Reflecting on another year as Campsite Wardens
All good things come to an end, and we’ve reached the close of another season here at Old Oaks Touring Park in Glastonbury, Somerset.
Way back in February we arrived here on site excited about the season ahead. Well, today, nine months later and it’s our last week of paying customers.
I have always planned, no,dreamed that I would carry on blogging all year, documenting the funny fables of a campsite Wardens life! But as always life itself got in the way .
Early on this season, just before Easter our happy team of 3 Wardens became 2- Sadly we lost a pair of old hands to a knee injury, this left a ginormous hole in the team and on top of that Easter!
So the work load has just spread out, Bang went my Semi retirement working 25 hours a week, 42 hours a week – eek!
Back to working Full time, how did I ever manage before ? Was the lesser of two evils and probably safer than throwing some other poor souls into a full campsite and waiting to see if than can swim before they drown…..
Thankfully for next year a band of merry souls will be joining us and creating another fantastic team.
So we kicked off our year, with a trip off to the NEC, in Birmingham to represent the Tranquil Parks group , a member of which Old Oaks is- now I’m in my element at these type of events as I can wax lyrical about caravans, motor-homes, site etc for ever and I get to have a good nose around at whats on display.
Then it was back to it, with busy opening weeks on the site and regular guests arriving in their droves.
Scarily the year has whizzed by in a flash, with the site at 99% capacity most days.
Somehow Easter, 2 May bank holidays, Glastonbury Festival, another bank holiday have all past us bye, the ever changing sea of white boxes arrive and leave, the awnings go up and out come the twinkly lights
We’re just glad that people enjoy their time in our slice of paradise
Thousands of people from all corners of the world visit Glastonbury every year.
They are drawn to this mystical place for its rich history of spiritual pilgrimage, its magical healing energies and sacred sites.
Believe it or don’t believe but Glastonbury holds a special place in many peoples hearts, could this special places power be something to do with the ‘Ley Lines’
So with a fantastic English summer we failed to venture to far from the campsite….
Our year was broken up with a mini holiday (Ok, 4 day break) to sunny Spain, giving us a chance to brush up on the language skills, and obviously break up the month of September- a real treat for us as its the first time we jumped on a plane since giving up life in the ‘rat race’
This year we have made an effort to go out a meet a few people from the local area, slowly building friendships, as this could all to easily be a lonely lifestyle.
I cant claim to ever be lonely with constantly changing neighbours, customers who have become friends and amazing work colleges, we are very lucky to live in a ‘5* bubble’ but you still crave to have a life outside of the campsite.
I know in truth its a nomadic existence we have engineered for ourselves, allowing us the time for travel and adventure. But we are both happy in Glastonbury, so in a small way will start to sow seeds of life as putting down roots is far too scary
And then its full circle with another stint for the October Caravan and Motor home show at the NEC.
The long lingering summer has paled away, the shorts and flip flops have been replaced with jeans and trainer,
Autumn has arrived with vengeance, the leaves are falling faster than they can be cleared away.
Some good friends and colleagues left for a change in lifestyle meaning we end the season with just 4 of the original staff from the February, but hey were still here.
Again our thoughts are drawn to how we will spend our well deserved 3 months of Holiday and were planning another trip to hopefully catch some Spanish sunshine.
One of the key skills of being a campsite warden is to always make sure you wear a smile not a grimace and be ready to exchange a few simple pleasantries with fellow campers, a happy person makes other people happy.
So as I type this blog with some sadness in my heart, thinking back on another year I think I should spell out what make this job a great job
No-ones ever a grump – (well almost everyone is not grumpy) most people are here to enjoy their holiday, aren’t they ?
One of the reasons why touring caravan sites can make such a good holiday choice is the relaxed atmosphere and a feeling of community.
But this is only made possible by the friendliness, politeness and easy going nature of people themselves.
The touring community is a great community comprising of the very best people who are always willing to help,
So goodbye to the 2019 season and bring on the 2020 after a little bit of winter sunshine.
Paul.
A great post. I couldn’t agree more about the community spirit of the touring community. We have both assisted and being assisted by many a stranger when things haven’t quite gone as planned.
Looking forward to reading about your winter travels. Some sun would be very welcome now!
Enjoy ☀️
Glad your looking forward to reading my odd musings….
Winter sun is only a short hop across the water, grab some if you can ……
And your 3 months off will go in such a flash … enjoy every moment.