Safety on the beach

Another sunny day in Cornwall:) I say another, what i mean is perhaps: "a break in the clouds in Cornwall!" No, that's cynical, we've had a good run at summer and so far we can't complain. So on to the topic for this entry...

Fine weather always brings people out of their caravans and onto the beach and Cornwall's awesome Jurassic coastline is bristling with outstanding beaches. In recent years Cornwall County Council has spent a lot of money and time making sure that the water and beaches are clean and organisations like Surfers Against Sewage http://www.sas.org.uk doing an amazing job campaigning to protect the coastal environment. The result is clear blue water and tidy shorelines that are free for visitors and locals to enjoy all year round.

Water sports and recreational swimming are incredibly popular here, especially in the summer months (it's a bit chilly in the winter, but many of us still brave it!) and we are lucky to have RNLI lifeguards on many beaches, providing an amazing service, keeping a watchful eye on us all and saving lives. In the south west last year (2009) lifeguards dealt with a record 10,253 incidents and helped 12,357 people on the beach. But, although lifeguards are heroes, they're not super-heroes and can't be everywhere at once, so it's down to beach users to think about their safety as well so here are a few tips from the good beach guide website http://goodbeachguide.co.uk/ on how to stay safe at the beach...

Top 10 Tips

• Always swim at a lifeguarded beach
• Swim between the red and yellow flags
• Never swim alone
• Know your beach safety flags (see below)
• Never use inflatables in strong winds or rough seas
• If you get into trouble, stick your hand in the air and shout for help
• If you see someone else in trouble, tell a lifeguard. If you can’t see a lifeguard call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard
• Find out about the beach you’re going to before you visit
• Check tide times before you go
• Read and obey local hazard signs.

Flags

Red and yellow flags indicate the area patrolled by lifeguards. These are the safest areas to swim, bodyboard and use inflatables.

Black and white chequered flags indicate an area for use of watercraft such as surfboards and kayaks. Never swim or bodyboard in these areas.

Red flag means danger. NEVER enter the water when the red flag is flying.

Orange windsock indicates offshore wind conditions. NEVER use an inflatable when the sock is flying.

Rip currents (Rips)

Rips are strong currents running out to sea that can easily take swimmers out beyond their depth.
If you get caught in a rip current...

• Stay calm – don't panic
• If you can stand, wade, don’t swim
• Never try to swim directly against the rip or you'll get exhausted
• Keep hold of your board or inflatable to help you float
• Raise your hand and shout for help
• Swim parallel to be beach until free of the rip, then make for shore.

Inflatables

• Inflatable toys are best left for swimming pools as they can be easily swept out to sea
• If used in the sea, always use them on a lifeguarded beach, between the red and yellow flags
• Never use an inflatable in strong winds or rough seas.

Tides

• Keep an eye on tides – incoming tides can quickly trap people in coves or under cliffs
• Always check the tide before you enter the water. If unsure, check with a lifeguard
• Be careful not to get cut off by the tide when walking along the shore
• Always ensure children are not in danger from the tide while playing on the beach.

There is a lot more information on the RNLI website and to see where the lifeguarded beaches are in your area click this link: http://www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you

Just for fun, here is a picture i took at the Godrevey beach lifeguard station with a vigilant, four-legged lifeguard's assistant in watchful attendance.

Retro refits are on trend. (oo)-i

Following several pieces on retro caravanning in the media, and a feature from our very own Holly at caravantimes.co.uk, i've been thinking about what it means to take something that has seen better days and give it a new identity and a new lease of life.

Recycling and re-using is a practice that is gaining support and is increasingly considered necessary, but i don't think it's just about the environment and sustainability. There is a sense of satisfaction in restoring and preserving something like a classic caravan model that goes well beyond the desire to not let things go to waste. A mixture between the appreciation for design and construction of old models and a nostalgia for the camp (pun intended) and kitsch of bygone times is as good a recipe as any to inspire an enthusiastic refurb project.

Although many like to stay true to the original designer's intentions, their enthusiasm for retro design doesn't mean that they want to forgo modern comforts. The result is a postmodern marriage of retro style with modern engineering and comforts which can produce eye-catching results.

So here's the thing... I'm a big fan of retro styling and the amazing amount of time, effort and love that goes into restoring and nurturing a project. There are so many ways of re-using old vehicles and i don't want to go down the road of trying to categorise projects so i'm just going to give a few examples of work that i really admire and then let you all comment and add to them to your heart's content:)

This stained-glass window that i spotted in a caravan at Higher Pentreath Farm http://community.caravantimes.co.uk/group/higherpentreathfarmcampsite
is an example of a bit of creative improvisation that is really playful and gives an old caravan a bit of a lift. I liked Sally and Rosy and their DIY attitude, being prepared to give it a go and use something unusual to solve the problem of a broken window. Granted, it was going to take a little more than a pretty window to pull this caravan back to former glory! But having bought it for £50 it's certainly given them years of pleasure and their money's worth.

