Connievan Jolly Holiday

Hello, so lovely to be back! Been pootling through my photographs over the past couple of days putting together the visuals for the latest installment of Tales From The Connievan. I surely hope you're not going to get fed up with hearing about all things caravan related cos I have a feeling that this'll be a long-winded, enduring, obsessive love affair and I can't see it letting up anytime soon. I just can't get over how happy being a Caravan Owner is making me :: I am love love love love love loving it! So much!!!

We had such a fabulous Jolly Holiday last week, it was pretty much perfect. We went across to the north east coast, to a magical little place that we've never visited before called Saltburn by the Sea. So it was a double whammy for me really, as not only did we get to spend 5 whole days jollying with Connievan, but we were beside the sea too, woooohhoooooo!!!

We booked onto a very small campsite called Bunnyland (I kid you not) which was a combined small campsite/boarding kennels/cattery/rabbit breeding/bed and breakfast type farm. It was in the midst of beautiful moorland countryside, with the sea sparkling in the distance and a green and golden buttercup field given over to a very informal campsite. We rolled up with Connievan on Monday afternoon and were given a fabulous pitch in the corner of the field with uninterrupted views all around. There was a swing under a small clump of trees for the Little People, and yes there were rabbits. Lots and lots and lots of rabbits, plus a few cats, chickens and a stunning peacock too. The Little People were so happy with this setup, they spent their whole time bicycling up and down the track between Connievan and the rabbits, with frequent detours to the swings.

I didn't take that many pictures inside Connievan as she isn't particularly photogenic just yet. I did want to show you our bed though, oh how wonderful our caravan bed is! So cosy and comfy and lovely, although I do apologise for it's unmade state, I certainly didn't bother to style this picture for you did I? 

Waking up early each morning was such a pleasure...drawing back the curtains and opening the window to take in the glorious weather and the green and golden scenery was bliss. The above view was mine-all-mine as I sat in bed with my tin mug of tea each morning, I couldn't have been happier.

Saltburn by the Sea is a very charming old Victorian seaside town. The beach is huge and expansive, the sea comes in across the sands in big, rolling waves making it perfect for surfing. And considering the weather (FABulous, glorious sunshine), it was very, very quiet too.

You can see my Little Man there look, sitting in the sea just chilling by himself....

....and this is Little Lady, putting the decorative touches to her sandcastle.

Little B, wiggling his toes in the sunshine....

....and this is me look....sitting in our newly purchased (and quite brilliant) beach tent, hooking myself into a delirious granny striped frenzy complete with sea views.

 

Hooky, hooky, stripy, stripy, glance up to the see the sea, squeeeeeeeeeal with happiness, then back to the hooky. It was blissful.

Saltburn has a rather splendid pier look, it's been beautifully preserved over the years and is blessedly free of Entertainments.

You basically stroll along it and view the view. Breathe in the air and admire the rolling waves. Think salty thoughts then stroll back again. Wonderful.

Saltburn also has this :: an amazing way to get from the seafront up to the top of the cliff where the town lies. There are steps of course, but why toil up the steps when you can ride up in fantastical Victorian Style??

It was a wonderful feeling, rising gently up and up above the beach and pier below....

....sitting cosily inside these cute little painted carriages with the most beautiful stained glass windows.

The view from the top of the cliff was breathtaking.

I think Saltburn was at one time a little run down and neglected, but has enjoyed a revival in recent years. It was all beautifully designed and well kept....

....and a real pleasure to stroll about in the afternoon sunshine taking it all in.

The town itself is small and quaint and wonderful. Very ornate and pretty. Lovely swirly whirly bits. I really liked it a lot.

After a stroll about town where we picked up some provisions from the local bakery and superb deli, we made our way back down the cliff, via the steps this time. Ahhhh coastal views, you can't beat 'em, they make my heart soar.

After a day at the seaside, it was so good to return "home" to our little corner of buttercup field. The days were hot last week, and it meant that we were able to happily sit outside enjoying the sunshine well into the evenings.

