Days out in my campervan in April 2026

We're not actually having many days out in the campervan, just weekends away. Which is ok with us as I aim to spend at least one night a month in the van this year. I'm booked for May and July/August, but struggling to fit something in for June, at this rate It'll be a night at a campsite near work. 

I take the campervan to work once a week to give it a run or when Peter needs the car as it's cheaper to run being a hybrid.

In April our trip was to Brighton, which of course *yawns* was for my marathon.

We're members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club and there are massive savings to be had, but you need to book early. Showers, toilets and washing up facilities are amazing, but they do shut the blocks at set times for cleaning, which does work out well on sites like this where there are 2 blocks, unlike the site in Newport.

There's loads of space between the vans as a 'fire safety break' and it's easy to find a space and pitch up.. We didn't have the awning for this trip as it was supposed to be just two nights, but we struggled to find parking for the Sunday with the marathon on and roads closed so we stopped an extra night.

It only takes around 5 mins for us to set up. We each have our own jobs. I pop the roof and sort the bedding out and the table and organise the kitchen area, while Peter sets up the electrics. We fill the water tanks when we arrive on site and quite literally that's all there is to it. We just repeat the process when we leave. The Caravan and Motorhome campsites have drainage pits when you leave so we just drive over and empty the tanks before going home.

We do have to be very careful with the wildlife, no leaving anything outside unattended or it's away. Shoes included. In Tenby last weekend, something got into the awning overnight and made away with a parcel containing a bar of chocolate and ate it all. I discovered the wrapped in the morning.

The campsite is at the top of the hill a short walk from the Marina and handy for the parkrun on the Saturday morning.

It's a 35 minute walk from the centre of Brighton, which I had to do on the Sunday before the mArathon. On the Saturday we caught the bus in and out and explored the Laines.

It looks warm, but we're in winter gear on the beach.

Fish and Chips on the pier.

I spent a lot of time in Brighton as a child. We caught the bus into Peacehaven on the Friday night to meet up with my cousin and her fiancé for dinner. We're back in June for their wedding, but staying in their house as they'll be in a hotel over the weekend.

My next trip in the campervan is to Northern Ireland for the Whitsun week where I'm staying on my sons drive for the week.

Week 18 One Daily Positive and Project 365

The negatives

There was no mobile signal on the campsite which we knew about at time of booking but there was wifi but it was rubbish, kept kicking us out and was very slow. It wasn't a big issue really but annoying as it is supposed to be a benefit of our annual membership.

I feel I'm lacking purpose at the moment having spent 6 months training for a marathon that was run 4 weeks ago now.

The positives

I've got lots of things lined up and lots of things to look forward to.

Saturday 2nd April We had a leisurely morning despite being woken by the birds around 6am and around 11am we set off on a 5 hour 10 mile round walk via the road to Stackpole where Stephanie used to go on holiday with her school between 2000 and 2008. It's owned by the National Trust and offers accessible accommodation which is self catering for people with disabilities, with wet rooms and grab rails and step free access. We explored the grounds, met some lovely volunteers who were happy to explain how Stackpole operated and directed us to the beach that Stephanie would have visited and showed us from the outside the accommodation block she would have stayed in during her visits at that time. It was a lovely visit and nice to be in a place that Stephanie had been even if it was a part of her life we never experienced with her, especially as there weren't many places she went without us. We stopped at the local pub on our way back for dinner. Peter went back to the van and I stayed on for a bit to use the wifi and catch up with messages.

Sunday 3rd April We went to visit my old student and her mum today after a morning of lounging around. Back to the van to watch the Man Utd game and evening on the beach.

Monday 4th April A bit of a lie in then packed the awning and tent, made a coffee, washed up and showered and set off at 11am on our way home. Stopped for a Starbucks at St Clears and got breakfast in the van. Home around 3pm, unpacked and just chilled out for the afternoon in between putting the washing on and sorting the cat and getting ready for work in the morning. I uploaded the rest of the baby clothes on vinted on the drive home and did some blogging, reading and watched an episode of Eastenders I'd downloaded on iplayer. Sat in the garden and started a new book. Bath, dinner and bed early to watch gogglebox. 

Tuesday 5th April Back to work, played dodgeball with a stool and straight to the coffee shop to switch off with some blogging, then home to read, pack the tent away that Peter had put up to dry during the day and take the washing in that I''d hung out last night. I had a bath and an early night.

