This 5-star experience changed my mind about camping
There's nothing I love more than a day spent outside. Hiking, kayaking, drinking wine in a pub garden…. You name it, I love the outdoors life.
One outdoor activity I do not love, however, is camping. The few times I've attempted to camp I've packed it in a few days early, eager to get back to my bed.
All of that changed this summer, however, when I was offered the chance to hire a campervan from Quirky Campers.
Meeting Embla
My Quirky Camper of choice was called Embla, and we hired her from James and Jacqui, who live just outside Barnstaple in Devon. When we first set eyes on Embla, I wondered if we'd made a mistake. She was huge, and clearly very precious to Jacqui and James.
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But Embla's owners quickly put us at ease, reassuring us that accidents happen, and they totally understood if their van came home with a few scrapes.
I am happy to report she did not come into any peril, but their relaxed approach made me, a van novice, feel so much more comfortable.
Jacqui and James also drove us to a large local car park, so we could get used to driving Embla without fear of other cars interfering, which again, gave us an injection of confidence.
Inside Embla
From the outside, my home for the week looked like any other van. Inside she was more stylish than my own flat – and better equipped too.
The back of the van opened out to reveal a pink-tiled kitchen, endless storage space, fairy lights as well as lighting throughout the van, a super soft bed, feather pillows and even a cradle so you could lie in bed and watch telly on your tablet on wet and windy evenings – of which there were a few while we camped in Cornwall.
The kitchen had everything you need to cook a meal, with gas-powered hobs and an oven, plus there was a fridge, a sink for washing up and a pull-out table. Embla was also home to more pans than I own, every utensil under the sun, a Bluetooth speaker (essential for the vibes), USB chargers… the list goes on.
When you opened the back doors of the van, there was even more storage as well as a handheld shower, and another extendable table. Jacqui has truly thought of everything in the van, even supergluing or velcroing things down, so they don't slide about as you drive.
She'd even put felt dividers between the pans so they didn't clatter. The attention to detail was astonishing and I found myself wishing she could come to my home and organise everything.
Storage space
One of the things that has always bugged me about camping is having all my things out all of the time. I can't stand clutter! But in Embla, there was so much storage, we managed to keep our suitcases, fold up bike and wetsuits out of sight, keeping the space clear for cooking and eating and chilling of an evening.
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High maintenance
I'm notoriously high maintenance. I like to wash and style my hair most days, and warm showers are essential, which is one of the key reasons camping has not appealed, but after a few days of being a van person, it was growing on me.
I even found I enjoyed plodding off to the shower block of an evening, to brush my teeth and wash my hair alongside the other campers. There was a sense of community, and I felt part of a gang, all enjoying outdoor life together. I especially liked when the other campers had a peek inside Embla and were as wowed by my mega van as I was!
When it was time to pack all our stuff back into Embla and drive off, I felt sad saying goodbye to our new van life! Camping in Embla offered the five-star experience of a hotel, fused with the happy community of camping, and that's a combination not to be sniffed at.
