Goodbye Poots. Thanks for the ride.

-

It was an emotional weekend for all of us. We said goodbye to our third VW T25 Camper Van, Pootle. This lovely white 2.0 litre air cooled Devon conversion from 1981 has seen us through some great times, a lot of miles and some wonderful meals. He's a little bit famous too, having appeared in The Mail on Sunday, The Independent, Coast Magazine and Devon life (more than once). Get him! And let's not forget that without Pootle The Camper Van Cookbook would still be on the driveway, waiting for the off.
But as is often the way, the time had come to send him off to pastures new. We shall miss him.

Don't panic though! He hasn't gone to the great camper van camp site in the sky. No! His number won't be up for a long time yet. With 95K on the clock there's life in the old block yet. 30 years is nothing for a Dub like Poots.
He's gone to live with Blair, Liz and 6 month old Joseph. They have promised him a whole new lease of life - because they intend to use him for their Great London Getaway. We're all for it. He'll see some proper action at last. None of this Pootling down to the beach for a surf, a cup of tea afterwards and maybe an impromptu photo shoot. He'll get to see some places. We're a little bit envious.

If you see him in E3 or on the motorway, give him a wave and send him our love. Cheers Poots. Thanks for the rides.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What do you call yours? #mycampervaniscalled LOVE!

-
Image
A few weeks ago I (with the help of my friends at the Caravan and Motorhome Club) asked the good people of Twitter and Instagram to tell me what they call their camper vans. Here are the results! There are so many great names - and so many different names - and it proves to me that you lot really are a funny, creative, soulful and joyful bunch. Thank you! I will announce the winner in the next day or so. But please do comment and share. One thing that’s clear in all this is that camper owners LOVE their vans. Whether it’s the number plate that spells Rosbif (handy for breaking the ice on French campsites) or a name that tells you a little about shocking MPG (Juicy Lucy), it seems that every camper needs a name that has a story, a name that tells you how it rolls, a name that celebrate its quirks and foibles or a name that tells you how it feels to drive. If you don't want to read the full list here's the top line... Of the 200 owners who told me their van’s nam
Read more

Countdown to a camper van adventure

-
Image
On Monday 7th February at 6.30pm my TV show, One Man and His Campervan hits BBC2. It's going to be a wierd and wonderful night. It will be the first time that I've appeared in anything like this (apart from being a little blue man in an Erasure video back in 1991) so I haven't a clue what to expect. Will anyone watch? Will anyone like it? Will anyone even notice it was on? I hope so. I also have higher hopes for the TV series: that anyone who watches it will be inspired to fire up the old van/car/bus/bicycle and take a look at Great Britain for themselves. I always knew that there was more to it than just a few great surfing beaches. It's a very cool place. With very cool people. And a lot of very delicious food. You don't even have to be a Michelin starred genius to enjoy it. All you have to do is want something more than beans on toast. Ambitious? Maybe but not really. Although it can sometimes take a little effort to get off the sofa, go to new places and eat ne
Read more
-
Image
 THE INTERVENTION *The story that didn't make it into Take The Slow Road: France The following year. So good we went back. For many, France has been a proving ground for adventure. It’s so close, and yet so far, a foreign country that’s next door, a culture that’s so familiar and yet so different. Getting there is easy, as is escaping if it all goes wrong. It’s safe, with an edge brought by language, misunderstanding and mutual trust and distrust. We are as alien to them as they are to us: incomprehensible, frightening, friendly, fun, playful. So, for the slow road adventurer, especially the new one, it’s perfect. A chance to get far enough away without being so far that an overnight drive couldn’t whisk you straight back home. It was the place myself and so many other young guns, surfers and searchers made their first forays into the forests of Aquitaine or attempts on the girls of Bordeaux. It was wild and free and I loved every moment of it. Mostly. It’s 1985. We’re fresh
Read more