Grandma, Minnie, and a Campervan Called Evie

Monday 17 – Friday 21 August 2026

She stood at the edge of the North Sea, arms wide open, and screamed at the top of her voice. She told me she was controlling the waves.

During Minnie’s three-week holiday with us in August, I created daily posts of our adventures, except for the four days when we went away in Evie the campervan to Yellowcraig Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite near North Berwick. Just Minnie and Grandma. Making memories. Oh, and what an amazing time we had. I thought this trip deserved its own blog post.

The campervan excitement began when Minnie arrived in Scotland, and we had to have our tea in Evie even though she was only parked on the drive. Granddad served us and made us feel very special. Then Minnie had to look out of the sky window because you can see so much more out of that one rather than the massive open sliding door! We watched the clouds float by, played dominoes and Scrabble (our own rules, of course).

Over the next couple of days, we packed all our stuff into the van, and Minnie carefully selected which cupboard was for her things. It’s surprising how many clothes you can fit in a cupboard when you squash them all down.

Monday the 17th, and it was time for our adventure. Grandad and Florence waved us off, and Minnie felt very special sitting on the front seat of Evie on her booster seat. A trip to the local petrol station for some diesel and important travelling mints, and we were off. Minnie has a great memory and can remember the route to Yellowcraig. Of course, that didn’t stop her feeling the need to ask how many motorways we had to go on, how many dual carriageways, how many miles, and how many minutes. The only thing she never actually said was, “Are we there yet!”

We were very disappointed to find that the wonderful roundabouts full of wildflowers and beautiful poppies had been dug over and looked very ugly. I actually thought Minnie was going to cry when she saw it. Road planners – take note!

Approaching the campsite, it was just as well Minnie was fastened in with her seatbelt, as I’m sure she could have jumped out of the van; she was so excited. Nearly as much as Grandma!

The first thing you do when you arrive at a site is get set up. Connect the electric, turn on the gas, and put up the air- awning. Minnie didn’t disappoint and wanted to help with everything. And I have to say that the awning was set up better than I’ve done before. It was a perfect shape.

A late picnic lunch, courtesy of Grandad, was wolfed down so that we could have a stroll down to the beach and a play in the big park. Just to make sure Grandma’s nerves were on edge straight away! Seven-year-olds have no fear of heights!

If you’ve never been to Yellowcraig, why not? The beach is absolutely stunning. And with the school holidays finished in Scotland, it was empty. Bliss. Minnie declared that Fidra Island, with its lighthouse, was actually Kirrin Island from the Famous Five book we are reading and that she could actually see George, Dick, Julian, Anne and Timmy on the island looking for gold ingots. She then decided that for the rest of the holiday she would be called George.

There’s nothing quite like the seaside, a play at the park and a lovely warm shower in spotless facilities to make a little girl sleepy. After another chapter of Five on a Treasure Island, she was in the land of Nod. Grandma wasn’t far behind her.

We woke up the following morning to clear blue skies and sunshine. After breakfast and some teeth brushing, we headed out for a day at the beach. Grandma had her trusty beach trolley with her, so we filled it up with everything we thought we might need. Minnie kindly offered to pull the trolley to help. This year, she was also much better at using Grandma’s walking sticks as clearly her hand/leg co-ordination had improved.

Sea, sand, rock pools, a beach tent and a picnic. What more do you need! Well, actually, I didn’t know anything about something called Sand Away, but Minnie’s mummy packed some for her. What is this magic! It’s like a powder that makes sand evaporate from hands and feet. And smells quite nice too. I have to admit that we both became slightly obsessed with it.

Of course, we had to stop at the park on the way back to the campsite to play at the park again before getting an ice cream to finish the perfect day.

Once again, tea, shower, teeth, and a chapter of the book, and Minnie was sound asleep.

The following day was pretty much the same. Perfect weather, perfect scenery, and perfect company.

Thursday, we woke up to heavy rain, so we did some building design, had our picnic lunch in the van and discussed what we would do.

By chance, the rain stopped, so we decided to head to the beach for a last goodbye and then go to the park. Minnie couldn’t help herself, though, and wanted to go into the sea, despite us not taking her swimming costume or towel. So it was T-shirt and knickers (for Minnie, not Grandma!). The beach was deserted. Minnie ran into the sea, watched the waves for a while before lifting her arms out wide and screaming at the top of her voice. She eventually came back to me, laughing out loud. That was THE moment for me. Watching her at peace with the sea, even though she can’t quite swim, and being bold enough to stand in the freezing water, feeling the waves lap around her. I asked her later what she had been doing when she was screaming, and she said, “I was controlling the waves, Grandma.” I do believe she was.

Needless to say, it was another night when sleep came easily to Minnie and Grandma, ready for packing up the following day. By some stroke of luck, the rain had dried up completely overnight, along with the air-awning, so this could be put away dry. Minnie helped me with everything, and even had time for some exercises. We worked perfectly and timed it just right so that we could have our picnic lunch in the van before having to leave the site at 12 noon.

Did Minnie have a good time? She absolutely did. Did Grandma have a good time? The best!

Back at home, it was time to clean the van, both inside and out, which Minnie was very happy to help with. She would have climbed right up to the top rung of the ladder if I’d let her. I did consider letting her clean the roof (only kidding, Mummy!).

The Evie adventure continued, of a sort, on the Monday when we were invited up to Struans in Perth for a book signing event for my book, Campervan Capers. Minnie had a new role that day as my marketing director, and she took it very seriously. She handed out all of Grandma’s bookmarks and wrote people's names on Post-it notes so Grandma knew how to spell them when she signed their books.

People ask me if it’s possible to have a holiday in a campervan with just yourself and a seven-year-old girl and have a good time. Let me tell you. There is nothing quite like it. Try it. If you don’t have your own campervan, why not hire one and try it? Don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself. And check out Caravan and Motorhome Club sites like Yellowcraig if you want proper facilities — spotless showers, a beautiful beach on the doorstep, and a park that will exhaust even the most energetic seven-year-old.

There will have to be a follow-on book to Campervan Capers: Debra, Minnie and Evie on tour.

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog. Please leave me a comment.

Oh, and if you'd like to get a signed copy of Campervan Capers, you can read all about my journey to becoming a seasoned campervan woman. Minnie stars in a couple of the chapters too, including being part of the reason why I decided I should buy a campervan - it includes a cold beach on the West Coast of Scotland and no toilet!

Click to Order your signed copy of Campervan Capers here