David, I love these films that you and the other boaters do together, it´s like the famous film "Little Dorrit" where one for six hours sat and watched the story from two angles. Each time you meet up for a cooperation is simple feast.
A tip for using showers in campgrounds: shower before going to bed. You avoid queuing for showers like at the busy times. Plus, you go to bed clean of all the "campy stuff" you have acquired during the day. Best of all, you get to sleep in because you don't have to get up and go have a shower.
I used to stay at that campsite a lot in the nineties. One summer evening I was plugging in my landline when I felt something cold on the back of my leg (I was wearing shorts). I turned around and saw it was a fox who danced around like a dog wanting to play fetch the ball. I mentioned this to the site warden who said that the fox often visited the site and behaved like a dog.
I think you would enjoy a camping trip out here on Canada's West Coast. The contrast between our Provincial/National Parks campgrounds and the campgrounds I've seen in your videos is remarkable.
Wonderful video David. Always enjoy your trips and the narration that comes along with it. Good to see Lorna again. She is a nice camping buddy. Have a great week ahead.
Would love to see more of your campervan and maybe your cooking skills......don't get me wrong , loving the journeys and videos.....but I'd personally like to see some cooking, some gadgetry from the van, some interaction with fellow campers maybe. Love your soothing calming voice and style though , please keep the vids coming....very enjoyable
Nancy's guy Frank here... loved seeing the Pub menu. That was a real treat... I read everything that I could and dreamed of eating lots of things. Visits to Pubs, various attractions, even grocery stores I find very interesting. I do a lot of comparing to what I find in various parts of the USA where we live, to what I can see on your videos of the UK. Always enjoy your interaction with Lorna also, I should add we watch her offerings too. Thank you, please do more of this type of thing.
i was born and raised in London and i am heartbroken how rundown it has become.... nice to have bumped into you at Stratford David , i was a bit disappointed at the lack of traders but a nice break none the less.....
Same for me. I took my wife and kids back to my childhood home in south London a couple of years ago. I spoke glowingly about the road and houses as I remember in the 70’s. When we got there it was awful. The once well maintained houses and gardens just really run down and uncared for / unloved.
Thanks for the quick-trip video. Nice to be able to duck down and catch up with the lovely Lorna. I did enjoy the chat between the two of you on Lorna's video about the regulations for the Low Emission vehicles. A whole new world, something we don't have any sign of in little old Adelaide. I thought that dessert was scrumptious and thanks for the quick shot of it. What's next on your travel plans?
Nice to share your trip without having to put up with geese and assorted discarded rubbish. I found the brand new showers in one of Sydney's most exclusive yacht clubs were exactly like that but slightly smaller. I'd be telling the Commodore a thing or two if I was a member, but I'm not.
Long comment, sorry. Actually comment plus suggested vlog. Loved this slice of actual camper-van life, plus good chat with a friend. I think there are lots of viewers like me who would love to know more about YOU. Maybe a vlog Q&A of "A week in the life" of a camper-vanner who actually lives on a boat, but doesn't go anywhere on it. Do you really just stay parked on a permanent mooring? Where and what do you eat? % cooking on boat/van versus eating out? Entertainment? Visitors? Other hobbies we've not seen? You've made friends at your mooring? Shopping? Do you think this is common, wanting to stop cruising after a few to several years? That happened to us, sort of, fulltime RVing across the USA. Discovered a great place and wanted to stay there (Mexico). I think that would happen to me every few miles on the canals there, from your photography. I've loved whatever you're doing, keep'em coming.
So nice to see Lorna again. Do you know how she is doing with the course she was thinking of taking? It’s good to see friends even if only for a short time.
For work purposes I made that London/M1 journey many dozens of times. Leaving Rugby at 5 am I would be in the West End by 6-30 am. Sitting in a cafe eating bacon and eggs with toast and cups of tea. I can also recommend an M&S pork pie eaten in Green Park at lunch time. London was/is a wonderful city, and I have very fond memories of the people I worked with, the girls very stylish and classy will tell you to eff-off (in the nicest possible way)
I've only just been catching up with your posts. I'd like to say I've been busy, but it's not that, its through a tad of ill health. One of the things I relate to is when you mention Italy. I'm 53 now and I've lived and worked in Europe, but never voyaged further. I am content with that and I have always loved the variety of our different countries. But, every year I say to myself, "why haven't I been to Italy?", it's my sort of place and I'd enjoy it. I have dreams of doing a machination of the Victorian Grand Tour by boat and train. If I don't do it, I hope you do something along that sort of theme. Thankyou for all you do.....
