Mini adventures

Just got back from a mini adventure up in the Lake District. I love that feeling of flying up the motorway at night, parking up the campervan in the dark, but knowing that when you wake up you'll be surrounded by the most awesome scenery.
We stayed at Sykeside campsite at Brotherswater, which combined with on site Inn and great food, beer fails to disappoint.
This followed by a wet (well it is the Lake District after all) but really fun blast around the mountain bike trails at Whinlatter, Keswick in the morning.
Big smiles all round!

JollyCampers - Down South

“We had a tip top time in Penfold this summer – Hertfordshire 1 night, East Sussex 3 nights, Dorset 6 nights, Cheltenham 2 nights – so we certainly made him sing for his supper.  And sing he did – Penfold cruised along quite happily fully loaded with 3 happy campers inside. 

Boris loved sleeping in the roof and opening the zips every morning with a report on what he could see wherever we were and it was great to have a solid roof over our heads on the nights when the weather turned bad.

Jolly Campervans were really helpful and flexible with our plans for the trip and this enabled us to enjoy our annual family gathering in Cheltenham on the way home from Dorset instead of having to drive all the way back up North and then down again in the car the next day – thanks for that!  They were even kind enough to fix the van aerial I broke (rather stupidly) without any fuss and at a lower price than I had found online anywhere.

We have recommended you to all our pals who like doing this kind of thing and we’ll definitely be back for another helping of Penfold (or maybe The Baron next time).”

Cheers

Dan, Ruth & Boris

Jollymooners

Just a quick note to say thank you. We have both loved every minute of our trip in 'The Baron'. We have certainly fallen for the charm.

Thank you for getting in touch after our initial enquiry, we had the perfect transport for our wedding and the perfect accommodation for our 'mini-moon'

Laura & Graham

Our first Publication!

Ok so the title is a little exaggerated but we are very excited to have been included in Martin Dorey's new Campervan Cookbook as a recommended supplier  Link to where you can buy a copy  Not only is it a great book as we are in it but the recipes are superb either for whilst you are camping or at home, great atmospheric photographs which totally get you in the mood to hit the open road and some useful tips on foraging and places to visit. Below is a recent email we received from Martin about what he has been up to lately. Hello! Firstly, thanks to everyone who has bought my latest book, The Camper Van Coast. I have had some really lovely feedback about it although some people have commented on page 136. It's one of the best shots in the book but...even so, I am sorry! The publicity department at Hodder have been working overtime to get the word out about the book and have had some great results. It has been featured in Coast magazine, Food Magazine, The Saturday Telegraph, ES Magazine and The Sunday Times. I've been interviewed on Steve Wright's Radio 2 show, Five Live and plenty of BBC local radio shows. It's been fun! I have been to a few shows this year too, notably Volks World at Sandown Park and the Just Kampers Open Day. Both were great fun so thanks for coming if you did. I had a really good time at both. Come with us on a new adventure This summer my family and I have decided to take some time out and do what we do best - go off in our camper van. We're heading to France and Spain to give the old girl a good outing, rack up a few miles, cook up some new food, try a few new camp sites and generally live the four wheeled life for a while. Our route will see us follow the Atlantic Coast, almost to the border with Portugal. I have been asking people on my Twitter page to tell us where to go, so if you have a few special places from trips to that part of the world, please let us know. We'll be blogging and taking pictures as we go so, if you want to follow our route and keep up with what we find along the way, keep your eyes peeled on my blog here. I have some books to give away for those with the very best suggestions. A little good news too No doubt you will know that I get involved in beach cleaning. Well, I'd just like to let you know that, together with my twitter friends, we managed to secure a small victory for the beach this year. Having noticed a lot of similar plastic containers on the beach near my house I got in touch with the company who made them to find out why they were there. As it turned out these things were appearing all over the place, from Jersey to Devon, after a container of 100,000 of them was lost at sea. It's a long story but the upshot of it is that the company donated £2000 to the Marine Conservation Society to help with clearing up beaches. This was as a direct result of Twitter pressure and pictures of the items sent in by people all over the country. That money will go towards paying for beach cleans in September. It's a great result and if you got involved, thanks. It shows that we can make a difference (even if it's just a little bit) if we want to!

JollyMooners - En France

We would like to thank Jolly and Aly so much for the amazing campervan which not only started off our wedding in style, but was the focal point for our French road trip honeymoon!

The Baron offers so much as a home as well as a classy form of transport with a huge amount of interest from onlookers! The bed was incredibly comfortable and spacious as was the driving section of the vehicle.  Having a set of hobs, sink and fridge offered us so much more than a typical camping trip would offer and will always seek Jolly for future camping trips both in the UK and Europe.

It doesn’t stop at the van either, both Jolly and Aly offered their support for any type of enquiries from assistance to general tips, not that we needed them with the great tour of the van initially and information pack in the glove compartment.

We would absolutely recommend JollyCampervans to anybody looking at booking a holiday with a difference or wishing to try out a VW before investing in their own – it really is the pinnacle to jolly camping in our book!

