campervanliving

As you may or may not know,  I am a tyrant when it comes to being responsible on the campsite. In my books and on the t'internet I bang on about keeping the place tidy and I always make sure that any pitch is left tidier than it was when we arrived. I also like to cook with fresh and local ingredients if I can, not just because of the taste, but also because of the impact of some supermarket practices. I feel the same way about the way I barbecue. I absolutely detest disposables because of their negative environmental impact and also because they encourage wastefulness. I made a film about it for the #2minutebeachclean project recently. Here it is: Win a bucket Barby Portable BBQ set from Trespass Of course it would be wrong of me to tell you not to do something without telling you what I think is the right thing to do, would it? And that, in the case of a summer barbecue, is to use charcoal from managed forests (many disposables do not) in a reusable BBQ. And if you ...

Whether you are an innie or an outie, there’s no doubt that this Brexit nonsense will have some kind of effect on your camping plans at some point. In reality it may not affect this summer that much but, depending on what our government (whatever or wherever that is right now) negotiates in the months and years to come it may have some long term resonance. This week we are concerned about the exchange rate for our forthcoming trip to Spain (we leave on Sunday) but that’s just about it. We still have to conform to the rules of the road, we still can enjoy the benefits of our reciprocal agreements with the EU and, hopefully, we will still be able to enjoy French and Spanish hospitality. So, in case you decide to head over to continental Europe (or Europe as it should probably henceforth be known), here are a few things to think about. What’s your pound worth? I checked the exchange rate on Thursday ahead of the referendum results. For my £500 of holiday money I would hav...

It’s that time again. I’m flapping like an old fishwife, trying to work out what to pack for our three week adventure in Northern Spain. We’re off in less than a fortnight so we’re getting close to the off. And that means we are getting close to packing time. This year I have given each of my family a box to fill with whatever they like. They can take millions of pairs of pants and no hats if they like or they can take 10 pairs of trousers and no socks. It’s up to them really. The reason for this is that I know my family like to overpack. They produce new outfits each day while I bum around in the same old pair of shorts for weeks on end. It’s happened before. They are crazed packers, fitting in as much as they could get away with. Until now there was no way of knowing if it would all fit in. The only way I’d know was when we’d get to the packing the van stage and we’d suddenly find that we’d run out of room very quickly and everyone would have to reconsider what they ta...

What does a camper van mean to you?  Good times? Camping? The open road? breaking down? A love affair? It was a simple question that I asked as many people as I could get hold of (including the good and great of the camper van scene as well as a few van owning 'slebs) when I was writing my new book 'The Camper Van Bible'. I wanted to find out what people thought of their vehicles and to look into the kind of relationships people have with them. I wondered if I'd get a load of hippy drippy stuff or something more pragmatic. In the end we got some sensible stuff but also some really emotional musings. Some people's connections with their vans run deep. Mostly though, the feeling was the same: camper vans make us feel free for a while. My favourite line, from Sarah Riley of Inspired Camping was this: "And just as we found we often had to fix it... it also ended up fixing us." So true. So let's hit the road. The quotes appear in full in T...

We are off on a big adventure to northern Spain this summer. It’s been 4 years since we ventured across the channel to mainland Europe and I, for one, can’t wait. It’s the promise of getting away from the PC and the DIY and the mortgage and all the everyday trappings that excites me most. We’ll have three weeks to meander around Spain and France doing the things that make us happy. We’ll camp, of course, but we’re also searching for good walking, surfing, wild swimming and snorkeling. We have a number of great books to guide us on our way, including one of the Wild Swim books and the latest guides to the aires of France and Spain from Vicarious book. Some of these are available on my website at martindorey.com , where you’ll find a hand-picked selection of camping and campervan books. These are books that inspire me, make me want to pull on my walking boots of strip off and dive into a rock pool. The Guyrope Gourmet  Let Josh Sutton transport you to a place where...

We’re off to Spain in a few weeks’ time. It’ll be the first time we’ve headed to Europe since our big 10 week tour of France and Spain in 2012. Our kids are that bit older and will be up for as much fun as they can get their hands on, while Jo and I are that bit older and wiser, but still want to have as much fun as possible. We’ve also got some new kit on board – and that includes our new VW T5 California beach and our Slidepod. So it’s all change with the Dorey camping machine. We’ve also got a new Vango awning, an Air Hub, on loan for the trip, which we hope will complete our new set up. The trouble with awnings We’ve had awnings before, so we’re quite used to the way they work – or don’t. While they can add an extra room to your van they can also make it feel a little enclosed at times. When you attach the awning to the sliding door of the van it cuts off that lovely outside-in view that you get from the slider. In a hot location it feels counter-productive. Aw...

