Butlins 2018

17 - 24th August 2018

Butlin's Bognor Regis

Two 2-bedroomed "Seaside" apartments

John, Carolyn, Me, Lorraine, Amanda, Leanne, Ollie, Bethany, Harrison, Aidan

Photos

I drove down to Bognor in the morning and arrived about 1 pm.  I got myself a sandwich and a coffee in the pavilion (and watched the Teletubbies show!) and then I walked to the station to meet the train with John, Carolyn, Leanne, Ollie and Aidan on board.  They weren't expecting me - and it was such a nice surprise we decided to go and meet the later train with the Majorca contingent on board.

Waiting at the station for the train

We had a lovely week doing all the usual things - it was nice for us all to be together again and spend some time together.  I tried to keep my step total up each day - and found pushing a pram to put either Aidan or Harrison (or both!) to sleep was a useful way of doing this.  I also walked into Bognor almost every day!  I also spent a lot of time at the soft play area - which I enjoy as I can just sit and watch.

Our usual slot by the soft play area

I tried to watch my diet and avoid too many burgers etc - just a couple of meals out in the evening but otherwise tended to make a large tuna sandwich and a large piece of carrot cake from the pavilion last for the day.

John organised a day out to a wetlands centre in Arundel - Lorraine, Amanda, Harrison, Bethany and Ollie went on the trip while Carolyn, Leanne, Aidan and I stayed in camp.  They came back enthusing about what a great day they had enjoyed.

We also went to Chichester for the day - John, Lorraine, Amanda, Bethany and I while the others stayed in camp.  We wandered round the market for a while and then John and I went to look round the cathedral while the girls went shopping in M&S.

We found a nice cafe for some lunch - swapping lunch pics with the others who had sat down to eat at the same time back at the camp.

John took us all out for dinner at the main restaurant to celebrate Dad's birthday (he would have been 92) and we had champagne and a rousing rendition of "happy birthday to you" to start us off. The food was really good and it was an excellent evening - the children were very well behaved and we had a part of the restaurant all to ourselves.

I got up early on Sunday morning to walk to Felpham for the 8 am service.  It was a beautiful morning and I tried to capture it on camera - these two photos are taken within seconds of each other but one is pointing in to the sun towards Felpham, so it looks dark, and the other is pointing back the other way towards Bognor.

Butlins to Felpham  1.1 m - 21 mins

I joined the ringing for the next service - as usual they rang the front 6 the whole time.  I still haven't rung on all 8.  I made it possible for them to ring plain courses of grandsire doubles.  I intended walking back afterwards, but a couple of the ringers pulled up next to me in the car and asked if I would like to go to Aldwick to ring - so I jumped in and went with them.  I was somewhat surprised when Richard Worral came into the tower - he has bought a house in Bognor and was there for the first time at what will be his local tower.  I got dropped off at the sea front afterwards and walked back.

Aldwick to Butlins - 1.4 m - 23 mins