Dylan & Jo Taylor

Jolly Campers - South Coast

Hi Jolly and Aly

We had such a brilliant week in The Baron. Being on the open road in a VW was a long held dream for Annie and The Baron most definitely exceeded all expectations - we were both hooked from the off! Jolly and Aly are a real joy to do business with, and even took the trouble to deliver the van to our house so we could get straight off after work. Jolly showed us how it all worked very efficiently, being very friendly and helpful and answering any questions. He also gave us a number to call should we have any questions during our trip. The Baron is extremely well designed and stocked with everything you need for a perfect trip: Jolly and Aly have thought of everything; duvet and pillows, barbecue, picnic rug, camping chairs, sat nav, stereo, well stocked kitchen, even salt and pepper, and of course, the kitchen sink....! As seasoned campers used to a tent, the joy of rocking up to a camp site, pulling on the handbrake and getting the kettle on cannot be underestimated - particularly during a typical Bank Holiday British downpour! It is very cosy being in a campervan with the rain pattering on the roof, and equally as smashing when you can pop the top and fling the doors open on a sunny day.  

We spent a week on the south coast in The Baron, staying in a different place every night, such a wonderful feeling of freedom and excitement, and we covered a fair few miles, with many admiring glances along the way! 

We cannot recommend jollycampervans enough, the only downside to the whole experience was having to hand The Baron back at the end of a blissful holiday!  I have no doubt we will be hiring again, and we will certainly recommend to all our friends. 

Rachel & Annie 

Jolly Campers - Back in the North East

Hi Aly,
I can and will highly recommend JollyCampervans for a classic VW campervan nostalgic experience. It's amazing how quickly you become sentimentally attached to Penfold which is so full of character and loved by everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed driving this wonderful nostalgic campervan along classic English country lanes. It's very well equipped and i was short of nothing. For a very different short break experience, i would highly recommend a trip with Penfold. It's something I've always wanted to do and it fully met my expectations. I had a great time. This was my favourite photo....simple but classic and for me just sums up the freedom you can enjoy with Penfold.
Thanks again for everything.
Steve D
  

Jolly Campers - Cornwall

Hi Jolly & Aly,

Sorry for the late reply, we got the traveling bug and stayed on down in Somerset until yesterday. We had a fantastic Holiday in Cornwall with Penfold & became very attached but rather than eloping with Penfold we've now decided to buy our very own! 

I thought it might be a bit of a squeeze with the five of us but it was surprisingly spacious & very comfy inside, the bed was luxury! The children had a real adventure and there was plenty of traveling space for them on the very long journey down.

We found you both really friendly & helpful, ace customer service & many extras thrown in. We had to replace a tyre midway through the holiday, it was no bother but you very kindly gave us a bottle of champagne for the inconvenience. Thank you!

Here are some pics of one of our best holidays ever!

Thanks again,

Cheryl Jay & the girls

Jolly Campers - Legoland

Thank you so much to Aly and Jolly for a wonderful experience. We have long dreamt about hiring a VW campervan and this one was absolutely perfect. From the first contact with jollycampervans we were impressed with their friendliness and helpfulness making it very easy for us camping rookies.

Everything was perfect, with a camper van in superb condition with everything we could have wanted for a really cosy weekend. We went to Windsor with our children and visited Legoland but the camper van even turned the journey into an adventure. Also we were amazed at the number of people who came up talking to us about the van.

We would heartily recommend anyone to hire one of these as you will have a terrific weekend you will never forget.

Many thanks and hope to see you again soon,

John, Claire, Will and Ellie

P.S. Sorry the photos don't really do the van justice but that is the best we got. Absolutely loved it though. first holiday in ages where I haven't wanted to come home.

Jolly Campers

Thanks to the Jolly team for such a welcoming manner and a fantastically prepared campervan for our trip.  There really was everything we needed tucked away in such a fantastically laid out space.  We have always dreamed of owning our own VW bus and this was the perfect way to test drive our dream. 

We really enjoyed our first experience in a VW camper van and will definitely be recommending the experience to our family and friends and will no doubt hire one again unless we decide to buy!!!  

To say it put a smile on my face to drive it was an understatement. 

Rob and Lorelei. 

Jolly Campers - Wales

Hi Folks,

Right from the beginning when we picked up ‘The Baron’ we were delighted with our choice. The van was spotlessly clean and really well equipped with just about everything you would need for an adventure where you can get away from it all and relax in whichever surroundings you choose.

Originally we had planned on travelling to Scotland but the weather in April can still be a bit unpredictable, so leaving our decision to the very last minute enabled us to see the five day weather forecast which predicted snow coming in from the North - no problem, we chose to take our alternative option of touring Wales, another part of our beautiful landscape which we had previously only visited in school summer holidays.

What a choice this turned out to be, the weather was very kind to us, it was mild and sunny with only a couple of showers over two nights. The flexibility of choice that we had really made a difference to our week.

The photo’s attached are of a couple of campsites that we stayed at Aberystwyth, Tenby and Symonds Yat. The other two are of Swansea marina and Tenby harbour.

