#solo

“I have to be alone very often. I'd be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That's how I refuel."

(Audrey Hepburn: Many-Sided Charmer, LIFE Magazine, December 7, 1953)”
― Audrey Hepburn


Since letting it be known that I have bought a caravan, I have been asked so many times who will I be going with, am I really going to do it on my own and will I join a solo caravanning group etc.  It has never been my intention to join any group never mind a solo caravanning and touring group but I have decided to investigate. 

Just so you know....my research highlighted the need to be careful when using particular hash tags e.g. #solo was enlightening and took the meaning of going it alone to a whole new level.

The Caravan Club has a discussion group entitled 'a place for solo caravanners & motorhomers to chat & share advice' .  'Meet and Greets' are posted and people encouraged to meet up with like minded people. Members of the group 'Solos' are encouraged to print off a graphic (stick man standing between two caravans) and then place in the front window of their caravan or motorhome.  This is intended to advertise the fact that they are 'approachable' but the group administrator does emphasise that this is 'NOT' a dating idea. Has no one ever heard of Pampas Grass?  This group apparently celebrates its 3rd birthday this month and membership has risen to over 450 so obviously popular but I mean no disrespect when I say that if I see that sign in any window I am heading in the opposite direction!  On the 'Practical Caravanning' course, John (Instructor) warned us all to trust no one.....ever.  He said this several times whilst scowling in my direction.  John struck me as someone who knew.  He knew about everything.  He was right about Halfords (see previous post).  He had an air of Secret Service about him and although he hinted at a career in the Police, I think this was said to distract us from the truth.  John would never put a stick man sign in his window to let people know he was on his own alone at night in a caravan in the middle of a field.  I doubt he even uses a night light. 

The Caravan Club also has the 'New Companions Club' which reportedly changed it's name to 'The New Companions Camping Club' after the last AGM as this new name 'better reflects the club's objective which is camping (in the widest sense) with companionship'.  Again, emphasis is made on the fact that this is not a dating site but a friendship club.  Seemingly, It is common practice for 'companions' to meet informally at 10am and at 5pm so that ideas can be shared on activities for the day / evening. Activities range from walking or cycling to  visiting local attractions by bus or car or just sitting having a coffee together.
The message from the Secretary states that if you mention 'companions' when booking your pitch, wardens will try to pitch you together with other members.  Is there a code word that I can use to ensure the wardens pitch me as far away as possible please?

I also had a look at the Solo Female Camper and Lone Caravanning groups on UKcampsite.co.uk which did feel a lot more upbeat and casual with user names such as Boozy Bird and Trailer Trash. 






The Loners Group did not have a particular appeal (could be the name) but I had a look anyway.  I didn't make it past the front page after noticing a photograph of a group of five men aged 60+ attempting to do a Mexican wave.   

Thankfully, I am still too young to join the Retired Caravanners Association and Plus Retired Caravanners Club.  I can only guess at the delights that I am missing.

My greatest concern (as in I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack) was when I looked at FAQ page on The Phoenix Camping Club website.  It was scary. 
Some innocent person had asked if they could come along to a 'meet' before joining (bit like try before you buy).  This was met with an emphatic negative response.
Some other innocent asked if they could bring a relative along.  This was again met with a very clear no....'we do not allow anyone else to sleep in your unit but you may have day visitors'.  What is this - Orange is the New Black?

Solos, New Companions, Pheonix and Loners are not dating sites and do seem to offer people who want it a level of companionship.  There is nothing wrong with this but I found it incredibly sad to read of bereavements and loneliness.  By the time I had read story number 15 of someone coping on their own after the death of their husband/wife, I was pouring myself a large brandy and tearfully humming 'Wind Beneath My Wings'.  I panicked a bit when I saw the thread 'where have all the solos gone' and assumed the worse.  Turned out everyone was just busy getting on with their lives...phew!


The group I will be joining has no name but I am reliably informed they have a great time sitting round washing machine drums aka fire pits, talking to flamingos and shouting 'lights out' through a megaphone.  The only problem is that they think they may have been banned from anything but empty fields. 

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6 slices of gammon

I connect my love of travelling and storytelling with my upbringing. 

By far the greatest influence in my life has been my grandmother and her two sisters.  They were born in the early 1900s and were far from traditional housewives.  Raised in the tenements of Glasgow which have either now been demolished or refurbished into very desirable accommodation, they were very proud of their working class identity.  Although, at the time, women were very much associated with domesticity, the three sisters challenged quite a few preconceptions and instilled in me a strong work ethic, a commitment to education and a sense of humour.

In the late 60's, they each bought a static caravan and sited it at The Red Lion Caravan Site at Arbroath.  This caravan site was directly opposite the West Sands beach which hosted a variety of fun filled attractions such as the miniature railway, miniature buses, a fire engine, trampolines and crazy golf.  Arbroath was quite a popular holiday destination in the 60's and 70's despite the weather!  In the early 80's, I took my own three eldest children to their great-grandmother's caravan and they played on the same beach and swam in the same outdoor swimming pool. 

There is a notion that Scots are a friendly bunch but the competition that existed on that caravan site would have put the recent BBC2 Caravanner of the Year to shame.  Throughout the years, the caravans got bigger as did the funky floral patterns and colour schemes and having a key role in the site owners club was the true measure of success.   My great-aunt became the club secretary much to the annoyance of my grandmother who accused her of being too full of her own importance.  This was around the same time that my grandmother refused to have Spam in the house as it was 'cheap' meat and tried to introduce my grandfather to culinary delights such as a starter of peaches, gammon and salad cream (I kid you not).  We (my cousins and I) also had the most painfully embarrassing experience of being made to eat a home-made curry outside in an attempt to embrace diversity.  My grandfather refused to eat the rice because that was a 'pudding' and the neighbours found the whole thing highly entertaining. 

Annie's recipe for starter

Tin half peaches
6 slices gammon not Spam
Salad cream

Drain peaches
Place in top of paper towel to dry out
Cube the gammon, add salad cream

Serve with a piece of lettuce and tomato
Place peach on a plate and pore mixture over the peach

Ta da!