Childhood holidays

A day trip to Blackpool by coach was the nearest thing we ever got to a holiday, and we were very excited for that - and a few ferry across the Mersey trips to New Brighton too.

We had a caravan holiday every year in the UK. Pendine in Wales , Ilfracombe, Woolacombe. The furthest was Fort William in Scotland. Dad used to turn the engine off and coast down hills to "save petrol". We always used to take the family dog too and have BBQs on the beach made from driftwood we collected.

We always stayed with relatives, luckily they lived in quite good places. My mother’s parents lived in Plymouth and one Aunt lived in London. I remember I nearly drowned in Plymouth when I was about eight!

Paddyanne, we went to Millport too. Every year through the 60' till 72. We went first 2 weeks in August as my dad worked in Yarrow's. Used to meet up with a few other couples from the yard and the adults would take turns to watch all the kids so the others could go to the Cumbrae club. We did go to Spain in 69, but didn't like it lol. Happy memories.

Blackpool, my parents loved it.

I'm impressed. Some lovely memories here. We never had a holiday or even a day out as children.

Never had family holidays or days out, neither did most of my friends.
School trips were special though.

We had a caravan up on the North coast in N.Ireland, a place called Portrush. It was only an hours drive from our house, but we got so excited when we were going. Suitcases piled high on the roof rack and I sat in the front on my mum's knee and no seatbelt worn in those days lol. Went day after school broke up at the end of June and back the day before it started again in September. Brilliant memories.

We always went to Southwold every summer. My grandparents had a caravan on the Harbour site opposite the sea. Happy memories ?

Skegness or Skeggy as my dear dad called it. We used to travel to Boston from down south stay with my auntie for the week and drive to Skegness most days for days on the beach I loved it, donkey rides on the beach ( didn’t realise as a child how cruel that was then) fish & chips then amusement arcades. Happy days.

Stirling, where my grandmother lived, until I was 15. My father would drive up for two weeks to join us, and then we could have day trips as well. I have very happy memories of Arbroath, Kingsbarns, St Andrews and the Lake of Menteith. Back then I could stand at my grandmother’s window and watch the piper going round the battlements. The ‘kilties’ only come back for ceremonial purposes nowadays. Happy times.

The only family holiday we had was one week in Scarborough in 1953.

Several years we went to Staithes, Yorkshire. I vividly remember stopping off on our journey for a break in the entrance to Clumber Park. I have photos of my Brother and me posing like statues in the alcoves on the gateway wall! We now live less than 30 mins away from Clumber and, before lockdown, used to pass the park regularly. Every time it brought back those happy memories.

Mum and Dad and me (only child) had a chalet in West Bay, Dorset for a week. Very cramped, no facilities, and I had to sleep on the floor on a lilo. Still, we enjoyed it.

We always went to Warkworth in a caravan. ( Warkworth is a lovely village on the Northumberland coast). We got the bus there from Newcastle, when we got off the bus there was a man with a horse and cart who would take your cases up the long road to the caravans.
I've travelled extensively since those days and have visited many countries but I don't think I've ever been as excited as I was waiting for that bus from Newcastle bus station.

We often went to Butlins; a different one each time. One year, my parents fancied a change, and we went to the Isle of Wight. Without a booking. During Cowes Week. I remember we ended up at a b&b called The Cygnet, where they put up camp beds for us in a garage, as there was truly no room at any other inn.

First holiday was during the war, 1944 I think. We went to see my Grandad in rural Ireland. The boat, Princess Maud, was unstabilised and the crossing was rough and very frightening.
My mother bought me a pair of sandals which she packed in the suitcase, but they were confiscated by customs at Holyhead on the way back. After that we went to a boarding house in Cornwall, where everyone sat at the same table. Other holidays were in Weymouth, Salcombe and other Devon resorts. When I was 16 we went abroad for the first time, to Switzerland. An exciting journey on a couchette train.

I grew up in South Africa with my 3 siblings. My father was in the Army but he never earned enough to take us on holiday, except once. It was to a place called Rhyll, as in Wales. We stayed in an old prefabricated building belonging to the Army. It didn't even have a bathroom and toilet, as these were in another building a little way away. One night we children were all in bed and Dad decided to have a wash in the Butlers sink in the kitchen. To help himself get out he stood up and held onto a pipe running across the ceiling just above his head. Unfortunately it carried a live electric wire. I still remember him shout to Mum "Sylvie! Turn off the electricity!" She was running about looking for it when I got up all alarmed and peeped out to see Dad standing in the sink in his birthday suit, completely unable to let go of the pipe...Luckily Mum found where to turn it off and he was able to let go, and get out of the sink. Poor man was shaking like a leaf. I can still see him in my head. Can't remember much about that holiday except for this traumatic event 60 years ago.

Holiday camps for us, Middleton tower, I.O.M, Butlin's.
Loved them, so much to do, sang "My old man said follow the van" in the children's talent competition, never won. Never a dull moment, swimming, cycling, table tennis comps. roller skating, dancing lessons, variety shows. One week of heaven.

We went all over the country, my dad worked for British Rail so we got free rail travel all over. It meant that we could expand our horizons and go so much further than our friends in the East End as dad only had to worry about finding the cost of the accommodation.

We usually went to Dorset to stay in a friends holiday cottage where we did lots of walking along cliff tops and playing on the beach. We also had two holidays to another friends chalet in Switzerland with my dad driving all the way! Then later on my parents bought a caravan and we went to lots of places around England, Scotland and Wales. I was also fortunate to be able to have some weeks on riding holidays. Looking back now I realise how lucky we were, this was the 60’s and 70’s.

We went to Torquay via overnight coach from Yorkshire . Fantastic memories of lovely b & b holidays with my parents who must have saved all year for those 2 weeks

Friend's caravan in Pevensey. Another caravan in Henley. Broadstairs and Isle of Wight. First time abroad to Belgium with my school at 11, then as a family to Blankenberge (Belgium) and Porec in (then) Yugoslavia.

When I was two in 1925 we went to Hastings. I remember trying to help my father get a deckchair and falling from the promenade on to the pebble beach below. Mother took me to the hospital but they said nothing was wrong. After that I always complained of back pain until I had my first child when it was discovered my spine was bent. Cured by weeks of physiotheraphy.
1926 onwards my father’s job took him to the south coast for six weeks every summer. We stayed in a hotel either at Brighton or Boscombe. In those days there was no such thing as sun creme and I hated having to dress for dinner in a scratchy organdie dress over my sunburnt shoulders.
For his annual fortnight holiday we went mainly to Devon or Cornwall but one year to Harrogate and Scotland for the Glasgow Scottish Exhibition.
Family holidays ceased with the onset war. My last holiday 1940 when I was 1917 I went alone to stay with some elderly relatives in the country in Suffolk. There were no buses and I had to walk three miles along country lanes to their house. It was an old Manor House with no electricity or indoor plumbing and reputed to be haunted.

Nowhere - until I was eleven and we had a holiday in a caravan in Kent.