Jolly Campers

Dear Aly and Jolly,

We had an amazing time taking The Baron out for a spin this summer and wanted to write and tell you how much our whole family enjoyed it.

We didn’t plan to go too far for our long weekend, just over to Filey near Scarborough, a couple of hours from our home in Bury for a few days of sun, sand and surf. (Well, maybe not the sun, this being summer in England, but definitely sand and surf.) Neither my husband nor I had ever spent much time in a campervan before, so when we first saw The Baron it was such a fabulous surprise. The campervan was gleaming, spotless, ingeniously designed and thoughtfully packed with every kind of thing we might possibly need, from a corkscrew to chocolate biscuits. How could we not be delighted?

We stopped on the way for lunch at Howard Castle, a go on the adventure playground and stocked up with supplies at the estate’s excellent farm shop. We enjoyed pootling along the motorway, but the van really came into its own on the smaller roads. Going at a more leisurely pace, you really do have more time to notice things, and from our high perch behind the extra-large windscreen we had a great view of the beautiful countryside around us. It’s a lovely way to travel.

When we rolled into Filey Brigg campground, a nice council-run site with fabulous seaside views, it was looking increasingly grey. We didn’t let the weather bother us but got stuck in to getting our new home set up. Once we figured out how to put up the tent (with the help of a kind neighbour more experienced in the ways of campervan tents) we found it very snug. Molly (3) and Bella (1) loved having the big canvas ‘room’ on the side of the van, it gave us a safe place to let the kids play under cover, and it made eating meals a lot more comfortable when it started drizzling. It was their first time camping and it’s wonderful to see your children getting excited about the mundane parts of camping we all take for granted; cooking sausages on the grill outside, carrying the washing up to the sinks in a bucket, or even going outside to brush our teeth, it’s all new and magical for them.

Though the weather for our weekend wasn’t the best, it was nice to have such a well-appointed home from home in The Baron. Bella and I shared the very comfortable van, while Molly had her first experience of sleeping in a tent (with her dad there to make sure she didn’t go for a night time wander around the campsite.) We loved the campervan, it just felt so much more comfortable having that dry and snug place to come back to, and the little kitchen was invaluable.  I honestly don’t know if I can go back to tent camping now. The Baron has spoiled me!Molly and I have played ‘camping’ many times since we returned, and for her having a campervan is clearly essential to the whole thing. I have a feeling The Baron may be travelling with us again…

All best wishes,

The Roe Family – Kate, Richard, Molly and Bella

Bury

Til Death do us Party!

Just wanted to share this bit of JollyCampervan press in the 'Yorkshire Brides' magazine this month.

  thanks Teri and Simon at FP Media

Also we are attending our first Wedding Fair on Sunday 27th November at Barmbyfield Barn, Barmby Moor, York YO42 4HP so if you fancy a nice day out would be great to see you there.

A week in the life of a lady on maternity leave

Have been loving these glorious autumnal days as me and Henry have been going about our business this week.

View from Henry's bedroom Monday morning

Monday headed to White Rose for lunch with a couple of friends also on maternity leave. Then headed to Country Baskets to pick up some bits and bobs to decorate our VW Campervans as we are attending a Wedding Fayre on Sunday 27th Nov at Barmbyfield Barn, Pocklington, free entry so would be great to meet you if you fancy coming down.

Tuesday was Henry's first train ride as we set off for Marsden for the day, met up with another friend for a token walk then back to hers for lunch.  Marsden is a gorgeous village in the Colne valley and if you ever find yourself out that way totally recommend Riverhead Tap Brewery for a local pint and scrummy food (part of the transpennine real ale trail). Also the annual jazz festival they have early October is always well worth a visit.

Wednesday was Henry's swimming lesson, gorgeous weather and love my walk up to the hotel.

He still looks a little confused by the whole thing but this week we went under the water with them so totally loving the nirvana album cover shot.

Thursday Jolly's brother, wife and niece were holidaying in North Yorkshire so we went and met up for lunch at the Tempest Arms , Elslack nr skipton.  This is where we got married 3 and a bit years ago and we head back every year on our anniversary and anytime we can find an excuse as the food is excellent and the pub is always very welcoming.

Friday was another lovely sunny day so figured should try and burn some of the excess off from the week so headed to buggyfit.  

Walk to Buggyfit pass the allotments

Low attendance this week as I think a lot of people away on half term but meant I had a personal trainer for an hour for the bargain price of £2.50, can't complain about that.

