Glastonbury Revisited

With a 3 month warranty to make use of, the more we could take Waky out and test out all his mechanical parts, the better, so off to Glastonbury we went!

We decided to stay at the Isle of Avalon campsite, somewhere we had camped together before I went to university 4 years previous. However, back then we only had a tent and it was so cold that we woke up to frost on our roof and all around us. This time we had the comfort of Waky, and a heater!

The place hadn’t changed and was still run by the same slightly crotchety woman, although it’s since transpired she does have a nice side, it just depends on your luck on the day. We found a pitch in between the residing caravans, some that housed permanent Glastonian residents and others which seemed to be for occasional use only. Waky was definitely noticed and we drove round to our pitch with smiles and waves from all the folks that saw him.





On the Saturday we went to the town of Street and bought Waky gifts of a fun bin in the same design as Lemon Jelly’s KY album, some stumpy wine glasses, a cushion and numerous other trinkets that we’d thought of over a beer at The Bear Inn.



Another reason to visit Glastonbury at this time is to chance a sight of the starling murmuration at Ham Wall. And lucky we were. At dusk literally thousands of starlings flocked to the area. We wandered along the canal and took some photos before finding a local pub where we checked out our photos over a beer and some snacks.







When back at the campsite we made use of all the fun stuff we’d bought that day in Street and made more beans for dinner. That night, I remember walking back from the loos thinking how great Waky looked all lit up with fairy lights twinkling in the cab and his roof glowing purest green in the dark. We retired reviewing the RMetS photo competition entries, which after a while descended to ‘fireplace face’, an awesome game, invented in the moment which is as simple as Google imaging the word ‘fireplace’ and then racing to point out the funniest face you can see whilst shouting ‘face’!





The next day we did as you do in Glastonbury and climbed the Tor, bought a crystal and headed to The Blue Note Cafe where we treated ourselves to falafel platters with wedges and beans. A nostalgic weekend away for us and Waky’s first taste of Glastonbury magic.

The Adventures Begin

We were optimistic we’d love Waky so much and he would be the one that we got a lift down to West Sussex with David in the hope that we could then just drive Waky away ourselves. We hadn’t met Waky before, only seen pictures of him modelling on the Spaceroofs’ website: http://www.spaceroofs.co.uk/type-2-brazilian-poptop-roof.htm





When we met him, we immediately fell in love. We were given a tour of his features by one of the lads that worked at VW Kampers and after a 2 hour wait for payment to be authorised we were set! Off to Hurst View in the New Forest – our favourite campsite and somewhere we had only been with tents before.





Driving Waky for the first time was hilarious. It felt like he was all over the road but we soon realised that was the to be expected sloppiness you feel driving a bus. To adjust the seat position, you had to use brute force and to keep warm, you had to find a blanket! To be fair, the heating did work, but you had to position your leg right next to where the heat is output from the little box behind the gearstick, and in all honesty, it was not enough to make good on the freezing January temperatures.

As we hadn’t seen Waky in the flesh for long, I can remember not being able to remember the exact colour of him, so I kept having to take photos of his reflection in the side mirror to try to work it out!

We arrived at our trusty campsite about 9ish, popped the roof, cracked open a beer and made beans – Bush’s vegetarian beans - saved from our last trip to America. We grilled toast and by using the stove, Waky was so comfortably warm! With the hook-up, we had endless light and music and it wasn’t long, with bellies full, before we unrolled the rock and roll bed and drifted off to the sounds of an approaching storm!





It was quite a storm in fact and in the early hours, I awoke with water dripping on my head. It wasn’t a big drip but it was enough to soak the sheets in the corner, so I just moved a bit closer to Tim and thought we’ll sort it in the morning. Turns out it was a small leak in the space roof but nothing a bit of sealant hasn’t managed to fix.

After a few more hours sleep we awoke to sunlight flooding through the windows and blue skies. Waky’s yellow curtains accentuated this and he glowed, filled with the warmth and energy of the morning. We dozily rose, got on with making some tea and unbelievably, as it was so warm, had our first ever Waky breakfast in t-shirts with the doors open. A feat of magic that Waky seems to excel in – no matter what the time of year – he makes the sun shine! What a way to start our lives together!