sites we visited 13 – The number of holidays we had away in the van this year … plus 3.5 weeks in France in it! Not bad considering some of these were 5+ nights in one visit and we had a baby this year. Hundreds = The amount of friends that the girls have made this year. A Lot = The amount of arguments the girls had with each other (Yep, unfortunately even though caravanning is a fabulous family time you still take arguing siblings with you!) 12 = the average amount of hours the children spend playing out per day at a campsite 12 = the amount of hours sleep the girls need at the end more »
Listography – Last Week
Not taken part in Kate’s Listography for ages but when I noticed that this week’s was all about Last Week (you still here?) I thought give it a go. Last week was no ordinary week around here – well, actually we weren’t even around here. Like most of the UK we were on holiday which brings me to … Point 1: Biarritz We started the week here on a campsite near Bidart, Biarritz. Our 3rd time there and my spiritual home. Love it. The pic was taken on our day out to nearby St Jean Pied du Port – even the tweenies were amazed at the view. Point 2: Missing Body Parts V started last week by losing her first tooth (blog post to come – why is V ALWAYS blog fodder?) The only thing I will say is her tooth wasn’t wobbly until a few days before – I think she gave it a little help! Point 3: A Death Imagine the scene: Our last night socialising with some friends and over runs a Dutch lady in a state of panic. She asked if anyone knew how to resusitate and said a man was in trouble in the caravan more »
Caravan Cuisine – It doesn’t have to be all BBQs
Its common knowledge that I love our caravan and I love food. In campsites up and down the land there is always the smell of BBQs. In the 3 years that we have been caravanners we have had a LOT of sausages/burgers etc. which has been lovely but now its time for a change. Our caravan kitchen is tiny but you don’t have get a sense of achievement when you cook something delicious is such a minute space. We also use our trust Cadac heater for cooking outside which is a lifesaver (but a bugger to wash!) I have learnt to amend some of our favourite recipes to make them caravan proof – we have hardly any cupboard or fridge space so keep ingredients to a minimum and the less pans we use the better. One of our favourite meals that makes us feel like we’ve eaten ‘proper’ food is Seafood Pie. I’ve made this dozens of times in the van- it doesn’t always look pretty, sometimes we use hardly any ingredients but it always tastes fab! Caravan Seafood Pie What you will need: Shop bought mashed potato (I’ve tried a few – Asda & Tesco Finest is fine, more »
Five go Caravanning – Where does a baby sleep in a caravan?
We are having a rare weekend at home this weekend and it has reminded me that I’ve not done a Five Go Caravanning post for a while. It is pretty safe to say that travelling with a baby and young children in our caravan has been a huge success. Baby T is very relaxed when we are away probably because we are relaxed too and the girls just love their freedom and a bit more independence when we are at the site. Since I last posted we have moved our van to a seasonal pitch in Abersoch – while we enjoy touring around, shortage of time means that we cannot just hook up and go at a moments notice. Regular tourers will know that you can end up packing and preparing for hours if not days, even for a couple of nights away. And don’t mention putting awnings up!! Even before caravanning we knew that was the stuff of divorce! I will do a review of our site, Tyn-y-mur very soon but in the meantime, we love it! The question that most people ask about is the sleeping arrangements for us all in the van. We turn the front seating more »
Skelwith Fold, Ambleside – The Review
The first campsite review on this blog is definitely reserved for one of our favourite places to visit. It is no coincidence that the first trip we made as a family of 5 is here. We have visited Skelwith Fold on several occasions and have never had a less than satisfactory experience. The Arrival The driveway into the site is long and winding with stunning scenery. It is plenty wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass – unlike the road up to the driveway which can get a bit hairy (We once met a bus coming the other way and had to breath in a LOT!)You will always get a friendly and efficient welcome at reception which also serves as a pretty amazing shop. I’ve never found anything yet that you can’t get in that shop. What sort of campsite is Skelwith? A haven of peace and tranquility but not boring – there is plenty to explore, always a new direction to walk in. Tourers and Motorhomes are welcome with some new larger super pitches with TV reception, a picnic bench and plenty of space. There are loads of static caravans which are well established and give the site a more »
Our Maiden Voyage as 5 – Skelwith Fold, The Lake District
Well, we did it! And it was brilliant. We have made our first trip in the van as a family of 5 and survived – actually we more than survived, we really enjoyed it. I won’t lie, it did feel like we were packing for weeks before we went but to be fair every first trip of the season is a bit like that. We had to do things slghtly differently i.e. making sure Baby T had her own cupboard, making room for the steriliser, finding space for her carry cot etc but that was part of the challenge. As far as travelling with a baby goes, I can highly recommend newborns. They stay in the same place and there seems to be something about the fresh air that knocked her out – she slept brilliantly and there was no sign of the dreaded colic. (It did come back once we were home!) We even managed to ‘adopt’ some 4 year old twins so our van was even more hectic but its all part of the fun and it is much easier to keep the girls entertained when they find a friend. We really didn’t expect that there would be more »