That forlorn stretch of road by Pickett's Lock is known as Lee Park Way, and used to provide a (short-lived) connection down to what is now Advent Way and thence onto Angel Road (and also into Lower Hall Lane) prior to its widening in the early 1990s. There also used to be a road that took you under the Angel Road viaduct to access the Trading Estate on the South side, with a road adjacent to the towpath that ended with a ramp up onto Angel Road viaduct. Hard to imagine now with the six bridges/viaducts giving a full twelve lanes of traffic crossing the Lee Navigation!
You are a brave soul to navigate around the big city motorways within a 48 hour time period. The overnight accommodations looked adequate. I noted you and Laura both breaking out jackets. We are still having 80 degree F or 27 C days. Nights can get down to 13 C but the most glorious thing is the humidity finally lets up. Cheerio and see you on your next adventure. Curious posting two videos in a row within a short period of time!
Chooks … it’s usually chooks in some parks but otherwise native birds. Yep to the shower blocks, some are well thought out with dividers and sometimes curtains but others can be, well … let’s say you wear ya thongs (the foot kind) in the shower and don’t touch the walls. Good vlog guys. Great to compare your parks with our Oz ones.
I enjoyed that especially looking around the campground! Very nice ! Here in Victoria Australia our campground fees have risen extraordinarily they say because of Covid closures!
A few quick questions and observations….. are most camping grounds in the UK laid out like a parking lot grid ? Maybe it’s just the advantage of my geography but I’m used to camp grounds being meandering gravel roads through the woods with area cut into the wood on either side of the road but with enough space between still filled in with trees and low brush to preserve a lot more privacy. Second thought has to do with your shower dilemma. I use a set of horse/motorcycle saddlebags that hang over the door and allow me to put dirty clothes and shower materials on the wet side then flip it around on the shower door Noodles for breakfast. I like to fry an egg in the same pot I’ve cooked the noodles in and put the egg on top the noodles in my bowl. That’s my regular backpacking camping breakfast
There’s not really the space for huge gaps between the vehicles but certainly there are campsites where things are more spacious (generally, the less formal the site, the more likely you are to have space, I’d say. So the motorhome club sites are like car parks but a farmer’s field will have space)
When I saw the impressive dessert I wondered how you managed that on top of all that food and drink, then your face in the next image had me chuckling! 😄 I share your feelings of the M1! I've driven it only once, from Manchester. As an American, driving a manual transmission on the left side of that highway is adventurous to say the least! 😅😅
David, I like your channels and I follow them all but I would like to see you do documentaries on subjects YOU like on a separate channel. Maybe post once a month or 6 weeks. The docs and stories you have done are great.
Easy to see why the ancient Romans used geese as 'watchdogs' ('watchavians'?). Can't wait to reacquaint myself with the joys of the M1 & M25 ! Anything is better than I-95 in Massachusetts on a bad winter's day.....
Having just returned from 10 days in the country I understand your frustration and ire as I returned to traffic lights, bumper to bumper traffic and idiots err fellow road users!! I was able to get off the tarmac ...yes please and drive on dirt roads through stunning farm country - I call it big sky country - cloud formations/crops and abandoned farms ...wish I could paint. And only one or two cars in one and half hours of driving. Bliss....Jan Adelaide
Lovely to have a friend to meet. Living alone as I do I relish time in quiet but also meeting a friend is such a great treat.
Thanks for this little vignette. It’s always fun to enjoy a glimpse into one of your van getaways, especially with Lorna.
What a masterpiece!!!!... this guy is truly BBC-trained.... !!!!!
Thanks. Not BBC trained though, I worked for ITV
I enjoyed that. Thank you both and the geese too of course. 😃
As an American I love seeing the driving footage and scenery around the UK. Also, I eat instant noodles for breakfast all the time! *high fives Lorna*
David, I love these films that you and the other boaters do together, it´s like the famous film "Little Dorrit" where one for six hours sat and watched the story from two angles. Each time you meet up for a cooperation is simple feast.
Your channels are my favorite! Both the boat and the van!
Thank you!
"An appropriate level of grievance." That's a t-shirt.
I really enjoy this friendship.
A tip for using showers in campgrounds: shower before going to bed. You avoid queuing for showers like at the busy times. Plus, you go to bed clean of all the "campy stuff" you have acquired during the day. Best of all, you get to sleep in because you don't have to get up and go have a shower.
