James
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- Broadclyst, Devon
So after much delaying our trip up North finally happened. This trip was meant to have occurred back in the balmy summer months but life, and life events meant our first serious trip in Betty occurred in the colder month of October. Slightly concerning when you have a Beach without a parking heater and your primary heat source is a duvet and body heat.
My partner is from Skipton in Yorkshire and needed to be there for family reasons so we designed our trip around being close to Skipton.
As camping novices the trip was also a chance for us to learn as we go, this was to prove to be something that had both success and failure!
As I live in Essex it was decided to break up the journey to Skipton. A halfway point or thereabouts was located in the Peak District at the Royal Oak.
http://peakpub.co.uk/
We arrived last Saturday and were greeted by a muddy field. In fact, in a bizarre version of a T5 stunt team myself and a LWB Kombi attempted to find a place which was both level and not muddy. This was a basic site and despite the best efforts of the owners, one that was not that clean. It was, well, basic, the pub itself was lovely, food amazing and service second to none but as a camping site it was, well, hardy, to say the least.
The location is amazing and we made a quick dash into Bakewell which was lovely and like true tourists we bought some Bakewell Tart.
It was a cold night in the van and it was decided a heater had to be purchased, Before that though had to drive through the rolling Peak District mist and make our way to Skipton so we could catch up with my partner’s family.
Then from lovely Skipton we took an interesting drive to Blackpool. i say interesting because again, despite whatever settings I select my sat nav decides to put you on some crazy route across country.
http://www.easthamhall.co.uk/
We chose a site with hardstanding and EHU although we were only planning to stay a night, this was a very good site, not cheap at £30 a night but everything was provided. We of course decided to drive along the seafront and experience the illuminations before stopping for a spot of fish and chips.
In the morning we made a small detour to Fleetwod and stopped to get a cup of tea from a small shop of the seafront.
The guy in the shop was a VW guy and we got into a VW conversation as he had spotted Betty, no discount though but we did get to experience the beauty of a grey Lancashire morning. Then we made the short drive to a campsite called Waters Edge on the edge of the Lake District, it had come recommended to us and it did not disappoint.
http://www.watersedgecaravanpark.co.uk/
One of the first tasks though was to acquire a small heater from the local B&Q. This was to prove to be a stroke of genius. It kept the van very cosy for just £30, i grant you, nowhere near the sophistication of a VW parking heater but it worked. The campsite was lovely and the facilities were brilliant. We had a hardstanding with EHU and amongst the white Caravans Betty looked very different!
We had planned to stay there from the Sunday through to Thursday. We were concerned about how well the Beach would be suited to this but we needn’t have worried. Once we discovered we could keep the Climabox in the middle of the van and not have to keep moving to the boot once we made the bed, life became easier. In fact after a few days of mastering the morning routine of turning the van from bedroom back into van it became almost fun and once turned back into the van it was the perfect vehicle to explore the beauty of the Lake District.
And what beauty... Jaw dropping scenery, friendly people, beautiful towns and villages, lovely pubs, the Lake District has it all. Driving along the Kirsktone Pass may have caused some concern but it was worth it to experience the views
This is about 1500ft above sea level and it was jaw dropping. We stopped here to give ourselves and Betty a rest and popped int he Kirkstone Pass Inn for some refreshment.
We spent a total of three days at Waters Edge and was just amazed, everyday we took different routes and all brought amazing views such as the Honister Pass.
Or beautiful Lake vistas...
Or wonderful little towns like Ambleside
Waters Edge itself was a wonderful location, not far from Kendal it was a great access point. If you don't mind sharing your stay with the ducks, who always made their way to the van in the morning quacking excitedly and of course expecting to be fed.
I confess, we did end up feeding them, no wonder they were so plump!
Very friendly at Waters Edge, a bit out of season in October but the owner opened the bar for us one afternoon and all the facilities were clean.
So the Beach, how did it fare? It fared well, better than we thought, we lost gas on our stove on the first night but that made no odds. Eating out was cheap and there were some lovely pubs and restaurants. We weren't cold either, the heater was effective and kept us warm. The extra space of the Beach was useful and we developed a routine of turning the bedroom in the lounge and back into a van.
It's a great driving vehicle as well, some of the driving can be challenging in the Lake District, but it felt safe, composed and being high up gave you lots of advantages. We also averaged 40 mpg throughout the trip.
