Since I last posted on August 16th, a lot has happened. There were 2 things I realised when first driving the Van away from McLaren, firstly I had never driven such a large vehicle before and manoeuvring it safely, was going to be a challenge before I got used to it. Secondly, I had no idea how things worked and although Craig did go through the water, gas and electricity systems with me, there was still a lot to learn and experience.

An example of this (and I am laughing at myself here) was my first attempt to put diesel in the Van. As I had arranged to go to Scarborough the day I picked up the van, to sort the rear wheel carrier, as I eluded to in the blog post it’s coming home….the van that is, I decided to pull-up early at the nearest garage for fuel. Embarrassingly, I didn’t know where the fuel tank was and even when I’d located it near the passenger side front door, I didn’t know how to open it. Leading to a phone call to Craig to ask for advice!

So, despite my initial blog page ‘The Plan”, detailing how I was going to venture far and wide straight away, I quickly realised that plan was just not realistic. A bit of a “coming to Jesus” moment, you might say!.

So, since getting the van I’ve been learning how to drive it, and I’m much more confident in tight spots, reversing and parking etc. In addition, I now know how the various systems eg electricity, water etc work.

What have we been up to?

Over the Summer, we used our static caravan in Tudweiliog on the Llyn Peninsula as a base from where we ventured out initially on day trips. The first being Black Rock Sands Nr Porthmadog. If you’ve never been, we throughly recommend it. A long flat beach where you can easily drive on (£5 charge), find a space and bed down for the day. We met Christina’s sister Catherine and her partner Colin there for the day in their VW camper. They had spent all of the summer touring the UK, so we had plenty of questions to learn from their experiences thus far.

Then we had a few an overnight stays at the bottom of the farm overlooking the coastline and sea.

A truly stunning place to stay. Following this we ventured off to Porth Iago for 3 days just down the coast about 20 minutes drive away.

Even Christina who has not been particularly enthusiastic about the van began to enjoy herself, buy things for the van and discuss where we could go next. The upshot being the van drives great, works well and Christina’s now on board!!

At the end of summer unfortunately Christina went back to work leaving me to play alone. Wanting to venture further afield I arranged a three day trip with an old pal from Medical School, James England. I picked him up from Beverley East Yorkshire. We had no particular plan other than to get to Northumberland. In fact we only got as far as North Yorkshire but what a beautiful place. We stayed near Whitby then moved on to Saltburn-By-The-Sea before returning home.

What a beautiful country we live in!

Off road driving tuition and experience

While away with James we cycled The Cinder Track which runs between Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay where we staying for the night. While out we came across a ford which we crossed on our bikes as it was very shallow and carried on our way. It looked perfect for the van to tackle but there were signs saying “Not Suitable For Motor Vehicles”, probably because of the ford which whilst shallow that day, presumably swells in the autumn and winter. It was also quite narrow.

James was not keen and suggested it might be worthwhile getting some offroad experience with an instructor before tackling such terrain. I duly listened and didn’t attempt the drive through the ford. Which to be honest I now regret!

Having decided not to tackle the ford, I decided to get the off road tuition and booked a half day session with Explore Off Road in Crewe. I had a good day with Jim the instructor and did some challenging driving not without significant risk to the van. Fortunately all went well, having tackled a very wet and muddy decline early on (see YouTube video clipbelow), we decided to stick to the flat albeit still very soft, muddy and wet. The van coped admirably and I learnt a lot about this vehicle is capable of. Confident now that it will be able to cope with the mountainous road of Europe particularly those roads which are poorly maintained. The intention is not to go “off road” but to use roads that ordinary cars, campers and motorhomes would not attempt.

So the summer’s over……..

Summer’s maybe over but van life travel just beginning for real…….

So now that I’ve had some off road experience and I am much more confident driving the van and I now know the systems as well I can its time to venture further a field. So I’m setting off this weekend for France and Spain with a final destination of Gibraltar to catch up with my Family there including my mum and attend a family wedding. Need to be there at the latest 23rd October to pick Christina from the airport.

Then hopefully, a long, slow meander home. The route there partly determined by the visits I’ll be making along the way. The return journey is all the more exciting.

YOU CAN FOLLOW THE JOURNEY IN REALTIME CLICK ON THIS LINK POLARSTEPS ( or copy this link https://www.polarsteps.com/SeanBurns/3976487-the-van-traveller into your browser for future reference) to see where I am whenever you like!)

A great website for tracking your journeys allowing others to follow your progress!

AND FINALLY………

It’s now 3.30pm and I’ll be setting off for Folkstone at 7pm. I think I have everything covered but I’m sure there will be something I’ve missed. Let’s just hope, it’s not anything important and easily obtained in France. The Eurotunnel train is booked for 7.20 am tomorrow, so will have to find something down there to sleep overnight.

As I’ve said, you can follow the journey on Polar steps via https://www.polarsteps.com/SeanBurns/3976487-the-van-traveller. To be honest while I am very excited about this trip, I am also very apprehensive. I’ll be posting via my instagram page “the van traveller” and posting longer pieces and pics/videos on this blog, tune in when you can, Sean.

BORING BUT NECESSARY BIT!

TRAVEL PREPARATIONS FOR VAN TRAVEL IN EUROPE REQUIRES TIME!

Important documents for driving in Europe

1. Full, valid driving licence and national insurance number YES
2. Proof of vehicle insurance YES
3. Proof of ID (passport) YES
4. V5C certificate (the ‘log book’) YES
5. Travel insurance documents YES
6. European Breakdown Cover policy number and documents YES
7. Before you travel ensure your vehicle’s tax and MOT are valid and up-to-date YES
8. Crit’air sticker if driving in France DONE

You may also need to carry other documents with you, namely:

• one or more international driving permits NOT NEEDED FOR THIS TRIP
• a separate UK sticker if planning to travel to Cyprus, Malta or Spain DONE

Required equipment for driving in Europe

1. Reflective jackets (there must be one for each passenger and be kept within the cabin of the car) DONE
2. Warning triangle (compulsory in most countries) DONE
3. Headlamp beam deflectors (depending on your car, you’ll either need deflector stickers or have to adjust the beam manually) NOT NEEDED ON A SPRINTER
4. Alcohol level breath testers DONE
5. UK car sticker (if you don’t have a GB Euro number plate, or no matter what’s on you number plate when driving in Cyprus, Malta or Spain) DONE
6. First aid kit (compulsory in Austria, France and Germany) DONE

Recommended things to take with you for Driving in Europe

1. Fire extinguisher DONE
2. Replacement bulbs NOT NEEDED
3. A high quality torch DONE
4. A spare fuel can DONE
5. Additional engine oil and water (for topping up) NOT NEEDED
6. An up-to-date road map or satellite navigation system IPHONE
7. Photocopies of important documents DONE
8. European Health Insurance card APPLIED FOR AND RECIEVED