Wednesday 6th April A good day in work in Spanish all day covering while the spoken exams are on. I called in at home on my way to the coffee shop as I have to drive right past the house, did some shopping for gluten free things, then a coffee and blogging whilst waiting for my friend (the one who cuts my hair) treated myself to a hot chocolate. Home for dinner, schedule some posts, read, watched TV on my phone in the bath and bed. Ferry booked for Northern Ireland for half term.

Thursday 7th April Left work as the bell rang and drove straight to the Three Counties Showground for the RHS Malvern Spring Festival. It was lovely to walk around without the crowds and get to talk to some people about their show gardens and take some photos without having to wait for ages. Bumped into an ex work colleague who was there with his wife who was exhibiting and has won a couple of silvers and a bronze. We're going back on Sunday with my oldest friend of 34 years. Home to strip the spare bed and re make as she is coming to stay on Saturday night. Watched some TV and did some blogging, a late night.

Friday 8th April B12 jab after work then a coffee with old student who has her GCSE's starting next week for a morale boost. Home to watch Gardener's World see the bits I saw being filmed yesterday and find out a bit more about some of the exhibits I'd seen. 

On the blog this week:

Days out in my campervan in March 2026

Word of the week - Purpose

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Post Comment Love 8th - 10th May 2026

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

It's The RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2026 this weekend and we're fortunate to live in Malvern and with annual membership at £80 I was able to pop in after work on Thursday the first day of the show for a couple of hours to have a proper look round before we go for a full day on Sunday with my oldest friend of 34 years.

I bumped into an old work colleague who with his wife had entered 10 floral displays and had won 3 silvers and a bronze awards so I'll be seeking those out on Sunday, but I suspect they won't be looking at their best by then.

The best bit about going on the Sunday is they reduce the plants a lot by then as many of the exhibitors don't wan too be lugging stock back with them, but a lot of the displays don't look their best either.

I didn't take as many photo's as I should've done. I focused on the show gardens, which is what I went for with less crowds around to get a proper look and a chance to talk to some of the exhibitors and see some filming going on.

Gold Medal Garden

New Category 'Borders' My Favourite

Lovely and quiet at 5pm with some music being played, this will be heaving over the weekend.

The sheds, another new display

School garden designs.

Joe Swift

I also saw Chef Raymond Blanc and Gardener's world Sue Kent, but didn't realise it was them until I got home and saw them on the telly.

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Word of the week - Purpose

I've made lots of plans this week and I've got lots of things to look forward to over the next few months.

My diary has been full of coffee dates this week and is getting booked up for next week also. I went to The RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2026 after work on Thursday for a couple of hours and we're going again on Sunday with my friend who is staying over on Saturday night. But before that it's out out for drinks with my friend tomorrow night.

This week I've booked a ferry crossing to Northern Ireland for Whitsun week to visit the grandsons. My friend in South Africa has confirmed our annual meet up in Paris the 3rd weekend in June, which means every weekend in June is now fully booked with a family wedding, another show at the Three Counties that my mum and Aunt are coming to stay for, then there is Paris and finally a meet up with my friend Mary.

I've been reading this week, loads of washing has been, lots of blogging and plenty of sleep.

I've got plenty to do. I'm not bored. Life is varied. There is so much to be done around the home and the garden and we're getting on with it all quite happily. There's no boredom or feeling that life is repetitive. 

I just feel a bit lost, a bit lonely, not alone. I don't have a purpose at that the moment. No one needs looking after. I've got no purpose. I've been reminded of this as I keep getting my covid -19 invites which I was qualified for as Stephanie's carer.

Training for my marathon in Brighton in April gave me purpose. It got me out the house and gave me something to aim for. I had 6 months to get myself ready from not having run since I was in school using couch to 5k to my first park run and taking part in 2 ultra challenges in London and Bath after I did the first one in September 2025 for Bowel Research UK to mark the first anniversary of Stephanie's death.

We spent last weekend camping in Pembroke and found ourselves only 3-4 miles away from Stackpole a place where Stephanie holidayed as a child with her old school and we took a coastal walk to explore the area. This evening I dug around in her memory box to look through her photos.

I didn't feel sad. The memories felt like a life time ago and I realised I don't need to keep doing things in her name, in her memory anymore. I've done what I needed to do. I've created a legacy for her through the marathon, I've created an online legacy for her through Facebook and my social media accounts and with the fundraising. I've done something in her name, that will live on. I just need to find a new purpose for me now.

I'll carry on running, I just need a bit longer for my knee to heal that I damaged last week. There won't be anymore marathons. I've done that. I enjoyed it, but there's no need to put myself through that again, there's nothing to prove, not even to myself. 

