Time to put the kettle on….
Travel is a huge passion of ours and we firmly believe that adventure is out there for all to experience. Yours truly was diagnosed with a serious case of Wanderlust many moons ago, for those who are unaware of this condition, it is a wish to travel far away and to many different places and there is no cure. I constantly have an itch to scratch when it comes to all things travel so in 2016 we dipped our toes into the property market and purchased our first holiday rental in the French Alps and we have never looked back…I have a weakness for all things cheese and wine of the red kind so it wasn’t a tough decision to make really 🙂
We have been welcoming guests for ski, alpine and adventure holidays for over 9 years and due to high demand we purchased our second property in 2020 both situated in the beautiful alpine village of Montchavin La Plagne, Paradiski. View website
We know how to look after guests and take great pride in being involved at every stage of you journey, beginning, middle and end. That’s not to say you will find us hidden under the bench bed but we are happy to advise and point you in the right direction. We believe we are the number one choice for not only Lake District Campervan hire but UK Campervan hire too.
We love to travel on the open road and after many late night chats we took the plunge and purchased ‘Dolly’ our first VW T6 Campervan and instantly fell in love with van life. We have taken her all over Europe and Scotland and enjoyed many a Friday night adventure in the Lake District.
We kept her all to ourselves for 2 whole amazing years until we looked out the window and thought she looked lonely when she should be exploring and the rest is history 🙂
Since launching our business in 2020 we have been lucky enough to meet so many Campervan enthusiasts and their fur babies! We have welcomed ‘Campermooners’ those who ‘Try before they buy’, ‘Giddy Kippers’ like these cuties below, an ‘Adventure Queen’ celebrating her 80th Birthday, Bride & Grooms and a real highlight is seeing an increase in female solo adventures x
We never imagined in our wildest dreams that we would sell out every single night ( lots of scrubbing ) from launch day to lockdown. We just couldn’t keep up with demand so what does one do……Buy another! So after many lockdown nights and spreadsheets 🙁 we found what we were looking for or maybe we couldn’t quite forget our new van adorned in Metallic Kurkuma Yellow and Dixie joined the Lakes Escape Family 🙂
Shortly after popping Dixie on sale she too was a popular kinda gal we had a waiting list starting to develop, I mean who likes being on a waiting list..NOT ME! so more spreadsheets later..a few rum and cokes later and we only went and bought our first Short Wheel Base (SWB) ‘Roxy’ and our FLEET was born!! Eek…yes a FLEET! That sounds both frightening and exciting at the same time…lots more scrubbing at Lakes Escape HQ 🙂
Most would say “Ok Zo…3 is a good number….BUT life would be boring without challenges and with demand for Campervan holidays every increasing ( THANK UUUU ) and I like even numbers we took the plunge and bought number 4..yes number 4 and our mountain girl ‘Bessy’ was converted.
For our customers to have the best experience, choice is hugely important when making decisions whether it be ‘Try Before You Buy’ or a Family Adventure so with Bessy being our first manual drive and converted with the U Shape seating ( King Size bed – I kid you not ) we now offer the full package and I am pretty chuffed about that x
2023 was our busiest year and with a move into a swanky new unit and additional team members we are really are proud of what we have achieved and we are so grateful to all who choose Lakes Escape Campers 🙂
Roll on 2024 and just when I thought I had a completed my fleet I deep down knew that just like the Spice Girls, ‘5’ would complete our girl group 🙂 We always listen to feedback and there was one van we didn’t offer, a Short Wheel Base ( SWB ) with 5 seats. A popular model with ‘Try Before You Buy’ customers. Could we push it to 5? YEP! and in rare Mojave Beige ‘Sango’ joined our fleet and what a beauty she is! A popular gal on the NC500 for sure 🙂
Dolly, Dixie, Roxy, Bessy & Sango are all our pride and joy ( not allowed to have favourites ) so like with all children we ask that you take good care of them, nurture them and make sure they behave!
2025 has been our busiest year to date ( still on going ) and our Lakes Escape Team has grown WOO HOO!!! Please let me introduce you to…..
Operations Manager ‘Geoffers’ ( My Pa ) has been with me from the very start of the Lakes Escape Journey ensuring the Campers Exteriors are gleaming and the vans are safe for travel. He runs a tight ship and if I talk too long he is known to turn the hose on me so he can crack on and ensure the vans are Ready Steady!
My ‘Second in Command’ ‘Deputy Dawg’ ‘Ride or Die’ ‘Patsy to my Eddie’ Sara heads up the Interiors and basically keeps me in check reminding me when I have a cleaning cloth still stuck in my pants and when I need to wash my feet before Meeting and Greeting Customers ( Mucky business this van scrubbing )
New to the team is our Bookings Manager ‘Anna’ who keeps the office, admin, bookings & me in check. Having worked with Anna for over 15 years elsewhere I have been been witness to her organisational skills which are a thing of beauty and something I am C*** at!
A quick mention to Babs ( My ma ) who is at the end of the phone when I need an extra pair of hands to turn a van around, Frank ( Saras Fella ) who steps in to help with exteriors, Andy, opposite at VW Garage who hides when I shout there is a problem! and my patient hubby who does all the above from time to time and forgives me for stealing our van to start the business.
Soooo your in good hands and we look forward to extending a warm Lakes Escape WELCOME x
Wanderlust is contagious so we wish you many amazing adventures in our campers and look forward to you returning again in the future.
Zoe xxx
Oh and remember……
