Running a Campervan...

  For many people the first idea for owning a Campervan comes from something they've seen on TV or read in a magazine and now the idea has been  planted. The dream our escaping everyday life and hitting the open road grows and grows until one day they hit the "Buy it now" button on Ebay.
  Now whether you spent £1000 or £20,000 you still have to keep your new pride and joy going, otherwise you have a rather large and expensive garden ornament. Now regardless how often you use your van it still has to be taxed and insured so straight away that's the best part of £500 gone. On top of that you've got servicing costs and fuel and not forgetting the inevitable breakdowns, so very quickly you can see how that dream of escaping the rat race comes at a cost.
   Fear not all is not lost, the best way to keep costs down is to learn how service and repair your van yourself, thus saving a fortune in labour costs. One of the best ways I learnt about our van was to join a local or national VW club where to can meet fellow Campervan nutters face to face or through many of the online VW Camper forums such as  Club 80-90 .Once you learn you're not alone in your obsession then asking those seemingly silly questions doesn't seem so bad .
  No matter how much you spent on your van it WILL breakdown at some point, leaving you to finish your journey on the back of a truck (we've all been there) . So it goes without saying that breakdown cover is a must, particularly if you plan travelling any distance. One of the best ways to avoid breakdowns is to use you van as much as possible and get used to all its quirks and rattles so then if something new starts rattling you can see to it before it breaks and leaves you stranded. We use our van all year and as of next month it will be the one and only vehicle we own so preventative maintenance is a must.
  For some owning a Campervan will be a passing phase (bought in the spring and sold in the autumn) . But for the rest ,owning a Campervan gets in your blood and you could no sooner sell your van than you could "chop off your hand"....its that addictive. To truly get to know your van who have to at least go once on a "Big" adventure in her and I don't mean a weekend in the Cotswold's. I mean two or three weeks minimum to a place you've never been to before living in each others pockets waking up to a different view each morning. Once you've had your "adventure" all the money and heartache your van has put you through will be worth it and you'll have memories that last a life time.

Camping with Autism...

Joel is a good looking happy five year old boy who loves animals and being outside. To look at he appears no different from all the other children in the park except if you talked to him he would never speak back and probably just ignore you and run off... Yes Joel is Autistic.
  Autism has a very wide spectrum of symptoms and indeed no two Autistic people would show the same characteristics and yet one in a hundred people are thought to have Autism in one form or another. So you see it's quite probable you've met some one with Autism and either not known or just put their behaviour down to a personality quirk.

  Back to Joel though. Joel was diagnosed with Autism aged three when certain characteristics were noticed at his preschool and thankfully with their support and now with his Infant schools help Joel is happy and making progress. One key factor with many forms of Autism is that the individual relies on routine and order in many aspects of daily life and if things are different they can become unsettled and upset.  So as you can imagine going on a camping trip can seem fraught with potential upsetting scenarios that would put most parents with Autistic children off the entire idea.
 Thankfully this is where the Campervan is so useful. Because we use the van all the time even for shopping trips, Joel is used to being in it. Also when we first got the van we spent time playing in it with his toys and older sister and so after a while it just became an extension of home. The big test came on our first camp out just a few miles from home. We packed his favourite food (very important for children with Autism) his favourite toys and with a little trepidation set off....He loved it..especially the freedom of being outside, it even helped him to socialise with other children. It was quite touching when his sister Erin who is only 18 months older than him was explaining to the other children that Joel couldn't speak because he was Autistic.

 Each camping trip we've gone for longer and longer expeditions until last year we spent three weeks touring France and Joel loved it ( so did we).  In many ways our camping expeditions have made Joel more able to cope with different routines and even encouraged him to try new activities and foods. So much so that now all Joel wants for breakfast is croissant's.

Homebrewed Campervan.....

Lets get something clear when we mention a homebrewed Campervan, that we aren't talking about any illegal moonshine still in the back of a Camper, that's produce would send you blind. Rather we're talking about converting a humble Van or minibus into your home from home on wheels. As a couple we've always enjoyed camping with family and friends and so when Erin and Joel were born we sort to introduce them to the joys of living outdoors. About four years ago we splashed out on a new "family" dome tent and set off to our favourite destination of Anglesey in North Wales.Though we were well equipped that first night a "summer" storm rolled in and we endured the worst night in our camping lives as the wind and rain battered our tent. Needless to say we got no sleep that night and we looked on in envy at the Campervan pitched near to us that rode out the storm with ease..That day I vowed that the next camping trip would be in a Campervan. The trouble with campervans especially VW ones is that they are highly sort after and so that is reflected in the prices. Our budget was small and so the only one we could afford was a VW T25 Danbury conversion that we got off Ebay for £1400..To say that it was rusty would be an understatement, but undaunted I vowed to restore her back to glory over a year or so (rolling restoration) Alas it quickly became clear that the rot was deep and my pockets were shallow and after four months I sold her on. Despite this setback we kept searching until one day we sported a "Ex Taxi" late model VW T25 on Ebay. Clearly unloved but solid she was crying out for some TLC. After parting with £900 and a long journey home at 50mph she sat outside our house and I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.We drove her around for a while, as we drew up our plans to convert her into a camper After about a month our plans were drawn up and We set about sourcing the bits we would need to build our "bespoke" camper on a paupers budget. Many of the bits came off Ebay ,like the hightop roof , flooring, seat cushions ,sink fridge ect ect. The units and cupboards were modified "Ikea" kitchen units and the front seat were from a VW club member. So as you can see I cast my net far and wide often travelling 100s of miles to collect items. The key to success in building your own Campervan is research and patience, as building the camper had to fit in with every day life's demands. It was nice to involve the family in building her and it was scary at times (cutting a hole in the roof)but the sense of achievement was immense as it was all my own work. In took about 6 months to initially finish the Camper which it included painting her using a roller and special paint (I'm serious). The best bit about doing it yourself is the cost..£900 for the Van and then another £1400 over 6 months to convert her. So for £2300 we got our homemade bespoke budget camper and no more storm ravaged sleepless nights. So if you fancy your own Campervan but can't afford the mega bucks they demand these days, role up your sleaves and have a go yourself. Then one day you will peer out of the the window of your snug Campervan at the poor souls trying to pitch their tents in a howling gale and a warm smugness will make you smile from ear to ear....

