Holidays At Walliss Caravan Site

A Memory of Cayton Bay.

I have lots of fond memories of Cayton Bay as a child in the late 1960s/70s, the only place we knew and loved. Mam had a caravan there, following in her mam's footsteps. We loved to get there in the school holidays, even the 3 hour journey there with all us kids taking turns to share the sick bucket didn't put us off going. We all crammed in my Uncle Bill's car, God knows how we all fitted in but we did. The smell of the diesel would set us off feeling sick within minutes of getting in the car and we would be asking "Are we nearly there yet?" every 5 minutes. Mam's caravan had no running water or a toilet, no mod cons like they all have today but we thought it was brill, lighting the gas lights at night and the smell of it. Even taking it in turns to fetch the water from the tap stands, and emptying the slop bucket was a shared event. We would go to the OK Koral disco at night. Does anyone remember Patsy & Bernie, the childrens entertainers? The OK Koral was in the big building opposite the park, which was sadly demolished and a new complex was built further back, I think they changed the name to Stage 3? There was one small amusement arcade (like a shed) and a bingo hut like a big tent. Mrs. Shaw, Josephine and Nicholas who lived in long grey caravan on the park, they ran the bingo. I remember the funny iron rocking see-saws in the park and the big elephant slide, sugar pigs and mice from the little hut near the newspaper stand at the end of the drive. The criss cross fencing lined the drive. If I stood on the top of the slide I could see our caravan near the chalets that went round the road edge. The little cafe across from the big old sink. The old shower block with a turn style inside, we used to crawl underneath to save paying.The bike hire also. For a special treat we got to go to the Pavilion (rendezvous) club, and watch the dancing and the clowns. I was always frightened when they pretended to throw buckets of water on the crowds when really it was glitter bits. Then there was the Nalgo camp. Long gone now though with new bungalows put there which have since been subject to landslide. The walk down to the beach seemed to take forever and twice as long coming back up, which seemed really steep when we were kids. I remember fondly sitting at the side of what we called the water fall on the rocks. I could go on forever. Sadly Mam has gone now along with Dad, but Cayton Bay will always have a special place in my heart with all my childhood memories with my family. We visit every once in a while, it just seems to be a place that always draws me back there, even though everythings changed apart fom the little shop at the top of the beach near the road. We often had a walk into Cayton village to the pub (Blacksmiths Arms) I remember sat in the little yard at the back with my pop and crisps, and sometimes we would have fish and chips on the way home. kids were'nt allowed in pubs like they are today. There were always lots of pigeons there. When Mam first had her caravan at Cayton Bay the bottom field on the site was full of cows, there was a little shop there that sold lovely chocopop lollies, but now that also is full of caravans. On our last visit, the rendezvous club had been demolished and a new roundabout/roadway was being laid, each time we visit a change has taken place, I personally prefered the old Cayton Bay, perhaps because of my treasured memories. GOOD OLD CAYTON BAY.

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