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Holidays of the past

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rod
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I love these old photo's...sorry not too old! The kids sitting on the kerbside its so of the day. You can tell its rural because the ironwork is still in tact not removed for the war effort!
 
David,
You may not believe this but in the shot of the coach trip I recognised you immediately - no, the hand-holding's got nothing to do with it !! Perhaps I found the knees familiar thanks to the photo you sent me of the Sunday League football team we played in 40+ years ago! Splendid holiday snaps. Best wishes, David
 
As you can see from this photo my Dad being an engineer took the job of sand castle building very seriously..lol

Wendy_s_old_photo_s_002.jpg
 
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Our family holidays were always at Sandy Bay, Exmouth now Haven Devon Cliffs, we went back there about 6 years ago and although the site is huge and noisy now the beach and cliff walks ahve stayed the same. The site has about 25 fields now when the family started going it had 5 and it's own dairy where you got ice creams with clotted cream served from a huge metal cooler on top. Will post some pics tomorrow.
Sue
 
I loved my holidays to Talybont in Wales. Our family and half of Holte road went camping. Di what a dissapointment.
 
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davidfowler said:
My parents went to Great Yarmouth from their late teens with their parents, late 30s. I spent the first 16 years of my life going as well! We always stayed with a lovely couple called George and Ivy Hopton at their guest house, "Four Oaks". I've just refound a card which my parents were given from the Hoptons, probably about early 1950s. I wonder did anyone else go to Four Oaks?
Also a pic of the regular Wednesday "Mystery Coach Trip".
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This is the Guest house these days David. Sorry about the angle, I think Albert Square was the only road in Yarmouth Google camera didn't go up
 
Yes it was a bit of a shock Jean, I have heard that it is looking better in Hastings now. It is suddenly the place to live.

David Looking at your old post with the Four Oaks card showing their terms, I smiled when I saw that meal times were on the dot. So different to today wasn't it.
 
View attachment 66067This is my Aunty Lil and Uncle Stan camping at Morfa Buchan in Wales with their BSA M21 and sidecar, taken in 1955. They went there for years,always camping, always with the Combo. With my cousin Pat in the sidecar, along with all the camping equipment, it must have been an epic journey from Yardley to the Welsh coast. Happy Days.
 
Thanks for posting the photo Chris. It's made me investigate that area a lot more!
The bit over the arch was where we had our room. Mom and Dad went back 5 or 6 years ago and stayed at the Carlton Hotel which had by then extended from the Sea Front by buying Four Oaks. They were able to stay in the same spot although I'm sure the room had been altered! Also, if you look down Wellington Street where the red car is, the building it's parked next to was Four Oak's garage where Dad parked. The black building just seen on the right was a pub, a bit of a dive, where the owners' son played piano.
Thanks for bringing back the memories.
 
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davidfowler said:
Thanks for posting the photo Chris. It's made me investigate that are a lot more!
The bit over the arch was where we had our room. Mom and Dad went back 5 or 6 years ago and stayed at the Carlton Hotel which had by then extended from the Sea Front by buying Four Oaks. They were able to stay in the same spot although I'm sure the room had been altered! Also, if you look down Wellington Street where the red car is, the building it's parked next to was Four Oak's garage where Dad parked. The black building just seen on the right was a pub, a bit of a dive, where the owners' son played piano.
Thanks for bringing back the memories.
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My pleasure David. I think Google street view is fantastic
 
My nan went away with the Pheasey pensioners club a couple of times a year and I believe the club is still up and running. I think the third photo is the club from the Wellhead pub in Franchise street?. Looks like Ray Barretts nan is in this photo?. Jean.
 
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Ours were too, except for an odd year when the folks thought they would try something else. Remember that dairy, first time we went, the shops only opened for an hour or two and were I think converted barns.
there was a wooden shop that sold all sorts of everything, which eventually went. Remember before they built the first club, there was a marquee every summer, I can remember doing 'march of the mods' and all sorts of other things like that. Our first caravan was tiny. No toilets, no running water, just standpipes in the middle of a field. Then the gunnery was still in use on the clifftop to the west of the park. We used to walk to the Clinton Arms pub, down into the village, have gorgeous cornish pasties, have tea at the thatched cottage, and catch the Devon General bus into Exmouth town. The town was lovely, had a nice cinema, a chinese Restaurant, called the Rice Bowl. The railway station was still operating then from Exmouth, and we would catch the train to Exeter, change at that station then on to B'ham via Bristol. So many things come to mind of that place, trays of tea on the beach, those awful woodenfloat things, rockpooling, the red clay that would run like a red river when it had rained heavily. The 'gully' as we called it that divided the fields at the time, I think most of that is all gone now, last time I stayed there, for the last time in about 1974, there was a huge leisure centre, bingo, restaurants, shopping centre, no sign of the original place, so sad, but nothing really stays the same does it?
 
Hi All,

Has anyone had a holiday courtesy of the Youth Hostel Association? Originally they could only be used if your mode of travel was on foot or by cycle. Sometime after the war, however, the rules were relaxed to allow motorists to use them as well. I am not sure that they are in existence at all now, perhaps someone on the forum will know.

They were very cheap but every visitor had a chore to carry out before he or she could leave. The chores were usually washing up or general cleaning or some such thing. The best holiday I had with them was a fortnights tour of Devon and Cornwall by bike. I went with my friend who, two or three years later, was best man at my wedding.

Old Boy
 
Both my wife and I have stayed in youth hostels, and yes indeed they are still going, we don’t use them now as we have a dog.

They have moved on from the days of arrival by foot or bike and you don’t do the chores either too.