Let there be Light...

Last month I was re-upholstering the high top area of the Campervan after many complaints last year of tatty state it was getting in (it is over 22 years old ..tsk) Whilst the roof panels were out I decided to improve the lighting as the existing lighting was ok , but when you slept "up top" you couldn't reach the light switches and it was looking a little dated. I decided to fit some recessed halogen down lighters (12v)which I picked up in the bargain bucket at my local B&Q for the princely sum of £5. A little rewiring and new switches and hey presto .."We have Light"...Next job new door panels!

Spring refurbishment....

Now the days are drawing out, I feel inspired to spend more time doing those jobs on the camper which I've been putting off over the dark winter months.Last week I got round to fixing one of those niggly jobs everyone hates ,in this case a dodgy speedo. Now I'm rarely likely to break the speed limit on the motorway, but around town it would be nice to know how "slow" I'm going.It turned out to be a little clip that had dropped off the speedo cable at the hub and cost pennies to fix and all of 5 mins of my time to do and yet I've been without a speedo for 3 months.. (slacker that I am..lol)
Next on the list was the lining of the hightop bed area which was starting to disintegrate and shower very itchy dust on us as we slept. Thankfully they are fairly easy to remove and after a visit to my local upholsters (A campervan owner himself)I returned with a role of vinyl and foam padding and glue...guess what I was doing the rest of the day?..
Hopefully this will all be done by Easter, which if the weather is fair, will be a great time to get away with the family.
Mmm what's next on my list?...interior lights... To be Continued....

French Odyssey...part three the Final leg

As I write this it is early December and I've just got back from a nights camping high in the Pennines with Club 80-90 and it got me thinking of warmer trips back in the summer.
So back to France in August. After breaking camp in the Chateaus vineyard in the Loire valley, we headed south west from Tours down to Poitiers, Niort and across to Rochefort on the coast. From here we are driving through the flat coastal salt marsh's to the little town of Marenes. This is where we would cross the viaduct to the Island of Ile d' Oleron and our destination of La Cotinere. The only problem is that this is the only road onto and off the Island and it was chocker..
Once on the Island thing were more relaxed, though French "minor" road are not known for there smoothness, though the kids loved the evasive manoeuvres round the potholes and the roller-coaster rides over the undulations.
Our campsite though was perfect, nestling behind the sand dunes under the shade of trees. Once base camp was established we were immediately on the beach right next to the campsite.. The beach was stunning and quiet and for the next two weeks we spent the best holiday of our lives exploring the Island in our camper, eating great food and drinking great (cheap) wine...We didn't want to go home and the kids still talk of the holiday now all these months later.... Will we go back.?...You bet!!

French Odyssey....part 2

After eating and drinking to our fill at our friends , it was time to hit the road heading southwest to the Loire Valley near Tours on the next leg of our journey. First we stopped for provisions at the largest Carrefour hypermarket in France (big mistake)..In a place the size of a small village they had car parking spaces for thousands of cars, but only four spaces for anything over 2.5m (thats us at 2.6m)..I must have driven round dozens of times whilst Laura went through the slowest checkout in Europe. Anyhow after our false start we were soon on our way on a mixture of main roads and toll motorways. Now toll booths are fun as most are automated and the calculate the cost based on the size of your vehicle (loads of sensors).. and they have two payment slots one at car level and one at truck level. You can guess which one it wanted us to use, this involved Laura leaning out of the window and contorting herself just to reach the payment slot (not good for your back). Despite these niggles we had a steady journey of about 180 miles to " Chateau Nitray" in the Loire valley.

The Chateau was part of the "France Passion" scheme, where each year you buy a book with thousands of farms/ vineyards ect listed, which allow campervans to stay overnight FREE. This Chateau had its own vineyard (where we camped) and of course sold their own label wine. Before long Laura was rustling up dinner whilst me and Joel checked out the "shop"....Some wine tasting ensued and I staggerd back to the van with a few bottles of their finest produce. A very mellow evening ensued as the sun set over the vineyard with some rather comical attempts of climbing into the hightop for some much needed zzz's. Part 3 .... the final Leg will follow.