Author: tref

VW campervan a bit of luxury at Latitude Festival

We took our VW campervan Betty to the Latitude festival this year with a group of friends. There were 4 vans and a trailer tent in a corral around our bbq/firepit.

The photo shows us nearly ready to come home. The van is fully loaded with all our kids’ stuff. We slept in the van in the Latitude campervan field and the 4 kids, mostly grown up now, and girlfriend Charlotte slept in one of the tent fields.

Each day we cooked a communal breakfast on the bbq, pitching in the bacon and sausages as required. On the Sunday this turned into a relaxing brunch and by around 10.30 am we had cracked open the wine. The great thing about being at a festival is the total lack of responsibility. Do what you want when you want. The van’s stereo really came into its own with a Sunday morning Spotify playlist that included lots of laid back jazz – Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington etc. We made it to the main arena for 2pm ish ready for the music.

We hardly knew any of the bands playing at Latitude but found enough there to enjoy ourselves. It’s a generational thing I think. At night on the way back to the van we stopped off at Keith Allen’s cabaret at the Alcove bar and drank frozen cocktails.

Each evening when we got back after the day’s festivities we would throw some slow burning logs on the fire pit and sit around drinking, toasting marshmallows and passing round the choccies.

Each campervan had its own awning. We had our porta potty in ours, tucked between the van and the inner door of the awning. This came in very handy. Normally if you are caught short on a campsite there is a handy hedge. Not at Latitude. They cram the vans in so much that there is nowhere discrete available and the walk to the official (and smelly) loos is miles. Lots of thirst quenching cold beers during the hot Latitude days had a knock on effect at night…

On the Monday when everyone was leaving we took our time to pack up. No point in rushing when the traffic is likely to be very heavy. Instead we chilled out and eventually set off for the seaside at Southwold for a spot of lunch.

It turned out to be the hottest day of the year but we happily trundled home at a steady 55mph with air conditioning going at full blast (ie windows down). The kids made it back before us and were abel to lend a hand emptying the van.

That night we had another bbq, this time on our Weber in the back garden, and went to bed early totally shattered but happy. What a great festival weekend.

Campervan Betty is available for hire for festivals and other holidays. Please get in touch if you’d like to know more.

VW Campervan laden down setting off for Latitude

Our preparations for heading off to the Latitude Festival on Thursday continue. I’ve been out to buy some supplies specified by our daughter Hannah who is a veteran Festival goer.

The main items appear to be 500 ml bottles of water – this being the size that they allow into the Arena. There are also pot noodles of various ilk and lots of pre packed pains aux chocolat for breakfast (assuming that’s how you spell it). We also have lots of cans of lager and cider left over from a recent 19th birthday party so they will be coming with us.

Personally we like to do things in a little more style. We will be stocking the fridge with some decent beer and a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne that we happen to have in the kitchen fridge.

There are seven of us going in total including our 4 mostly grown up kids and Joe’s girlfriend Charlotte. Tom, our eldest is coming up from London but the other four are heading off in the Micra whilst we go in our van Betty.

Betty will be laden down with stuff, including three tents, our awning, all the supplies, a guitar and a bbq. We are travelling in convoy with some other campervan owning friends so that we can all stick together in the campervan field when we get there.

We also have a flagpole with a variety of flags – Mexico, Isle of Man, Wales, Pirate and Uganda. The fave of the moment is Uganda. Suspect we might take the flagpole down when we aren’t around the van but we’ll see when we get there.

The best thing is that we will be able to play the Latitude playlist on the new bluetooth radio when we are headed down. Just to get in the mood:)

If you are looking to hire a VW campervan in Lincolnshire do get in touch.

VW campervan gets bluetooth radio – hands free & sat nav

VW campervan Betty now has a Bluetooth and DAB enabled hifi system that will talk to your smartphone and let you hook up your Sat Nav. The JVC KD-D897BT is a high end bit of kit that fits nicely into the original dashboard of the campervan.

A microphone situated behind the steering wheel allows you to take calls legally whilst driving along. Sat Nav audio also plays through the speakers which makes for a much safer drive when you are trying to find that beach or campsite for the first time.

What’s more we have been playing our favourite tunes on Spotify through the stereo. Two large speakers in the footwell underneath the 3/4 rock and roll bed and two smaller ones in the front make for a great sound overall. We have a retro playlist that includes the Beach Boys (natch) and other surfing tunes that we use when heading for the beach.

