I have just returned from Belgium, where we have purchased a static caravan in a beautiful park on the outskirts of one of the loveliest villages in Wallonia.

We had a fantastic four days at a time when the ferries – and the whole Continent as far as I could tell – were largely devoid of tourists. Belgium was having a proper (by which I mean Canadian-like) winter, with snow and ice on the ground, and lots of sun in the sky.

We now look forward to many happy years of baguettes, good chocolate, good coffee, Christmas markets in nearby Aachen, and all the other good things that will come from having a humble pied-à-terre to enjoy in a wonderful place.

And cycling, of course. Lots of cycling of every kind. 😀 8) and all that.

How old is this post?

SaxonRiders new caravan in Gaul yesterday…..

…seriously, though.
Good work.
Hope you enjoy it for many years to come.

Jeez. I guess I should stick to vintage. 😐

Oh come on, embrace your fame! I’m the STW tit that lives in a doer-upper shit-hole; it’s just one of those things. 🙂

Pics would help; we don’t do well with just words around here.

SaxonRider – nice one. Now we need photos!!

Ignore the muppets, its just jealousy, a very STW trait.

in a beautiful park on the outskirts of one of the loveliest villages in Wallonia.

where, where?
and

Nice…..and we are all invited to stay when?

Ignore the muppets, its just jealousy, a very STW trait.

I’m jealous of your gaff 🙂

Here you go, then.

A few of the town (not taken by me, obviously):

A picture of the park:

And finally, as much as I like perchypanther’s suggestion above, the actual caravan:

Do they still shit in the lay-bys?

Only jealous.

Out of interest, what do you do with it the other 50 weeks of the year? Are you going to be renting it out?

Never really understood the point of holiday homes TBH, kinda defeats the point of holidays for me as if I’m going away I’d generally want to go somewhere I haven’t been before. If you want to keep going to the same place isn’t the sensible thing to do just move?

Out of interest, what do you do with it the other 50 weeks of the year?

Sees dead people.

bear – you’re a sweety. The constant wind and rain up here make the winter less than desirable. Woe is me (and the veg patch)

OP – nice, when’s the STW open weekend
😉

Cougar – Moderator
Out of interest, what do you do with it the other 50 weeks of the year?

Working according to academic terms allows a bit more freedom than that. And should I get bored of the drive (If I leave at breakfast, I am there by about 8:30 p.m.), I can take the train from Cardiff to Brussels, then a smaller train to the town in about the same time.

All in all, we should get there about once every six to eight weeks or so.

Never really understood the point of holiday homes TBH, kinda defeats the point of holidays for me as if I’m going away I’d generally want to go somewhere I haven’t been before. If you want to keep going to the same place isn’t the sensible thing to do just move?

We have spent the last ten years going somewhere different every year. We love travelling, but this place will allows an easy drive to Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, Frankfurt, and many other places on any given trip.

I don’t anticipate feeling too limited.

Bravo SR! Ignore the STW dour bastards!

Never really understood the point of holiday homes TBH, kinda defeats the point of holidays for me as if I’m going away I’d generally want to go somewhere I haven’t been before. If you want to keep going to the same place isn’t the sensible thing to do just move?

You can have a holiday home and not go there for every single holiday for ever you know. It’s just somewhere different to go.

All in all, we should get there about once every six to eight weeks or so.

That’s cool, nice one. The other point still stands though, are you thinking of renting it out at all? Might help with the payments. (And I for one would be interested if I had the funds.)

I don’t anticipate feeling too limited.

Makes sense. I wasn’t intentionally being a “dour bastard,” rather I’ve never really understood it.

You can have a holiday home and not go there for every single holiday for ever you know.

I guess. But then, buying a holiday home and then going on holiday somewhere else seems a little bonkers to me.

brilliant – you’d be able to go in May when LBL and the Fleche Wallonie is on, I’d imagine there will be some decent cyclocross racing somewhere nearby as well, this is entertaining (especially because it’s traditional to ride there with a load of beer 🙂 )

Makes sense. I wasn’t intentionally being a “dour bastard,” rather I’ve never really understood it.

No ‘dour bastard’ in asking.

You probably know this, but in Canada, many many people have cabins ‘at the lake’ – meaning that, in addition to their normal house, they also have a literal wooden cabin (sometimes entirely built from log) on the shore of one of the many lakes that will be within driving distance of a city.**

I spite of this, I can’t think of many who would have limited their travel; indeed, while ‘going to the lake’ (variously called ‘going to the cabin’ or ‘going to the cottage’) is just part of middle- and upper class Canadian life, I can’t think of anyone who didn’t also go to Mexico or the Caribbean in the winter, get a ski trip in, or even get over here to Britain in the summer for some sort of holiday.

In any case, as I indicated above, as I see our new place, it will be as much launch point to other places as it will be a centre for the family to enjoy and to become immersed in the local culture and language.

**Like this place, where I spent countless weekends throughout the year:

West Hawk Lake, Manitoba, in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

you’d be able to go in May when LBL and the Fleche Wallonie is on

Oh, it’s been considered! 😀

So now your’e a **** poikey?

Near Aachen eh? I once spent an entire glorious week there with Birgit, driving the pink skin bus into Toytown….

Looks terrific SR. We’ve had a Willerby Granada for ten years and it’s been a great van.
The travelling sounds a bit much though.

Although , for a man with your time travelling skills it’ll fly by. 😉

Well done Sir, the wife and I are planning on something a bit closer to home though. So far our kids (teen age) are supportive of a holiday home (worryingly). We’ve had our fill of travelling !!

Awesome. There are some great trails nearby at Houffalize of course but you have to go down to the castle at Bouillon as it’s the closest to the sorts of castle that I imagined as as child that I’ve ever seen.

edit: just leave the key under the mat if you don’t mind 😉