Buy all your VW California Accessories at the Club Shop Visit Shop

Teabus - First trip: North Norfolk

B

Brightonbelle

Messages
94
Location
West Sussex
Vehicle
T6.1 Ocean 204
Thursday 07/07
We took delivery of Teabus (Ocean 204 DSG) on Weds and set off on Thursday for our first trip.
Even though everything was assembled it took a while to decide how to pack everything, especially trying to prevent things rattling in the kitchen cupboards!
By 12.00 we were off. We took sandwiches from our local tearoom for lunch. We had a short break on the M11 and arrived in Burnham Deepdale (from West Sussex) by 15.45. Not bad going and that included the Dart crossing on the M25!
We shared the driving and both agreed that the Cali is very nice to drive - good road handling and a great driving position as it’s high up. I would have liked a bit more adjustment in the steering wheel position (lower).
We only have one key as our Cali was delivered to the dealer with the second one missing.
We’re being very careful!
Burnham Deepdale campsite is in a nice spot, looking over open countryside. It has good facilities, is on a bus route, five minutes walk to the pub (White Horse) and has local shops and a cafe.
We were looked after very well on our arrival; shown to our pitch and all the facilities were explained to us. It took just a few minutes to fill her up with fresh water and then connect to the electric hook up.
We managed to swivel the seats round and set up the outdoor table and chairs. Putting the roof up is easy. Less successful with the awning. We couldn’t get one of the legs to ‘lock’ into place. So, that went back into place and we sat in the shade behind the tailgate. Then it was time to crack open the Cremant and toast Teabus!
We decided to go to the pub - we had a delicious supper at their ‘pop up’ overlooking the salt marshes.
We found that the showers in the wet rooms on the campsite were very good and spotlessly clean.
Setting up the beds was fine although everything seems a bit stiff or clunky (rock and roll bed and the sliding hatch to get to the roof bed in particular.
Really impressed with the fridge - quiet in operation and quite spacious. Chills things down perfectly.
Porta potti (smallest one - 335 I think from memory) fits at end of rock and roll bed on small fold up step/stool. Mentioning this because I wanted to know this sort of stuff!
We have a Cadac 30 with a separate cylinder so have used this to boil a kettle - pleased with this purchase.
We slept well on the first night. Delighted with our Duvalays. I slept ‘downstairs’ - husband ‘upstairs’.
Friday 08/07
I woke early and enjoyed watching little birds outside. Wanted a cup of tea but gas not connected yet (no spanner with us!).
Once we were up, we found the putting the Duvalays away was easy. Top bed has Duvalay still in as roof is up. Again a faff putting away the rock and roll bed. Had to reorganise the boot to get it to click into place as far back as possible! I’m sure something less difficult to operate could be designed - but it might be just us!
Breakfast outside was great - this is why we’re doing this! Several people chat to us and admire the Cali!
We don’t manage to leave the site until midday - having fun just being pleased with our new purchase! We find the bus has just gone so we go for a coffee and then walk down to look at the view out over the salt marshes to Brancaster Staithe (National Trust site).
We catch to bus to Wells next the sea and enjoy the ride along through Burnham Market. In Wells we head straight to the Crown (old favourite of ours). I have oysters and husband has prawns and we share a tomato and mozzarella salad - all delicious. We then enjoy Wells and buy several bits for Teabus - plastic ice cubes to freeze at the campsite freezer, a spanner and a mini electric kettle. We buy steak from Arthur Howell butchers and the first peas in the pod of the season from the fruit and veg shop.
We catch the 16.30 bus ‘home’ - it’s packed! The driver advised us not to get the last one back at 18.30 as if you can’t get on then you’re stranded!!
A lovely evening - nice bottle of wine and steak cooked on the Cadac. Follow this with local raspberries. I’d bought a pan and steamer from Sainsburys - fits well on the Cadac. It has little side handles - better than a long handle! The auto ignition on the Cadac fails - good job I’ve got a gas igniter!
Washing up is easy - glad We’ve got a collapsible washing up bowl.
Stay up chatting until late. I’m glad I bought fleecy blankets. Two new ones from Tweedmill (made in Britain - lovely quality). We have managed to set out the awning - pleased with it.
Setting up the beds is okay. Rock and roll bed is still clunky. Only thing I’m not impressed with! Other than that - absolutely love our new Cali!
More to follow - next stop Kelling Heath for three nights.
Please forgive any typos - written on my iPhone!

