Sunday, 26 February 2017
More carpeting
We've had a very productive weekend carpeting the van. Still not finished yet but we're definitely getting there now!
Meanwhile, we've been busy developing our new website and making some exciting plans with our van...
Sunday, 1 January 2017
Christmas progress
We've used our Christmas break very productively and are getting Amelie ready for a big adventure! Sam's bosses kindly offered to let us work on the van in their work garage, so it's been a lot warmer than last year!
Sam has taken out the dashboard, upgraded the main power cables and installed a new fan motor. He also replaced the front pads, discs and wheel bearings, then cut a hole for our new sliding side window. Meanwhile, I painted our cupboards and insulated the roof. We have just finished carpeting the roof and despite a few hiccups along the way, we are fairly pleased with the result (just don't look too closely at it!)
The new roof carpet from Mega Van Mats. We used their silver mega stretch lining carpet.
Our main holiday this year will be in the van around the Scottish Highlands for a couple of weeks, but there's lots of work to do before then!
Sam has taken out the dashboard, upgraded the main power cables and installed a new fan motor. He also replaced the front pads, discs and wheel bearings, then cut a hole for our new sliding side window. Meanwhile, I painted our cupboards and insulated the roof. We have just finished carpeting the roof and despite a few hiccups along the way, we are fairly pleased with the result (just don't look too closely at it!)
Our main holiday this year will be in the van around the Scottish Highlands for a couple of weeks, but there's lots of work to do before then!
Wednesday, 31 August 2016
2016 - the story so far...
We have been extremely slack in updating the blog this year! But it's because we've just been having far too much fun! We're hoping to start a new blog in the next year, so we'll be posting that on here, but for now, here's what we've been up to...
In January, we finished putting the new roof on Amelie, although we had a few problems with fitting the window. The window we ordered was too big for the hole, so Sam cut the hole slightly bigger... only he cut it a little big too big. So then we had to get another bit of glass that was a bit bigger. Then cut the whole bigger... then we SO NEARLY had the new bit of glass in, and it smashed! I won't bore you with all the details, but by the time we'd attempted fitting 5 different windows, we realised that the roof is actually slightly bowed, so we'll never be able to get glass in there now. We looked into getting the hole filled back up, but were told there were no guarantees that we'd have the same problem. So Amelie is now the proud owner of a plastic window on one side!
She was ready just in time for Easter, when we went wild camping around the Norfolk Broads.
Most of our stops were on quiet roads, but we contacted a pub in the centre of Norwich who have their own access to the Broads, and they allowed us to park overnight (they charge £5 for 24 hour parking). It was excellent and meant that we could paddleboard through the city. If you'd like details, just contact us!
Our main holiday this year wasn't in the campervan, but we've enjoyed lots of weekend trips and have been to Broadstairs and Wales, as well as making the most of being able to park at parties so we can both enjoy a drink or two. Sam also took Amelie to Le Mans for the 24 hour race (no, she didn't race!)
We've also found it useful to have the campervan for day trips with our paddleboards...
And we finally got brave enough to go to the Kent T25 meet, where Amelie made some friends...
We've got some really exciting adventures planned with Amelie, so keep an eye on this page and we'll let you know when we've launched our new blog. Thanks for reading!
In January, we finished putting the new roof on Amelie, although we had a few problems with fitting the window. The window we ordered was too big for the hole, so Sam cut the hole slightly bigger... only he cut it a little big too big. So then we had to get another bit of glass that was a bit bigger. Then cut the whole bigger... then we SO NEARLY had the new bit of glass in, and it smashed! I won't bore you with all the details, but by the time we'd attempted fitting 5 different windows, we realised that the roof is actually slightly bowed, so we'll never be able to get glass in there now. We looked into getting the hole filled back up, but were told there were no guarantees that we'd have the same problem. So Amelie is now the proud owner of a plastic window on one side!
She was ready just in time for Easter, when we went wild camping around the Norfolk Broads.