I can’t recommend this type of holiday highly enough, it was great fun and I can’t wait until our next trip, perhaps Scotland later on in the year.

Thank you Jolly and Aly for a great time.

Best Regards,

Alan and Linda

Jolly Campers - North East

Sarah's Trip - Had an amazing few days in the lovely little Penfold. The weather was torrential rain for the first couple of days but it didn’t put a dampener on the trip. I went up to Alnwick, and Bamburgh, then down to a sunny afternoon in the lovely WhitbyJ Also managed to visit Filey and Some fascinating little tea shops and antique shops in the old Town of Bridlington. Then spent my final day in the beautiful city of York. There is an amazing sense of freedom when cruising along over the Yorkshire moors in the little van with the music on, that you just don’t get on other holidays. I can’t recommend it enough J 

Alnwick Castle

Georgian Tea Rooms - Old Bridlington

Jolly Campers

Just wanted to say what a fantastic few days away we had with The Baron!   It's always been Mals dream to go away in a campervan so we couldnt resist the fantastic groupon offer.  Jolly was extremely welcoming and fully explained how everything worked and where everything was in the compact van.   It didn't take long for Mal to get the hang of the gears and we were soon crossing Saddleworth moor on route to a great campsite at Sandsend, outside Whitby.   The Baron was the subject of many envious looks as he parked up at Sandfield House Farm Campsite.  With the roof up and the panels down, the van was light, airey and surprisingly spacious.   The van was well equiped, and the heater very useful with the sudden change in termperature! The best part of the holiday was parking up at the beach, watching the waves crashing on shore whilst we brewed up and enjoyed a steaming hot cup of tea and biscuits!

We were well looked after by Jolly and Ally and thorougly enjoyed our adventure The Baron, we can't recommend them enough.   Many thanks for helping Mal to fulfil his dream.

Jolly Campers

We had an absolutely fantastic time in The Baron. We were amazed by how spacious it was and how comfortable the beds were. The van itself was superb in terms of handling, even with little experience of driving a larger vehicle and surprisingly, it didn't feel like a tank. Customer service was impeccable and both Jolly and Aly were extremely friendly and willing to take on any enquiries. Demonstration of how the van worked was simple and put us at ease eliminating any doubts we had before seeing the van. The Baron didn't guzzle petrol and was very fuel efficient. A great service teamed with a great van makes for a great time! Linni & Friends

Going on your Jollies!

 Some more press to share from our friends at FP Media

I also wanted to share this campsite that one of our customers visited with Penfold called Park Cliffe.  They really recommended it and we are loving the branding.  Nice little benefit of hiring the vans out is we get to hear about these great places to visit.

Hope you are all having a fun filled Easter

New Headquarters

So as always things have been a little crazy busy here and as a result the blog has suffered a bit of neglect over the past couple of months.

However have just downloaded the blogger iPhone app and hoping this might enable me to do a few more regular posts on the run.

Latest goings on in the world of JollyCampervans has seen my return to work (ah was sad to say goodbye to my maternity leave but hoping we can hangout again in the not so distant future), Henry starting nursery, which he loves and they love him, charming all the carers with his smiles and giggles. A really successful promotion on Groupon which means April / May are fully booked for both vans and we have moved to Marsden, phew feel tired just from typing all that let alone doing it.

For those of you who do not know Marsden it is a large village west of Huddersfield in west yorkshire and we have been lucky enough to buy a house in the centre, opposite a park, just round the corner from the infant and nursery school and looks out onto National trust land at the back. I keep having to pinch myself, can't quite believe it is ours yet. The other major plus side is we have plenty of outside space for the vans and storing peoples cars when they come to pick the vans up.

Attached are a couple of photos and the views and one of Henry proudly wearing his yorkshire tshirt.

Belated Happy New Year

Well November, December and January have all been a bit of blur, but in a good way filled with fun and frolics and lots of good quality time with family and friends and a little bit of work thrown in.

End of November saw us attending our first wedding fair organised by Field Day Site Hire in Barmby Moor near York, glorious Winter's Day and 'The Baron' and 'Penfold' looked lovely all dressed up for the special occasion.

Then early December Henry and I headed on a mini break down to London, where we got to catch up with friends and my sister and Henry attended his first birthday party and his first visit to the park, both were a huge success

Christmas was quite short with Jolly having to work Christmas eve and the day after boxing day at Zephyr Bar but we made sure we made the most of the free time.  Henry did not know what was going on when we both went to wake him Christmas morning but seemed to like it.  Then after loving his first taste of croissant we headed to York to Jolly's Parents to spend Christmas Day there. 

Then after the added bonus of spending the night in Cedar Court Hotel whilst leaving Henry at the Grandparents we headed to my folks to celebrate Christmas all over again on Boxing Day in Macclesfield.  It is definitely my favourite time of year.

Now we are in 2012 with a house move to look forward to (yeah!), me returning to work (not yeah!) and who knows what else, can't wait to find out.