Mmm, I hate not being washed when I get up in the mornings though
I have to admit to being creased up with laughter at the "bawdy banter" bit :-)
A very pleasant video, thank you
You were a gonggoozler! I love it! Lovely trip meeting up with Lorna, always enjoy it and what a lovely meal!
I used to stay at that campsite a lot in the nineties. One summer evening I was plugging in my landline when I felt something cold on the back of my leg (I was wearing shorts). I turned around and saw it was a fox who danced around like a dog wanting to play fetch the ball. I mentioned this to the site warden who said that the fox often visited the site and behaved like a dog.
Perhaps it was a goose dressed as a fox
@@Vandemonium No. It was a fox who tried to Goose me.
Thank you David, for sharing this trip with us. A day out visiting with friends, in a different environment, makes life worth living.💕
I think you would enjoy a camping trip out here on Canada's West Coast. The contrast between our Provincial/National Parks campgrounds and the campgrounds I've seen in your videos is remarkable.
Wonderful video David. Always enjoy your trips and the narration that comes along with it. Good to see Lorna again. She is a nice camping buddy. Have a great week ahead.
Would love to see more of your campervan and maybe your cooking skills......don't get me wrong , loving the journeys and videos.....but I'd personally like to see some cooking, some gadgetry from the van, some interaction with fellow campers maybe. Love your soothing calming voice and style though , please keep the vids coming....very enjoyable
Ah, I have no cooking skills. There will be a video soon with lots of other campervanners
@@Vandemonium looking forward to it. Really enjoy your vids, keep them coming 👍🏻
Lovely video and nice to catch up with Lorna, she's a lovely girl. Super noodles for breakfast are healthier than the donuts she had last time.
An enjoyable few minutes, thanks for taking us along.
Enjoyed your vlog today, left me with smiles. Thanks for "reporting in" so that we know that you are healthy and busy and enjoying life.
Nice video, thanks for taking us along on your trip.
That was most enjoyable. Ducks and gooses a bit wary. Great vlog thank you
Nancy's guy Frank here... loved seeing the Pub menu. That was a real treat... I read everything that I could and dreamed of eating lots of things. Visits to Pubs, various attractions, even grocery stores I find very interesting. I do a lot of comparing to what I find in various parts of the USA where we live, to what I can see on your videos of the UK. Always enjoy your interaction with Lorna also, I should add we watch her offerings too. Thank you, please do more of this type of thing.
I was going "ehhh" on the shower block description and the lack of the divider, until you said it was clean! Clean = many, many other sins forgiven.
Nice to see Loma again. Glad you got to spend time visiting her.. Cheers David..
A nice park, and an interesting outing.
Your subtle humor is quite charming.
Happy Camping
Thank you kindly!
Always a pleasure to see 'Vandemonium' pop up in the notifications. Interesting to watch Lorna's 'take', too. Thanks, David. 👍😁
The chinwag chillin' looked blissful.
i was born and raised in London and i am heartbroken how rundown it has become.... nice to have bumped into you at Stratford David ,
i was a bit disappointed at the lack of traders but a nice break none the less.....
Same for me. I took my wife and kids back to my childhood home in south London a couple of years ago. I spoke glowingly about the road and houses as I remember in the 70’s. When we got there it was awful. The once well maintained houses and gardens just really run down and uncared for / unloved.
It’s always good to camp with friends ❤️. It’s great to take a break and get away🌿
What fun this must have been! Nothing wrong with noodles for breakfast!
My thoughts entirely, but why no olives and chilli sauce. They do add the finishing touches.
You are great together. Always fun even when not doing much. But Lorna's breakfasts are always sweet only.
Thanks . Good to see you and an old friend out and about. OUT. PS be well David.
All the youtube boaty people are like one big extended family, I like it
Always good to have one of your vlogs its always fun and entertaining....thank you !
Fab video. I'm so envious of you with that van...
I always enjoy the videos when you meet up with LJ. Perhaps this Summer you two can team up again?
Possibly!
The shower trick is to put the clothes in one of those zip-up suit protectors that go on a hanger.
Yeah, I take them in a plastic bag but it would nice if the floor area stayed dry there too
Thanks for the quick-trip video. Nice to be able to duck down and catch up with the lovely Lorna. I did enjoy the chat between the two of you on Lorna's video about the regulations for the Low Emission vehicles. A whole new world, something we don't have any sign of in little old Adelaide. I thought that dessert was scrumptious and thanks for the quick shot of it.
What's next on your travel plans?
No plans as such but two further videos to come from little jaunts I’ve done in the last few weeks
Goosie McGooseface!!! Nice one :)
Nice to see you back with the wife :-)
That was very nice David. Lovely to see Lorna again
Somehow never thought of British highways as being as bad as they are here in the United States. Thanks for sharing your experience.