Connie's table lived almost permanently outside and we ate breakfast out here as well as evening meals.

Outdoor eating was kept simple :: crusty bread, chevre goats cheese, ripe tomatoes, crisp apples...

...and chilled white wine. Connievan has a super oven and gas hob which we very successfully cooked on, but I do love the ease of picnic style food eaten outdoors on a warm evening.

After the food was cleared away, we continued to sit outdoors and indulge in a little relaxing hobby-time. Colouring, building domino runs, reading and hooking were all carried out around the table as the sun descended in the sky. It was absolutely blissful.

 

Such a wonderful week, we were all sad to see it end. Little Lady cried when it was time to leave, it was quite heart breaking. Connievan is surely helping us some build some wonderful family memories. I'm cherishing them, holding them close, full of gratitude for such happy times.

Tomorrow I'll show you another little place that we visited, so do drop by for more sea breezes....see you then xxxxxxx

Comments

[super real]

War, its psychological causes and effects on individuals and societies super real different loan providers have their own rates on online personal loans as well as their terms are vastly different according for the amount of cash requested.

[Sandra Tranter.]

Imagine my surprise to see 'home' on your site,and so proud to see it looking so beautiful. Love your site.

[savannah]

Hi, I am so mesmerized at your home your life your crocheting,I can't imagine such a full beautiful life you have. Thanks so much for letting us share snippets and taking us on journeys we would never get to see.S.J.

[bkay]

Wow what beautiful photographs... makes me happy looking at them:) I stumbled across your blog surfing for patterns for granny squares. I will definitely be back for more visual joyment. Thanks

[Luise]

Hi, I love to read your blog. I´ve got it on my PC and look in now and then. I appreciat the way you write, the way you think and put it in words, also your lovely Fotos. You chear up my day!! Hope to read lots and lots of thinks from you in the future.
best wishes to you and your family from Luise living in Germany.

[Alicia P.]

Just so you know, you are driving me CRAZY with all this beauty. C.R.A.Z.Y. xoxo

[Katy P]

Your posts got me thinking about caravans, having a little look on ebay, a bit of research into what could fit in our garage...one thing led to another, and I've just this minute heard from my husband that we have bought an Eriba Puck. I am so excited - and look forward to getting inspiration from you as you make yours even more homely! I'm now living in Switzerland, but I'm a Yorkshire lass and I love your blog. x

[Jenny]

Oh Lucy, these are such happy memories for you all! I have so many of my own of our caravan when I was younger and DH and I really want to get one of our own (will probably wait for kiddies tho!) I'd love to visit Saltburn (even more after seeing these gorgeous piccies!) as it was the location for a Freya North novel I read on honeymoon last year, not exactly literary prize stuff but it sounded really lovely! All the best for your future trips and revamping, my Mum revamped one of our older vans, new curtains and the like and it was so pretty so excited for you!! x x x

[Kelly Bassett]

I have wanted one of my own sweet caravans for quite a long bit!! It is so inspirational seeing others enjoy their priceless caravans!!! I just wish I could get a hold of one in the States. I would be ecstatic if I could live in England:)

[Anna]

just found your blog from RubyRed and oh my goodness I want a caravna now!! I want to explore the UK as I've hardly been anywhere and this just looks breathtaking. Thanks so much for sharing :)

[Anne H]

So glad you enjoyed Saltburn. This is where I enjoyed paddling most weekends when I was young. The North East coast was my local seaside for my first 18 years and I still feel drawn to it - the pier, the wonderful lift and then further along at Redcar the lemon top icecreams at Pacitto's!

