Ready, steady…..hire! Cotswolds to Coast Campers Ltd launch first VW campervan, Henry for Campervan Hire in Oxfordshire!
So where did it all begin?
We are two Paramedics living on the edge of the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire, in a beautiful honey-stoned village called Hook Norton. We live with our two children Amelia and Erin, Mark also has three Sons that come and stay with us every other weekend. We all love camping and the great outdoors and with so much to offer in the county of Oxfordshire and the five neighbouring Cotswolds counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and North Somerset, we really are spoilt for choice. See for yourself what’s on offer in the areas surrounding Cotswolds to Coast Campers Ltd at Visit Cotswolds.
I have a life-long love of vee-dubs – they just make me smile! I grew up in Devon, right on the coast and my passion all began with a trip to Run to the Sun in Cornwall. I got to mingle with some of the finest campervans in the country, soak up vee-dub van life and I got the feeling of being part of the vee-dub club, which made me love them even more!
That iconic wave between owners, the symbol of comradery and a mutual love of the dub, always put a massive smile on my face and I just, well, got it! From my first boyfriend’s project on his Beetle, watching him strip the whole thing back to its shell and rebuild it, to my friends vintage Bay parked up on Plymouth Hoe, I was on course for a love of vee-dubs that would last a lifetime and drove my ambition for luxury campervan hire in Oxfordshire.
It’s intangible, but there’s just something about vee-dubs that make me intrinsically happy and in the world we live in today, that’s pretty much gold!
It took me until 2013 to co-own a van, before that I hired a vintage Bay, Clyde, to go on one of the most breath-taking, relaxing and cathartic trips of my life. Starting in Edinburgh, we drove through The Trossachs, past Lochs and wooded glens and saw the most stunning scenery. Eventually, we arrived at Oban, took the ferry to the Isle of Mull and began driving the entire coast of this beautiful, unspoilt island. It was clear that the van life spirit was well and truly a part of me. On arriving back to Edinburgh, we begged the owner to sell Clyde to us! Unfortunately, our pleas were unsuccessful and I was sad to see him go.
When I finally co-owned a van in 2013, I set off on adventures whenever I could. I travelled to Wales, Ireland and Cornwall, even just picking my daughter up from school in the van and heading to our local woods in Buckinghamshire for a tea-time picnic of cheese sandwiches and fruit salads. I knew it would be a hobby for the rest of my life!
So, after moving to a new area – the beautiful Cotswolds in Oxfordshire – Mark and I waited for the right time and undertook a ton of research and planning before our dream was realised. During our research for the best vee-dub conversion company that suited our style, it quickly became clear that there was a great market for hiring our vee-dub (Henry) out. Also, with staycations rapidly growing in popularity and with so many people looking to enjoy the amazing destinations on offer in the UK, we again realised that we could make a success of a vee-dub hire company. So……Cotswolds to Coast Campers Ltd was born! We found our campervan, Henry, thanks to Denson Automotives in Wetherby. They set to work on turning him into something special, so we could up the game with campervan hire Oxfordshire.
Meet Henry! As you can see, like a lot of Transporter campervans, he started his life as a panel van. He’s an ’18 plate, T6, long-wheel base van, with factory fitted air-con and is quite literally in mint condition! We had big plans for Henry and with Denson’s keen eye for automotive design, quality craftsmanship and experience in conversions with kerb appeal, to say we were excited was an understatement!
First stop for Henry was to VW for a full service, engine re-map (to get the best out of the engine) and lowering by 50mm. This is low enough to look the business, but not too low for those bumpy country roads to be a problem. Then it was on to another company to have his safari pop-top roof fitted. The added bonus of the safari roof is a call to the wild and provides 180 degree views by zipping down the entire front section. Sunset, beer aaaaaand relax!
We always wanted a two-tone campervan to give it that retro feel in a modern van, so Denson is wrapping Henry white on the top half. We’ve picked a light and bright kitchen to give the living space an airy feel and have added some nice extras like a microwave, domestic fridge and diesel heater, of course.
So, how far have we got!? Well, we are just waiting for Denson to work their magic and finish giving Henry his makeover and then the exciting day will come for us to collect him! We are already excited, like children on Christmas Eve, so I hate to think what we will be like on collection day! Discussions have already been had about who gets to drive him home from Wetherby and whether it’s better to drive him or get a chance to look at him all the way home. In reality, we both really know that I will get to drive him home first!
We are hoping Henry the campervan will be available to hire from July, all going well with the final stages of the conversion. Everything else is in place, the extras for hire have been purchased, the complimentary welcome hamper for every guest has been lovingly put together and the T’s & C’s have been finalised. So, all that’s left now is to sit and wait………patiently………maybe!
For more information on dynamic new campervan hire Oxfordshire and the endless possibilities for your staycation visit www.cotswoldstocoastcampers.co.uk, call 07543 813903 or email hello@cotswoldstocoastcampers.co.uk and Mark and Victoria will be happy to help.