It isn't easy being green. But, as campers, campervanners, motorhomers and lovers of the great outdoors, it is our duty to take care of that which gives us so much pleasure. So, I'd like to propose (again) for 2016, the mantra for all camping trips. This is simple. It's also easy. And it's a recurring theme for me. LEAVE IT NICER. What I mean by this is that we should leave anywhere we stay – a camp site, wild spot, wherever, nicer than it was when we arrived. This can work on many levels but on a basic one it means making sure your spot is immaculate when you depart. How can you do this? PICK UP LITTER I don’t really care if it isn’t your litter, just pick it up. It really won’t kill you and you’ll feel great for doing your bit. If it’s on your patch you should pick it up and dispose of it properly, irrespective of the source. Anyone who sees you camping and then sees litter will put two and two together and make a number that marks you as the culprit....

This is  a recipe from my new book, The Camper Van Bible. While the book isn't exclusively about food it does contain a section about food. The section lists some of my favourite and go to recipes. There are some classics in there as well as a few new bits and pieces and even some thoughts on smoking oysters... wooo! But, given the big question of what I would cook if I had all day to cook at camp, it'd be this, without a doubt. It's one for those days when all you want to do is chug a few beers and cook over an open fire. It's perfect for a Roadii fire grill or a Kotlich and is flipping delicious. It’s easy to prep but does take some cooking time. It’ll all be well worth the effort though, once your guests tuck in. The rich flavours will remind you of Thai and Asian dishes. Serve with sticky Thai rice for an extra authentic touch. If you can’t light a fire, then you can always cook this over a very low heat, just make sure you have enough gas. SL...

What is that under your arse? It's foam, of course. But it is the right type of foam? And did you ever imagine there could be a right and a wrong type of foam? Well, there is. I will go into the whole shebang in quite a bit more detail (but not too much detail, honestly) in my new book, The Camper Van Bible, so this is just a taster of the delights to come... Let's begin with the day you decide to get some more foam for the cushions in your van. It's easy, right? You buy some foam, have it cut to size, sew some new covers and Bob is your uncle...wrong!  Firstly, you need to think about what your cushions are to be used for predominantly. Are they to be used as seating or are they to be used as bedding? This is relevant as some foam is better suited to sleeping than sitting, while other foam is better for sitting... Foam comes in grades with a load of numbers like 3 INCH V 38 / 200 or 4 INCH R 40 / 180. What these mean to you and how they will affect you...

The simple answer, if you must know, is yes. Every time. I have camped all my life and have seen it all, from high winds and baking heat to torrential downpours and snowy deposits. It's why I choose camper van over tent almost every time. Unless of course I am visiting Lundy island or somewhere equally inaccessible by road.... Anyway, in my new book, The Camper Van Bible, I set out my stall very clearly with the following: "My personal love of campers comes down to portability, which might seem odd in the face of the fact that a tent is the ultimate pop up home. But bear with me. The fact remains that a camper van is a home that can be driven. That means you don’t always have to make major alterations to move it. If you’ve got it right then you should be able to drive your camper away from your camping spot without having to do too much. Yes, so you might have to de-pop a pop top roof, pull the bed down and pack away a few clothes, but at least you don’t have to...

I received four advance copies of my new book "The Camper Van Bible" this week. I have to say that I was astounded by it. It's thick, full, fun and brimming with interesting info about camper vans and motorhomes (although I would say that, wouldn't I?). Did you know, for example, how to tell one bedding or seating foam from another? Or what type of fridge works best? Or what size solar panels you need for the gadgets you have? Even if you already knew that there's loads more stuff in it. And, like my previous books, it's written in a jaunty, happy go lucky style that will bring a smile to your face on a dull day and make you want to turn the key one more time and hit the road. I asked lots of  camper van owning people to tell me what their camper van means to them, with some interesting and heartfelt results from Chris Packham, Barney Harwood and David Eccles, among many others. I thought that everyone would be similar but they aren't. Everyone has...

21. Almost forgot. Your children will be indoctrinated too. Right then. Let’s get straight down to business. I have read a few silly things recently. One of them was an article with the headline  “20 Reasons Dating a Surfer is Like Winning the Lottery”. I posted it to facebook and got an immediate comment from Mrs D that perhaps there were some important details missing. She’s right. Dating a surfer in Hawaii might well be like winning the lottery if he’s loaded and gorgeous and you don’t have to work and he’s got his own personal make up artist and photographer to make him look ‘kewl’ every time he sits in the line up. However, boys and girls, we don’t live in Hawaii. We live in northern Europe. And what follows, my friends, is the absolute fucking god’s honest truth. There is a stinking pile of pish in the bathroom. It’s not him after a night out at Caesar’s in Bideford. It’s the wetsuit, your rival for his affections. He pisses in it, even though he says he do...