Been on holiday

[paulinek]

I've just got back from a camping holiday and thought I'd share my experience while I've been away. It'll probably end up mega long. I just hope it might help anyone worried about going away on a trip.

We stayed in a "wig-wam" which was a one roomed wooden cabin with seats that converted in to beds, a fridge, a kettle and some shelves & plug sockets and that was it. It was shaped like the upturned fishing-boat sheds you get on Lindisfarne a.k.a holy island which is one of the Farne Islands just off the coast of Northumberland where we were staying near Seahouses.

We have stayed in the same type of accommodation before but this year I was nervous because it was the first time we've been able to take my step-son away with us along with my own son, and i don't know why but this made me a bit edgy with us all being in the one room in case I was sick.

So, we set off in the car for the 3 1/2 hours drive up there and we were about an hour in to the journey when it dawned on me I had no anti-viral hand sanitiser with me, no anti-emetics with me, no Smints with me or anything - in other words I had absolutely none of my usual safety-net/security blanket type stuff with me. This set me off a bit but I told myself I could nip to Boots when we got there and buy those things.

We broke the journey on the way up at Alnwick Castle - which if you are in the UK and are up that way is well worth a visit, it's where they filmed a lot of the Harry Potter films and they do Broomstick training for the kids etc - anyway, the kids were doing a craft session when I started feeling a bit iffy and panicky, but we were outside in the fresh air which helped and I forced myself to go indoors to look round the state rooms which was hard as you went into room after room without a direct exit from each room, you had to go back through them all again to get back out, and I was tempted to leg it a few times as started what-iffing about what might happen if I was about to be sick and that I wouldn't be able to make it out in time but I made myself stay and I'm pleased to say I went in every single room!

We then drove on up to the campsite, without stopping in the town first so no shopping opportunities for emet panic stuff, and got settled in. By the time we went in to town to get some tea Boots was shut but by then I was feeling ok so wasn't too bothered.

The first night was fine, we had a barbecue, I had a bottle of wine and slept like a log unsurprisingly lol.

The second day we went to went to a few different beaches and went rockpooling. I was fine in the evening and had another bbq and felt fine when I went to bed, but I woke up at 4am absolutely boiling - but it was freezing outside - so this set me off in to a full blown flap. I then got cramps like I was going to have diarrhoea and kept burping and could taste the sausage I'd had earlier, so went to the toilet block convinced this was the start of something. When I got there I had a BM which was normal. I was still panicking and sat on the loo typing a panic post on here but then I took some deep breaths, told myself to stop being such a plonker, deleted the post and went back to the wigwam. I still felt very very anxious, I didn't even have a can of diet coke which made me feel worse as i always take a can to bed normally, but I just opened the window by the bed and read a news app on my phone and must've drifted off. Next day I felt fine.

We spent the day visiting Holy Island which you drive to a cross a causeway when the tide is out which is cool, twice a day the island is completely cut off by road from the mainland. That was also a good day with no emet incidents!

The next day we had planned to go on a boat trip on a catamaran around the islands. We've been before but when I woke up and it was sunny but blowing a gale I started worrying but you get to see thousands of puffins, terns, guillemots and shags etc as it's the breeding season and it's the highlight of the trip and the kids were mega excited so could not have backed out. I was worried, I won't lie, but I've done it twice before and been ok so I resisted the urge to buy travel sickness pills as they make me feel pants later, and instead went to the chippy and got a tray of chips, blathered them with salt and vinegar , ate the lot and got on that boat! It was bumpy and swaying about and my stepson who is 9 looked a bit worried so I made a big thing of smiling and telling him how fun it was etc and in the end I think I convinced myself because I did actually end up enjoying the boat journey! And on the way back I didn't even give the bumpiness a second thought and was disappointed when we got back got to the harbour that it was over.

The rest of the holiday was uneventful with no panics, barbecue for tea every night, using the shared showers and toilets, using the shared wigwam kitchen for washing up, using the shared crockery and cutlery provided (although I admit I did wash everything up first before using it as I don't trust other people's washing up and I dried it with the blue paper towel not the tea-towels provided as I don't trust tea-towels either)

So, as promised this has been a super duper mega long waffle of a tale but in summary I've been on holiday with no hand sanitiser or anti emetics, I did have a couple of panicky moments, one of which was pretty bad, I ate bbq, slept in accommodation with no en-suite facilities, used communal bathroom and kitchen facilities, went on a boat on choppy seas and also ate out during the day and.....I wasn't sick, had a fabulous time and can't wait to go again next year.

And if you read this right to the end you deserve a medal lol

[mdgirl1977]

well that sounds like a really friggin great trip and I commend you for making it through! I get really bad motion sickness if I am a passenger in a car and I can't even go on boats at all, so you have me beat. Not only did you face like 17 of my own fears, but you made sure that the kids had a good time too. You are my hero.

now you deserve a nice mani/pedi since you rejoined society.

[anna81]

Wow, that sounds amazing especially the boat trip! You did so well, and I'm really glad you had a great time. Where abouts was the boat trip? I am in the UK and that sounds like something my husband would love to do.

[paulinek]

Wow, that sounds amazing especially the boat trip! You did so well, and I'm really glad you had a great time. Where abouts was the boat trip? I am in the UK and that sounds like something my husband would love to do.

yes the boat trip was the best bit for me, it was from Seahouses (Northumberland) over to the Farne Islands with Serenity Boat Tours. Serenity are the best ones, specially if you go on their catamaran the Serenity 2 as its much more stable than the traditional wooden single hulled boats. Andy and Andrew the captain and his mate are amazing, they know the Farne's inside out and do a brilliant commentary and they look out for things and direct the boat over to them ie seals, dolphins etc. The best time of year to go is the breeding season which I think starts in May through to July. When we went it was the back end of the season and alot of the birds had already fledged and left but there were still thousands of them. There are various trips, but the one where you tour round the islands then get an hour at Inner Farne is the best one, you literally have Puffins, Arctic Terns and Shags by your feet and there are grey seals on the beach. In fact if seals are more your thing than birds then autumn is a good time to go as there are the baby seal pups <3 Andy does a blog http://thefarneislands.blogspot.co.uk/ which has got some lovely photo's on. I'm not on commission by the way ha ha, I just love it up there.