A vintage campervan has been on our wish list for a very long time.
Whilst we enjoy staying in a holiday cottage as much as the next person, we often dream of hitting the road for an overnight stay or long weekend on the spur of the moment… whenever the mood takes us or the weather looks too good to waste.
We live only an hour or two’s drive from all kinds of lovely places – the Lake District, North Wales, Cheshire, the East & West coasts spring to mind for starters. Then there’s the rest of the UK to visit for slightly longer trips… and then mainland Europe and beyond after that!
It would make travelling with Fudge a lot easier too as he’d always have that secure home away from home to put him at ease. Plus, there’s all the fun of kitting it out of course. We already have a campervan ‘bottom drawer‘ where blankets, picnic boxes and melamine items are steadily accumulating.
Reading My Cool Campervan (by Jane Field-Lewis & Chris Haddon) has really persuaded us to get our finances in order and hunt one down – it’s been totally inspirational and we’ve a renewed focus all of a sudden.
Each chapter of the book is dedicated to an actual vintage campervan – the authors & photographer travelled far & wide to visit them.
For each vehicle there’s a little introduction to its make & model, a brief history of its life to date and a chat with the current owners… where they found it, work carried out, how they use it etc. There are also ‘style notes’ where we’re given a sneak peak into how they’ve decked out their pride & joy.
Everyone’s love and enthusiasm really shines through. Many of the owners have given their vans names and there’s also many a sad tale of reluctant sales.
One seller even tried to buy back the campervan he sold a week after parting with it – offering more than it was initially sold for!!
Tina Hillier‘s photos are tremendous too – they make you just want to pack a picnic and get out there!
So, this book gets a ‘highly recommended’ award from us – whether you’re already a campervan owner, hanker after one like us or are just fans of the vintage scene generally. We absolutely loved it!
As usual, My Cool Campervan is available on Amazon.
For caravan lovers, the authors have previously published My Cool Caravan – click on the link to look inside!
[Many thanks to Anova Books for supplying this review copy]