6D09EE59-1D56-4C6C-B693-0B0DF22FFE34.jpeg

7F4DB930-B647-40AB-802F-56D0E495BB12.jpeg

478C1E37-DECC-4625-842F-DAF4521F1AF0.jpeg

09AA9C55-174E-4C54-A448-4BF40C160E3B.jpeg

525178DB-B4D4-4C4D-AD57-D15D162F6BF2.jpeg

8E8C5669-BDA2-40F7-BD52-26B5EDCCA064.jpeg
 
Sounds like a great first trip!

We rented a Cali earlier this year and I found I couldn’t get the awning legs fixed in place either but I put it down to a worn out rental. Sounds like there is a back to it
 
Sounds like a great first trip!

We rented a Cali earlier this year and I found I couldn’t get the awning legs fixed in place either but I put it down to a worn out rental. Sounds like there is a back to it
We did managed to sort it though! Second time we actually read the instructions. You have to put the legs down when partially out and push the plastic leg fixings uowards. That worked just fine.
 
Saturday 9/7:
We wake up early to a few clouds, which soon clears to another gorgeous warm sunny day. I enjoy drinking tea and writing this report. We now have a mini electric kettle - it’s the little things! Bliss, I can still have my morning cuppa in bed! I do love that feeling of being right next to nature out here in rhe countryside.
We enjoy another lovely breakfast outside and then pack up Teabus to move on to Kelling Heath.
Unfortunately, we experience some challenges putting the rock and roll bed away. It’s hard to get the mechanism to move. Eventually we do and we’re off. Other than the bed issue everything is easy. We’ve really enjoyed Burnham Deepdale and will be back - possibly in August if we can secure a reservation.
First stop this morning is Burnham Market - also known as ‘upmarket’ and ‘Chelsea on Sea’! It is a lovely place - very pretty and it is full of very nice little shops and boutiques.
It’s easy to park Teabus in the new car park by Socius restaurant - outside which we spot a Chelsea tractor (see pic). We won’t be having a trip to Socius today, but it is a great restaurant.
We enjoy wandering round the little shops. Husband buys a tee shirt in the Gun Hill boutique. We have coffee in one of the little tea rooms. Marvel at property prices in the estate agents!
We buy locally caught sea bass and samphire and brown shrimps from Gurneys. One of the joys of having a Campervan - an on board fridge to put the fish into as we continue our journey.
We stop for lunch at Wiveton cafe (home of Desmond the landowner who featured in ‘Normal for Norfolk’ a BBC tv series about the trials and tribulations of maintaining his estate. Desmond is in the cafe and he soon engages us in conversation. He is very entertaining. Husband tells him about our Campervan and he asks how much it cost. We tell him and he says to Husband ‘you don’t look much like a bank robber’! Desmond tries to persuade us not to order the salad (we do anyway and it’s wonderful - topped with a full Cromer crab). He says ‘you’ll be chewing away like a pony forever’.
We arrive at Kelling Heath at around 15.30. It’s a very different place to our last stopover. It’s set in a nice woodland and heathland location. First impressions as we park up at the camp centre is that it has very traditional eighties style buildings. There’s a shop, pub and indoor and outdoor swimming pool.
We drive round to our pitch and it’s nice and level and we quickly set up everything. We have a nice view of the heath and woodland.
Apparently it’s a designated ‘dark skies’ site where you can see the stars. Plan to do this but fall asleep later instead - maybe tomorrow!
We sit and read the paper with a cup of tea. Very enjoyable to just sit and watch children on the site playing and riding their bikes.
We go to look at the swimming pool and buy a three day pass. It’s a nice pool with sauna and steam room and a gym which Husband will use.
In the camp shop they have Adnams wine and beers - great news!
We set up the Cadac and it takes just a few moments to cook the fish which I have marinated in olive oil, garlic and chopped fresh parsley. I served it with new potatoes and samphire. It was delicious. Local cherries for pudding.
It’s nearly ten pm so we prepare Teabus for sleep and turn in! The rock and roll bed is much easier to use thanks to help from others on this forum, but the release handle still is tricky to click into place.
There’s also a bit of fiddling needed to turn the front seats round so they don’t stick on the steering wheel or can side on the way round!
Next time we must remember to put the front blinds in before moving the seats - it’s easier!
It was another lovely day. We feel as if we’ve learned a lot about how to operate this very nice new purchase! Glad we just decided to jump straight in with taking her on the road!
I’ll post pics of this site with my next report as just realised I didn’t really take many yesterday. In the meantime here is the seabass supper and the Chelsea Tractor seen in Burnham Market.