They can be pretty bad
Wonderful to see you in my neck of the woods David
Nice to share your trip without having to put up with geese and assorted discarded rubbish. I found the brand new showers in one of Sydney's most exclusive yacht clubs were exactly like that but slightly smaller. I'd be telling the Commodore a thing or two if I was a member, but I'm not.
well its nice to here from lorna its been ages since i herd from her maybe lorna was teaching the goose to be the securty gard on the site haha
That’s just how long that team meeting went
The toilet planters reminded me of growing up with a toilet planter in our back yard. Had a sink planter also.
Fun episode 😊, please keep 'em coming. Thanks!
These videos make me want a van! im not sure there good for me LOL keep it up David Love the videos.
Fun video! The showers remind me of military style showers where I would place clothes in a bag and hang it from the shower head.
Love your van outings!!!🤗
Long comment, sorry. Actually comment plus suggested vlog. Loved this slice of actual camper-van life, plus good chat with a friend. I think there are lots of viewers like me who would love to know more about YOU. Maybe a vlog Q&A of "A week in the life" of a camper-vanner who actually lives on a boat, but doesn't go anywhere on it. Do you really just stay parked on a permanent mooring? Where and what do you eat? % cooking on boat/van versus eating out? Entertainment? Visitors? Other hobbies we've not seen? You've made friends at your mooring? Shopping? Do you think this is common, wanting to stop cruising after a few to several years? That happened to us, sort of, fulltime RVing across the USA. Discovered a great place and wanted to stay there (Mexico). I think that would happen to me every few miles on the canals there, from your photography. I've loved whatever you're doing, keep'em coming.
Another wonderful vlog!
So nice to see Lorna again. Do you know how she is doing with the course she was thinking of taking? It’s good to see friends even if only for a short time.
I don’t, probably best to post that on her video (link in the video description)
Thanks for taking us along on this trip. You are very right about the motorway traffic. I was anxious just watching.
I enjoy the driving footage. I’ve never traveled by car in the UK beyond short taxi trips, mostly in London.
What a coincidence... I'm in bed at 11pm with pancakes, vanilla ice cream and maple syrup while watching this lovely video.
looks like fun.
Fantastic video and narration David
That was a fun little video, and didn’t seem all that bad traffic driving into London Suburbs. With a nice looking site, well maintained!
Great video David. Please keep the content coming. 👌
This is why my hubby say...... the two things he doens't miss about living in the the UK, the M25 and then the weather..................
Oh David, only you can make fun commentary of traffic delays & the simplest of things. So corny but enjoyable!
That waffle & icecream dessert... 👏👏
It was delicious
For work purposes I made that London/M1 journey many dozens of times. Leaving Rugby at 5 am I would
be in the West End by 6-30 am. Sitting in a cafe eating bacon and eggs with toast and cups of tea. I can
also recommend an M&S pork pie eaten in Green Park at lunch time. London was/is a wonderful city, and
I have very fond memories of the people I worked with, the girls very stylish and classy will tell you to eff-off
(in the nicest possible way)
Ugh, early mornings…
Those are chips, not fries. Fries are thinner.😂 Ta.
I need an option to have David Johns' voice narrate my commute 😂
Pay me enough money … 😂😂
🤣🏆⭐️
Lovely video with you and Lorna. I also hate driving in cities so I felt your pain.
This might be the first time I've seen you eat a green veg.
As long as a Transit connect is in the video, it's a good one...
:-D
Thx for taking us with you!
:-D
I've only just been catching up with your posts. I'd like to say I've been busy, but it's not that, its through a tad of ill health. One of the things I relate to is when you mention Italy. I'm 53 now and I've lived and worked in Europe, but never voyaged further. I am content with that and I have always loved the variety of our different countries. But, every year I say to myself, "why haven't I been to Italy?", it's my sort of place and I'd enjoy it. I have dreams of doing a machination of the Victorian Grand Tour by boat and train. If I don't do it, I hope you do something along that sort of theme. Thankyou for all you do.....
Love your stuff.
That forlorn stretch of road by Pickett's Lock is known as Lee Park Way, and used to provide a (short-lived) connection down to what is now Advent Way and thence onto Angel Road (and also into Lower Hall Lane) prior to its widening in the early 1990s.
There also used to be a road that took you under the Angel Road viaduct to access the Trading Estate on the South side, with a road adjacent to the towpath that ended with a ramp up onto Angel Road viaduct. Hard to imagine now with the six bridges/viaducts giving a full twelve lanes of traffic crossing the Lee Navigation!
