On Friday, Tommy and I left the girls in the capable hands of Granny and Papa whilst we headed down to Ullswater in the Lake District for the event of the year - the Classic Hymers Micro Meet. We've been members of this Facebook group for over a year now and have received some brilliant advice and got great ideas from the other members over that time. We're massive fans of the older styles of Hymers and the lure of 80+ classic vehicles in one place was too much to resist. Their owners seemed like a nice bunch too! So Hans was cleaned and polished within an inch of his life, before we set off with a rather obscene amount of beer onboard and a mystery raffle prize in a brown paper bag. The meet was based at Park Foot Caravan Site near Pooley Bridge, which was ravaged by storms last year. Two bridges in the area were still closed, resulting in an interesting detour down country lanes before we arrived. We got a great welcome from the Admin team (resplendent in hi-vis) at the gate. The site is huge and we were lucky to bag ourselves a brilliant pitch down by the lakeside. Once pitched up and hooked up, we discovered that our long suffering leisure battery had finally decided to give up completely. Without it, even on hookup, we were without heating, a water pump and lights! Thank goodness for Caravan Dan, one of the Tech Admins of the site, who was able to help us out with a new battery. It would have been a cold and dark weekend (and smelly!) without his help. With that sorted, we were able to chill and have a look round at the other Hymers. They had travelled from all over the UK and it was amazing to see them all together. We poked our heads in a few, examined other layouts and swapped modification ideas and maintenance tips. The girls would have been bored rigid but we had a ball. The best bits were putting faces to names from the group and catching up with people we'd already met on our travels. Tommy's cousin and his wife were there too - a proper family reunion after 30 years! The light was stunning later in the day, showing the fells off to their best. The evening was spent with a few beers in the clubhouse, then back in Hans. We didn't want to stay up too late as the next day promised to be a busy one, but one or two drinks were had. We even had a visit from Jon, the founder of the group, so we introduced him to West beer and enjoyed a bit of banter. Tommy and Jon share a very similar sense of humour - the less said about that, the better! Saturday morning started with cake, coffee, speeches, a bit of music and dark glasses, before more mingling and Hymer stalking and a leisurely walk to Pooley Bridge for lunch. On return, the team had a drone out taking some aerial pictures and video. It looked like serious stuff so we left them in peace! In the afternoon, we spent time chatting with Peter Curry, another Tech Admin, about solar power and lighting, only to leave with our wallets lighter, our pockets full of LED bulbs and our brains overflowing with new information. Back in Hans, Tommy fitted our new bathroom lights, so now it's less like Blackpool illuminations and also easier on the power draw. We also had lots of lovely visitors who were admiring our spotty curtains and checkered bonnet. We love our Hans very much and it was nice to hear all the positive comments people had. I found myself telling people what a happy van he is, and it's true. We love spending time in him. After dinner it was raffle time, with Jon as compere and fellow Admin, Christian, as his beautiful assistant. I was laughing so hard that I didn't even see who won our mystery prize. We didn't do too badly ourselves; although we didn't win the solar panel or habitation check, we did win a magnum of champagne. We also gained a pair of VW plant pots, when the winner of them donated them to us on hearing that we owned a Beetle. Thanks Brian! The next morning was an absolute cracker, with sunshine and blue skies. We weren't the only ones who were out and about early making the most of it. Tommy managed to grab some more pictures while the sun was out and everyone was in a great mood. I think we spoke to more people on Sunday morning than we did the rest of the weekend. It was a shame to see the Hymers gradually pack up and leave but eventually we had to join them ourselves. I think the grandparents may have complained if we hadn't appeared to collect the Tornado Twins at some point. But before we left, we took one last walk to Pooley Bridge to see the new temporary bridge open. We missed the exact moment but we did see some Hymers crossing and the steamers ferrying people about. Then it was back to reality. An absolutely brilliant weekend all round. Top marks to the admin team, the tech guys and all the volunteers. We can't wait for the next time to meet you all. I think it's safe to say that the VW planters have gone to a good home! 23/03/16 EDIT Here's the drone footage from the meet - what an epic location! Find out more about other Classic Hymer meets.
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