The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
The holiday that changed me ‘I survived, and slept like a baby’
Sports commentator Jim Rosenthal hated the idea of sleeping in a campervan – but is now a happy convert
It’s fair to say that our VW Brazilian Bay campervan is higher up in my wife Chrissy’s affection than mine. I am definitely the subservient partner as far as our campervan, Albert, is concerned, and I’ve refused to spend the night in him for the entire six years we have had him. I just couldn’t stand the thought of being out in a muddy field, soaking wet and freezing cold.
Which is why it came as quite a shock to Chrissy when I finally relented during the pandemic and said, “Oh, go on then. Let’s give it a whirl.” I am not the campervan type, you see. The thought of spending more than a few hours in Albert brought me out in a cold sweat, so much so that when I told friends about my change of heart, they were aghast.
“You’ll never go through with it,” they said, and “I never thought I’d see the day: Jim Rosenthal, happy camper.” Chrissy and my son, Tom, are still struggling to come to terms with my conversion. I think they are wondering what happened during the pandemic to alter my views on campervan life and sleeping in Britain’s great outdoors. Maybe I’ve gone soft in old age.
I am very lucky to live in a nice part of the world, and we were very fortunate during the pandemic. My son and his girlfriend stayed with us for a few months, so I got to see more of him than I had in years. I was counting my blessings. But Chrissy and I love to get away on a plane somewhere amazing and I really missed being able to travel.
One thing I found hard during the pandemic was that we had to sell our property in Sarasota, Florida, which we both loved. But we couldn’t get out there, and in the end it had to go.
So I swapped a beautiful apartment in Sarasota, Florida, for a muddy field in Gloucestershire.
As soon as lockdown eased and we were able to take a staycation, we headed to Hayles Fruit Farm in
Winchcombe,
Gloucestershire, for my first taste of campervan life. I kept thinking, “What if it rains? We might get bogged down. Albert might break down. I’ll get cold and think, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’” I needn’t have worried, because we got lucky with the weather. It was a glorious couple of days, with blue skies and sunshine.
Chrissy began to worry during the drive. She said, “Just try it once and if it’s dreadful, we can come home.” I think that’s why she chose Gloucester, as it’s not that far. She said, “If it gets to 2am and you decide you hate it, we can just drive back.” I would have taken her up on that offer, to be honest.
However, not only did I survive the night but really enjoyed it. I slept like a baby and felt calm and at peace in the fresh air. We bought dinner from a farm shop: bread and cheese, which was nice. It’s a cider-producing area, so we bought some apple juice, too. Chrissy cooked pasta with tomato sauce
on Albert’s little one-burner stove. It was wonderful. We’ve even taken two brides to the church in Albert and hosted tea parties in him. He’s quite the charmer. Driving a campervan, you get such a wonderful reaction from people on the roads. At the camp, people see Albert and they just smile and laugh. He has his own personality and he makes people happy.
I recently had a friend come over. As soon as he saw Albert, he said, “You know what? I really regret selling mine now.” We won’t be getting rid of Albert any time soon, not until he really falls apart. He is very much part of the family.
Speaking of family, our cat, Ruby, will be with us on our next trip. She has become a nice addition to my breakfast show on Jack
Radio, doing Euro 2020 predictions. We lay out a couple of bowls of food, place the flags of England and Croatia, or whoever is playing, above them, and wait to see what bowl she goes to. I’ve gone from covering World Cups and European championships to commentating on what football team my cat will predict for the Euros.
We have three days booked next month with Albert in West Sussex. Prior to the pandemic, I would have balked at the idea – but now I can’t think of anything better than spending more time in that van. Camping really has been the holiday that changed me.
Getting out in the campervan has been good for lowering the temperature of life during the pandemic when things were, and still can be, very stressful. It’s an ideal antidote to the worries of life and gives you perspective.
The years roll away until you look in the mirror and realise where you are and that time is ticking on. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained, I always say. You might as well go out there and see where life takes you. Or in the case of my wife and I, where Albert takes us next.
As told to Margarita Pollock
Jim Rosenthal hosts Jack’s Wake Up Call every weekday, 7-9am, on Union Jack radio. unionjack.co.uk