We arrived at Blackpool Sands at midday Friday to find five or six campervans already parked along the beach for the annual “Vans @ the Sands” campervan meeting. The event officially Friday and Saturday night, but some flexibility has been reached with the owner of the beach which meant poeple could rock up an extra night early, or stay an extra night Sunday night leaving on the Monday. We tried to make it for the Thursday evening, but due a late departure from home, a miss judgment of fuel requirement, and a problem with the fuse blowing for the fridge circuit, we didn’t actually arrive till late morning on the Friday.
(I had established that the whole fuse blowing fiasco was due to the toilet flush, so we decided not to use it until I could get it looked at once home.)
The sun was shining and we saw some familiar faces from the get go. We parked the van in a temporary location at the end of the line of vans. Things would settle down over the rest of the day as the visiting public exited the car park, freeing up space for the campervans to take to the line up parallel to beach.
The rest of the day was spent chilling and socialising as more vans arrived adding to the buzz of excitment. We had the traditional drink around the fire pit as the evening progressed, but nobody in the group stayed up too late.
The following day I was up early and made my way to the waters edge along the gravely beach. I took in the views and it made me realise just how lucky I was to be in this idyllic location on such a beautiful morning. I find swimming is the most exhilarating way to start the day, and with the clarity of the water twinned with the sunrise it really got the senses firing.
Saturday started pretty much the same as the day before. Great weather, early morning dip, coffee and breakfast by the beach. We were hosting an over stop for John and Sarah, Mandy’s brother and partner Saturday night and Sunday, so it was really nice to share our experience with them and let them stay with us in the campervan. We had a great afternoon Saturday, leading into another night with drinks, marshmallows’ around the firepit and numerous conversations that made us all feel like we had a great connection together.
Sunday morning I swam with Sarah who was a keen open water swimmer, and was joined later whilst treading water and admiring the iews by friend and fellow T3 owner Russell. Still as invigorating a way to start the day, but really nice to experience it with others to take in the views. We had breakfast as the Venus Cafe just a few hundred meters from the campervan, and we all agreed that the perfect view, suntrap and great food really made us feel like we were in a different country.
The rest of the Sunday was spent on the beach, and after giving a very quick lesson on how to use my paddle board, brother-in-law John spent the best part of the afternoon trying to stay upright on the waves. I would have spent more time in the sea, but for a shoulder issue that was becoming increasingly annoying the more I used it. So, I made my way back to the van for a chill and a cider or two.
We stayed Sunday evening and departed early for our next location after saying our goodbys to the remaining vans.