My friend, Heather, and I were at boarding school together (along with my
younger sister, Sally). Heather and I were in the same dorm with our beds side by
side. We used to make great plans before falling sleep about what we would do
for adventure when we left school and were flung out into the real world. We used
to talk well into the night and our theatrical whispers were frequently heard by the
Head downstairs below us. She used to bang on the central heating pipes to shut
us up!
One of our fun ideas was to go camping in the West Country of England when we
were both 19. I don't know why we thought 19 was a good age to go on our first
adventure but that age was decided upon.
In the summer we were 19, Sally and her friend, Sheena, decided to go with us.
We were all together at our home deep in the country in Shropshire which is just
about the middle of England. We convened at our house in the village of Ruyton
XI Towns while we got our camping gear together ready for the off. We were to
take my mother's Morris Minor 1000 convertible. The very same car Sally and I
subsequently later drove to Istanbul and back in 1964!
On the morning of our departure and by the time we'd packed everything, the car
was loaded to the gunnels with the weight of we four girls, camping equipment
and food. Every conceivable space was occupied. My parents and a visiting
family of their friends (the Clarks: Judy Szabo's parents and sister, Frankie) were
all outside ready to wave us goodbye, when my father said, "Wait, you have to
have a male companion to look after you all"! With that announcement he picked
up our family dog, Sandy, and deposited him on top of the only place left for him
to sit, right on top of the pillows! Then we were off! The start of our big
adventure!
I was the only one with a license but as Heather was sharing the driving we had
the required L plates tied to back and front of the car.
It was a beautiful summer with lovely warm weather. We drove all the way down
to the West Country into Cornwall with the roof down relishing the fresh air and
rushing wind, then started looking for camping grounds. We caused quite a stir
with the young male population driving through local towns and we were certainly
noticed: four girls, an open Morris 1000, L plates and a dog on top! In the camp
grounds we found ourselves very popular. It was a bit like bees around a honey
pot!
We had money in a Post Office savings account and any small valuables
altogether in a handbag that Heather had brought with her. Sandy had made it
quite clear from the outset that carrying the handbag was his responsibility, and
every time we exited the car, he determinedly took charge carrying it by the
handle in his teeth. This meant "asking" for it for every transaction and then
having to return it to the carrier immediately after.
In those days one could park on beaches. There were generally rows and rows of
car parked and on one particular huge flat beach, Polzeath, we had to leave the
car a long way from the water. We decided to leave Sandy in charge of everything
while we went swimming. That composed of: a rug, clothes, towels, a transistor
radio, the car keys, AND the handbag! We could see Sandy far away as a tiny
speck on the horizon by the time we were deep enough in the water to swim, and
when we returned we were greeted by the madly excited, thrilled to see us back,
trusty protector of all our immediate worldly goods. He had not moved one inch
off the rug!
On our way to the public changing rooms one day, we were walking in single file
with Sandy in front as usual carrying the handbag, when Sheena, last in the line,
was tapped on the shoulder. She turned to face a very attractive young man who
handed her her bra, panties and sundry apparel. He had picked up each item one by one as they had slipped out of her rolled up towel! She was absolutely mortified!
We'd had such a wonderful summer, met great new friends and were sad to leave.
Just as we were starting off on the way home, someone remembered we hadn't
brought any sea water with us! In those days we thought sea water helped us
brown in the sun. We drove back down to the nearest beach, threaded our way
through, and over hundreds of bodies lining a beach on the south coast, filled
some glass bottles, and were once again back on the road to Shropshire, each
one of us carrying our own great memories of the adventure!
Hollyhock
February 2022
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