This short camping holiday was taken close to home as Billy the family cat and James' pet rabbit had been left by themselves and needed to be fed daily, so Malcolm popped back each day to see to that.

Brenda and Malcolm slept in the main tent and the boys had their own tent. Although they all were used to camping, there were some strange noises during the night that particularly worried Brenda. It was never discovered what had made the noise but it was thought it may have been a hedgehog.

The holiday started on Sunday 2 August when they set up camp at the Hatchet Pond campsite near Beaulieu. Have settled themselves in properly, they drove to Hythe where they looked at the shops then walked along the ferry pier to see the narrow gauge railway. They bought fish & chips whilst they were there.

Another day they went to visit Calshot Spit and took a look around the castle. One evening Brenda stayed at the campsite whilst malcolm took the bays for a walk through the woodland to Woodfidley crossing on the main railway line to look at a few passing trains.