What else do you do ?

[Delboy]

Hey Ho

Now that I am sans the much beloved I just cannot face a singles holiday

But I get so much quality time retracing, with my best friend Mr Google's help researching a lifetime of holidays with Betty

The earliest holiday we had together was spent at Billy Butlin's Clacton emporium during the summer of 1954, we did enjoy the experience and got married later the next year

Sadly our planned sixty years of wedded bliss celebration world cruise was not to be

Now I really am content, using my trusty bus/train/taxi passes, enjoying the beautiful rural Darzet scenario with a bite to eat at Mr Spoons eateries

Lubooo all

Graham x

Graham
In case you don't know, the old Butlins site in Clacton in now a very large housing estate.
Took this photo on Sunday from my car, parked roughly where part of the Butlin's site used to be.
It was a lovely day, but windy which was blowing the sand making it a little uncomfortable.

Never saw them but we had 500 mods on their schoolers visiting on Sunday, to celebrate when in the 60's they came down and rioted.

[gfwgfw]

Dellboy

To be totally upfront . . . . .

Then I only had eyes for my then 20 year old lady beauty

But I do rember it was a hellish overnight Royal Blue coach journey twixt rural Darzet and Clacton

Halcyon days with treasured memories of yesteryear

Do hope all is well with you and yours

Graham

[gfwgfw]

. . . btw a great pic sans Billy Butlin's shanty city

[brillo]

We used to alternate with Safari and Beach holidays in Kenya before the terror activity there, now we are looking at North American tours.

[Mervyn and Trish]

. . . btw a great pic sans Billy Butlin's shanty city

All the shanty cabins are now on Ventura, or so we are led to believe!

[Manoverboard]

. . . btw a great pic sans Billy Butlin's shanty city

All the shanty cabins are now on Ventura, or so we are led to believe!

Are they really, gosh, no wonder some are moving over to the relative glam of cruising on Britannia

[Mervyn and Trish]

I merely report what I hear. We've booked a chalet on Ventura for 2017. I'm looking forward to the knobbly knees competition, Miss Skegness 1968, and the over 80's nudist leapfrog.

[Manoverboard]

.... and how to make ' Lime Meringue Pie ' for £150 pp under the tutelage of Fanny Craddock perchance ?

[Mervyn and Trish]

I just remember Johnny having trouble with his Fanny.......

[Jan Rosser]

I just remember Johnny having trouble with his Fanny.......

Let's hope Cubie doesn't read this post Merv or you know what will happen

[Mervyn and Trish]

Be alright if he's taken his medication....

[gfwgfw]

. . . btw a great pic sans Billy Butlin's shanty city

All the shanty cabins are now on Ventura, or so we are led to believe!

[suespud]

Well after Thomsons releasing 2016 holidays last thursday..I thought we would be able to book our family holiday for 2016 back to Menorca.
Was not to be....yes they released them...but ALL the systems crashed..no one could book anything...no free child places available at all.
As there are 15 of us going and my OH is footing the bill..it was up to me to get the best deal.
The girls at Hays Travel assured me that they could get me 4 free child places.It made a difference of nearly 4K.
Eventually on friday last week they secured 4 family rooms, flights on the date we wanted..but no free child places, as they were not being re released until tuesday.
Sooooo we waited..and yesterday I got the call.I had 4 free child places !!!!
The girls at the TA had spent hours on the phone to get me what I needed..they really went the extra mile...even giving me a very good discount as they knew my cut off point.
I am one happy bunny again...
Roll on next summer !!!!!

[Manoverboard]

Hay(e)s Travel own Bath Travel ... just info for all you Southern Jessies

[Capt Black]

A couple of years ago friends of ours introduced us to flotilla yacht sailing. Totally hooked now. We went and did our in"Competent Crew" training and are now working towards the dizzy heights of Day Skipper. Even went and crewed on a regatta in a force 7. Never seen the Solent so lumpy.

Another 2 flotillas booked this year.

Bank account rapidly dwindling.

[Kendhni]

We have been doing several land based AI holidays at places we had previously visited on a cruise ship .. we wanted to explore a little bit more. What we do though is use a similar budget to that we would spend for a cruise which means a good quality hotel with good facilities (lately we have been using Iberostar and Grand Bahia Principe). I also find that Tripadvisor is a great source when selecting hotels.

[allatc]

Just back from a two week cruise on the "Sensation". This compact little ship had a crew of four and no passengers. Onboard dining options were a little limited but the chefs did their best. Found some good shore-side restaurants in the villages of Norfolk.

On return checked out the cost of one of the newest boats available in the area. A one week hire costs around £1600 - that's excluding food, fuel costs, mooring fees and pump-out charges. It's cheaper to go on a cruise !

That said we did enjoy pootling around at our own pace, calling in at places we wanted to visit and sampling the local hostelries.

[Manoverboard]

For those who like to potter about on the waterways consider this 5* version ...

http://www.wessexrose.co.uk/

[jay-ell71]

Madeira for a week once a year staying in the Cliff Bay. Very relaxing.

[CaroleF]

Well, since I posted in April about our intended Great Rail Journey to Lake Como this September, things have changed. As I said our younger daughter is expecting her first baby on the day we were to return from Italy. She was insistent that we didn't cancel. Since then the baby's arrival is now put at 3 days after we leave home. So we have decided to transfer the holiday to next September. Great Rail Company couldn't have been nicer about it and we have transferred the whole thing to early September 2016. I feel much better about it now. It seems our year for changing things. Our intended cruise on Adonia next March was cancelled by P&O so we've had to re-plan that holiday. Incidentally Great Rail only charge £40 for transferring the holiday - note that P&O!

Carole

[jay-ell71]

Something like that happened to us. We changed the date of our cruise because of the expected arrival of our daughter's baby. Of course in the event baby arrived three weeks early and so we need not have changed the date of our holiday after all!! Babies tend not to be very interested in "arrangements". Hope all goes well for baby, rail journey and the dratted cancelled Adonia cruise, Carole.

[Dancing Queen]

I'm sure you feel happier to have rearranged it to next year and now you will be on hand when he/she arrives

Maybe you could look for a last minute cruise October/November so you at least get a break before Xmas.

[Manoverboard]

Fingers crossed that Baby 2 won't arrive in September 2016 then

[GillD46]

We are in a dilemma too. Our second daughter has just told us she and her partner are expecting a baby in December - our first grandchild, so as you can imagine we are delirious with excitement - but her due date is exactly two weeks to the day after we are due to return from 17 nights on QV.

Now I know first babies CAN be late, which wouldn't be a problem except it might disrupt Christmas a bit, but they can also be early, and I know I shall want to rush up to London ASAP once baby is born. Daughter says go, and we do want to go, but do we carry on with the booking or do we transfer?

I'm not expecting anyone to actually have the answer by the way, just a rhetorical question.

[jay-ell71]

Congratulations! Gill. I am, of course not giving you the answer. As I said earlier, babies do not respect "arrangements". Our daughter's first baby was two weeks late, and second baby three weeks early, and you could be sitting at home wishing you were on QE with no sign of baby arriving, or ....... so good luck and I hope all goes all for all of you. J