I'm content, I'm happy. I just want to carry on making a positive impact on those around me and on my own life and make sure I have personal goals and not get stuck in a rut and keep life meaningful.

Days out in my campervan in March 2026

I only had one camping trip in March, a weekend in Wales.

I stopped a night in Barry ready for a parkrun and a visit to watch Barry Town play football on the saturday before heading off to Newport in the evening ahead of visiting my nephew and his family on the Sunday before heading home via visiting a friend in Monmouth.

The campsite in Barry was approximately 3 miles outside the town so on arrival on the Friday night I drove down to the beach to check out the parking for the morning and back via Jenner Park to check out street parking for the afternoon.

The campsite was on a farm.

There were two sets of toilet and shower blocks. This one for general use and a set for disabled travellers as well as washing up facilities and good wifi. It was a very peaceful site with an amazing sunset.

There was some housekeeping as usual. Peter is left handed and I'm not and between us the electricity cable is getting awfully confused.

I really hate how this door opens where the cable is stored. To put it away properly is such a fluff, either from the outside or climbing in through the side door and manoeuvring in a narrow gap. It would be so much easier if the door was detachable.

The van is 2.07m but we have a solar panel fitted so I avoid anything with a height barrier, especially when the ground is uneven. I found a good spot for parkrun.

With great views of the beach.

And now I've mastered the art of folding the roof within a minute, it's lovely to be able to lie down with a cup of tea and read my book after a run with a spectacular view of the sea.

After the football I drove onto Tredegar in Newport where I stayed at the Caravan and Motorhome Club for a night. It's in the grounds of a National Trust Site which we've explored before.

The only downside is that check out is 12pm and the showers shut at 10.15am and it's a pain when you have to rush to pack up so you can get showered before the drive home. Some sites have two blocks and alternate cleaning times.

I pack all the fridge stuff back into the cool bag so when I get home it's ready to lift straight back into the house.

A clean tea towel sits under the bowl to stop it moving around and the dirty cloths are hung up ready just to be taken into the house. And fresh cloths are put back into the van straight away. All the other items, clothes and shoes are packed into the yellow bag ready to be carried in also.

The only other trip I had out in the van in March was to Bath when I took part in an Ultra Challenge. I could have taken the car but it was a long journey both ways around 2 hours each way with a 5 hour walk, so I took the van so I could brew up after wards and have a lie down for an hour to rest before the long drive home.

Our adventures in April took us to Tenby and May I'm off on my own to Northern Ireland.

 

Week 17 - One Daily Positive and Project 365

The negatives

I injured my knee running on Tuesday, I'm struggling to walk and driving has been hard.

The positives

Things have been going a bit mad (for me) on tiktok with a couple of videos and the messaging which has been quite entertaining. I love chatting on WhatsApp to my son in Australia throughout the football.

Saturday 25th April Out for coffee with Peter in the morning then train to Birmingham for the last home game of the season. I got hit in the side of the head with a ball by Bristol City during the warm up and had a banging headache and needed to seek some assistance at half time for some paracetamol. A young lad also got hit in the face and his family sought help then left in the first 20 mins. We won 2-1. I got home at 8pm, neighbour invited me round for a catch up in her garden. I then caught up with all the other matches and had a late night.

Sunday 26th April Woke with a headache and a sore neck. I think I've been affected more than I realised. Watched the London marathon and can't believe the top two finishers did so in under 2 hours, what an achievement. Tracked a colleague from work as he had tracked me two weeks ago. Spent time in the garden while Peter cleaned the lean to roof and I read, did some blogging, sorted some stuff for work and we went for a walk and had coffee in the afternoon. The cat was a nuisance all day. Bath and an early night.

Monday 27th April I forgot there was a meeting after work and didn't get home till almost 6pm. I watered the garden and baked some cakes for my reading group on Thursday as it's my last session with them and sorted through some stickers and little toys I had around the house for them. I also started a trifle for my childcare group on Wednesday. I finished a book and did some blogging. Bath and bed by 10pm.

Tuesday 28th April Home from work, a cup of tea and out for a run. I've done something to my knee and I had to phone Peter up to help me walk/hobble home the last 500ms. I spent an hour on the phone with my mum discussing all her meal failures over the years after my custard failed to set on the trifle I've attempted to make for work tomorrow. Washing on and a few craft things and letter writing kits and gifts put together to work on over the weekend whilst we are away.