VW campervan Betty has been in use recently at festivals and next weekend she is heading for Latitude in Suffolk. She will be in the general campervan field with a few others. If you are at Latitude and have time come and see us and take a peek at the van.

Betty is perfect for Festivals. The new hifi has an USB socket that can be used to trickle charge your mobile phone and valuables are a lot safer locked away out of sight in the campervan than left in a tent.

What’s more cooking the bacon sandwich in the mornings is easy peasy on the built in two ring gas cooker. Just what you need to set yourselves up for another day’s partying.

Anyone wanting to find out more about hiring VW campervan Betty please feel free to get in touch through our contacts page.

Lincolnshire based VW campervan pictured at local festival

We took our VW early bay camper van Betty to a mini festival in Lincolnshire. Thought this picture was great – taken at dusk with the bar and barbecue area visible in front of the big tent. That night everyone camped over, mostly in tents, but there were a few of us who managed the relative luxury of our camper vans in a quiet corner of the field.

The food was provided by Fosters butchers of Monks Road in Lincoln – freshly prepared burgers and spicy Lincolnshire sausages. We operated two barbecues. One for Caribbean jerk chicken provided by our friend Shannon and the other for the burgers and sausages. The jerk chicken was a real hit and Fosters are always reliable for the other meat.

The high point of the festival was local Lincoln band The Pylons who the previous weekend had graced the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury, an altogether larger affair. An enthusiastic crowd bopped away to some of their fantastic tunes.

When the last notes had died down we finished the last of the beer barrels, provided by The Pheasantry brewery, and retired to the comfort of our wonderful VW camper van Betty. We slept soundly and woke up at around 7.30, boiling the kettle for the first cup of tea of the day.

The festival had lined up barbecued sausage and bacon rolls which really hit the spot after a night of partying.

VW campervan Betty is available for hire – the perfect accommodation for festivals, short breaks and longer trips around the UK. If you would like to know more please contact Anne via our contact page.
Look out for photos from Latitude Festival which is next up on the bookings.

Anne’s Vans is a Lincoln based VW Campervan rental company. Ideally placed for holidays to the East Coast, Yorkshire, Northumberland, the Peak District and other destinations in and around the UK.

VW camper salt & pepper pots

We are now proud owners of a really cool VW camper van salt and pepper pots cruet set to go in Betty. This is to accompany the VW camper van egg cups we talked about the other week. Thinking about it the salt and pepper is ideal for seasoning your boiled eggs, although that’s not particularly what we had in mind when we saw them. We just thought they looked cute.

The season is upon us and we are heading out in Betty ourselves one night this week. Don’t know where yet but photos will be forthcoming. Skegness maybe!

Betty has her first festival booking of the season. She is headed to Southwold for the Latitude Festival. Using a VW camper van for a festival is the perfect accommodation because it doesn’t matter if it rains. You have somewhere cosy to collapse in at the end of a hard day’s partying. You can also recharge your mobile phone overnight as well as playing your fave tunes on Betty’s in car stereo on the journey down (up?).

If anyone has any suggestions for other cool VW camper van accessories for Betty then please by all means leave a comment on the Anne’s Vans Facebook Page. Every suggestion given fair consideration 🙂

Anne’s Vans is a Lincoln based VW camper van hire business. Our first van, Betty, is a fully restored 1971 T2 Bay window beauty and carries her original paint scheme. The interior has been revamped to modern standards. Betty was originally converted in the Devon Moonraker workshops. If you want to chat about hiring Betty please get in touch either using the contact details on this site or by messaging us on the Anne’s Vans Facebook Page.

Campervan for weddings

Great day out at the Norton Lodge wedding fair last Sunday. We took Betty along to show her off to dozens of happy couples lining up to check out offerings for their forthcoming nuptials.

It was quite thrilling to find that some people recognised her immediately off the Anne’s Vans Facebook Page. Shows the power of social media doesn’t it? The idea of having a chauffeur driven VW campervan for the wedding and then driving off in it on honeymoon the next day really got people interested.

Also on display n Sunday were flowers from our good friends at the Arbour. We partner with the Arbour for our floral displays.