The retro style refurbs i've seen have often attempted to create something that exceeds the aspirations of the original design. The caravans at http://www.lovelanecaravans.com are a prime example. They have lovingly restored their old caravans paying particular attention to detail, even down to the period kitchen items and bedding. It is clear that their refurbs have exceeded the original design so that they can provide people with the mod-cons that they would expect, but the effort to stay true to the character of the originals shines through.

Another example of a refit, but one that supersedes the intended use of the original, is a trailer built from the back of an old VW Beetle. See the pictures at http://www.diddyvans.co.uk/product.html
I don't know whether anyone has seen one of these out and about but they look absolutely brilliant. I'm assuming that they use Beetles that are otherwise beyond repair and it's great that such a classic design is not going to waste.

Just a quick link to Colin's blog as well because the immaculate VW camper refits are right there in glorious pictures for you all to see on his caravantimes blog http://community.caravantimes.co.uk/profiles/blogs/colin-rouse-auto... or on his website http://www.autotrimvw.com/

I will be on the lookout for more of these for anyone who's interested. There is also a community group for vintage caravan enthusiasts where you can share pictures, stories etc right here at caravatimes.co.uk
http://community.caravantimes.co.uk/group/vintagecaravanenthusiasts

It would be great to see any projects that people are working on at the moment so get snapping pictures and show off your handy work!

Happy Caravanning:)

How to appreciate the gray, rainy days

My friend Simon has been living in Thailand for about 6 years now and i asked him recently whether he missed anything at all about the UK. I was expecting him to say maybe 'fish and chips' or 'a good pint of ale' but the answer came swiftly and was completely unexpected.

"I miss the gray misty days," he said without hesitation.

"Are you crazy?! Most of us spend all our spare time dreaming of warm sunny days and long summer nights. You've got it every day!" was my response. I was so jealous of his lifestyle that it seemed almost ungrateful to miss the miserable gray days!

"I don't know, there's something comforting about a rainy day," he explained. "When you wrap up warm against the weather or settle down inside with a good book. Grey, misty, rainy days are so English and we never get them here in Thailand. I miss them."

Of course Simon's right. Apart from the fact that we appreciate fine weather more because of all the rainy days in between, our climate contributes to what makes us English. We all like to complain about the weather when it doesn't do what we want it to, but if we didn't have the gray days we wouldn't have the lush greenery that covers our island. We would miss the air of mystery when a fog descends on the moors or the pleasure of drying out by a warm fire after a rainy walk on the beach.

I took these pictures between Stithians Lake and Redruth. With the old tin mines peering through the gloom it could be a scene from Wuthering Heights; moody and secretive.

I guess i can appreciate the rainy days too. When i'd forgotten about trying to keep my feet dry, the rain-blurred landscape was really quite beautiful and i understood what Simon was missing and realised that i would miss it too.

South West Coasting

Working as the South West researcher for caravatimes.co.uk it's my job to tour some of the best campsites and touring parks that Cornwall and Devon have to offer, talk to caravanners about their holidays, caravanning stories, caravan issues and report back. I've met some brilliant people and seen some amazing sites so this blog is my opportunity to give you a flavour of some of the places i visit, post some awesome pictures and tell you the stories that have entertained me along the way.

If anyone is interested in any of the sites i mention, there will be group pages in the community groups section for all of them and i'll try to remember to include links to all.

I consider myself to be very lucky to be living and working in Cornwall and appreciate that fact even more as i travel around for caravantimes and see spots that i've never seen before. Most of you won't know me from Adam, so here's a picture of me (Adam) at Tintagel after visiting Trewethett Farm Caravan Club Site http://community.caravantimes.co.uk/group/trewethettfarmcaravanclub...

I'd never been to this part of Cornwall before and it caught me by surprise. I was vaguely aware of the legend of King Arthur and that he was rumored to have been born in Tintagel, but i wasn't prepared for the sheer number of King Arthur related gift shops, pubs and hotels that greeted me. It feels a bit like walking onto a movie set and the town has a slightly other world feel to it and once you reach the castle and the cliff paths you can see why the area captured people's imaginations. Below is a pic of the castle steps taken from the cliff path and you can just taste the salt air and sense the drama.

There has been a blatant cash-in on the Arthurian Myth by local businesses (as you might expect), but the town does have it's charms as well and i can highly recommend the banana choc-chip ice cream from Granny Wobbly's Fudge Pantry!