Home is Where You Drag it: Chillaxing at Broughton Bay

We'd had no plans to go away so soon, even with the 3rd May BH approaching. In the few weeks that have passed since coming back from Exebridge our bank account has been hemorrhaging money for one thing or another, and shows no signs of abating.

After an exceptionally difficult day in work Herself suggests she'd like to escape somewhere local for the BH weekend. Most places are booked up. I know this as I'd been sneakily firing out inquiries myself the day before, after also having a particularly difficult week in work.

Why do people think that just because you tell them something they don't want to hear (even when you're right), that gives them the right to complain about you higher up the food chain?

Anyway, Herself pulls a suggestion out from way back in her memory bank, and I fire off a text just to enquire if they had a pitch free on their 5 van site. Bear in mind, we'd not decided if we wanted to / could afford to go yet, but the answer came straight back ..... Yes, I've reserved pitch 5 for you!

Didn't have the heart to say anything.

Friday 26 May

Surprise, surprise. Herself has to work today, so I get a half day off and set off to take the van to site and set up before returning to collect Herself and the dogs. It's only 17 miles to site, and just after midday Toyah is growling her way up Llangennech hill with approx 1700kg strapped to her arse under bright blue skies..

Thankfully the lanes leading to site were traffic free, and I'm soon rattling over the cattle grid into Phillistone Farm, Llanmadoc and pitching up with a view from the door over Carmarthen Bay towards Saundersfoot.

Whilst no knuckles were smashed, pitching and setting up was not incident free. Regular readers will recall waterworks troubles at Exebridge, well guess what folks, the water pump was running at warp speed once more and taps were once again spitting like auditioning porn stars!

Water barrel full? Check.

Pick up at bottom of Aquaroll? Check.

Pistol grip in one piece? Check.

Bugger! Clearing the senior moment fog I start to run through the set up procedure in my head. What didn't I do? Or have we a knackered water pump?

I'm looking around for a cat to kick when I catch sight of a trickle of water coming out from under the van. Bingo! Of course, once I'd closed the dump valve everything kicked into life and worked as it should. Even if I now have to refill the Aqualroll to replace the 45 litres I've just dumped on the field.

A dash back home to collect Herself, the dogs and a living room floor full of shopping, and a dash back to dite to complete setting up - I wasted so much time faffing with the water time was too short earlier, so some 4 hours after arrival we are able to announce that WE IS ARRIVED!!

We both have a severe dose of CBA so adjourn to the nearby Brittania Inn, where we throw a Lamb Tagine down our necks before returning to site for a good guzzle in the warm evening sunshine.

Only after the sun sets and the air goes cooler and we start to get eaten alive by the midges do we retreat inside.

Saturday 27 May

Great night's kip, but wide awake by 6am. Herself joins me up front at 7.30am and lights a flame under the kettle to get a brew on. She has a plan though, and any thoughts of a relaxing breakfast under the canopy are soon dispensed with.

My protestations that it's only 8.30am are roundly ignored, and a rucksack is thrown in my direction, the dogs get clipped on and we're heading passed the God Botherers' retreat and through the dunes at the back of Whiteford Bay Park to the beach.

We break through into the wide open space of Broughton Bay and the dogs tear at warp speed straight to the tide line. The water is crystal clear, even if a little cold, and we spend some time paddling along the shoreline towards Whiteford Point.

It was idyllic, it really was, and great to feel the sand between my toes for the first time this year. We;d been told we were mad before leaving yesterday.

"What you doing going away on a Bank Holiday? You must be mad. Everywhere'll be packed out!"

I see what they mean!

Against my firm advice, Herself is of the opinion that a shortcut over the steeper dunes is a good idea. It wasn't, and the lactic acid was pumping into my calves not long after we hit the very soft sand!

No time to rest when we get back. Nursey has pinged us a text to say she's coming over with Coupons, so we need some supplies. Toyah's nose is pointed back towards Donksville and the ever so reasonable CK's Supermarket. There's nothing quite like a trip to CK's to make you feel like you're on holiday by being fleeced for £70 for a few things that barely cover the bottom of the trolley.

We've not long got back and Mike's chariot is rattling over the cattle grid before disgorging it's cargo of Coupons, Mike, Nursey and their 2 dogs. The extra chairs get dug out and we sit in a circle all afternoon, chopsing, sleeping, drinking and eating under the warm spring (or is it summer yet?) sunshine. My solar panel took a hammering, and by the time we're waving them off at 8pm my chops feel like they've been in a face slapping contest ....... and lost!

Herself and I clear up before settling down, hoping the van is going to cool down somewhat before we retire for the night.

