Mixed feelings...
I always have a mix of feelings as we close the campsite for yet another season. Relief that we survived the season is one, due to the fatigue that comes with a busy 6 months and not many days off. That is the bit that makes me want to go and lie down in a dark room for a few days.
Then, weirdly, I also feel bereft as the last campers leave and we grind to a halt. Just as the campsite was closing this year though, we welcomed daughters and grandchildren who arrived for their second birthday. So, in the end we had no time to lie down or be maudlin. They arrived like a whirlwind, and we had a fantastic time with them all, barbeques in the garden, visiting beaches and many tourist attractions that I suggest to campers in the summer including Carantec, Valley of the saints, Oceanopolis etc and of course we had a lovely time on the beach at the lake.
I love it when family and friends come especially in closed season or when we are not very busy. It's like being on holiday again. It’s nice to see people from the UK.
So now the analysis of the season starts. We always have the question should we have stayed open longer? Maybe we will try it next year.
I am on a few forums on Facebook and there do seem to be a fair few people looking for campsites that are open. Mind you lots of them head south in October.
Which is what we did when the others had gone home. I look forward to our autumn holiday, just us and the whole of Europe to explore. I start thinking about this in July - daydreaming whilst I am ironing the bedding for the glamping tents.
Then I got to the point at the end of August where I couldn’t be bothered to plan anything anymore. October drew closer so I needed to get organised.
In the end we had a lovely trip with amazing weather. A real refresher. It took us from La Rochelle to Benidorm and back over the Pyrenees. The weather didn’t dip below 25 degrees which according to most locals in most places was not normal.
Back in Brittany now we are finishing off at the campsite. I did the last ironing, packed everything away in plastic boxes with lavender and other nice smells. New tents have been ordered, received and packed away. The snack shack was cleaned to within an inch of its life and covered in tarpaulin and the toilets pressure washed ready for repairs and improvements.
Sadly, the weather has now taken a turn for the worse so the maintenance to the grounds will have to wait. It doesn’t take long for nature to take over.
We will be coming back to the UK the beginning of November for a couple of months to catch up with family and friends, plan for next year and of course Christmas!!
2024 will be our 10th anniversary at the campsite, We need to celebrate what we have achieved and all the wonderful customers who have made the campsite what it is. From vintage tractors, rugby clubs, family birthdays, flotillas from the local aero nautical base, vintage bike groups, engineering students, scooter clubs, fishermen, fantastic families, retired folk, young lovers, walkers, cyclists, triathlete’s and lovely people from all corners of Europe. What a blast we have had. Never had I thought that the campsite would be as happy and successful as it is.
This year will be our 30th wedding anniversary too so we have actually had this campsite for a third of our married life. That seems incredible to me.
How fortunate we are.