On a trip to Cornwall, Marcus Leach reflects on the many pleasures of remembering past tours
Remembering the great pleasure of past tours is a real joy, says Marcus Leach, as he found during one trip to Cornwall
I REMEMBER A time, not so long ago, when we were all excitedly planning trips for the coming months. Yet now we find ourselves at home, wondering when we might be able to wander again.
It hasn’t taken many weeks of being cooped up and having our freedom to travel suspended – a decision that I wholeheartedly support, given the seriousness of the situation – before we have started to feel a deep sense of longing for what we cannot have at the moment. Our wanderlust goes into overdrive – hardly surprising, given that we all, as lovers of travel, share a keen passion for touring and seeing the world.
And so, as we sit at home, we let our minds wander, forwards to the future or, more often than not, back to the past. Personally, I have found it quite difficult to think too far ahead, because it remains so uncertain
at the moment. One thing that I don’t want to do now is to plan a trip in great detail, only to see it fall by the wayside because of the continuing situation. Instead, I find myself looking into the past and taking great comfort and inspiration from memories of the trips we have made.
Every tour has some effect, big or small, on who we are and how we see the world around us. As essayist and travel writer Pico Iyer so rightly says, “We travel to find ourselves.” This can be conscious and subconscious, and often, the true meaning of any trip and its experiences is only revealed over time, as we reflect on them.
At other times, it’s the simplicity of the moment that is so magical and meaningful, fleeting as this might be.
For as long as I can remember, we’ve enjoyed a family game that we always seem to end up playing when we get together, called ‘ Remember When?’. This is simply a reminiscing game, recalling fond memories from our many family adventures.
One memory leads to another, and another, and another, and so on until the hour is late and the wine bottles, more often than not, empty. Intriguingly, we each have a different take on the same events, seeing them through different eyes, but one thing that we all share is the happiness elicited by reliving them.
This act of remembering is something I’m sure we’ve all been doing a lot of over recent weeks, in the absence of any current adventures to focus our minds on – with good reason. Reminiscing about past trips, even those from many years ago, can bring us a deep sense of happiness at the moment – something that we can all benefit from during such uncertain times.
My treasure chest of touring memories is, relatively speaking, fairly small, given that we only rediscovered the joys of life on the road in 2017. However, as we have travelled, we have done so with open minds, always intrigued to learn of other people’s experiences and know-how; a mindset that has led to a host of really fascinating conversations and discoveries.
Journey back in time
It was during our most recent holiday, to Cornwall last October, that one such conversation led to a wonderful journey back through the years – little did we know at the time that it would be so apt to the current situation.
It was at Trevedra Farm Caravan & Camping Site, near Penzance, that we met Wendy Nicholas, who with husband John is the fourth generation to run the family farm and campsite.
Founded in 1935, the site has a rich history, giving families the chance to create the sort of memories that last for a lifetime and inspire future generations to keep coming back. It’s not that other sites don’t allow for this, and we all have our personal favourite places to visit, but it was the sense of family and community spirit that
struck a chord with us as Wendy talked about years gone by. A quick look at the black and white photographs from a bygone era show that the campsite is largely unchanged; it’s still the same field on the coast that it started out as, only now it has a few more mod cons, and almost certainly, a little more organisation.
“John always remembers helping his grandfather, Leslie, when he was a little boy,” Wendy told me. “Back then in the 1970s, there was a wooden hut at the top of the field where Leslie would check people in. There were no pitches marked out and no matter how many caravans and tents they had, the pitching instructions were always the same – ‘there’s a spot down there on the left and it’s just perfect’.”
Stories from the past
“Having run the campsite for close to 20 years now, and hearing all the stories from the past, what’s always given us so much joy is the sense of community spirit among people, one of kindness and tolerance, and knowing people are creating such happy memories, come rain or shine. That spirit among our visitors was never stronger than in 2009 and 2010, when we endured two of the wettest summers I can remember.
“The fields were waterlogged, we had to stop taking any new bookings, no vehicles were allowed to move around the site once pitched and many people left on account of the atrocious weather. But then something wonderful happened. We were left with those who were determined to make the most of their time with us, no matter what Mother Nature threw at us.
“The atmosphere changed to one of camaraderie – people were just grateful to be on holiday and they wouldn’t allow anything to ruin that.”
Laughter and happiness
“People were sleeping in neighbours’ awnings, tents were linked to become communal social areas and the site was filled with laughter and unexpected happiness. The group that survived those summers became known as the Trevedra Storm Beaters, friendships were formed and they still regularly meet up here, to this day.”
After our stay, we left Trevedra with our own happy memories, despite similar weather – memories that hold even greater significance at the moment.
The joy of travel is unparalleled and I have no doubt that in time, our minds will turn to the future and the many opportunities that we are yet to embrace. But for now, I am enjoying the escapist power of reliving past experiences, all the while remembering the words of the Italian poet Cesare Pavese: “We do not remember days, we remember moments.”
So here’s to the past, and to those moments that we are yet to experience, but will always remember.