Most of our stops were on quiet roads, but we contacted a pub in the centre of Norwich who have their own access to the Broads, and they allowed us to park overnight (they charge £5 for 24 hour parking). It was excellent and meant that we could paddleboard through the city. If you'd like details, just contact us!
Our main holiday this year wasn't in the campervan, but we've enjoyed lots of weekend trips and have been to Broadstairs and Wales, as well as making the most of being able to park at parties so we can both enjoy a drink or two. Sam also took Amelie to Le Mans for the 24 hour race (no, she didn't race!)
We've also found it useful to have the campervan for day trips with our paddleboards...
And we finally got brave enough to go to the Kent T25 meet, where Amelie made some friends...
We've got some really exciting adventures planned with Amelie, so keep an eye on this page and we'll let you know when we've launched our new blog. Thanks for reading!
Monday, 28 December 2015
Off with her head!
We are currently the proud owners of... a convertible T25!
Kidding! We're just changing the roof...
Sunday, 1 November 2015
Saturday, 24 October 2015
Girls' weekend
As Sam had already been away with his friends in the campervan, I thought it was about time I did the same.
Sam was away as I got Amelie ready and I soon realised how much he normally does when I'm busy packing! It took a LOT longer than it should have done working out how to plug Amelie into the mains... who knew we had an adapter?!
The next morning Amelie was ready to go, the fridge was nice and cold and I left to pick up my friend Beccy. I had brought some extra flowers for Beccy's hair, but there was no need... she already had some :-)
We stayed at Crowborough Campsite which was just right for what we wanted - it wasn't too far to drive, there was a pub and shops within easy walking distance and the facilities were good. The only negative point was that there was a funfair in the field next door, but thankfully it didn't go on too late.
The site was fairly busy on the flat pitches with electric, but there was hardly anyone in the field and we pretty much had it to ourselves.
We had a great weekend away, ate a lot of cake and watched a lot of Castle! I'm now a lot more confident about driving the van on my own now too. Thanks for coming with me Beccy!
Thursday, 10 September 2015
Busfest 2015
As promised by the website, we did indeed have a vantastic time at Busfest! We saw some brilliant campervans and now have lots of exciting ideas for Amelie.
Sam loves the syncro vans, but we don't quite have that budget at the moment, so he just wants to make Amelie a little bit higher off the ground and give her bigger tyres. However, what with her rather large head (or as most would call it, high top roof), I am worried she might look a little oafish if she was much taller, and more like a monster truck than the sweet little camper I want her to be! So we have made a compromise... if we can get a smaller high top roof for Amelie at a reasonable price, then Sam can do his monster truck thing to the wheels. The current roof was damaged when we bought it so we needed to get that sorted anyway. So most of Busfest was spent taking sneaky photos of other T25 roofs!
We've established that we like the Holdsworth, Carthago and Sheldon roofs. So watch this space!
Sam loves the syncro vans, but we don't quite have that budget at the moment, so he just wants to make Amelie a little bit higher off the ground and give her bigger tyres. However, what with her rather large head (or as most would call it, high top roof), I am worried she might look a little oafish if she was much taller, and more like a monster truck than the sweet little camper I want her to be! So we have made a compromise... if we can get a smaller high top roof for Amelie at a reasonable price, then Sam can do his monster truck thing to the wheels. The current roof was damaged when we bought it so we needed to get that sorted anyway. So most of Busfest was spent taking sneaky photos of other T25 roofs!
We've established that we like the Holdsworth, Carthago and Sheldon roofs. So watch this space!
Friday, 4 September 2015
Sunday, 16 August 2015
Folkestone
Just back from a lovely weekend away to Folkestone with our friends Liz and Chase. We stayed at the Little Switzerland which had stunning views.
Tuesday, 4 August 2015
Our first year with Amelie...
Exciting news!! Amelie has just passed her MOT with flying colours - no advisories!
Our insurance is up for renewal on 8th August and we had put a maximum mileage of 5000 miles on last year's insurance. Last night I decided to see how many miles we've done this year... 4930 miles - pretty close!
