On our first day living in the van the weather was damp and miserable, but we were excited. I expected to miss our flat but, surprisingly, it was leaving my car in Windsor which upset me the most. I love driving and I loved driving my car. The thought of always “sharing” the van was hard – when life is too much, getting in the car, music on loud and just driving is the best way to unwind. I gave my car to my son, 2 days later it broke down on him – completely dead. So, although it was not much of a gift, at least it lasted me until I literally didn’t need it anymore.
Having said that, I absolutely love driving the van. Despite its size, it is easier to reverse than a car, as the wing mirrors are so big. You can see so much – I am nosey so looking into gardens is fun. I have also discovered that I love tackling the more adventurous roads, and I am a lot braver than Neil when it comes to narrow lanes, sheer drops to the side and snowy mountain roads.
We spent our first night in a pub car park, The Three Horseshoes, East Worldham. They allow campervans overnight and the food is so good. We raised a glass to our new life, spent too much on food and drink and realised that pub stopovers were not a good idea – too expensive if you like a bevy or two.
The next day we moved to Chawton, and parked on a quiet roadside, away from any houses. Neil was very jumpy the first couple of nights, whereas I was far more relaxed and slept really well. As part of the build we had CCTV cameras fitted. There is one on each side, one on the back, and one in the cab. The one in the cab works like a dashcam as well as being for security. I wanted to be able to see what was happening outside of the van, without getting out to have a look. They are brilliant. If we hear something disconcerting we can check what’s going on. If we feel uncomfortable or at risk, we can get into the cab and drive away, without having to leave the van at all. (18 months in and we have never had to drive away, but the sense of security the cameras give us has been priceless.)
I love to work out regularly and was excited about being able to work out in lots of beautiful places. I invested in fitness bands so I didn’t need to carry weights, and my son, who is an army PTI, wrote me a training plan, (@adw.training). I hadn’t planned for bad weather. Naively, I had imagined working out on sunny beaches and in fields of wildflowers. The first workout I did was in the van, while Neil cooked. It was a challenge, in such a small space, but with my bands, my workout plan and a lot of imagination, I completed a full body workout and a stretch, while it rained outside.
Our first facepalm moment came when we filled up with water. We spoke to a couple in their van, at an overnight parkup, and they said the local hardware store would allow us to use their outside tap. This seemed too good to be true, but we went along and asked, and the store was more than happy. (I asked – one thing I have discovered is that it’s always me who asks!) Neil was still embarrassed about using the tap, so insisted we wait until the store had closed and there was no one in the carpark. We connected the hose and waited – then saw water pouring out from under the van. We panicked, thinking we had a leak in the tank already. Neil tried to get under the van to have a look, but didn’t fit. I managed to get under the van, but had no idea what I was looking for, so it wasn’t very helpful. It was Sunday, so we didn’t want to call the company who had completed the conversion. After about thirty minutes of stressing and coming up with different ideas about how to get it fixed, Neil realised that the water pressure was higher than at our friend’s house, where we previously filled it and it was just full. The water was pouring out of the overspill pipe. Feeling red faced, and grateful that we hadn’t called anyone, we went on our way.
On another night, in the first week of vanlife, we went to bed and suddenly there was a loud beeping and all the lights went off. We panicked – again! What could have gone wrong? Had something shorted out? Would the van catch fire? Every possible scenario went through our heads. A quick check on the app for the batteries and we realised we had simply used up all the power! We ran the engine for a bit, banked enough power to get us through the night, and became much better at keeping an eye on the battery levels. We also fitted a smoke detector.
In the second week we found an amazing place to park overnight – I’m not going to name it, as the Forestry Commision have told us overnight parking is not allowed, but we got away with it for a few weeks and it was perfect. It was a carpark, away from the road, in the woods. There was no one else there and no street lights, so it was silent and dark. Silent – apart from the sound of owls and a Night Jar. It was everything we imagined van life would be and, while it is not all beautiful park ups and peaceful nights, we have found many more on our travels. There is nothing better than sleeping in our cozy van, with no light pollution, and the sound of nature all around us.
I made a list of pros and cons 2 weeks into vanlife:
Pros: Learning to dance around each other without falling out.
The fridge is huge.
Camo netting works really well for shoe storage.
The van is fun to drive.
We sleep really well.
Cooking is easy.
We have a secret wine cellar.
It looks like a home.
The table is amazing – thanks you Mark Richards Art.
Friends are generous with washing machines and showers.
I can work out inside when it’s raining.
LIFE IS LESS COMPLICATED!
Cons: We use too much power and need to rethink electricals.
We had 3 AA call outs for breakdown in the first 2 weeks.
5 days in 14 the van was in the converters or garage.
The hot water was not working.
I was still working full time.
I missed my car.
We can’t both have a drink or we risk a DUI charge.
We have no freezer, so we have to re-think shopping.
To get out of bed I have to climb over Neil.
More pros than cons, so it was a good start!