You are a brave soul to navigate around the big city motorways within a 48 hour time period. The overnight accommodations looked adequate. I noted you and Laura both breaking out jackets. We are still having 80 degree F or 27 C days. Nights can get down to 13 C but the most glorious thing is the humidity finally lets up. Cheerio and see you on your next adventure. Curious posting two videos in a row within a short period of time!
Haha I know, I had an unusual spate of weekends away so I’ve got another two still to edit!
I went to that there London place ONCE in about 1993 - and that was once too often, I haven't bothered to return since...
Chooks … it’s usually chooks in some parks but otherwise native birds. Yep to the shower blocks, some are well thought out with dividers and sometimes curtains but others can be, well … let’s say you wear ya thongs (the foot kind) in the shower and don’t touch the walls. Good vlog guys. Great to compare your parks with our Oz ones.
I must get some flip-flops (“thongs”)
I enjoyed that especially looking around the campground! Very nice ! Here in Victoria Australia our campground fees have risen extraordinarily they say because of Covid closures!
Glad you liked it!
Thanks David.🇦🇺🖖👍
Very nice story following most of the the bleak news that we have to absorb these days!
Glad I was sitting down. Got a bit worried when I saw *you* with a salad lol.
Looks great 👍 Nothing like a little roadtrip and a catch up :)
Thanks 👍
A few quick questions and observations….. are most camping grounds in the UK laid out like a parking lot grid ? Maybe it’s just the advantage of my geography but I’m used to camp grounds being meandering gravel roads through the woods with area cut into the wood on either side of the road but with enough space between still filled in with trees and low brush to preserve a lot more privacy.
Second thought has to do with your shower dilemma. I use a set of horse/motorcycle saddlebags that hang over the door and allow me to put dirty clothes and shower materials on the wet side then flip it around on the shower door
Noodles for breakfast. I like to fry an egg in the same pot I’ve cooked the noodles in and put the egg on top the noodles in my bowl. That’s my regular backpacking camping breakfast
There’s not really the space for huge gaps between the vehicles but certainly there are campsites where things are more spacious (generally, the less formal the site, the more likely you are to have space, I’d say. So the motorhome club sites are like car parks but a farmer’s field will have space)
Pickett's Lock, looks more like Lock Pickers'.
What a great title and thumbnail 👍😀
David have you done a tour of Lornas Connect?
I'm getting more interested in micro campers.
I haven’t but maybe I should!
I think that was no ordinary goose! He was the voice actor from "Untitled Goose Game".
Geese have a fearsome reputation, but they are not that bad. Swans are another matter altogether.
Swans are nasty
Dino DNA!
When I saw the impressive dessert I wondered how you managed that on top of all that food and drink, then your face in the next image had me chuckling! 😄
I share your feelings of the M1! I've driven it only once, from Manchester. As an American, driving a manual transmission on the left side of that highway is adventurous to say the least! 😅😅
David, I like your channels and I follow them all but I would like to see you do documentaries on subjects YOU like on a separate channel. Maybe post once a month or 6 weeks. The docs and stories you have done are great.
Cheers, I am already doing docos on subjects of interest over on my Cruising the Cut channel.
With that layout of shower you have to make use of your towel to keep your clothes dry!
You weren’t the target of the bawdy banter then? 😀
Well, no, I didn't know them
Reminds me of the "Untitled Goose game".
Looks like a fun trip.
Agree with the slightly unappealing entrance to the country park. Cynthia B
Easy to see why the ancient Romans used geese as 'watchdogs' ('watchavians'?). Can't wait to reacquaint myself with the joys of the M1 & M25 ! Anything is better than I-95 in Massachusetts on a bad winter's day.....
Someone had a sense of humour when painting the chemical toilet block, "Turdy Brown" seems to fit well , with the buildings use.
beware the cobra chicken lol
Having just returned from 10 days in the country I understand your frustration and ire as I returned to traffic lights, bumper to bumper traffic and idiots err fellow road users!!
I was able to get off the tarmac ...yes please and drive on dirt roads through stunning farm country - I call it big sky country - cloud formations/crops and abandoned farms ...wish I could paint. And only one or two cars in one and half hours of driving. Bliss....Jan Adelaide
Pickets Lock, oh dear ! Hope you did not get over whelmed by the sewridge plant fumes ! There are much nicer sites a few miles away.
Haha no, didn’t notice any pong
That looked like enough calories for a week :-)