Messing About in Boats
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial|Issue 156
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
ELLEN MANNING
Messing About in Boats

The Wind in the Willows’ Water Rat pretty much sums up what seems to be the view of many a VW owner, whose adventures aren’t complete without a bit of a mess around in the water. Of course, owning a bus alone provides virtually endless opportunities for adventure, entertainment and exploration, but for lots of us the addition of a kayak, canoe, paddleboard or even a small boat adds an extra dimension to your travels. Whether it’s a calm, still expanse of lake, the gentle flow of a river, or the slight lull of the tide on an estuary, everything else falls away with the simplicity of being out there on the water with all the sights, sounds and simplicity that comes with it.

Our foray into adventures on the water came fairly soon after we joined the T5 family. A Saturday night second-hand eBay purchase after too many glasses of vino saw us welcome Realwood, a tiny dinghy with an even tinier four-stroke engine to the family. A week later we were down in Salcombe in Devon playing at modern-day versions of Swallows and Amazons, exploring creeks and beaches, tootling round the harbour, and enjoying bemused looks at the sight of two amateurs and a dog squeezed into a tiddler of a boat compared to some of the serious bits of machinery on show.

Fast forward a couple of years and a birthday expedition saw us hiring kayaks and paddleboards at Germany’s Bodensee for a day of watery adventure. The tranquility of gliding across the water away from civilisation, leaving the shore and all its noise behind, with only the sound of a paddle in the water, captivated me and me went on to add an inflatable ‘SUP’ to the kit list for the van.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 156-Ausgabe von Volkswagen Camper and Commercial.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 156-Ausgabe von Volkswagen Camper and Commercial.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS VOLKSWAGEN CAMPER AND COMMERCIALAlle anzeigen
Lance & Lisa Beaver tell the story of their...‘Old School' Westfalia Bay
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Lance & Lisa Beaver tell the story of their...‘Old School' Westfalia Bay

The history of our bus is varied. I heard that it used to belong to a soccer player who lived in it for a while, and a tale of a cross country trip that was taken in it. Since we’ve owned it, we have been to numerous car shows with our car club Kahiko Kula and enjoy that immensely, but taking it camping is our joy.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Issue 156
Messing About in Boats
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Messing About in Boats

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Issue 156
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Hector A Cautionary Tale.

We’d wanted a splitscreen bus for years. And first got the bug, after hiring one for a holiday in Cornwall in 2009.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Issue 156
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Ruby Red

Since the tender age of just 3, Joanne Dix has been into splitscreen Volkswagens.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Issue 156
Playing with Fire
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Playing with Fire

‘There we were, all just sitting around the campfire...’

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Issue 156
Four lads take on Le Mans
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Four lads take on Le Mans

We’d had the Le Mans 24 hour race on our bucket list for a long, long time...

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Issue 156
Happy 70th Birthday, Miss Sofie!
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Happy 70th Birthday, Miss Sofie!

This T1 Bulli from 1950 is the world’s oldest street-legal VW bus and is kept in VWCV’s Classic Vehicles collection in Hannover.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
Issue 156
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay…
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay…

Lockdown Projects.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
Issue 156
California Dreamin'
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

California Dreamin'

The beginning of our second week and we were being treated to a day out...

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Issue 156
Brochure Line - A 2.6 litre T3!
Volkswagen Camper and Commercial

Brochure Line - A 2.6 litre T3!

Taking a peep at a highly desirable VW Bus few of us will ever see in its ‘Exclusiv’ finery

time-read
2 Minuten  |
Issue 156