first holiday

Holidays were a very rare treat in the 50s. Most working people only had one or two weeks paid holiday a year. Money was tight and few people had their own transport, so travel was difficult. It usually meant a train journey to somewhere-by-the-sea. I can’t remember much about my first, as I was only about 3 years old. Our family with my aunt and uncle, travelled to Sandsend near Whitby. We stayed in a ‘camping coach’ for a week. It was an old railway coach that had been converted into holiday accommodation. I think there was several parked on a piece of disused track that overlooked the beach. Apparently, they were a popular form of holiday at the time. A few years we had a holiday in Wales with our friends and neighbours, the B……. family.

Have a look at these photos taken at Sandsend. It was around May time and it looked cold. Nothing’s changed then! I like my dad’s beachwear, a suit and tie and trousers rolled up, seen here with us on Whitby beach. Leisurewear hadn’t been invented. Mum says that my aunt took her pressure cooker with her, to make meal times easier. Eating out wasn’t an option.