Sunday 28 May

Why do I always sleep better in the van? It's not like we did anything energetic after the early morning walk yesterday. Must just be the fresh air! Sliding the blind open and peering out I can see it's going to be a lovely day again.

Not taking any chances on breakfast this morning, and I pretend not to hear Herself's wishes as I throw some sausages onto the Weber for breakfast. Herself had some Bran Flakes and a bowl of strawberries!

We retrace our steps down to Broughton Beach, and once again the dogs run like an missile to the low tide line. We catch them up, and again ditch the shoes and paddle with them, throwing a ball, this time in the other direction towards Blue Pool.

Once more, we're ~~fighting for space on the beach with the Bank Holiday crowds~~ taking in the wide open space from Blue Pool right up to Whiteford Lighthouse, and we're enjoying throwing a ball and playing with the dogs in the shallows.

I used to spend my summers on this beach as a child. My auntie had a static caravan here which we were allowed to borrow use of frequently, so I'm well aware of the dangers that an incoming tide can present here. I'm therefore a little worried at the sight of a group out playing on a sandbank as the incoming tide surrounds them and the water gets deeper and deeper in the encircling channel.

Thankfully all was OK in the end, and we turned to walk back in the direction of Whiteford Point before heading back up towards the dunes. Now, yesterday I carted a few litres of water for the dogs and cans of coke zero for us all the way down to the beach and all the way back to the caravan. I was determined that wasn't to happen today.

Herself was a little worried as she wouldn't get back up from the floor very easily, what with her knackered knees and all that, so was reluctant to stop. I pouted a bit, and then relented, but the seed had been planted and Herself is now intent on putting me on a guilt trip.

As we hit the line of the dunes Herself spots a ledge at the side of a fresh water stream just as it bursts onto the beach. Arses are planted and we sit for quite a while, feet in the stream as the dogs cooled off and we enjoyed our drinks.

Herself got herself back up vertical, but the haul up to site was a struggle, and by the time we get to the caravan we're both knackered, not moving for quite some time.

The afternoon is spent either pottering around the caravan or emptying the coolbox. We moved no further, just chilling and ~~enjoying each other's company~~ generally ignoring each other.

The Weber is once again pressed into service, but so much easier when cooking for just the two of us, and we have Piripiri chicken with a dirty rice.

We're just finishing off the initial pack away, and the canopy is rolled up bone dry when I go to open the caravan door. The door handle doesn't feel right and I only just manage to get the door open. Herself says "It was like that earlier too!" In my head I'm screaming "Well why didn't you say so!" but bite my tongue, not wanting to spoil what's been a stress free day.

My screwdriver set gets dug out and I take the door locking mechanism apart, spraying everything with a liberal dose of lithium grease. No luck though, and no improvement. Google tells me the door handles are prone to failing on Swift caravans, which is little consolation to me! Just praying it'll last until tomorrow, and I can get on the blower to Leisure Medic to sort out a fix.

With everything that can be stowed away, stowed away we settle down inside the van as the sun sets on another lovely day on the north western tip of The Gower Peninsular.

As an evening snack we enjoy a bowl of Selwyn's cockles, smothered with too much salt and vinegar than is good for us (Herself doesn't do pepper).

Maybe it's all in the mind, but they tasted so much better knowing they were harvested from beds on the sands we have been walking on this weekend!

Monday 29 May

Bit of a restless night last night, probably due to fretting about the door handle. Will it open? Will we be locked out? If we're locked out how on earth am I going to get the van off the road?

And it was too hot in the van on account of Herself having had too much sun and was cold. 3am I got up and flung open some windows. Herself made a show of curling up more in the duvet, but I didn't care, I could now breath, drifting off not long after.

It's 8.30am by the time I stirred, and sitting on the bed, scratching me nads (as you do) I'm looking out at the bottom of Llanmadoc Hill, reflecting on how much of a chilled out few days it's been.

Apart from one trip back to CK's to get in provisions to feed unexpected guests, Toyah's not moved, which is unheard of for us on a break away. We've enjoyed walks down to the beach, we've enjoyed getting our feet wet and we've enjoyed sitting round the van soaking up the sun and views.

We've enjoyed chillaxing.

This morning we don't want to hanging around though. We could have as I'm sure we'd not have been rushed off site, but we wanted to get out of the lanes before day trippers arrived, or the residents of Whiteford Bay decided they needed to pop out for BBQ stuff.

Come 9.20am were hitched up and making our way through the high hedges with main beam on. Luckily we met just 2 cars, but both at passing places before we turn onto the comparative open space of the B4295 (North Gower Road).

If you've not been her before, and are wondering how bad the laned approach can be you may wish to watch a "Site Arrival" video I recorded a few years back.