Red Bank Farm is a working farm in Bolton le Sands right on the shore of Morecambe Bay (www.redbankfarm.co.uk). Licensed cafe, good reviews on UK Campsites, and would only cost us £9 for the night (£6 for adults, £3 for kids all year round).
Weather was brilliant all week so we packed light (no long trousers!), took plenty of "refreshment" (just for me although a glass of cider had been promised to the Boy), bbq coals & the laptop for a bus-based cinema night (So I Married an Axe Murderer - Channel 5s Royal Wedding night film apparently. Has Kate got a mad sister & did Wills last girlfriend smell like Beef Vegetable soup?).
Run to the coast went well. A few struggles with 1st gear during a brief encounter with Carnforth & we were there. No awning as just the two of us so setting up was simply leveling up on chocks & putting the handbrake on and then off for a wander. "Don't wear your flip-flops, Stu. We're walking a long way". "I'll be ok, Dad. Leave me alone, I'm not a baby........"
Half an hour later, Stu's feet were on fire as I walked him all the way to the village to find a nice pub for an afternoon drinkie - he'll learn. Feeling a little guilty, I suggested he sat with his feet in the canal for a while to cool off. Not for too long though - the pub was just over the bridge.
We should have stayed at the canal - I've never been in a pub before that didn't have any bottled drinks or crisps because "we're still waiting for a delivery". Deliverance would be nearer the mark in there and would be viewed by the regulars as a documentary, not fiction. A collection of creatures lurked near the pool table, possibly because they worshiped it as some kind of God, possibly because they were waiting for a non-local to bend over it. As I didn't want to find out exactly what they did with the chalk, 2 quick beers & 2 quick Cokes later we were out of there "before our IQs dropped too far" to quote the increasingly cynical son of mine. Note that it was 2 beers, I wasn't going to let the fear of bum-rape stop me having a second pint.
Walk back to the site was good for a laugh too. We got stopped at a level-crossing for about 30 minutes while various trains went past. Realising that Stu had never been up close to a train track before, I suggested that he stood close to the barrier looking straight ahead while I watched the Virgin Express approach at high-speed. Ah, bless, he fell for it and the sheer terror on his face after the train thundered past 6 feet away seemed to have made him forget all about his aching feet. All this fun & child benefit too......................BBQ followed by campfire with toasted marshmallows on sticks ended a wonderful day so we climbed into the bus & watched the DVD. Great nights sleep too.
Up early next day & another wander before breakfast in the cafe, pack up & home. Massive queue heading north into Blackpool as we pottered down the M6 towards home - who are these people?
Rest of the week? Not much really, gave Arthur a wash on Sunday morning & went to a VW meet at a pub in Didsbury with Cal in the afternoon. Steve, Ann, Stu & Albert all came along but we mostly ignored them & chatted to other owners like the nerds that we are. Not many others there to be honest but it was Easter Sunday so maybe other families aren't as accommodating.
Have re-fitted the cupboard in the back & sorted out the hook-up. Amazing how well electricity works if you actually connect it all up right - it could have been worse, we could have been electrocuted..............
2 weeks til Ann (my lovely wife) tries again, free camping weekend in return for helping Cal's dog training club at an event in Bakewell. New sleeping bags have been bought for Ann & Stu after Ann tried one out on the floor of Millets in Altrincham - so wish I'd been there but the mental image will keep me warm for a while yet. Hope the sleeping bag does the same for Ann.
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