Quite a few of the hostels have been sold off, and others reorganised to cater more for families by setting aside family rooms etc.

We have had some good holidays with the YHA
 
Yes Old Boy many years ago with the school. We visited Wilderhope manor Bridges and walked all over the Long Mynd. Can't remember the other Hostel names but will sort out some old photo's. Had my fifteenth birthday at Wilderhope and there was a birthday cake waiting for us hungry lot sent by mom. I really enjoyed the holiday. Jean.
 
Old Boy, we had a lovely weekend break at Keswick Youth Hostel a couple of years ago with Owens rugby team, the food and rooms were great and right alongside the river, would thoroughly recommend it!
Sue
 
Old Boy, My late elder sister took me and my mate on a tour of the establishments in North Wales in the early 1950's. Recall the chores of cleaning and washing up before one left en route to the next place. Walking and cycling was the deal except we cheated and with an attractive sister managed to travel by hitch hiking. Recall vividly the place at Llanberis - it was full and the only way they could put us up if my mate and I slept on the billiard table - heck those tables are hard luckily they removed the balls beforehand. Will.
 
Hi All,

When I was growing uo prewar holidays were a rare experience for the working class family. I did not have a holiday until I was about 10 when I was taken on a weekend coach trip to Blackpool Illuminations. The following year 1938 I was lucky enough to go to a scout camp at Weymouth. There was a fleet review at the time and the bay was full of ships of all descriptions. The town was full of sailors on shore leave among them members of the crew of HMS Courageous an aircraft carrier. The war broke out the following year and shortly after it started HMS Courageous was sunk with a large loss of life. I will always remember that.

In 1945 I got my fill of the sea when I joined the Royal Navy and served on a cruiser, HMS Gambia, in the Pacific.

When did you first see the sea?

Chris Beresford
 
Re: When did you first se the sea?

Old Boy said:
Hi All,

When I was growing uo prewar holidays were a rare experience for the working class family. I did not have a holiday until I was about 10 when I was taken on a weekend coach trip to Blackpool Illuminations. The following year 1938 I was lucky enough to go to a scout camp at Weymouth. There was a fleet review at the time and the bay was full of ships of all descriptions. The town was full of sailors on shore leave among them members of the crew of HMS Courageous an aircraft carrier. The war broke out the following year and shortly after it started HMS Courageous was sunk with a large loss of life. I will always remember that.

In 1945 I got my fill of the sea when I joined the Royal Navy and served on a cruiser, HMS Gambia, in the Pacific.

When did you first see the sea?

Chris Beresford
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Chris you old Sea Dog

my first time must have been in the 50s north Wales, a lot more later
 
Re: When did you first se the sea?

I was about 7 and we went to Rhyl. I used to I imagine what the sea was like when I heard people say they had fell in the sea.
I just thought it would be like a long stream and you had to walk over it with like a bridge and thats how you fell in. The clubman came the night before and brought me some new shoes.
Rhyl.jpg
 
Re: When did you first se the sea?

Rhyl in 1946.

A man in our road decided to start a coach firm and went round the road saying his dad was running a day trip to Rhyl and took bookings from most families. I was excited because it was going to be the first time I would see the sea. The big day came and a 'West Bromwich' single decker bus rolled up - he had bought it to start up his coach firm! Not quite what we expected, it had an open platform and the engine sounded rough, but you did not complain in those days.

The weather was overcast grey as we trundled along the A5 towards Wales with the bus struggling up the hills and needing frequent top-ups of water in it's radiator. Eventually we reached Rhyl and someone shouted 'there's the sea'. I looked but all I could see was a beach, the sky was overcast and grey and it merged with the calm grey sea so no horizon was visible. I was a bit amazed but I had never before seen the sea. We went down on the beach and I discovered how bone chillingly cold the sea was when having a paddle.

The journey home with the old bus frequently stopping was difficult but the man did later buy some proper coaches and started his business.

Eight years went by before I saw the sea again and that time it was in lovely North Devon - I mentioned it in old threads Where was your first holiday? and Past holidays in Woolacombe.
 
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Re: When did you first se the sea?

I was lucky. I was told I was very tiny in a pushchair and kicked my new bumpers in to Weymouth harbour so my grandad got me a new pair. My best friend was the 13th child and he had never seen the sea till he came on holiday with us, we were aged about 7 and my parents rented a caravan in Dawlish or Dawlish Warren (which ever is the sandy part. )We got mucky and mum scrubbed us in the sink. We thought it was great.
 
Re: When did you first se the sea?

When I was about four Chris and it was Tallybont Wales. Family's who lived in Holte road all went together in an old soft top lorry sitting on chests for seats surrounded by our camping equipment.
 
Re: When did you first se the sea?

carolina said:
I was about 7 and we went to Rhyl. I used to I imagine what the sea was like when I heard people say they had fell in the sea.
I just thought it would be like a long stream and you had to walk over it with like a bridge and thats how you fell in. The clubman came the night before and brought me some new shoes.
View attachment 98652
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What a lovely photo capturing the era Carolina. Our parents wore ties and suits and high heels on holiday even on the beach. And we all walked in a line like on your picture, just because we could I suppose, because of the wide prom.
 
Re: When did you first se the sea?

Hi 1948 we went to Rhyl on eatonways coaches of Hay Mills. Had a lovelly day out.ME & GEORGE.jpg
 
Re: When did you first se the sea?

First saw the sea in 1946 age 4, we went camping in Rhyl,Dad and Mom on the motorbike, myself and my sister in the sidecar with the tent etc on top of the sidecar.
 
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