Duggie's maiden voyage!

As Covid seems to be stalling this year's overseas travel plans, the money I saved was invested into a bit of a long term dream I had - A #micro #camper. We affectionately named him Duggie (the #Diahatsu). August's preference was 'Vannie' (he prefers things to be named according to their function).

He's compact and bijoux! and with a turbo charged 998cc engine reaches the grand top speed of 50mph, with a tail wind! After a bit of a botched paint job and some internal tlc ... he's ready to go, big enough just for the two of us, small enough to hopefully take us on some fantastic #adventures away from the beaten track (and larger vans!). However, my plans for an Eastern European road trip next summer may need reassessing based upon that engine capacity... or perhaps not.... maybe something alluring about whether (or not) he will make it...

For the first trip out we followed the recommendation of seasoned campers (my folks) to head over to #WaxhamSands Holiday Park (http://waxhamsandsholidaypark.com) in #Norfolk for a #beachfront #campsite equipped with beautiful deserted #dunes. The weather was good to us and we enjoyed one of the hottest September weekends I can remember. Waxham Sands is

a perfect spot for #families. The fine #sandy beach is broad and very #clean and the best bit is that, when the tide goes out, lots of natural shallow #pools form. Perfect for little (and big) ones! and perfect for safe spacing! The real treat however was the fact that the coastline is home to a #seal colony and on every visit you could see lots of seals having fun in the surf!

It is a place where all the #simple pleasures of life can be enjoyed; running through the waves, spinning round and round until you fall over dizzy, rolling down the sand dunes, watching the sun go down (and come up!). The reality is, even though it's an excellent base for exploring the Norfolk coastline and the Broads, for a few days you wouldn't want to venture far from this #beautiful #beach. It was a great way to start our vanning adventures and I learned the valuable lesson to not to leave the 12v fridge plugged into the cigarette lighter overnight! The site itself is superb and excellent value for money at £18 per night (with electric hook up). It features two huge flat fields sheltered by the dunes and adjacent to the Norfolk Coastal Path, with direct access through the dunes to the beach. A cute and well maintained children's play park is a benefit for little ones as is the well stocked shop to keep you topped up with the camping essentials. We loved our stay at Waxham Sands, and are already looking forward to a visit next year (travel restrictions permitting of course!).