Old van chronicles - The continuing saga - early 1960's

Well, previous episodes of this continuing saga saw us in Wales, and then Scotland.  After this in 1959 it was back to the first area discovered in Wales, and several visits to Pendine. There was also a trip back to a place 'discovered' on the very first trip in 1957, namely Whitesands Bay just beyond St. David's at the south westerly tip of Wales. At that time there was a track running along the top of the dunes and we pitched there.

My Aunt and Uncle even joined us for 2 or 3 days and they got 'the bug' at this point. They later purchased a static van which they have kept at Whitesands. Now all those years (and 3 or 4 'van upgrades') later their van is still there, although now on the farmers small site back up the road some way from the beach.

The next year again saw us visit several parts of Wales including Abersoch and Pwllelli. Also in the same year my father got rid of the A30 (see previous story) and purchased an Austin A55 Cambridge.

This was also the year (1960) the van went into long term storage (for about 7 years!) in a farmers barn in Blakedown (near my grandmother's) because we went to live abroad for 6 years (with the Austin Cambridge!). During this time my Uncle towed it to Whitesands Bay a couple of times for the summer months, so they could use it themselves. As I said they now had 'the bug'.

We also used it for a week around July/August of 1961 when we came back to the UK for an extended holiday. My Uncle had towed it there for us and was later returning it to storage, via their own home near Halesowen, when he had a wheel come off the caravan, within sight of their house! Anyway, he managed to get it repaired and back to storage in Blakedown. (this may have had a bearing (pun?!) on a later happening - see future stories.......)

It was possibly after this incident that my Aunt and Uncle actually decided to purchase their own 'semi static' van and site it most of the year at Whitesands, where the caravans they have had still reside to this day!

It wasn't until late in 1966 that we returned to the UK to live, we then moved in spring 1967 from Sutton Coldfield to Cobham in Surrey, and didn't fetch the caravan from its now very dusty and rather dirty storage until early in 1968.

Anyway, more 'post living abroad' stories of the continuing old van chronicles to follow sometime soon!

Chris