Sunshine, happy campers and a sky full of stars: Here’s what happened at our 2026 Orange Campers Campout
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
There's a word for what we felt on the drive home from this year's campout: blessed! Not a word we use lightly, but standing in that events field at Bank House Farm on Saturday night, looking up at a sky full of stars – Venus glinting back at us – it's the only one that felt right. 😌
From Friday 26th to Sunday 28th June, our Orange family gathered once again at Bank House Farm in the Peak District for our 2026 campout. And this year has worked out so well – amazing weather, brilliant company, good food at the pub, and it's the kind of weekend that reminds us why we do this.
We don't have to do much to make it happen. Our Orange family does that. And every year, we feel it more.
Friday night: The pub, the people, and the start of something special
We had a slightly chaotic start to the weekend on our end. Richard headed up with Charlie and Jack around 3pm, while I was delayed because Billy had his sports day. I'd tried to bribe him to leave early, but then he went and won loads of events and wanted to stay for his awards. Understandably! So we didn't arrive until quarter to six, by which point everyone was already sat down and in full flow of conversation, which is lovely to see.
As has become tradition, Friday evening kicked off with a meal at the pub together – a chance for familiar faces to reunite and new ones to settle in. The chatter was flowing, the food was good, and the feeling 'round that table was wonderful.
It's one of our favourite parts of the whole weekend: that first moment when everyone arrives, settles in and relaxes. That's what it's all about – people coming together who love their 'vans and love camping life, all getting to know each other a little better, and as each year goes on - really becoming friends (and part of the Orange family).
The Micro Camper made its very first campout appearance this year! Charlie wanted to bring his friend Lachlan along, and with a full MWB that was going to be a squeeze, so we took the Micro Camper too.
Charlie and Lachlan were delighted with it! There was a 3am knock at the door when Lachlan's thrashing around in the roof bed got a bit much, and poor Richard ended up doing a middle-of-the-night swapsie, but that's campout life, and we wouldn't have it any other way!
Having a nosey in each other's vans
One of the things that always strikes us at the campout is how much people love looking round each other's 'vans — and this year it felt even more so. Everyone was milling around, peering in, sharing tips and stories.
The star of the morning (and possibly the whole weekend) was Mike and Dawn's Trouvaille Classique High Roof. They've only had it four weeks, but they've really made it their own. The colouring is stunning, they're naturally very stylish people, and the accessories they'd chosen were just lovely. Everyone was drawn to it!
The talking point was a loafer sofa from The Futon Company — and honestly, it's a game-changer. During the day it sits beautifully as a sofa on the driver's side rear seat. Then at night it doubles as a topper for the double bed, adding real comfort.
They'd also got a kitchen roll holder on the wall, a stylish soap dispenser, gorgeous cushions — just really thoughtfully done. Richard went over and filmed it, and we're already planning a collaboration video with Mike, so watch this space. Safe to say I'm now seriously eyeing one up for our own 'van...
Meanwhile Cathy had her own Saturday morning mission – she was up and at 'em at 6:30am training for a charity 50K walk coming up in a couple of weeks. She hit her target, got back exhausted, and walked straight into a BBQ. Perfect timing!
Paul and Kathy and Linda and Doug (veterans and first-timers respectively) headed off to the local parkrun and grabbed their campout meat from the butcher nearby on the way back. Everyone's got their little campout routines now, and that says it all, really!
River, BBQ and Mölkky mayhem
We took Jack down to the river on site and he had the most wonderful time — practicing his swimming while the kids all piled in with their river shoes. William, Lachlan, Billy, Charlie, me (briefly, in my river shoes!), and then Richard took over while I headed back to start prepping the BBQ.
The BBQ went really smoothly. Everybody cooked their own food, the weather was gorgeous, and we had the sun sail up – which we'd put up in case of rain, but ended up using to shelter from the sun. Lovely problem to have! As the evening cooled we spread back out, and it was just such a nice atmosphere.
Linda and Doug had brought Mölkky (a Finnish throwing game with wooden numbered blocks) and it went down brilliantly with the kids. Billy has a very impressive throw on him, which did get a little too close to people at one point... we had to rein that in slightly. He was also cracking a flower stick about (a circus juggling prop) and got really good at it too. We didn't have a dull moment!
Flames, stars and the football score in the morning
As the sun went down, Alex (who's a Scout leader) had the most brilliant trick up his sleeve: a special liquid you could put on the fire to change the colour of the flames. The kids were absolutely captivated, and we had marshmallows on the go too, obviously.
Alex and his wife have a red accent MWB pop top (the very first red one we've ever done) and it looked incredible amongst the other 'vans. They've got baby daughter Lucy and son William in year 6, who got on brilliantly with our boys all weekend.
Then came the moment of the weekend. Louise and her husband, who have a fixed rear bed conversion with us and regularly take their telescopes away with them, talked us all through the constellations from that breathtaking viewpoint at Bank House Farm. We spotted Venus and the kids were in awe – and so were all us adults! There's something magical about this place, and we really do feel lucky to call it our annual home.
The football was on that evening, but nobody felt like they were missing out. The action was right there in that field. Janet, who had a TV onboard, slipped off to bed early and promised to report the score in the morning. But the rest of us were too busy enjoying ourselves to care!
The conversations that matter
One of the things we really love about the campout is hearing how our clients are getting on with their 'vans – and how much those 'vans have become part of their lives.
And it's wonderful when clients love being part of Orange so much that they want to stay in the family when their needs change. On Sunday morning, as people were packing up, a few came over for a last look round.
One gentleman is upgrading from a short wheelbase Ducato to a Micro Camper — he feels it might suit him better in his later years, and we think he's absolutely right. Wendy is considering going from her MWB pop top to a Trouvaille Classique MWB High Roof with Atek pop top — wanting that extra space for family trips. You don't always have to go bigger – sometimes smaller is smarter!
The rain gave us permission to leave
As ever, Sunday came round too quickly. 😭 And as if on cue, the rain arrived just as we were all packing up – almost like it was giving us all permission to say our goodbyes and go back to normal life.
We headed into Hartington afterwards for a pub lunch – a lovely way to close the weekend, and a place that's special to us as a family. We did a beautiful walk by the river where Jack had his very first proper swim. He's always been one for paddling, but this was the real thing. A first for the campout diary!
We drove home full of good memories, grateful hearts, and already looking forward to next year. Our most successful campout yet – and we think it's down to the people, the place, and just getting better at knowing what works!
Want to be part of it next year?
The campout is exclusively for Orange Campers owners – it's one of the things that makes being part of our community so special. If you're already in the Orange family, keep an eye out for details of our 2027 campout.
Not part of the family yet? We'd love to change that. Come and see us at our workshop — you can have a proper look around, sit in the 'vans, ask every question you've got, and get a real feel for what makes an Orange Camper different.
And right now, if you book a Trouvaille Classique MWB or Micro Camper build before 31st August 2026, you'll receive a free awning — a lovely extra to have on your first campout! 🧡 Book your workshop tour and you'll get a free mug set just for coming along.
Please note: Information in this blog was correct at the time of publishing. Links, offers, specifications and product availability may change over time.
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