Wednesday 29th April Knee hurting all day and a bump with students playing rugby in the corridor didn't help. Haircut after work and a coffee. Home to pack clothes and stuff for the weekend into the van. Bath and an early night and programs downloaded onto phone for watching over the weekend. 

Thursday 30th April Sorted out fridge stuff for Peter to pack into the van when he picked me up after work and got the cat litter tray ready and put food out for the cat sitter. Peter drove me to work and collected me and we drove to West Wales for the weekend. It was non school uniform day which was handy and a long weekend for the bank holiday. We arrived at the site at 7pm and were set up by 8pm. We opted not to go out for dinner and ate in the van. No phone signal on site which we knew about but had forgotten wifi password and couldn't reset password as we couldn't get access to our emails.

Friday 1st May Child 3's 34th birthday over in Australia. I'd sent his card over with his easter gifts. I'd put together another parcel to post soon with end of season football program and his girlfriend's favourite chocolate. Still waiting for his limited edition football shirt I ordered in November that apparently won't be arriving until July. During the night a bird got under the van and into the tent and rooted through a bag, grabbed the parcel and a packet of rice and ate the contents of both, leaving the program on the grass and no sign of the letter and some other things. We drove into Tenby, walked along the beach, through the harbour and had breakfast and coffee. There was a pub stop for beer and mocktails and after a stroll to the south beach a late lunch/early dinner then back to the camp site via a supermarket shop for an evening reading and chilling out.

On the blog this week:

Word of the week - Can't

The best bits of April

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Post Comment Love - 1st - 4th May 2026

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

The weather has been lovely this week and it's the bank holiday weekend so we're in West Wales in the camper can chilling out for a few days, reading books, going for long walks on the beach and visiting old castles and just enjoying the fresh air.

Pushkins is enjoying the attention of the house sitter. I'm not sure if she just loves attention or whether she was trying to stop us planning our trip or suggesting she came with us.

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Word of the week - Can't. I can run a Marathon ... but I can't ...

... squeeze a tube of face cream so I've had to buy it in a pump. It actually works out cheaper.

... open the medication I need for my hiatus hernia caused by the training for the marathon, so I've bought sachets which I can only open with a pair of scissors. It does cost a lot more but I can't carry the large bottle with me anyway.

... I struggle to open the cover on the milk, the lid on new jars, use a tin opener, open these packets that say 'tear here' do a necklace up, put the back of an earring on, write for any length of time.

... but I can run a marathon. I just don't know how helpful that is around the home.

This week I discovered I also can't make a trifle.

My custard wouldn't set. I went ahead and made the dream topping and took it to work in a jug and drove with it to work and put it in the fridge and used it as an example of 'when things go wrong'

It was enjoyed by all, it was just a little runny.

The best bits of April 2026

In no particular order:

Our next cat. Been hanging around our house and garden for quite a while now despite Pushkins seeing it off on a regular basis, although at the time of writing not seen for a week or two.

Enjoying the sun, but why she has to sit here, I do not know.

Watching us while we do the garden.

Not helpful at all.

A visit to Brockhampton Estate.

A day out at countrytastic with child2, Dil and the grandchildren.

An easter party in our old neighbourhood with our oldest friends.

Three football matches this month. It all went a bit Peaky Blinders for the game against Blackburn.

Attendance was low against Preston North End. I'm in the yellow coat.

Last home game of the season against Bristol Rovers and I got whacked in the head by one of their players.

Great to get the washing out on the line. There has also been a lot of gardening done but too many photos to choose from.

Kath turned 50. She is the one responsible for me running the Brighton Marathon. I've got to blame someone. She is also my motivational coach who kept me going when I didn't think I could do it.

Flowers and good luck card from Kath the day we travelled down to Brighton.

Fundraising was probably the hardest part of the marathon and I'm grateful to each and every one of you who dropped something in the pot, with almost £2000 raised since last September.

Nails painted in the colours of Bowel Research UK. It's a great way to get the conversation started and now I can casually drop in 'oh did I mention I ran a marathon for them to raise funds in memory of Stephanie?'

And finally the Brighton Marathon.

Before:

During:

After:

And my final finally my support crew - Peter. He's not a big fan of featuring on my blog. In 2024 I insisted on taking a selfie a day for a year and he moaned like mad about it. At Stephanie's funeral he acknowledged how grateful he was for all the photos I had taken over the years of us all as a family as we had so many photos of Stephanie to choose from, he's just not a big fan of me sharing them everywhere.