D0D6FB63-D5F6-4EFA-998E-61B04E01B0BA.jpeg
 
Great write ups, keep up the good work A+ ,
would have been A+++ if you had posted the site photos ;)

Glad you’re enjoying the Cali
 
Perfectos, I will do. I did say that I realised I hadn’t and would correct that with my next post!
 
Saturday 9/7:
We wake up early to a few clouds, which soon clears to another gorgeous warm sunny day. I enjoy drinking tea and writing this report. We now have a mini electric kettle - it’s the little things! Bliss, I can still have my morning cuppa in bed! I do love that feeling of being right next to nature out here in rhe countryside.
We enjoy another lovely breakfast outside and then pack up Teabus to move on to Kelling Heath.
Unfortunately, we experience some challenges putting the rock and roll bed away. It’s hard to get the mechanism to move. Eventually we do and we’re off. Other than the bed issue everything is easy. We’ve really enjoyed Burnham Deepdale and will be back - possibly in August if we can secure a reservation.
First stop this morning is Burnham Market - also known as ‘upmarket’ and ‘Chelsea on Sea’! It is a lovely place - very pretty and it is full of very nice little shops and boutiques.
It’s easy to park Teabus in the new car park by Socius restaurant - outside which we spot a Chelsea tractor (see pic). We won’t be having a trip to Socius today, but it is a great restaurant.
We enjoy wandering round the little shops. Husband buys a tee shirt in the Gun Hill boutique. We have coffee in one of the little tea rooms. Marvel at property prices in the estate agents!
We buy locally caught sea bass and samphire and brown shrimps from Gurneys. One of the joys of having a Campervan - an on board fridge to put the fish into as we continue our journey.
We stop for lunch at Wiveton cafe (home of Desmond the landowner who featured in ‘Normal for Norfolk’ a BBC tv series about the trials and tribulations of maintaining his estate. Desmond is in the cafe and he soon engages us in conversation. He is very entertaining. Husband tells him about our Campervan and he asks how much it cost. We tell him and he says to Husband ‘you don’t look much like a bank robber’! Desmond tries to persuade us not to order the salad (we do anyway and it’s wonderful - topped with a full Cromer crab). He says ‘you’ll be chewing away like a pony forever’.
We arrive at Kelling Heath at around 15.30. It’s a very different place to our last stopover. It’s set in a nice woodland and heathland location. First impressions as we park up at the camp centre is that it has very traditional eighties style buildings. There’s a shop, pub and indoor and outdoor swimming pool.
We drive round to our pitch and it’s nice and level and we quickly set up everything. We have a nice view of the heath and woodland.
Apparently it’s a designated ‘dark skies’ site where you can see the stars. Plan to do this but fall asleep later instead - maybe tomorrow!
We sit and read the paper with a cup of tea. Very enjoyable to just sit and watch children on the site playing and riding their bikes.
We go to look at the swimming pool and buy a three day pass. It’s a nice pool with sauna and steam room and a gym which Husband will use.
In the camp shop they have Adnams wine and beers - great news!
We set up the Cadac and it takes just a few moments to cook the fish which I have marinated in olive oil, garlic and chopped fresh parsley. I served it with new potatoes and samphire. It was delicious. Local cherries for pudding.
It’s nearly ten pm so we prepare Teabus for sleep and turn in! The rock and roll bed is much easier to use thanks to help from others on this forum, but the release handle still is tricky to click into place.
There’s also a bit of fiddling needed to turn the front seats round so they don’t stick on the steering wheel or can side on the way round!
Next time we must remember to put the front blinds in before moving the seats - it’s easier!
It was another lovely day. We feel as if we’ve learned a lot about how to operate this very nice new purchase! Glad we just decided to jump straight in with taking her on the road!
I’ll post pics of this site with my next report as just realised I didn’t really take many yesterday. In the meantime here is the seabass supper and the Chelsea Tractor seen in Burnham Market.