Amelie has taken us on some fantastic adventures this year. From 'local' trips to Cornwall, Brighton, Broadstairs and Devon to places further afield - Switzerland, France and Ireland, we have loved (almost) every minute!
Our insurance is up for renewal on 8th August and we had put a maximum mileage of 5000 miles on last year's insurance. Last night I decided to see how many miles we've done this year... 4930 miles - pretty close!
Amelie has taken us on some fantastic adventures this year. From 'local' trips to Cornwall, Brighton, Broadstairs and Devon to places further afield - Switzerland, France and Ireland, we have loved (almost) every minute!
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Our first hitchhiker, Ballykissangel, Glenmacnass Waterfall and Blessington Lakes
Having chatted about hitchhikers earlier in our trip, when we saw one yesterday looking for a lift in our direction, we decided to go for it and pick him up. He was a chef who had moved from the city for a quieter life, but his car had packed in. He gave us some tips on what we could cook on the two van hobs.
Shortly after dropping the hitchhiker off, we accidentally took a wrong turn into Avoca, which was the place that Ballykissangel was filmed! We had a drink at Fitzgerald's, Sam is too young to know the series but I loved it!
Later we headed to the stunning Glenmacnass Waterfall.
Initially we had planned to wild camp there, and there was a lovely spot to do so, but we got there so early that we decided to keep going, and we ended up finding nice place with views of Blessington Lakes. On the way we drove along Sally Gap, as suggested by the hitchhiker, which was beautiful.
Shortly after dropping the hitchhiker off, we accidentally took a wrong turn into Avoca, which was the place that Ballykissangel was filmed! We had a drink at Fitzgerald's, Sam is too young to know the series but I loved it!
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Lough Derg and Kilkenny
After our scary night on Omey Island, we treated ourselves to a proper campsite by Lough Berg. We underestimated how choppy this 'lake' would be... paddle boarding was hard work, and we were definitely doing 'kneel up paddle boarding' rather than 'stand up paddle boarding'
The next day the weather was still bad, so rather than doing more outdoor activities we drove to Kilkenny. We had a bit of a worry on the way as the brakes seemed to suddenly disappear as I was driving, but it meant Sam got to use his new jack from Campervan Culture and they seem normal now.
Kilkenny was brilliant, we climbed the Round Tower at St. Canice's - an early Gothic cathedral with good views of the city, then went to the Smithwick's Experience. We learnt about the history of Smithwick's beer and the brewing process. We also learnt that if you order a 'glass' of beer in Ireland, it means a half pint.
We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant then headed to a pub that a man in a shop had recommended to us where a three piece band were playing traditional Irish music. The pub was called John Cleere, we thoroughly recommend it if you're ever in Kilkenny! The man in the shop also informed us that there were no parking restrictions at the Black Abbey car park over night, so we wild camped there. It never feels as wild when you're in a car park though! Still, we had a good sleep and have just enjoyed our third McDonald's (for the free WiFi, of course!)
The next day the weather was still bad, so rather than doing more outdoor activities we drove to Kilkenny. We had a bit of a worry on the way as the brakes seemed to suddenly disappear as I was driving, but it meant Sam got to use his new jack from Campervan Culture and they seem normal now.
Kilkenny was brilliant, we climbed the Round Tower at St. Canice's - an early Gothic cathedral with good views of the city, then went to the Smithwick's Experience. We learnt about the history of Smithwick's beer and the brewing process. We also learnt that if you order a 'glass' of beer in Ireland, it means a half pint.
We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant then headed to a pub that a man in a shop had recommended to us where a three piece band were playing traditional Irish music. The pub was called John Cleere, we thoroughly recommend it if you're ever in Kilkenny! The man in the shop also informed us that there were no parking restrictions at the Black Abbey car park over night, so we wild camped there. It never feels as wild when you're in a car park though! Still, we had a good sleep and have just enjoyed our third McDonald's (for the free WiFi, of course!)