Our weddings deal this season is a straight £300 for the chauffeur driven service for up to 4 hours and 50 miles with additional miles at £10 per block of 10. Flowers are extra and depend on what you want. You can either provide your own or get them from us/The Arbour – typically around £95 for the items seen in the video below.

If you hire Betty for your honeymoon we will park her up at a suitably convenient spot for you to drive off in and throw in some extras to help make your start to married life a success. Check out our Anne’s Vans wedding page for more info.

EASTER SPECIAL – 25% off VW campervan hire for all bookings made before the end of March 2016.

Spring is in the air, and we’re starting to think ahead to days spent in the great outdoors: Days out at the the beach, the sizzle of steaks on the barbecue and glasses of wine under the late-evening sun.

What better way to enjoy 2016 than to head for the coast in our classic 1971 T2 bay window campervan? Enjoy the sunset sat outside, and then turn in to the comfort of a modern rock and roll bed.

If you are thinking of a short break, or maybe longer, in and around the UK let us know – and take our Campervan, Betty, with you!

To chat about how we can help, message Anne on the Anne’s Vans Facebook page, call  on 01522 438888 or email anne@annesvans.com.

VW Campervan Betty at Norton Lodge Wedding Fair

Anne’s Vans are exhibiting our 1971 VW T2 bay window campervan Betty at the Norton Lodge Wedding Fair on Sunday 3rd April 2016, 12 noon until 4pm.

If you are planning your big day come along and see Betty in all her wedding finery. Have a sit in her stylishly upholstered comfy seats and just think about how great it would be to arrive at your wedding in supercool style.

You can also chat to Anne about how you might tailor campervan Betty for your big day. You are only limited by your imagination.

Anne’s Vans partner with The Arbour for our floral displays and you will be able to see examples of their work inside the campervan.

We will also be running a competition on the day where couples who “like” our Anne’s Vans Facebook page get entered in a free draw to win a bottle of champagne.

The Norton Lodge Wedding Fair has around 25 exhibitors in total which will allow you to check out all your wedding needs. Entry to the Wedding Fair is free of charge and there is ample free parking on site. There will also be a bouncy castle and a fully licensed bar!

Norton Lodge Conference Centre, Norton Disney, is set in tranquil surroundings of 14 acres. It is situated just off the A46, 10 minutes from Newark and the main line railway station, 15 minutes from Lincoln and just 5 miles from the A1. If you are looking for a wedding venue it’s a no-brainer to pop along for the afternoon.

A VW campervan is a fun and classy way to arrive at your wedding and provides a lovely backdrop for some of your photos after the ceremony. We can also provide you with some chilled champagne for the journey to the party venue.

Contact anne@annesvans.com if you would like to discuss your needs and to arrange a visit to view Betty.

Anne’s Vans in the press – local housewife turns entrepreneur

Anne’s Vans has been featured in Lincs Business Magazine with a story about how a local housewife has turned entrepreneur with her VW campervan hire business.

Their headline states “Revving Up Business” – a great bit of publicity for Anne’s business at the start of the new season.

We are going to be stepping up the marketing as we move into March so keep your eyes peeled for other snippets about VW campervan hire in Lincolnshire.

Anyone else wanting to hear Anne’s story should feel free to contact Anne directly using the contact form on this site.

About Anne’s Vans
Anne’s Vans is a VW campervan hire business based in Lincoln. If you are looking to rent a campervan for a holiday, long weekend, festival, party, wedding or a corporate event then look no further.

Cool dual egg cup for campervan Betty

Thought you’d like to see our new egg cup. It’s a dual job which you will find it in Betty when you hire her. Perfect for breakfast in the morning together with soldiers. Toast the bread under Betty’s gas grill and lightly boil the eggs on one of the gas rings:)

Always a bit of a dilemma we think, what to have for breakfast. Being in the great outdoors is always a good excuse for a fryup but it isn’t to everyone’s taste. Healthy living and all…

Thing is we think it’s obligatory to have a BBQ every night and if you are having a BBQ then you probably want some wine or beer to go with it which makes it even less likely that you want a healthy breakfast the next morning. Whatever you have at least you will probably already have the ingredients in the fridge. No point in messing about.

One of the great things about the campervan life is being able to roll up, literally, to a campsite, park up, fling the doors open and start the holiday. Even long journeys are a dream as when you fancy a cup of tea you simply pull in to a layby, stick the kettle on and, hey presto, a brew is on it’s way.

