If Joyce's granddaughter says Audrey the campervan is cool, then it must be true...
Joyce and Barry haven’t looked back since swapping their motorhome for Audrey, their Murvi Morello campervan, which their granddaughter describes as cool…
Audrey is cool!’ That was our granddaughter’s verdict on Audrey, our Murvi Morello. We rather like her stylish, spacious layout, too. We’d had an Auto-sleeper Harmony camper and a Nuevo motorhome but, when we got itchy for a new ‘van, we hankered after the benefits of a sliding door and the open-air effect it offers. The Morello hit the spot and we especially liked the layout of the living area, with its L- shaped sofa opposite the sliding door. When it’s open, whoever bags the sofa first can stretch out and watch the world go by with feet up. If we sit side by side admiring the view, glass of something in hand, other campers will often say hello, come and chat and have a look inside. It’s a friendly arrangement.
Swivelling the two front seats gives the usual armchairs in the lounge effect, which is good for socialising, watching the wallmounted TV or just reading under one of the three spotlights. We had extra armrests fitted on both so each seat has two; this works well for both travelling and lounging.
The free-standing folding table, which travels in the wardrobe, is supplemented by a smaller individual pedestal table held by a fitting on the base of the swivelled passenger seat. This arrangement is good for working on the laptop (us), colouring in or drawing (granddaughter) and for snacking or drinks. Granddaughter likes to eat at it, too, so she can watch TV at the same time, but we’re quite happy to sit side by side on the sofa at the main table because we can look out, either through the large window or through the open sliding door.
The Morello is good to drive and suits our needs, although some gear changing is required on long uphill climbs. The twin-lens rear view camera and parking sensors we had fitted make reversing so much easier; I think we’d struggle a bit without them. Electric folding side mirrors take the hassle out of narrow country lanes with high hedges and passing places – there’s no need to hold our breath and flinch when a larger vehicle is coming the other way.
When travelling with our granddaughter, the long sofa seat swings around into a transverse position to make a forward-facing seat behind the front seats. A rear threepoint seatbelt is fitted to accommodate an extra passenger, either adult or child in a child seat, and there’s also a lap seatbelt so we can take a fourth passenger with this travelling arrangement, although there are no head restraints.
Night, night
As the Morello is a two-berth campervan, we needed a sleeping solution for our granddaughter when taking her on trips with us. We added a single cab bunk that fits over the front seats when they’re in a forwardfacing position. The bunk, which is easy to put in place, rolls up and slots into fittings under the three overhead lockers above the sofa. The curtain, which screens off the cab and bunk area, makes this a nice and cosy den for her, and also acts as an extra touch of insulation for us if we’re winter camping on our own. Now that she has a brother, we’re investigating double cab bunk solutions so we can take both children away.
For us, the L-shaped sofa converts into a lengthwise double bed, which pulls out in one move and is made up with minimal use of infill cushions. There’s a slight cut-off corner for the outside sleeper once the bed is made up, but we’ve got used to that, and there’s a convenient space under the side of the bed, formed by the overhang. The dog
bed fits neatly here, and Bosworth, our Norfolk terrier, watches patiently while our bed is set up then disappears into his own once it’s in place.
Bedding and the two single Duvalay mattress toppers we use all stow under the bench seat. We sleep well in the ’van, often better than at home, and the Seitz window blinds provide very efficient blackout. Our previous ’vans had curtains as well as blinds. They looked homely but weren’t strictly necessary. The Murvi is more minimalist in style and, at first, I wasn’t sure if I liked the uncluttered look. As it’s turned out, I do; the blinds are effective and curtains would spoil the overall ‘cool’ look.
Compared with our previous campers, the Morello has bags of storage space. We never have to economise too much, even on longer trips. The overhead lockers in the lounge and kitchen, along with the cab overhead storage area, and the lower cupboards in the kitchen take our clothes, books, DVDS, provisions, crockery and cooking pots. The wardrobe has a hanging rail with a large storage area underneath for shoes, boots, cables and other bits of camping clutter.
We’re jammin’
We both love the Morello’s kitchen, which has plenty of surface space. Food preparation can be spread out along the L-shaped countertop that houses the hob, sink and draining board. A dual-purpose chopping board, which comes as standard, can be used to cover the sink and gives additional surface space. We had a water filter added as an optional extra so, as long as the tank is topped up regularly, we always have fresh filtered water on tap.
We manage with just the hob, nothing else – no oven, grill or microwave. But our Remoska electric cooker stands in for an oven and tucks into a lower cupboard, along with a small toaster, and we sometimes take a slow cooker with us. To use these, we need to be on electric hook-up but, in truth, we manage perfectly well with the hob alone, and we always seem to eat well, too. We traded off not having an oven and grill in favour of a larger fridge, and no microwave means we have an additional overhead cupboard. The ’van’s kitchen occasionally comes into use at home, too, with Barry taking over the space to make jam using the hob! The rear ’van door behind the hob can be left open when it’s hot, keeping the cooking area cooler.
Shower power
The washroom, located at the kitchen end of the ’van, can be accessed from outside through the rear door. It’s useful to leave this open for drying out the washroom or to circulate air in hot weather. The loo is fixed
and the adequately sized washbasin is housed in a base unit with a cupboard. Overhead cupboards give plenty of space for toiletries, and we’ve added extra hooks for towels. The basin tap doubles up as the showerhead and there’s a curtain to pull around for showering, but we tend to use site facilities for this. For dog showering, the shower head can be directed through the open rear door at the dog, although I’m pretty sure that Bosworth would not approve! The internal door of the washroom can be left open, leaving extra elbow room in the kitchen, as well as being a passing place if two of us are in this area.
When it’s cold, the Webasto diesel heating system makes the washroom an extremely toasty place to be. It heats the rest of the ’van well, but can be frustrating because the thermostat isn’t consistent and the heat can sometimes take a while to kick in properly. Lighting in the Morello is plentiful. In addition to the spotlights, cab lights and main central lights, there are lights under all the overhead cupboards. These can be switched to a night time moody blue option, which granddaughter tells us is cool.
When travelling, we attach our folding chairs to the back of the passenger seat. It took us a while to suss this out and, for several years, they travelled in the washroom. This solution is far better and we have a useful tip in a Campervan magazine to thank! Travelling with a dog, we need to make sure Bosworth is safe so we secure his harness and travel lead to a car seatbelt restraint for dogs. This is fixed and anchored to the seatbelt attachment on the floor. He has some leeway to move, and he’s able to travel between the two front seats and be with us.
The cherry on the cake
The Morello comes into its own when the weather permits outdoor living. Out comes the Fiamma awning, breathable groundsheet, table and chairs and, depending on the weather, either the sun or wind blockers – sometimes both. Indoors and outdoors blend beautifully to make this arrangement one of our favourites, especially if we’re spending time on site.
Since getting Audrey, she’s taken us to many places in the UK and continental Europe. We’ve followed our own version of the Grand Tour, been to Vienna for a night at the opera to celebrate a special birthday, crossed the spectacular Simplon Pass, explored the Scottish Highlands, the unspoiled beauties of Wales and the rugged Cornish coast. The travel bug never ceases to bite, as new places beg to be visited and old places call us back. And really, we wouldn’t want it any other way!