A week has gone by and we are still buzzing from Camp Quirky. Never have we been surrounded by so many creative, like minded and seriously awesome people. And such a wide variety of people too. Full timers, weekend warriors, young, not so young, outdoorsy, quirky, singles, couples, families and friends. All walks of life coming together, sharing stories and ideas and talking about their favourite subject, vans!
And the vans, oh the vans! Hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful, quirky and unique self build campers, all with their own style and personality. I can't count how many times I said "no, wait, THIS one is my favourite!". It amazes me how clever and creative people can be with such a small space. We’ve come away with so many ideas for our next build, and the one after that, and the one after that too. It really is a self build camper paradise.
Where Camp Quirky excels is it's laid back approach. Everyone parks up, opens their doors and you can either hang out in your van and let people come to you or walk around, mingle and explore the what seems never ending beautiful vans around you. Everyone is keen to talk, ask questions and share knowledge, just simply enjoying the opportunity to learn from one another and inspire one another.
We were stoked to see some of our favourite vans in the flesh and meet the faces behind them. Having only ever seen pictures of Poppy the dog in @brownandbird's stunning van, it was great to meet (and see) Allanah and Jacqui. They are real, honestly! We knew we would love their van and it did not disappoint. Light, airy and despite its elegant design, efficient and practical. I have more photos of their garage than anything else from the festival!
Having met Laura, Naomi & Panda from @wanda_van on the rock last year, it was great to catch up and finally see inside their vans Wanda and Heidi. Wanda is a fellow high top Vivaro and Heidi is inspiring our next build so were equally excited to see both.
Laura and Naomi each have their own favourite, one loving the fixed bed in Heidi and the other loving the big daytime space in Wanda. For me, Heidi stole my heart. I just love her sunny colours and extra storage space. Sorry Wanda, we do love you too! Heidi and the Wanda girls are off on their adventures but you you can hire Wanda for your own travels here.
Needless to say Bear had a fantastic weekend. I'm quite sure he believed the whole festival had been put together just for him. With just under 2000 people and 150 dogs he wasn't short of opportunities to make friends. It was lovely to see so many happy dogs and responsible owners enjoying the festival together.
I have to say a big well done to Quirky Campers for holding such a successful low impact festival. The whole site was run on solar thanks to solar arrays and the very cool fire engine battery bank, the food stalls were plastic free and the bar used reusable cups. Laurie and I volunteered to do some litter picking and when we turned up for duty we were told there was no litter. One less job for our friend @makelitterpickingcool to do! We saw photos of the site after everyone had left and it was clean and tidy showing other festivals that a Leave No Trace festival can be achieved.
And when the sun began to set, the funky tunes kicked into gear setting the scene for people to dance the night away under glittering disco lights while campfire smells filled the air for those opting for a more relaxed evening.
Thank you to Quirky Campers and everyone involved for making it a weekend to remember. Camp Quirky, we'll see you again.
Watch our you tube video to see our Camp Quirky highlights.
For more info on Camp Quirky visit the Quirky Campers website where you can also hire one of their beautiful handmade camper vans for your own adventures.
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