When is a Campervan not a Campervan?

Answer: When it's a full size,1:1 scale, replica tent.
Although not as good as sleeping in an actual VW Campervan, this would be a great, fun, festival alternative.

With 2 double bedrooms and a choice of red, blue or yellow colours, this tent will be sure to make you stand out in the camping fields at any festival.

Just remember , you've still got to pack it away at the end of your stay!

New Arrival - 'The Baron'

Happy days, picking up our brand new addition to the fleet 'The Baron', from Paul down at VW Downunder.  Aftrer arriving straight from the Brazilian factory a couple of months ago the boys have been working hard converting it to its finished state, so it is now ready to get out and about on its travels.

From this.....

To this

Paul from VW Downunder handing over the van

In white, this van reminds me of the one one being driven by the  Libyans in Back  To The Future. This is how our vans leave the factory in Brazil.

The Baron about to commence his maiden 

You can have any colour,as long as it's white!

Love the alternative layout in this van.Lots of space to spread out and read a book.

Birthday Trip

Being 7 months pregnant this year on my 35th birthday I fancied doing something a little slower paced.  So after a token bit of work on the Friday morning we packed up Penfold and headed to Hope Valley in the Peak District.  Jolly had found this great campsite Hardhurst Farm Camp Site, 5 minutes down the road from a lovely pub.

Friday evening was spent having a couple of games of pool at the pub, followed by a scrummy dinner of Chicken Caesar Salad in the van.  Then on Saturday after a very lazy morning of reading and eating a 3 course breakfast we headed off and walked the couple of miles into Castleton to have a look around the pretty village.

Lunch by the river was then followed by another stop on the way home at the Woodbine Cafe for tea and cake. Followed by dinner at the pub and an early night tucked up in the van watching 'The Kings Speech' on our laptop.

Absolutely lovely weekend, just what baby humphrey needed and whole heartedly recommend the campsite.

Need a new hobby?

If you're short on ideas but long on time, how about taking up a new sport? This clip features the little known Japanese sport of Bo-Taoshi (Pole Toppling to the uninitiated) Not for those who are faint of heart!

I recently came across this clip of this guy, which left me amzed. There really is no substitute for a little talent and a LOT of practise.

Staying warm when the weather won't play ball

After a few recent camping trips with "less than ideal" weather, I got thinking of stuff to make those trips a little more cosy. Sometimes when the weather is against you there is nothing to do but hunker down in your sleeping bag with a good book. This is where the amazing Selkbag comes in to its own. The all-in-one suit is like a seeping bag with arms and legs, that allows you freedom of movement. Whilst it is no replacement for a good sleeping bag I reckon this is a great one for lounging about in the unpredictable British weather.

Wedding Anniversary / Photoshoot

This weekend we headed of to the Tempest Arms in Elslack, Skipton, a lovely gastro pub in a tiny hamlet in North Yorkshire where we got married 3 years ago.

So far we have managed to treat ourselves every year, spending our time over indulging in great food and wine on the Saturday and then on Sunday heading off to walk one of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks.

This year with me being 6 months pregnant, we skipped the walk on the sunday and instead took advantage of some of the great scenery to take some photos of Penfold for  JollyCampervans website so go check them out on the 'Vans' page.

Fun in the snow

Lovely weekend with friends in a great Bunk house called Swathghyll Barn   near Hawes, North Yorkshire.  I think it sleeps about 40, but was perfect for the 20 of us, massive kitchen, lounge and awesome games room with table football, ping pong and snooker.

We also had the added bonus of waking up to a good couple of inches of snow on the Saturday , unfortunately we did not get snowed in though and did all have to return home on Sunday.

Nothing gets between Jolly and his bike