View attachment 95969
Lovely writeup @Brightonbelle ! and lovely pics. Thank you for taking us along on the trip. As Perfectos says more the pics, more the A+'s :)

That cooked fish on the cadac with beans and potatoes looks delicious! I have made up my mind to make that for dinner today
 
I’ll do today’s write up tomorrow, in the meantime here are the requested photos of the site. I haven’t been able to take pics of the pools and community areas as there are always people about and it doesn’t seem to be appropriate.

560008A8-EA56-4C99-81AE-971F006B2C90.jpeg

6EB0E23C-F465-4063-B00F-032BEBD78CDF.jpeg

34400848-FAAC-46BD-A47A-B77EF4C9CE61.jpeg

CE43E5D1-A11A-4713-9E76-48F769550C6E.jpeg

7CFC43C6-E13A-4E46-A87B-3EAC15650966.jpeg

C0FA8495-64B7-4CE9-85F1-B48091F99EB0.jpeg
 
Thursday 07/07
We took delivery of Teabus (Ocean 204 DSG) on Weds and set off on Thursday for our first trip.
Even though everything was assembled it took a while to decide how to pack everything, especially trying to prevent things rattling in the kitchen cupboards!
By 12.00 we were off. We took sandwiches from our local tearoom for lunch. We had a short break on the M11 and arrived in Burnham Deepdale (from West Sussex) by 15.45. Not bad going and that included the Dart crossing on the M25!
We shared the driving and both agreed that the Cali is very nice to drive - good road handling and a great driving position as it’s high up. I would have liked a bit more adjustment in the steering wheel position (lower).
We only have one key as our Cali was delivered to the dealer with the second one missing.
We’re being very careful!
Burnham Deepdale campsite is in a nice spot, looking over open countryside. It has good facilities, is on a bus route, five minutes walk to the pub (White Horse) and has local shops and a cafe.
We were looked after very well on our arrival; shown to our pitch and all the facilities were explained to us. It took just a few minutes to fill her up with fresh water and then connect to the electric hook up.
We managed to swivel the seats round and set up the outdoor table and chairs. Putting the roof up is easy. Less successful with the awning. We couldn’t get one of the legs to ‘lock’ into place. So, that went back into place and we sat in the shade behind the tailgate. Then it was time to crack open the Cremant and toast Teabus!
We decided to go to the pub - we had a delicious supper at their ‘pop up’ overlooking the salt marshes.
We found that the showers in the wet rooms on the campsite were very good and spotlessly clean.
Setting up the beds was fine although everything seems a bit stiff or clunky (rock and roll bed and the sliding hatch to get to the roof bed in particular.
Really impressed with the fridge - quiet in operation and quite spacious. Chills things down perfectly.
Porta potti (smallest one - 335 I think from memory) fits at end of rock and roll bed on small fold up step/stool. Mentioning this because I wanted to know this sort of stuff!
We have a Cadac 30 with a separate cylinder so have used this to boil a kettle - pleased with this purchase.
We slept well on the first night. Delighted with our Duvalays. I slept ‘downstairs’ - husband ‘upstairs’.
Friday 08/07
I woke early and enjoyed watching little birds outside. Wanted a cup of tea but gas not connected yet (no spanner with us!).
Once we were up, we found the putting the Duvalays away was easy. Top bed has Duvalay still in as roof is up. Again a faff putting away the rock and roll bed. Had to reorganise the boot to get it to click into place as far back as possible! I’m sure something less difficult to operate could be designed - but it might be just us!
Breakfast outside was great - this is why we’re doing this! Several people chat to us and admire the Cali!
We don’t manage to leave the site until midday - having fun just being pleased with our new purchase! We find the bus has just gone so we go for a coffee and then walk down to look at the view out over the salt marshes to Brancaster Staithe (National Trust site).
We catch to bus to Wells next the sea and enjoy the ride along through Burnham Market. In Wells we head straight to the Crown (old favourite of ours). I have oysters and husband has prawns and we share a tomato and mozzarella salad - all delicious. We then enjoy Wells and buy several bits for Teabus - plastic ice cubes to freeze at the campsite freezer, a spanner and a mini electric kettle. We buy steak from Arthur Howell butchers and the first peas in the pod of the season from the fruit and veg shop.
We catch the 16.30 bus ‘home’ - it’s packed! The driver advised us not to get the last one back at 18.30 as if you can’t get on then you’re stranded!!
A lovely evening - nice bottle of wine and steak cooked on the Cadac. Follow this with local raspberries. I’d bought a pan and steamer from Sainsburys - fits well on the Cadac. It has little side handles - better than a long handle! The auto ignition on the Cadac fails - good job I’ve got a gas igniter!
Washing up is easy - glad We’ve got a collapsible washing up bowl.
Stay up chatting until late. I’m glad I bought fleecy blankets. Two new ones from Tweedmill (made in Britain - lovely quality). We have managed to set out the awning - pleased with it.
Setting up the beds is okay. Rock and roll bed is still clunky. Only thing I’m not impressed with! Other than that - absolutely love our new Cali!
More to follow - next stop Kelling Heath for three nights.
Please forgive any typos - written on my iPhone!

