A Weekend In Cornwall With Our Quirky Camper, Agnes

Are you a family that really loves the idea of camping in a van, but have literally no experience? Does the thought of trying to do every day things, in a small van, make you really anxious? Yes, that was us also! I think it's made worse for us by the fact that my parents are EXPERTS with anything to do with camping or vans! They not only help to run a campsite but they have had vans for as long as I can remember and they currently have a van that is so big, it puts most homes to shame! They are forever talking about new gadgets, maintenance and things that generally sound very scary! Although I grew up enjoying many trips with them, I was far too busy running around playing to learn anything and as soon as I was old enough, was off on my own adventures, but none of them in a van!

QUIRKY
There is something so appealing about being so close to nature and the freedom that comes with a camper van, that we just could not resist it anymore, especially when we came across Quirky Campers on Instagram. We were instantly captivated by not just the quirky and unique features of all the vans, but also the love and care that has gone into creating such incredible little homes. From the time of deciding to book a van, we received the best customer service from Quirky Campers. The lovely Caroline, personally helped us choose a van and on doing so, we were soon introduced to the camper vans owner, who also did everything they could to make sure our experience was perfect.

MEET AGNES AND HER FREEDOM
We chose the lovely Agnes , who resides in Cornwall, a three hour drive from our home in Porthcawl. At first we decided to bring Agnes back to Wales and spend the weekend in the Brecon Beacons but after hearing of Cornwall's beauty, we decided to stick around! We picked Agnes up from the beautiful little town on St Agnes, but not before stopping in the mysterious town of Tintagel on the way. The kids really enjoy learning about history and when we told them the legend of King Arthur and Merlin, we all just had to see it. We loved it so much and didn't get enough time to see everything we wanted, so we decided we would pick Agnes up and head straight back to Tintagel. At this point, we already started to feel the freedom of camping in a van and I must admitt, it is beautiful feeling!

WHAT HAPPENS AT PICK UP?
On picking Agnes up, we had already transferred all the documents over to her owner, which meant for a speedy pick up. The greeting was very warm and finished with a tour of Agnes, so we knew exactly what was what. I can tell you this put my mind at ease, so before we even pulled away, all those niggling questions and worry had left me. Polly, the owner, gave me her contact details and was at the end of the phone if I needed anything, again, a weight lifted! I was then directed to Agnes' guide, written by her owners. It contained everything we needed to know, from how to put the water on to tips on how to drive her, which leads me to what was my next worry!

BUT WHAT IF I CRASH?
Im sure it's something that goes through all our heads when we pick up any hire vehicle, but this was especially true when I picked up Agnes who was built with so much love and care. However, I soon read about all the memories that had been made in Agnes' guide, which put me to ease along with learning of the inclusive insurance that is arranged for you. So, with all my experience from driving transit vans, through so many home moves, I was off! Cornwall does have quite small, windy roads at times, but nothing that careful driving and sensible speeds can't handle.

ANY PROBLEMS?
The whole weekend, was a dream. We did not have a single fault or problem with Agnes and we did not have a drop of rain. Now I can't promise you the latter, but if you have even half the fun, freedom and fresh air we did, you will never forget your experience with Agnes or Quirky Campers. We wanted for nothing, She came with everything we needed, grill, hobs, sink and even spot lights in the ceiling and plug sockets! Don't be fooled by her exterior, she is quite equipped. We drove around to explore the area, we caught probably the best sunset we have ever seen from the side of the road, and we snuggled in together at night, before bed, with hot chocolate, made with hot water from the best kettle EVER! In fact, I had so much fun experiencing Agnes and camping in a van, that I forgot on several occasions that, yes, I should probably take some photos!

WHAT DID THE KIDS THINK?
If you have children, there is nothing more you can do for them, than take them on a trip in a camper van, with bunk beds AND fairy lights. PS Agnes has all of these things. Give it a try! Ask your kids if they would enjoy it and pop their response in the comments, so I have can have a chuckle. Legal notice: I can not be held responsible for the constant nagging you experience afterwards, as to when it is going to happen! Agnes has space for three small bunks, but Polly her owner, kindly only put two in the van so we would have more room. Of course you also have the seating area that converts into a spacious double bed at night time, well actually, whenever you want! If you want to sit and watch the sea all day in bed, why not? They didn't ask for their iPad or our phones to play on, they were too busy enjoying the experience and when we did activities, we coloured in their books and played eye spy! There was no bed time struggle in Agnes by the way. I don't know if you've ever slept in a camper van but everyone sleeps like logs. If anyone knows why that is, please let me know :)

WHERE CAN YOU GO WITH HER?
In the UK, Cornwall apparently is becoming less and less friendly for campers, but I have to say we did not have any problems. I can't speak for summer, where it apparently does get very busy, but we visited in mid March and it seemed like the perfect place for a camper van. There are of course a lot of camping sites you can book in or turn up to, if you would like to hook up to electricity and run heaters etc, and you can pay anywhere between £10 and £40 a night. This of course, will come with some facilities but we wanted a really authentic experience and so decided to look at other options. I always thought you could just park anywhere you want and sleep, but that is not the case. There are some free sites out there and a great app to find these is park4night but if you want to park on the roads, you have to make sure you have permission and if using car parks, be sure to pay the fees noted. Cornwall had some great car parks, geared toward campers and we paid just £4 for 24 hours in King Arthur car park! We also had home made food and drinks in the King Arthur pub next to it, the one evening, it was lovely. It wasn't cheap, but you get what you pay for and we figured we had saved a load on pitching :) A lot of pubs in the area also offer the option, for you to park in their car park for free, if you have food and or drinks.

WILL WE BOOK AGNES AGAIN?
The answer is yes. YES YES YES. Nothing brings a family together like camping, and after doing it in a van, I'm hooked. You do not have any putting up and down of tents, you don't leave her behind when you go exploring, she comes with you. There was no manual labour or hard work involved, like I thought there would be. It wasn't complicated at all, in fact she showed me the beauty in simplicity. She came with a helpful little camping toilet which was so easy to empty and the water that was provided with her, lasted the whole weekend. If your going to book Agnes in the thick of winter, it would be best to bring a heater and hook up on a site, but otherwise you can use her all year round. We've fallen in love with Agnes and what she offers. We made memories that we will never forget, so I have asked her owners if they could make us her twin <3 If you're going to camp in a van, go Quirky!