Introducing Dixie

They say in life all good things are waiting for and my goodness was Dixie worth the wait! Ok so like some girls she has taken her time in getting ready but ta dah….isn’t she a beauty!

We bought her back in March from Surrey after deciding Dolly needed a pal and demand was going through the roof with a boom in Staycations. As with Dolly we wanted a van we could personally be involved in and give the ‘New Kid on the Block’ a personality of her own. It wasn’t going to be too difficult to make her shine with her bright Metallic paintwork.

The beginning of a long journey
Never been so relieved to see a vehicle without a roof

In rare Kurkuma yellow which is more mustard/gold than yellow I immediately thought ’70’s vibe’ and to compliment the bright exterior a warm interior was going to be perfect! A contrast of greys, golds, creams and browns to make our guests feeling cosy in an evening with accents of the gold from outside coming in..who doesn’t like a ray of sunshine peeking through?

How many wires?

So with a brief in hand off she went to Lakeland Windscreens to work their magic…we had plenty of time to get her ready for her launch in May…or so we thought!

Thats what the wires are for!!!

Two words which are often not allowed to be mentioned at the dinner table..’Covid’ & ‘Brexit’ ( whether you voted to stay or leave ) little did we know that these huge turning points in everyones lives were going to have such a huge impact on manufacturing supply chains, or maybe by March I was starting to bury my head in the sand being the eternal optimist. It is safe to say that not in my wildest dreams ( nightmares ) did I think for one moment that when we opened Dixie up to bookings we would not be able to have her ready in time.

After such a horrendous year we had people booked for a well needed break, how could we let them down? What had we done? How could Lakeland Windscreens magically get hold of the parts to make the rock n roll bed, the roof? Everyone else across the country was in the same position but all I could think of was our customers. SOOOOOO….3 spreadsheets later, 10 rum and cokes we found a way to buy a van which was already converted and our Surfer girl Roxy joined the Lakes Escape Family and we were able to supply a van to our customers..JUST. It is safe to say that for the first time I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew.

Sleek Privacy Glass windows

Weeks rolled on and on and on until a few weeks back..manufacturing started moving and so did the work on Dixie. Lakeland Windscreens pulled out all the stops to get her ready for our first booking 25th June and when we went to collect her last week not only was she every inch the ‘Showgirl’ we hoped she would be, the staff at Lakeland were still talking to me.

Wood Effect Flooring fitted once wires and interior are complete – Love this floor!
Now for the exciting bit!
Our signature Road Map Fridge
Meanwhile……..

I am always amazed how a van can turn into a ‘home on wheels’ and how much goes behind the scenes to get everything one could possibly need to fit in such a small space but its where the magic happens which we hope all our guests can experience a sprinkle of.

Chairs & Rock N Roll bed with Gold Bentley Stitching…woo hoo
Finishing touches on the exterior ( not long to go now..)

I have to say that mechanically/technically I don’t know my **** from my elbow ( there I admit it ) which is why myself and the other half are a dream team, I love selling the dream, dealing with customers, trouble shooting but Wilkie Senior has been a life saver with his knowledge and ability to calm me down and help get Dixie ready! My customers are everything! and I will climb mountains for you all to make sure your Campervan experience is the best EVER! So you are in good hands road trippers, we pull it out the bag! Ok so I look like I live in my car with the cleaning equipment, pots and pans in the back, bedding, doggy biscuits..but I have to make clear this has been a HUGE team effort, and I thank everyone from the bottom of my rum glass, a couple to mention ( No Oscar speech coming ) Aztec Signs, Burnett Design, Kendal Camping, and my Dad! and of course a MASSIVE thanks to Lakeland Windscreens for all their late nights and putting up with the nag bag on the phone! Think they had me on caller ID…

And breathe….

She has arrived..she is the showgirl..she has been difficult ( who isn’t at times? ) and she is ready to take you on an adventure…