How to survive a rainy weekend in a motorhome with the mother-in-law!
It’s easy! Or it is when you find yourself an amenable mother-in-law (like I have) who doesn’t moan about the torrential rain pouring down the grey Derbyshire hills and comes equipped with half of Waterstones bookstore!
We had two sites booked for three nights, one with lots of dripping wet trees (http://www.woodlandcaravanpark.co.uk/) the other with lots of noisy birds (http://www.rivendalecaravanpark.co.uk/). They were both lovely, what we could see of them through the grey soggy veil of mist and water!
So when in doubt, forget the walk through the fells of Castleton and Bakewell, get out the Scrabble, put on the kettle and spend some quality time together. Two bottles of good Spanish red helps too, especially when you are playing Scrabble, (Yes cokfartinker is a word- how DARE YOU!)
It’s a bit more difficult with three people in a motorhome, mornings take longer, the queue for the loo is longer and cooked breakfasts seem to be army canteen style but all in all it worked ok. The water tank needed filling twice as much, although once we had stopped said mother-in-law flushing for fun it wasn’t too bad. I even ventured for a shower in the campsite block (not necessary, could’ve just stood outside) unusual for me doing this I prefer the cosy warm plastic cocoon of the motorhome shower. I have reminded myself why. It is not pleasant trotting through the campsite in the pouring rain accompanied by a slug who has leapt from his muddy puddle and attached himself to the lower portion of your pyjama pants, and refuses to sucker off when I tried removing him! Could have been a girl slug, who knows, but I bet it was a boy.
Our last day was ok, dry and a bit sunny. My husband morphed into Bear Grylls again around his barbeque, cooking snake and wilderbeast and small bugs and locusts (thanks Morrisons for the burgers and pork steaks!)
So 5 survival tips (I don’t tell everybody)
1. Wine (this doesn’t need further explaining)
2. Board games, not Monopoly, you don’t want the local police around.
3. Plenty of food. Food soothes the soul and also gives you something to do.
4. Books, magazines, newspapers, these give you a damn good excuse not to talk to anyone.
5. A good campsite with slug free showers, hairdryers and toilets that flush first time.
Now, go, pack up and enjoy yourself, rain or no rain.