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Omey Island and the storm
We had been told about this island you could drive to at low tide at the very edge of Connemara National Park called Omey Island. After failing again to know about tide times we luckily arrived at the right time and edged across the sand. With not much on the island we found a fantastic spot to camp for the night overlooking a small beach and bay. Perfect.
Amy went off to take some pictures and video of the bay whilst the sun was out and I was given the task of the nights dinner.
With the wind starting to pick up we got stuck into my wonderful creation of baked Camembert with chorizo and mushrooms all done on the braai.
Not a bad view for dinner. Little did we know this was the calm before the storm. At around 10pm, a storm started that lasted the entire night. The van was rocking in the wind and we ended up driving a little further inland for fear that the sand bank we were on might crumble. The lightening lit up the whole van, just through the windows in the high top. It was pretty scary! As soon as we were both up, we drove off of the island. Because of all the rain and the incoming tide, the drive across the sand was a little more damp under foot than we were hoping for, but Amelie made it! So Omey Island was both the most beautiful and most terrifying place we have camped yet!
Amy went off to take some pictures and video of the bay whilst the sun was out and I was given the task of the nights dinner.
With the wind starting to pick up we got stuck into my wonderful creation of baked Camembert with chorizo and mushrooms all done on the braai.
Not a bad view for dinner. Little did we know this was the calm before the storm. At around 10pm, a storm started that lasted the entire night. The van was rocking in the wind and we ended up driving a little further inland for fear that the sand bank we were on might crumble. The lightening lit up the whole van, just through the windows in the high top. It was pretty scary! As soon as we were both up, we drove off of the island. Because of all the rain and the incoming tide, the drive across the sand was a little more damp under foot than we were hoping for, but Amelie made it! So Omey Island was both the most beautiful and most terrifying place we have camped yet!
Lessons learned in tumbledrying
Yesterday we learned a valuable lesson on campsite clothes dryers!
Next time maybe we will have it on a hotter setting.
Next time maybe we will have it on a hotter setting.
Friday, 24 July 2015
Best wild camp yet...
We found this little gem in Castlegregory yesterday. Views of the Atlantic Ocean, sand dunes and mountains, this one will be hard to beat. After a brilliant time paddle boarding and trying (failing) to catch the waves, we had not-so-warm showers, complete with yelps of how cold it was. Surprisingly, the solar shower isn't so good when it's been cloudy all day! The sun came out in the evening though, and we enjoyed a barbecue followed by a walk as the sun set. We mis-judged the tide and nearly got stranded on a sand dune for the night, but we managed to get across even if we were a little soggier than planned.
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Ireland day 4 - Mannix Point, Cahersiveen
Great start to day 4 on the Emerald Isle we woke to sunshine and a slight breeze, which meant we could venture out into Doulus Bay and take a trip around the small island.
The water was fairly cold but luckily for Amy she didn't fall in at all, even when we changed boards so she could film me on the GoPro.
Once everything is dry we are going to finish our loop of the Ring of Kerry and check out the Gap of Dunloe and hopefully get some fantastic pictures to share.
The water was fairly cold but luckily for Amy she didn't fall in at all, even when we changed boards so she could film me on the GoPro.
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
Wild camping in Toormore
There are a couple of wild camping spots in Toormore. We enjoyed another fantastic view. Getting our paddle boards on to the beach proved interesting as we couldn't find any access, but we managed and it was well worth it. Showering afterwards in our new tent at the side of the road was quite an experience!
Monday, 20 July 2015
Toilet tent and shower!
Our 'bog in a bag' toilet and solar shower from Camping International have proven very useful, as has our new somewhat translucent tent...
Sunday, 19 July 2015
Ireland - the first wild camp!
We spent our first night in Ireland wild camping. Having never wild camped in the van before, we were both quite apprehensive. But it was possibly the best place we have ever camped what a view! As you can see from the photos, we weren't the only ones making the most of this spot. There were about seven caravans there, everyone was really friendly. We managed to get out on our paddle boards in the morning too.
St. Mullin's, the River Barrow.
St. Mullin's, the River Barrow.
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