Names James, Alison, Millie and Matthew Rye
Our Caravan 2006 Bailey Pageant Provence
Our Towcar 2004 Ford Galaxy TDi Ghia
As Valentine's Day presents go, a caravanning weekend in Hunstanton, Norfolk, is not the most obviously romantic gesture. But my husband, James, was keen as mustard to get the van into action for 2008. So, with no mention of red roses or satin-wrapped boxes of chocs, I booked us into Searles, a holiday park a few minutes' walk from the beach.
We were originally attracted to the site as an out-of-season venue because of its indoor pool and soft play area – both excellent back-ups to keep our children, Millie (four) and Matthew (three), happy if the rain started to fall. Luckily for us, the weather was glorious, with the late-winter sun tempting a fair few holidaymakers and day trippers to this quiet stretch of the north Norfolk coast. A few mad folk were even eating ice cream as they walked along the seafront – and we were among them, with the kids relishing their first seaside 99s of the year.
We were very happy with our fully serviced pitch; it was opposite the play area and was bounded by hedges for that extra bit of privacy. The only tricky bit was getting the van onto it, because of a poorly placed palm tree. The facilities, were looking a bit tired here and there. Still, refurbishment was about to start, so that should take care of that.
After a swim, we drove along the coast for a walk on the beach at Holme next the Sea. It's popular with dog walkers and horse riders, as well as families, so there were plenty of people sauntering down the track to the dunes and the beach beyond.
The sunlight was beautiful, as were Millie and Matthew as they poked in the sand, looked for shells and pebbles, and waved around handfuls of dried seaweed.
Back at Searles, we had supper in the Mariners restaurant, and James stopped at the help-yourself servery, which proved to be a real winner. For less than £8, he had a huge plateful of meat, veg and such goodies as Yorkshire puddings, which were quickly stolen and devoured by the kids.
Suitably stuffed, we retired to the Sundowner bar to check out the early evening children's entertainment. The show began with Cherry the Chipmunk being led around and introduced to any kids who weren't terrified by the sight of a grown-up in a furry costume. Millie was quite keen on Cherry, but it was children's entertainer Rollo who really captured her imagination. It was all very 'holiday camp' but Millie thoroughly enjoyed his kiddie-tastic performance, as did most of the youngsters. She was in floods of tired tears when it was time to return to the caravan.

See the full report and all the pictures in the June 08 issue.

Names Shirley and Mark Balham
Our Caravan 2005 Swift Conqueror 630
Our Towcar 1996 Mitubishi Pajero 328 Td
February half-term marked our first touring trip of the year. We had arranged for a few days away with my sister Angela and her family at Field Farm Fisheries, a Camping and Caravanning Club CS.
We began the two-hour journey in sunshine, but as we approached the site, cars coming towards us had their lights on. Ten miles from the CS, sun gave way to fog. Any despondency about the weather,. however, lifted with the friendly greeting from Nikki, the site manager, who said she'd collect the site fee the following day.
The fishery's six lakes are stocked with carp, chub, tench and a few golden orf. It's an angler's paradise, and I hand't brought my rods. I was green with envy all week.
We pitched next to my sister, who greeted us with the itinerary of our stay. She and my brother-in-law, John, are avid walkers so there was no chance of sitting around in the caravan all day. Once pitched, we turned the heating on, opened a bottle of wine to have with dinner and settled down for the night.
The next day, which started cloudy and breezy, we headed for Leiston Abbey to start an eight-mile walk. We piled into Angela's Shogun, along with our son, Aaron, her son, Ryan, and her two collies.
The 14th-century abbey was used by the Augustinian Canons Regular – not monks – who preached and did pastoral work. After the 1563 dissolution, the abbey was stripped by locals for building materials. It later became a farm, with the abbey's ruins being built into the farmhouse. It is now used as a wedding and conference venue, and is home to Pro Corda, the National School for Young Chamber Music Players. We could hear the music from the car park.
With the dogs, Jed and Barney, eager to set off, we began our walk. Beyond Leiston village, you can spot the dome of Sizewell power station; nephew Ryan was disappointed that it wasn't glowing. The walk took us along a river. Jed has a thing for water so it wasn't long before we heard a splash and found the dog enjoying a swim. Barney is not so brave and watched from the bank.
Eight miles and four hours later we were back at Angela's car and returning to the van for some much-needed refreshment. Boy, did we sleep well that night!

See the full report and all the pictures in the June 08 issue.

Names Paul and Hilary Harris
Our Caravan 2004 Bailey Pageant Vendée
Our Towcar 2001 Citroën C5 2.2 HDi estate
We are accustomed to taking our caravan short distances to CLs in the Purbecks or West Dorset, but this month we travelled all of three miles without the Vendée to Sandy Balls. The occasion was a Live-in Test of the new Sterling Elite Searcher. Editor Nigel Donnelly and his team from Practical Caravan were there for a day and departed, leaving us with the caravan for the weekend.
We were impressed with the Sterling, and with Sandy Balls, too. It's more of a holiday village than a caravan park. We had visited before to see friends staying there and as Top 100 site inspectors, but this was our first break.
Sandy Balls is near the old market town of Fordingbridge, with shops and supermarkets, although you won't need these, because there's a well-stocked Spar on site.
Still, there were other reasons to explore Fordingbridge on the River Stour, with its medieval bridge and wonderful views. The site is also on the western edge of the New Forest, which is ideal for bracing countryside walks. In mid-December, there's a large street fair.
Year-round delights include a big variety of restaurants: Chinese, Indian and traditional English. For very special occasions, try the Little Mere at North Gorley, about three miles from the park. Not that you need to go off-site for good food; for example, there's Sandy Balls' own Bistro, open daily, 9am-9pm. Take away a pizza, between noon and 9pm, from the Woodside Inn (yes, the park has its own pub).

See the full report and all the pictures in the June 08 issue.

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