Our home from home
Alan and June Lazenby have been having a love affair with the English Riviera for 48 years…
Packing our cases, my wife, June, and I couldn’t contain our excitement. We were heading to Paignton, in the West Country, for a weeklong holiday, and you’d be forgiven for thinking we’d never been before.
But, in fact, it’s where we’ve spent almost every single holiday we’ve ever had.
We’ve never been outside the UK and have no desire to jet off abroad, but then, why would we? For the past 48 years, we’ve spent our holidays in what we like to call the English Riviera.
It all started back in 1968, when I met June at the factory where we both worked. I was 25 and worked in payroll, June was 16 and worked in welfare. She was absolutely beautiful, kind, and a very special person.
My family hadn’t had much money while I was growing up in Woking, Surrey – but, when June mentioned a trip to the West Country, I jumped at the chance. Of course, it was a different time back then, and we were chaperoned by her parents. I stayed in a hotel three streets away from their boarding house!
But we had a wonderful holiday, taking in the glorious coastline. It was mesmerising… the scenery, as well as June! I was besotted with both.
When our trip came to an end, she was very downhearted about leaving. I hated seeing her upset.
‘I promise I’ll bring you back here,’ I said.
So, after we’d married in June 1972, there wasn’t even a discussion as to where we’d go for our honeymoon!
We spent a wonderful week enjoying coastal walks, exploring pretty villages, enjoying each other’s company and appreciating the grounds of the Grosvenor Hotel in Paignton, where we stayed.
Everyone was so friendly, and we really felt at home there. But we had to go back to reality eventually.
After our children arrived – Susan was born in 1974 and Richard in 1976 – we spent our holidays in the West Country for two weeks each year.
We stayed in the same areas that we knew and loved – in Paignton, Brixham and Torquay. We’d hire a caravan in one of the holiday parks, and the kids loved it as much as we did.
They never complained or
asked to go anywhere else, although we did try a few other places once or twice. While the Isle of Wight was lovely, we didn’t feel the same about it as we did about the West Country.
As time passed, our love for the English Riviera never faded. In the 80s, we’d swim in the sea with the kids until the early evening, explore new places on the local steam train and take trips to the zoo in the area.
The transport there was cheap, and the pace of life slower than what we were used to in Surrey. It was always such a breath of fresh air, and we knew the kids were safe, too.
As foreign holidays and package tours became more and more common, our friends would often ask us, ‘Don’t you ever want to go abroad?’
But June and I would look at each other and shake our heads. ‘ Why would we want to?’ she’d say. ‘There are so many beautiful places to visit in this country.’
By 1990, we’d decided to buy a static caravan of our own in Paignton that we could stay in and enjoy more than once a year.
It overlooked the sea, and waking up to that sight each morning warmed our souls.
June would cook us delicious meals in the evening, but our days were spent walking along the length of the Devon coast and visiting the local beaches.
We got to know shopkeepers by name and made friends in the area. It seemed so warm and welcoming, compared with everyone bustling around at speed when we got back home. We kept our caravan for 10 years but, after the site fees crept up, we decided to go back to renting instead. We never thought about moving to the West Country permanently, though, as our kids, Susan and Richard, still lived near Surrey.
Then, in 2000 and 2004, our grandchildren, Jason and Tom, were born.
June loved being a grandmother. She doted on the grandkids, and, of course, we introduced the little ones to Paignton, too! It was so special for us to be able to share the beauty not only with our kids, but with the next generation, too.
I retired from my payroll job in 2005, which meant we had even more time to spend in our favourite part of the world. June started collecting local Torquay Pottery from the area.
We enjoyed the Dartmouth Steam Railway, the piers, and just being together. We never had a cross word and considered ourselves very lucky indeed. We’d usually planned our next trip before we’d even got home!
And, for our 45th wedding anniversary last year, we were, of course, in the West Country. Susan had told the owners of the caravan we were renting and, when we arrived, there were chocolates and flowers waiting for us.
‘That’s so kind,’ June, now 66, said, overwhelmed.
We’re already planning to spend our 50th wedding anniversary there. We have visited the English Riviera 200 times and spent almost £50,000 on our trips there.
But you can’t put a price on making family memories with your loved ones. We wouldn’t have it any other way.