From New Zealand to Cornwall in a Camper Van

A long held dream of mine and my husbands, is to own a camper van.  Like many we have a romantic notion of days on the open road, making our way up to the Scottish highlands or down through France and Spain to the mediterranean.  We imagine ourselves stopping where we want, gazing out onto wild flower meadows, or towards the sea as we drink tea brewed in our very own home on wheels, Balmy evenings spent sitting out side our van, sipping wine and eating grilled sausages as the sun goes down!

I was brought up on wholesome camping holidays, where it was the norm, come rain or shine to live outside.  In fact almost all of our family holidays were under canvas, from blustery weekends on the North Norfolk coast to Augusts in Devon or Cornwall where we got soggy and sunburned in equal measure.  For this I am eternally grateful, as I’m convinced it not only instilled a love of travel, but also of fresh air and out door living. I have camped on and off ever since, most memorably in the Peruvian Andes and most recently at a festival last summer.

Almost 10 years ago we spent the best part of a month in a camper van in New Zealand.  This was the culmination of a 6 month trip, 5 of which were spent travelling through South America via bus and aeroplane and staying in all manner of hostels and on occasion slightly dodgy hotels.  So suddenly having our own 4 wheels and place we could call home for longer than a few days at a time was the ultimate freedom.  And so began our love of the camper van.

Camper vanning in New Zealand is definitely ‘a thing’.   In fact this country could have been created with camper vanning in mind.  Well constructed, uncrowded roads, fabulous campsites with excellent facilitates.  New Zealand has it all.  It has also been blessed with far more than its fair share of fabulous scenery, beautiful beaches and stunning coast line.  Although, may be thats the reward for being at the very ends of the earth.

If New Zealand lets itself down anywhere, it may just be the weather, but only because its rather too similar to that here in the UK.  It rains often, it changes frequently and is unpredictable on a grand scale.  However it can also be beautiful and hot and sunny, and like the UK, when the sun shines, it is one of the most glorious places to be.  We experienced it all during out time there, to the point of it raining so hard for 24 hours we could barely leave the van to run to the loo without getting a full soaking.

We were in New Zealand from Mid December until Mid January (early summer) and we experienced all of the above weather and more.  My dream was to spend Christmas day on  the beach, and we were able to do that.  This was followed by one of my happiest memories from that trip.  We had a wonderful Christmas dinner of Lobster and salad followed by strawberries and mini Christmas cakes for desert all washed down with a glorious Cloudy Bay white wine we had bought ourselves from the winery and carried in the back of the van for just that occasion.   We enjoyed this sitting in the sunshine, out side our camper van which we had decorated with fairy lights and tinsel.  As the sun went down we finished with coffee and toblerone as a nod to all the chocolate we would have consumed had we been back in the UK.

Camper vans come in all shapes and sizes, from huge luxurious home from home motor homes to much smaller and more bijou types.  Ours was definitely of the more bijou variety.  However, what it lacked in space and facilities, it more than made up for in character and style.  Ours with its vibrant spray painted animal exterior was a sight to behold and definitly a van to be seen in.  It had seats and a table which at night converted in to a surprisingly comfortable bed.  There was a small gas burner which could only be accessed outside at the back of the van, and a large cool box which acted as a fridge, a little bit of storage space and that was more or less it.  Basic but sufficient and it took us on many adventures.  We loved it.

Fast forward 10 years to a mostly sunny bank holiday weekend in the UK and we find ourselves once again living in a home on 4 wheels.  This time in South West Cornwall, and this time for 4 days rather than 4 weeks.  On this occasion we had hired a camper van via Airbnb and it was somewhat more luxurious than our New Zealand van.  It had a toilet and shower (which we decided not to use), a fridge, a proper gas hob, a sink with running water, and a large ‘garage’ in the rear, lots of storage space, and it was a Mercedes.

Although we had had a long year gap since our last camper van adventure we had been lucky enough to own a small boat during that time so knew our love of living outside had not waned, and we were proved correct.  The Cornish weather was mostly kind to us and we spent the first two nights on a campsite just a short walk from Mousehole.  The campsite, was not much  more than a field where we used the local football clubs facilities and where for much of the time we were the only campers.  We were able to do those things we had dreamed of, sit outside, as the sun went down (wearing layers!), cook sausages and sip wine.

The second two nights were spent on a much snazzier site just outside Sennen.  From here we could walk to the beach and along the coastal path to Sennen Cove.  Although this trip was clearly much shorter, and if I’m honest the van wasn’t completely to our taste or requirements, we had the most fabulous time.  Out door living, taking your home with you, not worrying (too much) about bad hair days or which pair of shoes to wear suited us very well and it was with great reluctance that we handed the keys back.

Our dream of one day owning a camper van has only got bigger. As much as I love a night, or even a few in a luxury hotel or staying in quirky B&Bs or cottages, little can compare to living much closer to the great outdoors.  Camper vanning is the ultimate in care free road trips, where the only thing between you and where to go next is how much petrol is in the tank and how long you want to take to get there.

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