Picture this: sun-drenched beaches, happy kids, and a relaxing drive... yeah, that wasn't quite our Day 1!

The Journey Begins (Cambridge to Sainsbury's):

Picture this: sun-drenched beaches, happy kids, and a relaxing drive... yeah, that wasn't quite our Day 1! 🤣 We were embarking on a much-anticipated, week-long family adventure, from Monday to Monday, setting up camp at Haven Church Farm in Pagham with grand plans to explore the beautiful South Coast. Get ready to join in the chaos and adventure as I share our family travel tales, the funny moments, how we navigate life's quirks (including a touch of AuDHD), and plenty of those 'you couldn't make it up' real-life challenges – like a car air con that decided to pack up on the start of the holiday, naturally!

The morning of any UK family holiday departure is a special kind of organised chaos, and Monday, May 26th, was no exception! With our sights set on a week-long adventure at Haven Church Farm in Pagham, the Cambridge household was a blur of last-minute packing and the usual excited energy from the girls – who, let's be honest, were already a delightful handful before we'd even locked the front door.

Finally, we were in our trusty Citroen C3 Picasso, waving goodbye to Cambridge and heading south. The initial part of the drive was surprisingly okay; a bit of peace descended as the girls managed to grab some sleep. This was fortunate, as we quickly realised our car's air conditioning had decided this holiday was the perfect time to officially retire. Yes, right from the start of our journey, we knew it was on its last legs – not ideal with a potentially hot week forecasted for the South Coast!

Our first detour wasn't for a scenic viewpoint, but for practicality. Anticipating some classic British summer weather, I realised I was missing a crucial piece of kit – wellies! A stop at Decathlon was in order. Next up, a strategic mission to Smyths Toys. We were on the hunt for the elusive Harry Potter Monopoly, a must-have for any potential rainy days during our caravan holiday, and apparently, Smyths was the only place rumoured to have it in stock. Quest successful!

With wellies and board games secured, we pressed on. The further south we drove, the more the temperature inside the car seemed to climb, a stark reminder of our absent air con. Our next key stop, just before reaching the caravan site, was Sainsbury's near Chichester. It was time for the big "week ahead" food shop. While the shopping itself was pretty standard – no major dramas or amusing trolley incidents to report – the heat after the long drive was definitely becoming more noticeable. Little did we know, the car's climate control wouldn't be the only challenge the day had in store for us...

After our Sainsbury's stop, we finally made our way to the entrance of Haven Church Farm holiday park in Pagham. The journey in had offered some lovely scenic views, painting a promising picture for our week ahead. The welcome we received at the park matched that positive feeling; the staff were friendly, greeting us warmly, handing over a car pass, and providing the all-important details of our caravan number and its location on the site.

As we drove further into the park, towards our allocated spot, our initial impressions were good. The park looked well-maintained, and it was as busy as you'd expect for a check-in time on a Bank Holiday Monday, with a lively atmosphere. We noted that all the main facilities – the shop, sports areas, swimming pool, and entertainment complex – seemed to be conveniently clustered near the entrance. 'Superb, off we go!' we thought, feeling optimistic as we navigated towards our home for the week.

The Unpacking Saga & The Caravan Reveal:

Having navigated through the Haven Church Farm park with a growing sense of optimism, we finally pulled up to our allocated caravan. The girls were eager to explore, so we let our youngest, take the first peek inside while I filmed a quick walk-around video of our home for the week. You can see her initial reactions and our first look here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPispznUKJ4

Stepping inside, our first impressions were genuinely positive. It seemed really spacious, nicely laid out, and we were initially impressed with all the areas. This looked promising! With check-in officially between 3 and 4 PM, and it now being a bit later, we dived straight into the familiar holiday ritual: unpacking. Food was the priority – getting the frozen items and fridge supplies stowed away – then came everything else. The girls did a great job helping with their clothes and bits and pieces, while I tackled unloading the rest, sorting out the essential baby monitor, getting the electrics set up, and even starting to ponder dinner options. A pleasant surprise was spotting a dishwasher – a little luxury I don't have at home!

