Hello Sophie..... Goodbye Eva

Yes ... You have read that correctly...

Last Friday Sophie arrived...

Sophie the Swift is a Swift Challenger 565.

 Just before the lockdown we were at the Tamar Caravan Centre near Plymouth. We only went there to purchase some toilet cassette fluid and while we were there we had a mooch around some of the caravans as you do.

 There was one van that stood out from the others for us. It had a layout that we liked....a layout that we first saw back in 2016 when we were at the C&CC site at Oswestry.

 We said back then that if and when we decided to stop fulltime touring we would buy a van with the same layout and pitch it on a seasonal pitch.

 Anyway we purchased the toilet fluid and headed back to Yelverton where we were pitched up in Eva the Eriba. 

Then...a few days later the lockdown was announced due to the Covid 19 pandemic and the rest is history.....something that no one will forget. The lockdown went from days to weeks and we went from one month to the next and as I explained in my last post it slowly dawned on us that it was probably the time after five years of full-time touring to stop the touring and do what we had discussed back at Oswestry in 2016.….. So I contacted Tamar Caravan Centre...by phone of course ... and arranged to buy the caravan. Obviously at that time they were only doing business on the phone and internet. Anyway as we had already seen the van in the 'flesh' prior to the lockdown we arranged to have it delivered to the site a few days after they reopened...... So last Friday Sophie was delivered to the very minute of the arranged time of 1030 . I have to say that the Tamar Caravan Centre have been a joy to deal with from my first enquiry to the delivery and setting up of the van. They even put my name on the rear numberplate..... See the next image....

 So our plan is that we will continue to stay on this site pitched on a long term seasonal pitch..... At some point in the future when this pandemic allows we could well spend part of our winters abroad ..Spain maybe Portugal.... in a longer let villa or similar. This change will allow us to continue to fulltime in a caravan which even after five years we love ...  but also allow me to do some longer multi day cycle rides and cycle touring and also do a bit of backpacking and at the same time allow Anne to be close to her aging mother and the rest of her family including her two year old grandson....

At the same time as all of this was going on I had contacted Cameron at Automotive Leisure at Bournemouth and arranged for them to buy back Eva....

 As the main Eriba dealers in the UK they are always looking for good used Eribas to buy.
 We have always got on well with the team at AL and we always attended their annual open days.....
 This was always a good social event to attend and we have attended every year except this year as due to the pandemic it had to be cancelled.

It was arranged for Kevin their driver to drive down from Bournemouth to pick up Eva on Monday the 8th June.....
Today!!!!!

After five years of living with Eva it was going to be a sad farewell..
  Five years of our lives have been tied up in that little iconic touring van and we have loved the experience.

At about 1040hrs this morning Kevin arrived and the first thing he said was... "You have really looked after this"

 And so we have.
 We have smothered the little van with lots of care and attention in order to keep her in pristine condition.....

Documents were signed....the keys were handed over  and then Kevin hitched her up and five years of our lives headed back to Bournemouth where she originally came from..... 

Hitching up..

Going......

Going ...

Going....

GONE!!!!