Having a Members Only campout is something that we've wanted to do for a while, and the Owner's Club were really keen as well. You may have already seen our blog post about our first ever Members Only Campout last month, but now we've had time to unpack (kind-of) and get back to reality, here's some more of our thoughts on the weekend...
Friday 30th June - Arrivals day
We got to the campsite in Hartington early afternoon ready to welcome everyone along. As we arrived the memories came flooding back of our wedding which we had there almost 8 years ago now, so it's a special place for us as a family.
As all 11 Trouvaille campers arrived they parked up in a line as if we were at a show, it was certainly a sight to behold! Everyone parked up and immediately hopped out, excited to look around everyone else's Trouvaille to see what options they had chosen.
(In case you didn't know, we offer a custom service, so although yes, everyone had the same campervan, I don't believe any two people had chosen the exact same order, with different colours and extras on all the different vans.)
A chorus of "oohs" and "wow" went up around the campsite as everyone started looking inside each others Trouvailles and chatted about their awnings etc.
Our members all got on so well that you wouldn't have know many of them had never met in person! They also welcomed in our hire clients who soon also felt part of the Orange Family!
We went out for a meal at the campsite local pub that night and spent a happy evening chatting and getting to know each other more.
Saturday 1st July - Beer festival fun
We wanted the vibe of the weekend to be relaxed, with not too much planned and scheduled, as you know, the joy of having a campervan is being able to do your own thing so we wanted to keep that ethos going.
Luckily it turned out there was a beer festival on nearby which we think almost everyone popped over to at some point or other.
For Saturday evening we hosted a BBQ for everyone - yes, a BBQ for 25 people hosted out of our Trouvaille Actif and all the meat fitted inside the 90 litre fridge - it's the largest fridge you will find in any compact camper on the market! No mean meat feat!
Sunday 2nd July - Time to head off and plans for the future
On Sunday it was a relaxed start and everyone set off when they were ready, some moving onto a new campsite, others heading back home again, but all really happy after a fun weekend.
It was particularly heart-warming for us to hear about our customer's adventures and how having their 'vans had enhanced their lives. There was a real happiness vibe that felt so lovely it was hard not to catch the bug. Next year this will be a bigger event also open to day visitors to be held in a private field at the same campsite with capacity to invite more people. This will be 21st to 23rd June 2024! If you want to be there, you need to be a part of our Owner's Club, and if you've been on the fence about getting a campervan, there's never been a better time to take the plunge, so why not take a look at our first time buyers guide, it's a great starting point!