My other half - Spencer – has loved bug buses since his Dad had a T25 when he was little, my interest was less specific, simply liking the lines and looks of that era of vehicle.  It was a latent love though; we hadn’t ever seriously entertained the idea of buying one until recently, after a spate of problems with our bikes.  Then we thought, wouldn’t a VW bus/camper be perfect for transporting bikes and bike parts, and perhaps holidaying in occasionally? Everyone was quick to put us off  – they don’t handle, they don’t stop, they don’t go very fast, they’re difficult to drive.  There was only one thing for it.  We’d have to find out for ourselves.

Hiring Dot was a great birthday present for Spence and a very worthwhile use of the money…but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Day 1 – 6th April 2007
Met Dot in the metal for the first time and was instantly impressed by her rock chick looks.  It was a little unnerving for us to set off on a road trip without a basic tool set, litre of oil and can of tyre weld, and that sense of unease never really went away, despite Dots impeccable behaviour, it meant we never forgot she was only on hire.

Our first stop was 20mins down the road (my parents) – where Dot instantly gained four fans (left to right Janet, Dingo, Mum, me, Mums sister Jane), all of whom took Snailtrail details.  Despite the initial problems we’d had adjusting to her lazy style, our grins were beginning to make our cheeks hurt and we were terribly proud to be her custodians.

Spence did all of the driving that first day, with me doing slightly random navigation.  Music was on the stereo and we were still smiling – all was well, we stopped in Lavenham to take photos of the church and then promptly got lost on some back roads while trying to circumnavigate the airfield.  It was a tired and hungry threesome that pulled on to the Suffolk Showground for a camping pitch.  We were fulfilling our aim of primarily travelling on B-roads, which had helped Spence gel with Dot.

With the roof up we could stop shuffling around like crones, the table and bed were easy to operate and we felt instantly at home snuggled up in her cabin, talking amicably about the drive over a beer.  I didn’t sleep well that night, despite Dot being 5-star accommodation, I was on driving duty the next day and I was terrified.

Dot at Lavenham

Day 2 – 7th April 2007
I got Dot started - I learnt quickly that Dot would happily pull herself around at tick over and was practically unstallable (unfortunately not completely as we were to discover later!).  My first stint was on an A-road, which I thought would be easier, but I wasn’t reckoning on Dot's lorry rut fetish – after hauling her bodily out, she’d quietly sidle back in, so I started looking forward to the B-roads.  It was then I really discovered what a delight Dot is to drive – highly manoeuvrable and surprisingly agile for a big lass she tackled the winding Suffolk roads with aplomb and threaded neatly through every town and village.  It was these traits that meant we often called her Moth – the name of our ex-police Honda Pan European – as they were very similar.

Soggy Dot at Suffolk showground
On reaching Walberswick Dot was parked contently near the beach and was now cosying up to a T25 considerably older than herself.  After a quick brew she waved goodbye to her new found friend and ferried us to Southwold, which was crowded, plus we had the dubious pleasure of being tailed by a police car all the way through the town.  We stuck to an indicated 30 and kept our fingers crossed!

Our quest post lunch was to find a campsite with hook-up - we struck gold with a campsite in Sizewell, and putting aside doubts that we’d all end up glowing green by the end of the night, we tottered back down the coast. After settling Dot down, we wandered off to the local pub for our treat meal out, wandering back when it started to fill up so that we could experience the full glory of electric hook-up i.e. light and music for the rest of the evening, before falling asleep to the sound of the sea.

Day 3 – 8th April 2007
Next morning we walked on the seafront while Dot sunbathed and dried off after a -3C night, although with our towels draped over her spare wheel and her natural tendency to look slightly cross eyed, she appeared to have a heavy cold!

After spying a phenomenal church on the way into Eye, we took full advantage of a convenient parking space – and an open Co-op – to pause and have a wander round the town, church and castle.  In the end we were to pass back through Eye a further three times that day en route to different places, so they got to know us well!  We ended up back in Eye and discovered that campervans do stall, and are reluctant to re-start.  We were on an uphill stretch, waiting to turn right when it happened.  Dot, in possibly the most conspicuous and obstructive spot possible, had decided she’d seen enough of Eye and wasn’t going a step further.  For what seemed like an age she crossed her arms and flatly refused to start as our embarrassment ramped, before deciding that actually this hill wasn’t doing her any good and she graciously coughed in to life and we moved on.

We holed up on the nature reserve to cook supper and it was there that fortune truly smiled on us.  Someone drove in, who had spotted Dot from the road and, having a 55 plate camper himself, wanted a closer look.  We were happy to oblige and asked if he knew if we could stay at the reserve overnight.  He offered us the chance to park in his back garden instead – which we gladly accepted – and Dot had the chance to spend the night with one of her sisters – an immaculate metallic green camper, also on 14000miles.  We spent a good while discussing them before settling down for the night, and having little else to offer we left a make-your-own-Dot and two Easter eggs as a thank you when we departed in the morning.

Day 4 – Monday 9th April 2007    

Dot and her sister
This final journey back to Edworth was more a case of making great time rather than having a great time, and was the only part of the weekend where we didn’t park up at a moments notice.  It was also on this journey that we discovered the downside to driving such an iconic vehicle.  The problem is people driving towards her tend to look – and therefore steer – at her, which can be unnerving on narrow roads.  Hence when negotiating a left hand bend while trying to avoid a tree branch on the apex, the very last thing Dot or I needed was a Peugeot coming the other way to cross into our lane.  The tree branch suddenly became the softer option L.

Paranoia set in again as we were leaving Clare, as we had to rapidly revise our appraisal of the two bikers stood on the side of the road, when one of them flagged us down just in time for us to see the police liveried BMW’s.  My mind when into overdrive – where were the documents? Was the branch damage horrific? Had we been speeding?  The policeman however was quick to reassure us; it was simply that he’d seen a 56 plate bay heading the other way shortly before Dot broke the horizon and he wanted to know where they were built and how much they cost!

We stopped for lunch just outside Baldock.  It was a subdued affair.  I packed the remaining food in the cool bag, checked all the cubby holes for our possessions and stowed them on the rear shelf.  We washed up, put the crockery away and returned Dot to the state she was in when we picked her up.  Suddenly we really were taking her home.  The last few miles were done in near silence apart from directions.  We hadn’t stopped talking and laughing all weekend, but now there didn’t seem much to say.  The turn in to the farm had my heart in my boots; even Dot’s indicator wouldn’t stay on.  She flattered me hugely on parking up, slotting neatly back into the space we’d departed from 3 days earlier.  I put on the hand brake, found neutral, switched off the ignition, put my head on the steering wheel and cried.  The three of us had worked as a team all weekend.  We’d had an amazing time coupled with a steep learning curve.  Fortune had smiled on us more than once and we’d achieved our aim – to find out if we could live with a type 2 VW camper.  The answer is yes.  The question now is how long can we stand being without one?  We had a lovely weekend, out of time, in a world of our own.

I just hope Dot enjoyed herself too.