Just found a photo of our first camper van (1 Viewer)

[Allanm]

Love the barn door splittie. I went to buy one before we bought our blue VW, the seller knew I was coming and said he would keep it for me. I got to his house just as the van was being driven away by its new owner....
I wasn't too happy after travelling 80 odd miles to see it.

 

[Neckender]

Our son has a 1965 splittie and a 1972 Westphalia both he as fully restored, he imported the splittie from California with no rust.

John.

 

[Allanm]

Heres our other early vans. A 1978 Ford CI Motorhome, picture taken around 1988 somewhere in the UK. Mrs A and and my two eldest plus Sweep the dog under the table. Our other dog ( an Alsatian) had gone off exploring.
And our 2nd VW, bought just after it had been restored, about 1991. This was at a marina on the river Rance about 1994 where my sister keeps her yacht. Featuring Mrs A and our youngest, now 24.
We kept the VW till 2000 and sold it stupidly cheap. Its still going strong somewhere according to DVLA and recently passed its MOT.

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[MR. FUSION]

 

[scotzsue]

Love looking at these photographs of old or fiirst vans first car i drove regularly was a Morris Oxford Farina mk2 (i think) First motorhome looked like a garden shed on the back of a cut off van, wish I had a photo.

 

[mitzimad]

my first camping trip was in a j2 van dad was a van dealer and we had one weekend in canvey and then two weeks in cornwall mattress in the back calor bottle with an old cast iron boiling ring circa 1960

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[Snowbird]

My first camper was a Standard Atlas Devon conversion. The first one that I jointly owned with a camera was this Commer self build.

 

[Allanm]

First camper I sat in was our new Bedord Dormobile. I have a picture somewhere of me in it, It must have been late 50's or early 60's. I remember sitting in the drivers seat playing with the column change. I wasn't interested in the back of the van and its layout yet! My mates parents had a Standard Atlas

 

[Allanm]

SNAP.
@Allanm, you say "..Pointe du Raz (I think).." - looks very similar to the headland at Pointe de la Torche to me.

Give that man a coconut!
I just found our ( handwritten) blog of that trip, and it is as you say.
I was just amazed at the mileage we covered on that 3,week holiday.
Midlands to Portsmouth, over to Cherbourg, all around Brittany, then down to La Rochelle and back to Cherbourg.
And no toll roads.....

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[Anthea M]

Give that man a coconut!
I just found our ( handwritten) blog of that trip, and it is as you say.
I was just amazed at the mileage we covered on that 3,week holiday.
Midlands to Portsmouth, over to Cherbourg, all around Brittany, then down to La Rochelle and back to Cherbourg.
And no toll roads.....

Lovely! No seat belts no air on no proper toilet no proper fridge!!!etc and I bet you had some fantastic holidays!!

 

[Allanm]

We had a fan on the dashboard. The fridge was one that you poured water into the back and it cooled by evaporation. The toilet was a porta potti but we stayed in municipal campsites and a few times behind churches or in supermarket car parks. No Aires then.
No restrictions on where you could drive or park and a Boulangerie in every village
And yes, we had great times.

 

[Camdoon]

Great pic, yellow headlamps, another strange French idea.

It was so they could tell if the Germans with their white lights were invading.

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[Anthea M]

Yes we did in the early 1980s but in a pup tent! Every village had a Tabac Boulangerie and butchers and a municipal campsite ( very cheap and basic!) no credit cards and travellers cheques or cash and banks that never seemed to open when we needed them ! But on the plus side plat du hours were cheap and so was the local plonk was cheap!
We did 2500 miles in a G reg mini with slide windows! And travelled around in our swim wear to keep cool!!
Ahh to be young ... Happy Days!!

 

[Snowbird]

As posted on another thread. One of my earlier attempts at a home built campervan. It didnt catch on, but certainly made my hair curl .

 

[Allanm]

We did 2500 miles in a G reg mini with slide windows! And travelled around in our swim wear to keep cool!!
Ahh to be young ... Happy Days!!

With those sticky plastic seats?
I just wore a sleeveless t shirt and shorts.....

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[Anthea M]

With those sticky plastic seats?
I just wore a sleeveless t shirt and shorts.....

Sat on a towel if I remember !

 

[Photo4x4]

I also remember this was there place with the smelliest toilet I have ever been in.........

You have obviously never been in one after me then...

kh

 

[linesman]

This is my first van a Bedford Dormobile , I remember in the hot weather driving along with sliding doors open ,no air con then.

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[linesman]

Oops !

 

[linesman]

 

[Wildbill]

View attachment 93822 My first camper was a VW type 2 bay window but our first family one when I was a kid was a converted mini bus.

My dad converted a comer van to a camper
Willdbill

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[Revolvor]

Driving from Oman to Abu Dhabi in our Camper that we converted from an Omani Police Bus

 

[linesman]

View attachment 108072 View attachment 108073

 

[Mountain man]

Here is a picture of our first camper van.It was used daily as it was our only mode of transport.We wild camped every weekend close to the hill ranges were we walked.
It also so action down in the south of France.

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[duane0001]

Still got mine, here’s me cooking up Hong Kong style crispy chicken last week!

 

[movan]

Brilliant resurrected thread..... some lovely memories of funsters too included.

Debs Jenben Scout Stretto Boy CWH

 

[Dorwyn]

I don't suppose anyone's got a picture of an Oxley Coachworks van conversion? Based in Craven Street, Hull, they were one of the first to do conversions on VWs (they claimed at one time to be the only UK company to deal direct with VW), Commers, Transits, Austin J4, etc. Prior to that they built Residential Caravans (Sunbeam), and later the Cuisine range of trailer tents. Family interest.

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[Jev88]

Seeing as there is some love for old campers I found this. My Dad bought it as the daily runabout and we managed a couple of holidays to Cornwall..... Both times we came back with the AA...... Checked and looks like it finally passed away 1999.

 

[mitzimad]

I never liked those Commers even in the day but that one looks fab.
My uncle used to convert those, and their contemporaries, as just one side of his business, mostly as coachbuilts.

austin j2 first van i ever slept in mattress in the back and one cast iron burner on a calor bottle

 

[dodfloss]

Brilliant, thanks to everyone who sent pictures.

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