Over summer, I nipped into my savings and got a van. I was racking my brain to and through whether to get one. Are they good value? Is there an alternative to diesel? How often will I realistically use it? In the end, if its something I want to pursue maybe I should go with it. Pretty selfish, right?
The carbon impact is a dilemma. I don’t depend on using a car but when I do use it, it’s usually on my own and travelling further afield. So I’m going to pay some money into a carbon offsetting scheme. It’s not perfect but the least I can do whilst I own it. I looked into electric vans and I just don’t have that kind of money right now, what I have signed up to is an app called Bla Bla where you can invite others to car share with you and get some fuel money for it. Because I travel frequently between Bristol and Southampton (a popular route) it will help feel less wasteful.
Fast forward a couple of months and my Kangoo is doing alright. I just got back from a second impromptu trip to Wales but I'll post about that another time. For now, I'll give a run down of her maiden voyage as I spent a week in September wandering the English south coast.
In all I clocked 548 miles (including a 20 mile bike ride). Rode 6 skateparks. Saw 1 seal and got 0 bike punctures. Happy days.
I've tried retracing my steps by creating this custom google map. Feel free to have a look over it in more detail. With the help of my diary, I was able to split out where I got to each day. Driving wise, I rather enjoyed it. The seat was super cushty. I could do with some more CD's though...
Beautiful morning to wake up to at Beachy Head. Super relaxed time and good nights sleep. Had no idea how often people go to end their life there.
Car spotting in Arundel. This town had impeccable style! Mustangs, old land rovers and Morgans.
Noodles Noodles Noodles. What doesn't go with them?! I managed to save a lot of money on making breakfast and lunch out of the van. Also rather tasty.
Hastings pier
I cycled a section of Stane Street, a roman road that ran from Chichester to London. It's where my family name: Stanistreet comes from. More about this in another post.
DUN-JUH-NESS