It was probably over an hour into the unpacking marathon, with everything finding its place, that the first hint of trouble emerged. My fiancée went to sit on the main bed and immediately felt something wasn't quite right; it was clearly sinking towards the middle. 

Lifting the mattress, a quick inspection confirmed our fears – the frame in the middle of the bed was visibly bent inwards. Not good.

A check of the other beds revealed more disappointment: the one closer to the window in the girls' room was missing some slats and also appeared slightly broken.

Our hearts sank a little. After the long, hot drive (thanks to that failed air con in our Citroen C3 Picasso!) and the effort of unpacking, this was the last thing we needed. Our immediate thought was clear: we'd have to report it and see what could be done.

Before heading to reception, though, a more pressing personal need arose. At Sainsbury's earlier, I'd remembered to stock up on 8 ales for the week but had completely forgotten to get myself any coffee – a rookie error! So, a quick dash to the on-site shop was made to rectify that oversight. Coffee acquired, we then made our way to the reception to explain the situation with the beds.

The lady at the reception was wonderful, really. She completely understood the problem when we explained about the main bed and the issues in the girls' room and assured us that someone would come and have a look. To be honest, we didn't have a specific expectation of what would happen next; we just knew we needed to flag it.

Returning to the caravan, we decided to get on with dinner and wait. About an hour to an hour and a half passed, but no one from maintenance or reception appeared. We made our first follow-up phone call – still no visit. Another call later, and by this point, it was after 8 PM, we found reception had closed for the evening, and our call was diverted to site security.

Thankfully, the security guard was a top bloke. He came over straight away, despite clearly being busy on what must have been a hectic Bank Holiday Monday check-in day. He thoroughly checked all the beds and, much to our relief, managed to find a slightly smaller replacement bed that he could bring over for the girls, ensuring they'd at least have a proper place to sleep. He then laid out our options for the adults: we could either pack everything up there and then and move to one of a few other available caravans that night, or we could wait until the morning and speak to reception again to hopefully find us something better.

Given how late it was and the thought of repacking everything in the dark, we opted to stay put for the night. We managed to set up the pull-out sofa bed in the living area for us adults, while the girls settled into their room, one on an original (hopefully sound!) bed and one on the replacement. It wasn't ideal, but it was a solution for night one.

Tech Troubles: The Great WiFi Letdown:

As if the bed saga wasn't enough excitement for one evening, we then encountered our next challenge: the sites WiFi. After getting the girls settled and finally having a moment to breathe, I thought I'd try and get online. I was already a bit annoyed about the internet situation, as I'd tried tethering from my phone earlier, hoping to boost what seemed like a weak signal from the caravan's own WiFi system, but it was hopeless, really.

The on-site WiFi, when I tried to connect properly, was virtually unusable for anything beyond a basic message. Streaming something on the Roku TV provided? Absolutely out of the question. I gave up on the park's offering pretty quickly. I checked my mobile data allowance and breathed a sigh of relief – luckily, I had only just started a new month's data rota and had my full 150GB allowance available. It looked like my phone was going to be our internet hub for the week!

Conclusion for Day 1

So, Day 1 of our much-anticipated South Coast holiday was certainly a rollercoaster! It started with the organised chaos of a family departure, a long, hot journey made trickier by lack of car air con, and a quest for wellies and board games. We had a promising welcome at Haven Church Farm, and an initially impressive caravan, only for that to be quickly overshadowed by broken beds and a drawn-out effort to get it acknowledged. We ended the day with makeshift sleeping arrangements and a reliance on mobile data, but hey, we were on holiday, and solutions (of a sort) had been found!

What would Day 2 bring? Would we get the caravan situation properly resolved? And what adventures – or misadventures – awaited us beyond the holiday park?

Have you ever had a holiday arrival go unexpectedly sideways like ours? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments below