Dorothy is a handcrafted, unique and beautiful campervan, with her furniture made from super-lightweight Poplar ply which is a gorgeous pale gold colour. She was completed in 2019.

As you can probably tell, I love my flowery van and I’m very sad to be moving on from her. However with 3 growing teenagers it is time to move to a slightly larger van so we can enjoy our nomadic holidays for a few more years.

The furniture was made by a local craftsperson who put a lot of effort in to making it perfect. The dresser has a number of cupboards, a pull out cantilevered stove drawer, 2 large drawers on easy-glide runners, space for an ice box (we’ve never needed a fridge even in the south of France), and a superb, removable camp kitchen. All of the dresser doors close with a stylish press button knob. The camp kitchen has 2 drawers and 4 cubbyholes which will fit all your kitchen kit.

The camp kitchen, ice box and stove are all removable so if you’re camping in a tent and need the kitchen under the canvas, you can pop it straight inside. The ice box and stove are also great to take on to the beach without unpacking everything if you’re out for a long beach day – no hiking back to the van for bacon butties while you watch the sun go down as everything is with you already. (The ice box is also good for an extra seat if you need it.) When I was planning Dorothy I was going for the least carbon impact I could have in a Diesel van, so that was part of my decision not to run a fridge which would sit empty most the time, and wouldn’t be as easy to clean and air.

The table is removable, matches the dresser and bed and has an early 20th century map of the South West embossed on it. The map used to be owned by a man who lived in Plymouth and drove all over the South West on his motorbike in the 1920s. (I had this story from the person I bought the map from and I like it so thought I’d share it!)

I use battery operated fairylights in Dorothy, and these are bright enough to draw, read, play games and cook by, so I’ve never bothered with getting a leisure battery hooked up – again this was partly carbon consciousness too as I was trying to plan in the manufacture costs for solar versus the amount of use I actually have. (I also think they look prettier than LED van lights and like the light they give.)

I had swivel seats professionally installed last year on both the passenger bench seat and the driver’s seat. The passenger seat has 4 bolts and 2 grenade pins which once removed mean the seat can be swung around to face the living area of the van, and the driver’s seat has a push down lever to turn it. My 13 year olds are able to set the van up by themselves, so they really aren’t difficult to move!

Dorothy has handmade blinds for all of the windows, which are interlined for warmth and blackout lined for comfort. I used to make curtains for a living and Dorothy’s blinds are my own work. She also has Kiravan Climat NT Silver Cab Screens for the cab windows – these are silver foil backed, thickly lined and great for winter camping. I have made silver foil bubble wrap insulation to fit the other windows (these sit under the fabric blinds – again great for winter).

She is fully insulated and vapour screen lined and we have camped in the Alps on our way to our ski holiday in February, and in the UK, Germany, Belgium and southern France on summer holidays over the last few years – she’s been warm when we’ve headed for the snow, and cool when we’ve been seeking sun and sea. She has a Fletner Vent in the roof which is good for ventilation when cooking or when it’s a warm night.

Dorothy has hammered silverplated forks as hooks for hanging towels, coats and bags, and a small handmade coffee table attached to the back barn doors. On the ceiling she has a blackboard section for recording where you’ve been, and a new ‘blank canvas’ ceiling section for sticking photos, stickers, souvenirs and maps – we used to stick maps of our holidays on to the old ceiling and it’s a great way to remember your trips!

There are some hidey holes under the flooring which can be used for slim items such as awning poles, hiding valuables, or storing the extra silver foil bubble wrap insulation layers. The floor is laid with wipe clean vynyl flooring which is easy to sweep and in winter can have a rug thrown over for extra snuggliness.

She has 3 roofbars with a rear roller bar for easy removal of whatever’s on top! We carry numerous surfboards, a large and capacious roof box, planks of wood, skis …

Lastly, she has a great after-market DAB radio, with CD player, bluetooth and USB connection – listen to your sounds as you set off on your travels in this beautiful lady! If Dorothy is the van for you, I hope you have as much joy from travelling with her as we have done and I hope we see you on the road!