The Vision

I missed having a motor home! The ability to just pootle off for a weekend without having to rely on Bob to tow the ‘van somewhere.

I did my homework and listed what I considered to be reasonable wants for my ideal van. I decided I wanted a small, iconic camper that would fit on the drive, had a toilet and cooking facilities. It didn't need to house 4 people, just little old me, so a bench settee and a convertible single would do nicely.

It needed to be fairly cheap and have enough room to house my kit.

As an amateur archaeologist and budding metal-detectorist, and not one for “going“ in a field (if you know what I mean), a toilet is essential for convenience and privacy, and a kitchen, no matter how small, to provide that essential cup of coffee. 

I toured sites such as Gumtree, Auto trader (motor homes), Ebay and pre-loved, adding and taking away search filters, fretting whether I was doing the right thing, counteracting worries with more positive thoughts of “well I work hard hard enough, so why not”.

As the weeks went by, my fancies started to focus on Talbot campers. They’re short, with a variety of suitable layouts, a choice of fuel types…and they look good! There a couple in the area where I live, and I was very tempted to go knocking on doors to ask if I could have a nose around them, and indeed if they were up for sale!! But I resisted and instead joined the Talbot Owners Club.

What a great site! What great feedback! Good hints’n’tips, advice and a section for selling vans.

I was recommended to have a look at one which had just appeared on the site, so I generally do as I’m told, and liked what I saw. Much umming and aaahing followed and a gentle nudge from a workmate and fellow camper owner (well actually bullying tactics came into play ;-)) and I contacted the seller, Chump, to arrange a visit.

I should add here that I was disregarding any vehicles more than 80 miles away from home, so no-one was more surprised than me when I decided to go look at this one, on the other side of London, within the M25 car-park. About 136 miles away!