First trip after lockdown in our Pegasus Grande Palermo

This conjured up images of convoys of caravans travelling to far off destinations and being stuck in huge traffic jams. Despite my reservations, we packed up ready to go and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club called prior to our day of arrival for us to pre-pay and give us a choice of arrival times. The journey was pleasant and there were no traffic jams in sight. Upon arrival we were greeted by one of the helpful wardens, after a brief explanation of the hook/band system in place for the toilet blocks, we were on our way to our pitch. Quite possibly, this was the quickest and smoothest “check-in” we have experienced. Perhaps a thing for the club to continue?

As we were only away for the night in Cirencester we didn’t bother taking an awning, by chance some friends we were meeting took a spare canopy style awning, which we were able to borrow and put up within a few minutes.

After a quick setup of the Pegasus Grande Palermo, the girls enjoyed riding around the site and catching up with friends old and new. The weather was perfect for sitting outside allowing for a socially distanced gathering of likeminded friends all enjoying our first trip away since lockdown.

To maintain social distancing when using the site facilities, a system had been put in place where each family had a rubber band. When using the facilities these rubber bands were hung on the hooks outside the toilet block. If all the hooks were full, you waited outside until someone came out.  This system was very effective, and we never had to wait for a shower. Once inside there was plenty of space to move around allowing safe distances to be maintained.

Before heading home, we made the most of the beautiful weather and walked into Cirencester. The walk from the site is very picturesque. You walk through a park aligned with trees, before emerging in a small street aligned with beautiful buildings built with Cotswold stone.

As it was Sunday, and bearing in mind the current situation, a few of the shops remained closed. To the children’s joy however the sweet shop was open! After queueing to get in they took their time to carefully select the sweets they wanted and choosing some watermelon sours for their brother. We then wandered around Cirencester taking in the sights before heading back for lunch.

After a successful first trip away, we headed back home. Once again, the roads were clear the children were well behaved, and the journey home went without a hitch! After experiencing the new ‘norm’ for caravanning in current times we felt confident to go ahead and book our next adventure.