Rainy Days

Honestly I don’t mind the rain. The only weather that will stop me in my tracks is wind. Wind scares me but now that I don’t spend hours straightening my hair I really couldn’t care less about the rain. It was a grey, wet day but we decided to jump in the van and go to a walking destination that never fails us, Cragside.

This was the first time we’d visited Cragside since we had the van, and it’s another example of us needing to learn that we can’t do all the normal car things we used to. We thought we’d drive the 6 mile carriage drive route around around the grounds, not even thinking that they’re might be some kind of restrictions, but there were, and we only spotted the height signs when we were already at the point of no return. The usually super relaxing drive turned into an ass clencher as I waited to see if there was some kind of bridge or tunnel that we’d forgotten about that the van wouldn’t fit through and we’d then have to reverse back along the whole route. We’re good, there wasn’t. But we’ve learned our lesson. The pros of a van still outweigh the cons, but we definitely need to remember to always check for height restrictions.

We sheepishly finished the drive and parked up (in the coach park as directed…apparently we can’t even park in the normal car park anymore!) and went for a little wander on foot. A nice uneventful stroll, apart from the bit where we realised we were tired and had to do a direct 180 turn and then felt awkward that the old couple walking behind us had seen us just spin around and go back the way we came. Steven cracked a joke about running of a steam and I did a really loud inappropriate laugh and they just deadpan stared ahead and ignored us. Ahh, social interactions.

The Build

About 2 months ago we sold our car and bought a short wheel base VW crafter. A big white van, but the smaller size of the big white van. For a year or so I’d devoured van build videos on youtube and planned and designed full layouts in my head. I even considered selling the house and going full time in the van but we scaled everything down a bit and decided to start with a simple campervan build for days off and holidays. In the future I can’t say that I’d never live in a van…. I could imagine us buying something bigger one day and doing a full conversion with solar and a toilet and all sorts, but for now, our little crafter is perfect.

After hunting for the right van it was a solid month of work to get it to how it is now. Everyday after work we’d come straight home and get at least an hour or two of work done. Every day off we were up and working as early as we reasonably could without upsetting the neighbours. Speaking of which, we actually met so many more of our neighbours while working on the van, purely from people coming to see what we were doing. It’s nice. I was hanging out the back of the van one afternoon trying to screw a piece of ceiling in when a neighbour I’d never met shouted down the street to tell me I was doing a grand job.

We’ve both learnt that we’re a lot more capable than we thought and that the internet can well and truly teach you how to do anything. We’ve insulated, built solid framework, learnt about self tapping screws and moisture barriers. Every piece of wood was cut to size, sanded and oiled. We love the kitchen in the van so much that we’re honestly considering building our own in the house in the future.

The van isn’t finished and I don’t think it ever will be. It’s an ongoing project that will chop and change the more we use it and the more we figure out what we need and what we don’t need. We don’t have any electricity other than a campsite hook up, but we’re still debating whether it’s worth getting some solar on the roof. We’ve only just installed a little sink, and next will be a tap with a foot pump. I’m looking forward to having such a long term project because I need constant productivity in my life or I go a little bit weird.

If you’ve thought about converting a van then I’d highly recommend you go for it. It doesn’t have to be super expensive like the kitted out ones you see on youtube with air conditioning and wifi. We’ve spent about £900 on ours, including getting the two side windows fitted. Use lots of reclaimed wood, borrow tools and be creative.

 
 
 

November in the Lakes

After our first night (see the post here) we headed a little further into the lake district. I’d heard good things about the national trust campsite in Great Langdale so we booked it for a few nights, and ended up staying an extra one as we liked it so much. You’re surrounded by mountains, plenty of space and absolutely no phone signal which is ideal for silent and slow days. There’s a national trust pub just up the road that does hot food when you want a night off from cooking too. I will definitely be back here… it’s made it into my top 5 campsite list without a doubt.

At first I was a little bummed out as I thought they didn’t allow campfires, but we double checked at reception and they didn’t mind, and some guys who were working on the site actually put Steven in their van (willingly) and drove him to the other end of the campsite where they had some wood we could burn. I will never say no to free fire wood.

We like not really having any plans on these trips. It’s nice to drive about and see where you end up, then get out and explore. You never know what you’ll stumble upon, maybe even the headless corpse of a frozen deer. Lucky us.

I also remembered that frost is 100% my favourite weather to photograph in, and there’s genuinely nothing better than waking up to a crisp, bright, frosty morning. Especially when you’re in your own little cabin on wheels with a coffee brewing on the stove.

This trip was a test run of the van, and there’s a few little bits we know now to change, but overall it was ideal. We’re planning a longer journey in April (North Coast 500 here we come) and I absolutely can’t wait. There’ll be plenty of little ones until then though.