When I was a child, in the 1970's, my parents took us to Camping and Caravaning Club sites (known as Camping Club back then) for our holidays. Loads of units where festooned with pennants of where people had camped and made impressive displays.
When I joined the club, in my own right, 9 years ago I started my own collection, for nostalgia reasons mainly, but have found hardly anyone displays them now. The site managers tell me they sell well so where are they?
I can only assume that, along with a lot from that era, it's now considered a bit naff. I think once the average man could afford cheap foreign holidays nobody was going to be impressed if you had camped in Scotland for your hols!!!!
Do you collect them and display? If so lets see a picture ( part of mine can be seen on my profile images). I don't think we will ever see kipper ties, flares or wedges again but lets bring back a bit of camping history and let them fly free !!!!!
Mine are displayed in the three front windows of my caravan. The pride of place in the centre of the front window is a 1960's Camping Club pennon from Slapton Sands camp site, note no mention of Caravanning on it. Think the site has been moved since then.
I display mine, well my recent ones. (I have a few lingering resentments against my ex-wife, including the fact that she kept my 1964 CCY test passed pennon and lots of other old pennons so I am building up a new collection).
I wish the Caravan Club sites would also have site pennons.
------------- We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.
Quote: Originally posted by Inner Zone on 24/12/2014
Mine are displayed in the three front windows of my caravan. The pride of place in the centre of the front window is a 1960's Camping Club pennon from Slapton Sands camp site, note no mention of Caravanning on it. Think the site has been moved since then.
Slapton Sands is still listed as a club site though whether it is at the same location I couldn't say. The Camping club changed it's name to The Camping and Caravaning Club in 1983 which makes the older pennons quite collectable; at least they fetch the better prices on EBay.
Quote: Originally posted by Ronni54 on 24/12/2014
We don't display ours now as some are very old and a bit fragile (bit like us!)and hold too many memories to risk them being damaged.
My father began collecting ours in the very early 60s and I took them over when he died in 1993.
Get them laminated, Ronni. They'll last forever.
------------- Some days you are the dog,
some days you are the tree.
Quote: Originally posted by Bridgelayer on 26/12/2014
Quote: Originally posted by Ronni54 on 24/12/2014We don't display ours now as some are very old and a bit fragile (bit like us!)and hold too many memories to risk them being damaged.
My father began collecting ours in the very early 60s and I took them over when he died in 1993.
Get them laminated, Ronni. They'll last forever.
Thanks for the idea! Never thought about doing that and I would hate to lose them as they bring back such happy memories. Do you know if I could do this myself with a "domestic" laminator? I have A4 pockets which would probably work.
You would probably get 2 or 3 in a pouch. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work. SWMBO uses a "Foil It" foiler which she uses for her card making but I use it for laminating the odd photo print.
------------- Some days you are the dog,
some days you are the tree.
We bought our first pennant this week at Walton on Thames and have today bought pennants for the sites we have stayed at for the last few years. Until an article we recently read, we did not know about pennants but will now buy and display with pride.
We used to thread ours on a cord and display them along the edges of our sun canopy. They were a conversation starter as people would look to see where we had been. We have about 26, including Queen's Jubilee and CCC centenary. Some from sites now closed, Lydford, Bodmin and Honiton. Don't display them now we are no longer using club sites. Happy memories of past trips.
We also didn't know about pennants , thought they were a thing of the past, don't even know how much they are.
Have got a collection of the caravan club tokens though , like the idea of putting the dates on , might start doing that .
------------- Keep smiling, its later than you think !
When we first joined the club about 20 years ago , I used to love reading them on units then I used to ask people about the site displayed if I was interested in one , But I have noticed they don't seem to be on display any more .
I did start collecting them and I do have quite a few but have never displayed them . I don't know how or where to put them .
So they stay in the cupboard in the van . Also not sure what to do if they got or get wet .
Like the red fire bucket ( mine is blue ) I do still put mine out though it's handy for washing the Windows or the van etc . But they seem to have vanished.
Hi hope you don't mind me jumping on your topic but my wife makes pennants for caravans completely personalised ideal for Rallies, sites, names etc. I am going to post in the ads section so please have a look
------------- life is to short so make the most of your weekends, just hitch up and gooooooooooo