View attachment 95894

View attachment 95895

View attachment 95896

View attachment 95897

View attachment 95898

View attachment 95899
Great read - update on Kelling Heath wld be good - have seen advertised and on our list of possibilities - enjoy rest of trip.
 
Great read - update on Kelling Heath wld be good - have seen advertised and on our list of possibilities - enjoy rest of trip.
I stayed at Kelling Heath (in a rented T6) last summer. It's a good site very well maintained and large pitches, I think we booked a premium pitch which was way bigger than we needed.

Showers etc clean and well kept. It has a small shop for basics and pop-up food trucks during peak times. It can get very busy in the school holidays, but I guess that applies to a lot of places.

Good base to explore North Norfolk
 
Thanks Lorri and Two-tonebayleaf, I’ll write about what we did yesterday and also impressions of the Kelling Heath site.

Sunday 10/07
We awoke to another lovely sunny day. Already hot at 7am. We had our usual breakfast of muesli and apple and a bowl of strawberries. Melamine bowls, but so glad I insisted on real coffee cups and proper glasses. I store these in cooler lunch bags and the padding stops rattling and breakages. I must say I’m delighted with the fridge - good sized capacity and works well (and totally silent!).
This morning we went for our first swim. They have a special offer of three swims for £20 for the two of us. It’s a really lovely new pool and changing facilities with a sauna and steam room. I did enjoy that and it’s worth choosing this site for that alone if you like swimming. The outdoor pool is smallish and kidney shaped. More of a play pool and has to be booked the day before. No booking for the indoor pool one you’ve paid. The pool complex is adjacent to the main central campsite facilities. Whereas the pool is really new, the other buildings are a dated eighties design. There is a central piazza with bandstand (children’s entertainment) and a group on some nights, bar, restaurant and village shop.
This campsite has lodges for sale or rent in the wooded areas. It also has the touring site that we are staying on. Our pitch is a large one (? Premium) with electric hookup. You need a 25m cable as electricity is widely spaced. There’s a well equipped shower and toilet block fairly near us which also has a launderette and sinks to wash up the dishes. This isn’t really big enough - there were queues on Saturday and Sunday morning until people started to go home after the weekend.
There is another block of facilities a bit of a longer walk away.
After our swim we packed up the van and drove to Cromer. As it’s a lovely day, it’s very busy. I do like Cromer - it’s a great traditional seaside resort.
Parking was a challenge - in the end husband offered to go to the beach car park if I queued for No1 Cromer for lunch. Galton Blackiston who owns Morston Hall (Michelin star - nearby) also owns this fish restaurant -
great fish and chips). This was a real treat (oh, the calories!) and didn’t disappoint. Offset the deep fried fest with mushy peas! We managed to bag a railside table and throughly enjoyed our lunch.
After lunch we set off on a walk along the front as far as the beach huts. Lots of people enjoying themselves on the beach. Cromer beach is a mix of sand and pebbles. Some people lying on towels on the pebbles - looks uncomfortable.
We had an ice cream (Ronaldos - a local make) which was delicious. One small scoop for me as I’ve already indulged with f&c earlier.
We go into the town to buy two more microfibre towels from Mountain Warehouse. I also have a look round some little gift shops.
Husband kindly offers to fetch the van - it’s very hot by now! I do the shopping for supper - salad and eggs. We pick up another gas canister for the Cadac from Halfords on the way home.
The plan was to eat the brown shrimps bought yesterday at Gurneys, but I discover that I’ve accidentally thrown them out with the sea bass wrapping. Oh well, egg salad is plenty after the lunch we had!
We go for an evening walk to see the route to the Steam Railway (goes from Sheringham to Holt). It’s nearby through the woods. That will be today’s trip of which more later!

