SNIPPET: In a delightful letter in the 'Post Bag' in the Nov 1998 issue of "Best of British Past & Present" magazine, Mr. George ROBINS, Belvedere, Kent, England, shared some happy memories of camping coaches. Perhaps this will jog someone else's memory.... Per Mr. ROBINS - "We well remember camping coach holidays - they were great - and we enjoyed reading the article by Andrew McRAE (in a recent issue). Our first holiday was to Aberdovey in Wales . We shared an eight-berthed coach with our friends, four adults and five children. We took a camp bed for one of the children. They thought it was all marvellous. I think we paid eight guineas a week and that included bed linen, towels, crockery, etc. All we needed to take was personal clothing and toiletries. We had reserved seats on the train there and back. At our request, the staff laid on initial food supplies and even had the kettle boiling water when we arrived. They were really good to us. Excluding food, we had a two-week holiday for nine of us for about 35 pounds. That was in 1955. In 1957 we had a camping coach at Ferryside, South Wales, and we had the same welcome from the station and staff who couldn't do enough to make our holiday enjoyable. With a seven-day runabout ticket we visited some lovely places with beautiful beaches. One day we went to Tenby, a lovely seaside town with golden sands. The station master at Ferryside arranged for us to return on an express train and it made a special stop for us to alight at Ferryside. I wonder if they would do that nowadays? In 1959 we went to Aberarch in North Wales, a very tiny quiet station. There was no running water in the coach, but every day four churns of water were delivered to us and they would take the used ones away even if they were not empty. It was a request stop station and you waved your hand to stop a train just like catching a bus. If we travelled anywhere we had to contact the guard on the return train and he would put us on the correct coach. The platform at Aberarch was only the length of one coach. We thought it was great fun and we got to know most of the engine drivers. Our last holiday was at Abergele which I recognised from the photo in the magazine. This was a much bigger station with many camping coaches. Just the same as the other holidays, they did us proud. There was a retired signalman who attended to all our needs. He became a great friend and would often regale us with stories of his life on the railway. At that time there was a branch line to Llanberis, so we spent one day walking to the top of Snowdon and back returning to Abergele on the train. Then Dr. BEECHING came along and closed the line. I well remember the "Irish Mail" and we would wait for it to come through the station - what memories. The children revelled in all of it. It makes me wonder what they are missing in this day and age. We are both well into our eighties. Three years ago we celebrated our golden wedding and were given a trip on the Eurostar to Paris for a weekend. We really enjoyed it, 186 mph in France, yet there seemed to be more excitement watching the "Irish Mail" steam through Abergele. I wish they still had camping coaches. I have every issue of "Best of British;" keep up the good work."