First test trip away - awesome!

MelanieW1 · Apr 22, 2017

Phew...been a bit of a whirl really this week. Bought our new-to-us mid blue Cali SE from Parkway Leicester (quite a round trip from sunny Anglesey, but not too old Cali Se's seem to be a rare breed) on Wednesday. On Thursday my eldest daughter and I decided to test her out (Van now called Florence). We didn't venture that far but stayed on a lovely little CL beside the Coastal Path / beach and were completely independent. Only used electric hook up to check it worked. Such fun. We grinned from ear to ear the whole time. Have caravaned in the past - what a palava with awnings to put up, water and waste containers to connect, faffing around manoevreing onto the pitch etc this was a revelation. This time with Florence we were all set up, awning, tables and chairs out within 15 mins of arriving. Amazing!

Since then, with it being Easter hols and me on holiday too, I've taken the rest of the family out for days out - it completely changes the experience being able to park by the beach etc, kids go play, I sit supping tea in peace. Kids come in for a break and sustenance then off again they go. Bliss! I hadn't really realised what a boon Florence is purely on a day to day basis. Really don't want to go back to work next week!

I'm astounded as to why we haven't made this move earlier. If anyone is dithering getting a Cali - don't - just buy! We don't have all the bells and whistles, its a fairly basic spec, 2014 140 T5, but it is just great. I would go as far as saying it's a bit of life changer really.

Btw, this forum is great - I've been avidly reading loads of topics and already received so much help and advice. Thank you all!

calikev · Apr 22, 2017

Glad to hear your enjoying the adventure :thumb

James Brennan · Apr 22, 2017

Sounds a similar Cali to ours and similar experience too. They are superb

Meoncoast · Apr 22, 2017

Glad you had a great time. I would not be without a camper van now and nice to see positive posts. I would get advise on the best place to service your van and deal with any problems that may crop up. We have been lucky with our dealer and trust fully. May the adventures continue.

Verity · Apr 22, 2017

Yes they certainly change life for the better. My husband has spent more time in the fresh air and less time in front of his computer than I have ever seen - for the last 10 years he's had a frown on his face from gazing at the screen all day and all night (he works from home, so is always at work). He's a different person. He's out on the front drive tinkering with it now. I love it!

Mr & Mrs B · Apr 22, 2017

Sounds like you had a great time. We've just had our first day out and have had a great time - off out again tomorrow and then away for the Bank Holiday weekend!

James Brennan · Apr 22, 2017

Enjoy and looks like you're in Devon too

Mr & Mrs B · Apr 22, 2017

James Brennan said:
Enjoy and looks like you're in Devon too

Yes, we live in Exmouth. We've been to Haytor today - a perfect day for a trip to Dartmoor.

James Brennan · Apr 23, 2017

Small world, we're in Woodbury

Haytor lovely in the sun

Esandar#1 · Apr 24, 2017

Hi James and Mr & Mrs B,
Welcome to the Club. We are new to Cali life too but loving all the adventures!

Can you Devon folk recommend any good spots in your county? I thought I knew Devon reasonably well... but surprised myself with two great finds last weekend! We were at Galmpton (close to the village with a good pub) and used that campsite as a base to explore Brixham, berry Head, Churston Farm shop and the hugely pretty NTs site at Agatha Christie's / Greenway Quay (from where you can take a ferry to Dittisham, Dartmouth or Totnes) and then had a night at River Dart Country Park before an aborted attempt to find a good walk on Dartmoor... though instead we diverted to NT Castle Drago and after that went through Drewsteignton to Fingle Bridge which was so pretty and traquil on a sunny afternoon! A perfect pub location where the boys played in the river (in complete safety) whilst we enjoyed a pint in the sun! We have also enjoyed a couple of nights at Cofton which is perfect for the two fab pubs at Starcross / Cockington and the walks along the south side of the Ex estuary. (PS. I have a friend who lives in Woodbury who said there was a nice campsite there too!