5A37A1E5-01A2-48D1-9583-E4A98EFD0419.jpeg

FE1606E6-4878-4B90-8C57-D7CE1DAF29E9.jpeg
 
We are up on the North Norfolk coast this weekend (long weekend) as well and stopped at Burnham Deepdale to go in the gone crabbing shop (one of the family favourites) on our way to Hunstanton on Saturday for a day trip. Looked at the campsite a few times but never stopped, great to hear a good review. We are currently at the C&MC Seacroft site at Cromer enjoying a few days on the beach and in the pool!
 
Thanks for sharing your detailed journal of your trip to Norfolk. The fish and chips look very tasty.

Norfolk is on my list for next year when hopefully will have a van.
 
Wanted a cup of tea but gas not connected yet (no spanner with us!).
I just connected up my gas bottle for the first time and didn't use a spanner. Is there something I have missed? Have I done it wrong? (just attached the VW bottle connector - hand tight, then attached the nut from the regulator, again finger tight. Gas seems to flow and there's no signs of leaking.)
 
I just connected up my gas bottle for the first time and didn't use a spanner. Is there something I have missed? Have I done it wrong? (just attached the VW bottle connector - hand tight, then attached the nut from the regulator, again finger tight. Gas seems to flow and there's no signs of leaking.)
As per the instructions in the Handbook. Spanner not required. :thumb
 
Thank you. Funnily enough we haven’t connected it as we’ve used the Cadac and the electric kettle. I’m sure the purchased adjustable spanner will come in for something else!!
 
I’ll do today’s write up tomorrow, in the meantime here are the requested photos of the site. I haven’t been able to take pics of the pools and community areas as there are always people about and it doesn’t seem to be appropriate.

View attachment 96033

View attachment 96034

View attachment 96035

View attachment 96036

View attachment 96037

View attachment 96038
Great write up! Given it was a very warm weekend, out of interest how did you find the heat in the van during the day/night?
 
Hi McDee 22 it’s been fine at night with two windows open. During the day I’d say you need to sit outside in the shade. We’ve been out and about so it’s been fine. We’ve both slept w
 
Thanks The Saint and TR7 - I’ll look at Seacroft. TR7 you’ll love North Norfolk. If you like fish and chips also try Eric’s at Thornham.

Monday 11/07
This was our last full day at Kelling Heath. We had breakfast outside. This is one of the joys of the Campervan - wake up and straight outside (after a cuppa in bed first).
We had another swim in the indoor pool. Very enjoyable. It’s good that we did this as apart from the swim the showers are lovely in the changing rooms. Very good hairdryers. No spindryer for costumes though.
We then set off through the woods downhill to Kelling Heath Halt for the request stop train (North Norfolk Railway) down to Sheringham. The train we went on was a diesel but they do have steam trains. On the way you pass the most beautiful pond. Full of wildlife and the lilies are currently in bloom. We watched the dragonflies dance across the water. The views from the train over to the sea are spectacular.

