Last minute change of holiday plans

We should have spent the last week in France. We'd booked two chalets and a camping pitch for ourselves and my family at Domaine Les Gandins and we'd all been looking forward to our big French holiday for months. So it was of huge concern when we started reading reports of strikes causing fuel shortages throughout France a few days beforehand. For the whole week prior to departure the situation seemed to be getting worse and worse and then midweek the protests appeared to spread to blocking motorways. Our holiday was in jeopardy.

We thought up numerous ways in which to still go ahead with the trip, buying jerry cans so we could take enough fuel with us and looking at lengthy routes through Germany and Switzerland. An emergency family meeting was called two days before departure when we all agreed that we'd have to cancel.

When the idea to find somewhere on our side of the English channel was mooted we were sceptical that we'd manage to find something the day before the bank holiday weekend. Our requirements were at two ends of the scale with Tony and I requiring a camping pitch to park Cleopatra while having neighbouring accommodation for my family with a few more luxuries.

Our search centred on northern Scotland and south western Wales where the forecast was sunshine all week. Around 9pm, a phone call to a campsite in Pembrokeshire unearthed a yurt sleeping four and two camping pitches. My brother's family agreed they'd get out their tent and so we booked it immediately. Our family holiday was rescued.

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