It's hard not to marvel at VW's design, the way the Beach is set out is perfect, and makes the whole experience of going away that little bit more exciting. At Waters Edge it was interesting to notice the owners of the caravans watch you in the morning as you put the roof down, turn the van back into a van and drive off.
James
My partner is from Skipton in Yorkshire and needed to be there for family reasons so we designed our trip around being close to Skipton.
As camping novices the trip was also a chance for us to learn as we go, this was to prove to be something that had both success and failure!
As I live in Essex it was decided to break up the journey to Skipton. A halfway point or thereabouts was located in the Peak District at the Royal Oak.
http://peakpub.co.uk/
We arrived last Saturday and were greeted by a muddy field. In fact, in a bizarre version of a T5 stunt team myself and a LWB Kombi attempted to find a place which was both level and not muddy. This was a basic site and despite the best efforts of the owners, one that was not that clean. It was, well, basic, the pub itself was lovely, food amazing and service second to none but as a camping site it was, well, hardy, to say the least.
The location is amazing and we made a quick dash into Bakewell which was lovely and like true tourists we bought some Bakewell Tart.
It was a cold night in the van and it was decided a heater had to be purchased, Before that though had to drive through the rolling Peak District mist and make our way to Skipton so we could catch up with my partner’s family.
Then from lovely Skipton we took an interesting drive to Blackpool. i say interesting because again, despite whatever settings I select my sat nav decides to put you on some crazy route across country.
http://www.easthamhall.co.uk/
We chose a site with hardstanding and EHU although we were only planning to stay a night, this was a very good site, not cheap at £30 a night but everything was provided. We of course decided to drive along the seafront and experience the illuminations before stopping for a spot of fish and chips.
In the morning we made a small detour to Fleetwod and stopped to get a cup of tea from a small shop of the seafront.
The guy in the shop was a VW guy and we got into a VW conversation as he had spotted Betty, no discount though but we did get to experience the beauty of a grey Lancashire morning. Then we made the short drive to a campsite called Waters Edge on the edge of the Lake District, it had come recommended to us and it did not disappoint.
http://www.watersedgecaravanpark.co.uk/
One of the first tasks though was to acquire a small heater from the local B&Q. This was to prove to be a stroke of genius. It kept the van very cosy for just £30, i grant you, nowhere near the sophistication of a VW parking heater but it worked. The campsite was lovely and the facilities were brilliant. We had a hardstanding with EHU and amongst the white Caravans Betty looked very different!
We had planned to stay there from the Sunday through to Thursday. We were concerned about how well the Beach would be suited to this but we needn’t have worried. Once we discovered we could keep the Climabox in the middle of the van and not have to keep moving to the boot once we made the bed, life became easier. In fact after a few days of mastering the morning routine of turning the van from bedroom back into van it became almost fun and once turned back into the van it was the perfect vehicle to explore the beauty of the Lake District.
And what beauty... Jaw dropping scenery, friendly people, beautiful towns and villages, lovely pubs, the Lake District has it all. Driving along the Kirsktone Pass may have caused some concern but it was worth it to experience the views
This is about 1500ft above sea level and it was jaw dropping. We stopped here to give ourselves and Betty a rest and popped int he Kirkstone Pass Inn for some refreshment.
We spent a total of three days at Waters Edge and was just amazed, everyday we took different routes and all brought amazing views such as the Honister Pass.
Or beautiful Lake vistas...
Or wonderful little towns like Ambleside
Waters Edge itself was a wonderful location, not far from Kendal it was a great access point. If you don't mind sharing your stay with the ducks, who always made their way to the van in the morning quacking excitedly and of course expecting to be fed.
I confess, we did end up feeding them, no wonder they were so plump!
Very friendly at Waters Edge, a bit out of season in October but the owner opened the bar for us one afternoon and all the facilities were clean.
So the Beach, how did it fare? It fared well, better than we thought, we lost gas on our stove on the first night but that made no odds. Eating out was cheap and there were some lovely pubs and restaurants. We weren't cold either, the heater was effective and kept us warm. The extra space of the Beach was useful and we developed a routine of turning the bedroom in the lounge and back into a van.
It's a great driving vehicle as well, some of the driving can be challenging in the Lake District, but it felt safe, composed and being high up gave you lots of advantages. We also averaged 40 mpg throughout the trip.
It's hard not to marvel at VW's design, the way the Beach is set out is perfect, and makes the whole experience of going away that little bit more exciting. At Waters Edge it was interesting to notice the owners of the caravans watch you in the morning as you put the roof down, turn the van back into a van and drive off.
James