We graduated to campervans from tents. We were never caravanners but always thought we would one day upgrade from canvas to some wheels. In some respect it’s partly because we have four kids, three of whom have flown the coop, Our family tent would take six of us two hours to put up. How long it would take with just two of us goodness only knows.

Nowadays it’s not a problem of course as we can hop in Betty and take off for a weekend at the coast. Look out for other VW campervan accessories as we come across them:)

Anne at our Lincoln VW Campervan depot

Anne takes VW Campervan Betty for a spin for the first time this year. She fired up first time after spending a few months cosily locked up inside the garage at our Lincoln VW campervan depot in Great Northern Terrace.

Betty was being brought out to take some promotional shots for the local media. No doubt Anne will be sharing the links with you all once the feature(s) are published. Whilst we were at it we decided to do a quick video of the outside of Betty with her engine running. When the weather gets a bit brighter we will do one of the inside.

The video also shows the steel fencing of the depot with the gates that are locked each evening when we go home.

If you have any questions regarding hiring Betty please do get in touch – you can use the contact details on this website.

VW campervan attracts crowds – you will never be lonely

We took WV campervan Betty on a photoshoot day out and parked her in front of Lincoln Cathedral. She attracted the crowds with folk posing for photos of their own in front of her.

It’s amazing how many people have memories of owning their own campervan way back in the seventies. Built in 1971 Betty is what is known as an “early bay”. She is officially classified as a vintage vehicle and as such no longer attracts car tax.

Of course as a vintage vehicle she doesn’t drive like a modern car but you would be amazed at how comfortable a ride she is. In fact a ride in our Betty makes for a really relaxing trip. If you are looking for a break to take you away from the stresses of everyday life then Betty is the girl for you. 🙂

VW T2 campervan restoration was 3 a year project.

VW campervan Betty wasn’t always in the same pristine condition as you see her today. Seven years ago she was bought as a project and turned out there was quite a lot of work needing doing to her.

The work was carried out over a period of three years. In the first place she was carefully stripped down to bare metal. This was back breaking work but worth it in the end. Some metal was replaced and Betty was given two base coats of red lead. Then she was finished in her original factory colours – at some stage in her life she had been sprayed blue.

The interior was designed by specialist VW campervan outfit The Camper Shak. Her fitted units are in Furze Oak, including the cooker and sink units. You will find lots of nooks and crannies for storage all around the campervan. The ¾ rock and roll bed was designed to be really easy to put up (down?) and the seating is in a high quality vinyl which makes keeping the inside of the van clean whilst at the beach a lot easier. Betty was then fitted with three rear seat belts – two on the rock and roll bed and one on the rear facing single seat that houses the porta potty.

Whilst the mechanical aspects have replicated as near to as possible the original VW T2 bay spec the internals of the van have been designed with modern comfort in mind. There was in any case no original VW specification for the interior. These were all manufactured differently by the various specialist shops (Westfalia, Devon Moonraker, Dormobile etc). Betty’s interior layout sticks to her original Devon Moonraker design but the fittings are modern.

These fittings include LED lighting so as not to consume too much leisure battery as well as a fridge that runs off both battery and an electric hook up should one be available. There are also 3 pin electrical sockets for your appliances should you be plugged into an electrical hookup plus USB ports for mobile phone charging that work off both the hookup and the battery.

The flooring was provided by another specialist company called Madmatz.

The whole project took three years of painstaking effort. The upshot of all this work is a campervan that is almost like new but with far more comfort than the original 1971 version. We hope you will enjoy her.

Welcome to our new website! Take a look around our new site. See what you think! Anne’s Vans is a Lincoln based VW campervan hire business specialising in great looking vintage VW campervans. We aim to provide you with a great hire experience whether you are off to the beach on holiday, getting married or using it to get to an important event or party.

Our vans are refurbished to a very high quality and you can be sure that when you arrive at your destination heads will turn.

Our base in Lincolnshire is perfect if you live in the East Midlands and are looking to hire a VW campervan for a trip to the East Coast, Yorkshire, the Pennines, Derbyshire, the Lakes, Scotland or even Devon and Cornwall and Wales.

If festival going is your bag then arriving in one of our classic VW campervan will make you one of the coolest kids at the party.