Once in Sheringham we bought lobster and crab for supper which we asked the fishmonger to store for collection later.

We had lunch in the Sitting Room cafe - superfood salad was delicious. After a walk on the seafront and an ice cream we headed back to the station.

The crab and lobster were delicious with salad and new potatoes. We sat outside chatting with tea and coffee. Coffee bags are the way to go - less messy for the clearing up!

We have enjoyed Kelling Heath for the swimming pool and proximity to the railway. We found the washroom facilities to be far to crowded at the weekend - not enough showers and toilets and a long walk to the next block.

Tuesday 12/07
Home today. Just need to pack up for an early start. Husband going to London tonight for a concert. It’s been a great first trip despite a few problems with awning, bed etc to start with - all resolved thanks to help on this forum.

Overall impression - the good:
Drives like a dream, good handling - great camera
Like being able to go where we like when we like
Great being out in nature
Great overall design
Feels like being in a nest!
Comfy(ish) in the beds - once set up (thanks to Duvalay). Wouldn’t like to rely on VW ‘comfort’ mattress(!)
Nice to be able to make tea easily (electric kettle)
Great fridge - spacious and quiet (I will buy a trivet)
Love the lighting
Blinds are good
Like the rubber flooring - easy to clean and non slip
Haven’t used the hob or inside table yet
Outside table and chairs nice quality
Like the awning
Boot and storage fine for our needs

Things we’re not so keen on:
A faff to lower roof, turn seats and put bed and kit away for a day out
Wish VW had provided two keys from the start!
Lane assist is too sensitive - beeps at a hedge!
Roof sliding closure is hard to close - I struggle with it
Rock and roll bed isn’t the easiest design - I find it quite hard to do even now
Turning driver’s seat round is a faff to get into position
Seats not the most comfy - front seats. More noticeable as a passenger than when driving - not sure why
Seat fabric isn’t the best and is a bit loose (not taught) on the rear seat
Not impressed that we had to cover the glass worktops to prevent scratching on a new vehicle! Should be a better design
Wardrobe is not much use - needs shelves
Table rattles when driving - has to be padded

So, overall we’ve enjoyed ourselves on our ‘shakedown’ trip. We’ll have a lot of fun as a day van and for longer trips. We’ve already got questions about what this will be like when it’s raining and we’re trying to pack up or set up - we’ll see!

B35EC551-DC41-4C9C-B4EC-84729F7C18BA.jpeg

CE87BF6E-F3CD-4771-AB08-B3FD7FFD7256.jpeg

62DA63AB-E80C-4D6E-87B1-9D97E9665FF6.jpeg
 
Table rattles when driving - has to be padded
Great right up and pretty decent shakedown ride!

Re the table, are you sure it’s definitely clipped in properly? (Assuming you mean the sliding table)
 
As per @M88GAV - on the table rattle we have noticed this on a few drives but it’s because the design allows the table to go over the pin - we find when you slide it back in just push inwards to press the table towards the units and it goes in every time.
 
Sounds like you had a great trip. I think it's great that you took your new Cali for a trip the very next day. And many of the things you mentioned do get easier with practice (turning the chairs, the bench/bed, closing the roof slide).

Now it's time to start looking forward to the next trip!
 

The front seat can be a faff, but is simple enough with a few pointers...
 
Thanks g88, kingfisher, sad and dspuk. No major niggles - we had a fab time. I think people just need to get out there! Chagstock
is our next stop!
 
You don't have to cover the glass worktops...had ours for 7 years uncovered and they're not scratched.

Driver's seat is easy...just line sliding rail and fixed rail front ends up, wind the back fully forward and it is in the right place.
 

Similar threads

Hawthorn37
Replies
42
Views
2K
Davidandbev
D
Andy Bower
Replies
6
Views
2K
HectorPascal
HectorPascal
Ally Whitehead
Replies
15
Views
2K
dennfo
dennfo
Back
Top