Holidays at home ?

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Aka ‘doonrawatter’

my parents liveD in Largs, and you could always tell when it was the fair from the Glasgow accents.
of course if you were posh, you went to Rothesay.
Rothesay , posh ?

It was the famous stop off for all the Clyde steamers , the pier having the largest public toilets , I believe anywhere in Europe, due to the large numbers of men who would get off the boats to relieve themselves .

In the heyday of the Clyde steamers , it was a peculiarity of the Scottish licensing system that the only place you could drink alcohol on a Sunday was on a ship at sea - so the excursions‘ doonrawatter became legendary and the expression “ he’s steamin’. “ became a euphemism for someone who was visibly drunk 🥴

Sadly , only PS Waverley remains , but she does have a nice whisky bar in the forward compartment, and it is still a thing for family men to excuse themselves and go downstairs ‘to see the engines’ - not always a euphemism since I’ve spent plenty of time with my son watching them 😁

Rothesay also brings back memories of chips from Zavaronis , although in fairness Largs does still have Nardini’s ( and even a Wetherspoons these days ) .
 
When we got back from holiday in Tenerife in December we decided that we would spend this years holiday in the UK . Wanted to get some use out of the Boxster before old age finally catches up with me , and booked a week at Great Yarmouth for September , which is a fair distance from Somerset. Neither of us are particularly bothered about making ANY further overseas trips , but we are wondering whether it will be too soon to be staying in a hotel , and whether , assuming they are open, we will feel comfortable using bars and restaurants . To be honest my attitude to risk is normally , "sod it , what`s the worst that can happen" , but recent events have challenged my erstwhile cavalier attitude.
Perhaps the easier thing to reopen ahead of hotels will be camping and caravanning sites , where people can stay in their own accommodations, self cater and socially distance from other families .
Also those fortunate enough to have second homes should be able to use them themselves but not initially to let them to strangers .
 
Rothesay , posh ?

It was the famous stop off for all the Clyde steamers , the pier having the largest public toilets , I believe anywhere in Europe, due to the large numbers of men who would get off the boats to relieve themselves .

In the heyday of the Clyde steamers , it was a peculiarity of the Scottish licensing system that the only place you could drink alcohol on a Sunday was on a ship at sea - so the excursions‘ doonrawatter became legendary and the expression “ he’s steamin’. “ became a euphemism for someone who was visibly drunk 🥴

Sadly , only PS Waverley remains , but she does have a nice whisky bar in the forward compartment, and it is still a thing for family men to excuse themselves and go downstairs ‘to see the engines’ - not always a euphemism since I’ve spent plenty of time with my son watching them 😁

Rothesay also brings back memories of chips from Zavaronis , although in fairness Largs does still have Nardini’s ( and even a Wetherspoons these days ) .

I had my very first Irn Bru on the Waverley - must be over 55 years ago! i was also absolutely fascinated by the engines and all the ancilliaries.
Nardinis in Largs was just down the street (Nelson Street) from my parents - on the sea front of course. I remember the big tubs they did, pistachio was my favourite.
There were a lot of Italians there, I remember Macaris - I think he was Lou Macari’s dad came out to chat with me about my new bike.
Happy times.
 
For us this Summer will be a staycation. As much as I would like to visit my parents I just can’t risk putting them in danger with even the slightest possibility of bringing the C-19 with me.
On the other side we’ve never been outside of England and tbh I’m looking forward to exploring the other three countries. We will have our own Great British Tour (I call it Whiskey and Ale Tour, but don’t tell my Mrs 😉)

So you are going to Ireland then😳🤔
 
I was really really hoping that France would re-open. There are various places I'd like to drive to from Normandy all the way down the west coast to Bordeaux.

Failing that it'll be somewhere in Norfolk or in the West county I guess. Although I wouldn't mind Cardigan Bay.

Might try and do a house swap or two with family.
 
Jings, crivvens help ma boab, The Waverly😁

Many trips on her to Arran in the early 70's 😃😃😃

Billy Connolly was also a frequent visitor and there was a Dance Hall in Lamlash that had a stage at each end, Slade at one end, then Hawkwind at the other!!! Happy Days.😃😁😉
 
I was really really hoping that France would re-open. There are various places I'd like to drive to from Normandy all the way down the west coast to Bordeaux.
This is what we might do if possible but we’re still holding out for a Skiathos trip. :dk:
 
This is what we might do if possible but we’re still holding out for a Skiathos trip. :dk:

I'll bet. I passed through Skaithos on the way to Skopleos a couple of years ago. Lovely part of the world.
 
We bought a static caravan last year - looks like was a good move! Hopefully, us owners will be able to visit again soon.

It's near Morecambe so good access to the Lakes and Scotland. Even North Wales is only maybe 90 mins away
 
Skopelos is lovely but 3 or 4 days is enough for me.

Oh yeah it's tiny. My mate's family have a place there and have been going for decades. Three bro's from London went out with their families and we joined them. It was fun. I normally see them at QPR games, this was a good twist.
 
Oh yeah it's tiny. My mate's family have a place there and have been going for decades. Three bro's from London went out with their families and we joined them. It was fun. I normally see them at QPR games, this was a good twist.
Skopelos is actually bigger than Skiathos! Originally the airport was to be built there but it’s too hilly.
 
Jings, crivvens help ma boab, The Waverly😁

Many trips on her to Arran in the early 70's 😃😃😃

Billy Connolly was also a frequent visitor and there was a Dance Hall in Lamlash that had a stage at each end, Slade at one end, then Hawkwind at the other!!! Happy Days.😃😁😉
She ought to be sailing again next year , and many of us might be steamin'


How about an MBClub outing on The Waverley next summer ?



'Silver machine' would be quite apt for a lot of Merc owners !
 
Skopelos is actually bigger than Skiathos! Originally the airport was to be built there but it’s too hilly.
I didnt know that.

Maybe they could put where they put that reservoir that was porous. That's flat. And well drained.....
 

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