Happy Campervanning!
Ian

James Brennan · Apr 24, 2017

Hi Ian,

We've only been in Devon three years so definitely not experts. We had an exact repeat of your Fingle Bridge visit, enjoying a Guinness whilst watching the kids play in the river. Our son has also stayed at Cofton with his friend and came home with positive comments.

There's probably good mileage in a couple of nights in Woodbury (webberspark.co.uk / castlebrake.co.uk) if you can throw the bikes on the back and make use of the estuary path this side and head into Exmouth for some time on a nice sandy beach. There's some nice pubs to stop at on the way back too (The Red Wing in Lympstone and The Puffing Billy in Exton).

At the recommendation of our neighbours (who have a T5 conversion) we stayed at a beach car park / field in Branscombe (https://www.google.nl/maps/@50.6883404,-3.1245692,442m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en-GB). From there you have a beautiful cliff top walk into Beer as well as a cafe next to the car park and a nice pub in Branscombe itself.

We also stayed in Stoke Flemming (https://www.google.nl/maps/@50.324627,-3.6092971,15.02z?hl=en-GB) in a rental Cali last year - Pleasant village pub with good access to Blackpool Sands and Salcombe.

Let us know if you decide to stay in Woodbury and we can have a beer at the local

James

Esandar#1 · Apr 24, 2017

Thanks for all those recommendation James. I will check them out.

Cofton is probably too close to home for you. It is as much caravan site as campsite but it has a brand new indoor pool (with steam room and sauna) - which is a big plus for our boys (10 and 12) - and has lots of woods to explore. We went out of season in Oct half term for two nights, so it was quiet and thus perfect in many ways. I imagine it could get rammed in summer even though it has a large outdoor pool and three onsite bars too. We ate out in both The Ship and The Anchor which both have thier own charms and the 10 minute walk along dark country lane to get there is exciting in its own right for us townies (from Bristol). The walk along to The Turf Hotel was also very interesting - for seeing both wildlife and trains - and must be a great spot on a hot summers day. You can walk to Dawlish Warren too, which was interesting on a number of levels!

The beaches at Studland (Isle of Purbeck) is top of our list for a revisit this year. There are several campsites on the outskirts of Swanage, though Burnbake Campsite http://www.burnbake.com/ is the closest, but the beach, sea and watersports at Studland are superb for the children (and adults) and about as safe as it can ever be to swim or do kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing etc (though this is in comparison to North Cornwall where we spend lots of beach time). The Dorset Water Park is another good attraction of this area (again for both children and adults) and Corfe Castle is another great National Trust site as is Studland (meaning free parking if you are members which we are - a saving of £9 a day!) The Bankes Arms (Manor Road, Swanage BH19 3AU - close to the start of the walk along the headland to Old Harry Rocks - is a superbly located country pub that does decent food and has a vast beer garden overlooking the bay and has a beer and music festival in August. The only shame is that the garden is always covered in fag butts.

River Dart Country Park - with its pirate ship - is great if your children are 6-10 and have wetsuits, but once again it is an idyllic campsite with great facilities (reflected in pricing). The high ropes course there is seriously high and quite a test of nerve if you attempt to do some of the crossing without holding the safety line! The walk up the River dart is also lovely and you can swim in the River at one point too.

Switching to North Cornwall, there are some fabulous surf and rock pooling beaches at Constantine Bay, Boobies Bay, Treyarnon (http://treyarnonbaycaravanpark.co.uk/) and Mother Ivey Bay. The later two have campsites but all are very close. A drink on the terrace of the Trevose Golf Club - as the sun drops into the Atlantic - is one of the pleasures in life I'd challenge anyway not to enjoy and remember forever! Padstow is 10 minutes away by car, though is really just a smaller, posher, more expensive, more congested version of Brixham which at least has it's own 'Pirate Festival!' BTW, they serve great fish and chips at 'Simply Fish' on the far corner of Brixham harbour if you are ever there!

So far, having the Cali has opened our mind and given us the abilitiy to explore a whole raft of places that otherwise we would probably never have bothered with. #havevanwilltravel

Cheers
Ian