Packing

Getting the van read for our first trip away this year (we have been using the van but not stopped in it overnight yet), we are going on our usual short visit to York for Dot's Birthday, followed by a few nights in Durham.

Unlike every year since 2002, this year we will not be taking the van onto mainland Europe. Fuel cost have made it far too expensive for me to justify using the van for trips down into France. I have been able to book a trip to France using the car at a fraction of the cost of using the van.

We still plan to use the van as much as we can but even then campsite costs are getting to be very expensive. So we may be using more Caravan Club Certified Locations (CLs) and exploring other ways of camping on the cheap. I do not like "wild camping", I like some security and also like a drink before bed and therefore do not want to be in the situation of being moved on in the middle of the night.

I have joined The "Brit Stops" scheme, based on the very successful "France Passion" scheme, a variety of hosts (vineyards, farms, farm shops, breweries, pubs, etc.) offer an invitation to members of Brit Stops to stay overnight in a safe environment and for a maximum period of 24 hours, free of charge! We will have to see how that works out. Brit Stops