[Beth]

I love your crochet and it's fun to see your color sense in the other things about you...the basket of laundry, the linens on the bed in your caravan, and even in your seaside pictures. One day I am going to do something in those sorts of colors. Have a wonderful vacation. love, Beth

[Lilian]

oi, meu nome é Lilian e eu moro no Brasil, sou quimica por profissão, mas amo as artes em geral e principalmente croche, há muito tempo acompanho seu blog pois também faço muitos trabalhos com square e você sem dúvida é uma fonte de inspiração. Me desculpe por nao escrever para você em Inglês, mas não domino bem o inglês por isso não quis me arriscar, mas como eu tenho tradutores você concerteza poderá compreender meu recado. Enfim estou lhe escrevendo para lhe dar parabéns e dizer que suas fotos e seu trabalho com o croche é maravilhoso e inspirador. Se quiser me responder ficaria grata,
mais uma vez parabéns pelo blog....eu adoro....
Abraços
Lilian

[Donna :)]

Beeuuutieeful!!! Saltburn on the Sea was just breathtaking. I love those really high quaint towns especially by the sea. What a place. Thanks again for sharing your life, it is soo sweet. I love the camping, camped with my 4 girls many times through the years and for someone who is outdoorsy it is just the perfect vacation. Not to mention all the unforgettable memories you will all enjoy through the years. Thank you many times over!!!

[Fiona]

Oh it looks absolutely blissful. I have heard of Saltburn but don't know exactly where it is so will have to get the map out. It looks like just my kind of place. I can never get bored of reading about the caravan. I am hoping we might have one ourselves in a few years time so I am more than happy to read about other peoples caravans. I'm hoping we might borrow my in laws caravan this summer. Camping is out this year as I have a slowly expanding bump :-) and don't really fancy crawling in and out of a tent. So it will be good to practice in a caravan even though it's not my own. Looking forward to your next instalment of holiday tales. x

[Denise]

It looks like you've had a fab time and you are certainly causing a stir with the wool shops online - I ordered some the other day and they emailed me to ask if there was a magazine article or something out as they had had so many peeps ordering the same !!Love all your projects x

[Jami]

Lovely pictures Lucy! It looks like you had a lot of fun!

[Emma]

We're a van family too - we have a book / diary which we take with us when we go away. We keep a note of the dates we've been away, where we've been to and what we did when we were there. We stick in tickets and other little bits and bobs we collect while we're away. Our children love writing in the diary and it's turning into a fab record of childhood memories (and it's great to watch their writing change over the years too!)

[Katrina]

I love the picture Lucy! We have a motorhome called Bette, and we're off on a two week adventure at the weekend. Nothing makes me happier than sitting with hubby and dawg in or around our little home, doing stuff you don't get time to do when you're at home. Lots of hooking on my agenda! Please keep sharing xx

[Cheri Mosgrove]

Oops. . . doesn't look like my email was included in the post above. If you can send me the plate information, please email it to [email protected]. Thanks so much!
Cheri

[Cheri Mosgrove]

Hello Lucy from Salem, Oregon, USA! What fun to take a trip to Saltburn on the Sea from here! :-) I would so love to visit there now! Our little family just bought a tiny little trailer called a Trillium. . . it's only 13' long and so very very cute! I'm working on restoring and decorating it. My inspiration is coming from the Cool Caravan book you blogged about some time ago. Given that, I wanted to ask you if you would mind telling me where you got those super cute plates shown in your picnic picture on this post. Those would fit perfectly in my little trailer! Thanks so much. . . I really appreciate your help and your fun hooky musings!

[Anna-Karin, Sweden]

Hi Lucy!
It's oh so beautiful!!!
I understand why Little Lady cried. It lookes like you had a super holiday!!!

Take care!
Love from Anna xxx

[Kristen]

Oh my goodness, how beautiful! Your little camper, the delicious views--the lovely, lovely town, it all looks just wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!

[Julie]

Brilliant blog

You inspired me, and i had a go at the little grannys, not bad for a first attempt, thanks for the inspiration

[Pati]

Hello Lucy! What a lovely holiday! The beach looks fabulous! I'll drop by tomorrow, oh yes, I will! xxx Pati from cloudy London (which reminds me I'd better bring the clothes back inside from the garden in case it rains...)