Saturday and sunday headed to my folks in Macclesfield as my sister Mandy creator of Belle and Boo was up visiting from London so caught up on gossip, ate nice food, wandered round some shops and played a bit of scrabble.

Who says maternity leave is all hard work!

Jolly Campers

More Happy Campers...


Dear Aly and Jolly,

Thanks for the hire of your campervan Penfold during the summer. We thought you might like to see a few photos of Penfold that we took after we had arrived in Durham and the sun was setting, and just before we headed inside for beers! 

We absolutely loved Penfold. This was our first time in a Vdub and we definitely caught the bug. Once we got used to the different driving experience we revelled in it. We were amazed by how much we were being checked out as we were parked at the services eating our egg sarnies and as we were driving into Durham a fella walking down the road gave us the VW wave, finally we were cool!!! 

Just love how ingeniously everything is hidden away, and was amazed by how comfy we were. We'll definitely be hiring again, for longer than a weekend next time. 

One tip I picked up - sometimes changing down the gears can be a little tricky for those of us used to modern gearboxes, the trick with Penfold is to "double-clutch" - clutch in once and move to neutral, clutch out and back in and move to the gear you want. Definitely helps prevent wrong gear selection. 

Best wishes,Emma and Ross

Photos of 'The Baron'

Just wanted to share a few of the photos from our photo shoot of 'The Baron' the latest addition to our fleet of VW Campervans.  To see further photos please check out our website and facebook page.  We are really pleased with how they turned out, would love to know what you think

VW Campervan Merchandise

I know there is a lot of VW Campervan merchandise out there, some good and some average, but how cute is this little babygro we received from the Kendrick Family for Henry.  It came with the hat and the worlds smallest waterproof dungarees so he is fully prepared for whatever the weather. 

Jolly Campers

Just wanted to share this lovely email and photos we received from Caroline and family after their weekend away in Penfold.  Always great to hear and see what adventures our VW Campervans have been on.

Hi there,

Just to say a big thank you to you both, we had a really fun time with 'Penfold' !!!

We stayed at a lovely campsite - Turner Hall Farm, Seathwaite, South East Lakes and also Burns Farm near Keswick and spent Sunday afternoon at Grange where the children love to chase minnows and swim.

It was an 'end of term surprise' for Emilia and Alex and as you can tell from the photographs they were very happy campers !

Kind Regards,

Caroline and Ramin, Emilia and Alexander .

New addition to JollyCampervans

Henry Charles Humphrey born 4th July 2011 weighing 8lb 8oz, absolute sweetheart and both mummy and daddy loving every aspect of learning to become parents.

My Creative Husband

Bless Jolly but I do worry about him sometimes, check out his latest creation - can you guess what it is?

Yep that is right a purse made from a milk carton :)

VW Campervan Blogs

My sister has just pointed me in the direction of the following blog. Lark are one of the stockists of her Belle and Boo range but Allison and Paul are also her good friends after her visit to Australia, Christmas before last. (Belle and Boo Blog Lark Visit)

Their shop is full of beautiful items and so imagine my delight when their latest blog is all about the new VW Campervan accessories she has started to sell Lark Campervan Blog

If anyone know's of any other good VW Campervan Blogs to follow then please let me know

Childhood Memories

Some of my fondest are definitely from time spent in the great outdoors.  Whether it be on our annual 2 week camping holiday with about 4 other families to Shell Island , when after breakfast the kids would set off on their adventure for the day exploring the island only to return at tea time when we were hungry again.

My sister and me sleeping in our own tent

Or having bonfires and climbing trees at our friends house who were lucky enough to have a private wood with stream running through it, or simply heading out on a walk and picnic for the day.

So I love coming across websites like KidzOutdoors run by Jane & Neil with the sole purpose of encouraging kids to play outdoors.  With the imminent arrival of our first child I am just hoping he will share our love.

Beach Side Campsites

Guardian article from yesterday with top 10 recommended Beach side campsites, by readers.  Will definitely be adding some of these to my wishlist of places to visit. 

Slightly surprised Shell Island did not get a mention though

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

Boy done well





Valentine kisses off Jolly.  If you have not already discovered the joys of Etsy then I whole heartedly recommend it. 

It speacialises in the sale of handmade items from around the world and if you are looking for something that little bit unique either for yourself or as a present it is a must.

My sister who is the owner and artist behind Belle & Boo sells through here and her online shop.