Steve Eccleston
Managing Partner at Kuits Solicitors
Discusses how he packs up and gets away from the stresses of his legal life
Discovering new parts of the country and getting the opportunity to enjoy the great British outdoors is one of my favourite pastimes. I bought a VW campervan last year so that my wife and I could take a break away from our hectic lives whenever, and wherever, we like.
Now that our children have left home – both of our sons are currently at university – we have more time to ourselves. The van allows us to see the many beautiful parts of this country on a whim, without having to plan in advance. We can just drive to a campsite for an overnight stay, or park up for a day at the beach and having the van encourages us to do that.
Another influential reason for purchasing the campervan was so that we could take our dog along with us on our adventures! Our Labradoodle Harlyn was named after Harlyn Bay, our favourite beach in Cornwall, where we have spent many happy summers with our boys.
Cornwall is definitely our favourite place to visit in the van or otherwise. Along with Devon, the region is one of our most frequently visited places – we love to be by the coast and the Southwest is a little warmer than the equally attractive Northern coastlines. Yorkshire is also a place that we love to return to. As much as we enjoy foreign travel and no one objects to a bit of sun, there are so many beautiful and historic parts of Great Britain to explore that it seems a shame not to see them. Why go abroad when you have the Jurassic Coast, the Lake District and beautiful Cornwall right on your doorstep?
We like to get away in the van most weekends when we’re able to – even if it’s just for a day by the sea. The campervan is equipped with a fully fitted kitchen, or at least a hob, sink and some cupboards (small but perfectly formed!) so we can cook wherever the road takes us. There’s also a bedroom that can be created by lifting the roof to reveal a separate sleeping area for us to easily be able to spend the night anywhere we choose.
Being by the coast allows me to completely escape from the work environment. Walking on the beach with the dog, or surfing and swimming in the sea, is a perfect way to relax and recharge.
Most recently we visited the Exmoor coast for the first time and visited a number of small coastal villages we would never have visited had we not bought the campervan. Whilst we are content to continue visiting our own coastline for the moment, we may get into Europe one of these days– although we’d probably use a few hotels if we were away for any period of time.
