I guess that the combination of a 6 month old child (Dylan), a 4-star wife (Kather’s), a 40 year old campervan and the good old English September weather were always going to throw up some challenges but until we arrived to pick up the gorgeous Ordell for our week in Cornwall I had no idea what they might be.
Like all those that have been before, the gearbox caused us no end of trouble as we headed down to Mother Ivy Bay (near Padstow and highly recommended) for the first leg of our adventure. The driving experience was one of total joy and sheer terror combined.
Every time we stopped at a junction fear would race through my body as I searched frantically for that illusive 1st gear as traffic built up behind us. On one occasion the challenge of a hill start and the Ordell’s secret game of ‘hide the gear’ really got us, and the car behind, worried as we rolled back several times before finally nailing it … phew : )
We finally arrived at our campsite but as we set up in some incredibly gusty Cornish winds we were advised by a seasoned fellow camper not to risk putting the awning up …with the amazingly windy weather we experienced on this night I think this was probably the correct thing to do as sleeping in Ordell was more like being aboard an ocean liner than a campervan in a field.
The terrible weather didn’t really get any better until the end of the week and sadly Kath did the responsible thing and booked us into a static caravan for the rest of the holiday.
Gutted as I was, this did have its advantages and it meant that Ordell was always ready and willing to take us around the sites of Cornwall: Padstow, Eden Project, Newquay, Wadebridge. Best finds of the week were the Cornish Arms just down the road in St Merryn, Padstow Farm Shop and Chough Pasty shop …mmmmm!!
Despite our bad luck with the weather the week with Ordell was a fantastic experience and one I would definitely love to repeat … soon hopefully. Once you get the hang of driving Ordell it is the most amazing experience and the hour and a half drive back to Okehampton on the Friday morning was definitely one of the highlights … no gear troubles, no worries about making it up steep hills … just some cracking tunes on the iPod, Dylan riding shotgun smiling all the way and finally some beautiful sunshine.
If Ordell ever needs a new home he’ll always be welcome with us : )
Thanks to all at O’Connors … Zoe helped us out no end with info prior to arriving and Pete …the legend… didn’t bat an eyelid as he had to rip out half of the front upholstery just to fit a longer seatbelt to accommodate Dylan’s car seat. Thanks guys
By Chris Irvine
