Allow me to introduce myself;
Friends know me as Jackie Mac.
And very soon I, and my hubby Pete
Are driving to Morocco and back

 

Very soon now Pete and I will be off. We are fleeing from this damp and windy isle to spend Winter in the sun. Yes; I know it’s nothing new. If you spend any time on the other side of the Channel these days, it’s very evident that a lot of active OAPs from the chillier climes of Europe spend the long Winter months avoiding central heating bills, many on the Costas of Spain.

 

Well, we did that; three years ago. It was our first venture into camper van life ’stylee’ for a longer period than the statutory two weeks in the Summer. As we travelled down through France and Spain that January a positive migration of motorhomes preceded us. What struck us both was how organised these ‘new aged’ travellers were. Their spotlessly tidy, almost universally white, camper vans were parked in neat rows on the many Spanish camp sites that cater for the Winter visitors; often with seasonal discounts. The consensus of opinion was that it was as cheap to live in the sun as in the rain; with the added bonus of the seaside and fresh veg!

 

And, in most cases this is not rough camping. Every conceivable gadget that contributes to comfortable camping is utilised. From satellite television to 12 volt electric hair clippers. Most sites have laundry facilities and hot showers so the happy campers want for nothing; and spend their days basking in the warmth and relaxing atmosphere of their surroundings.

 

And it isn’t just pensioners. We met several couples, younger than us, who had actually sold up in the UK, bought a luxury motorhome and taken to the open road. The ‘do it now, have it now’ culture is everywhere; and who can blame them.

 

The many seasoned travellers we met had a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips. They had reams of information about every aspect of travelling; from good campsites to insurance cover. Only fifty years ago most of these early retirees would have been more likely to be based in the UK tending gardens and going for brisk walks with the family dog; instead here they are trekking round Europe and enjoying life to the full. A lot of them with the family dog!

 

We were much more haphazard in our approach to a life on the open road. On the day we had to catch the ferry we were still putting a cupboard door on a storage area, in our LDV camper conversion. And our fixtures and fittings were rudimentary at best. But this time it’s serious. We are going in style; in Doris.

 

Doris was once a mobile library. That was 1984. She has now been converted to a comfy and quite roomy campervan. She has a sink, shower, cooker with oven and grill, fridge, a porta potti and loads of cupboard storage. She is fitted out tastefully in beige and brown with beige needle cord featuring large on walls and ceiling. Her bodywork paint job is buttercream with red and blue stripes sweeping across either side. She was owned in a previous life by a motor cycle enthusiast and I do hope we get round to taking the Suzuki and Yamaha stickers off the windscreen and back panel before we go.

 

Estimated time of departure is mid November; but disaster has struck; not fatally we hope. At this moment Doris’s power steering pump is languishing in an engineering workshop somewhere in Norfolk. She is so ancient that they are having trouble finding a source for the spare bits that need replacing. Tomorrow I start on a serious trawl through breakers discovered online, who just might be able to provide another pump, or even the elusive ‘bits’.

 

Meanwhile we are battening down the hatches at home (South Pembrokeshire). I expect we will miss this most beautiful part of the world; but last Winter was long and horrendous and we want to have some more adventures while we still can; and it will be great to come home to next April. So, assuming Doris gets better, in six weeks time we should be on our way.