"THE moment you turn the key is when your journey begins" proclaimed the website.

I must admit, we were extremely excited, and slightly apprehensive about turning that key.

Sandie the camper van was ready and waiting when we arrived at her home in Morecambe, gleaming in the morning sun.

We'd booked her, packed her and after a quick briefing and some do's and don'ts, set off up Broadway wondering where the hell her second gear had gone.

We hoped the traffic queuing up behind us wasn't in any rush that Friday morning.

Sandie was our home, and transport, for the weekend – a fully refurbished 1972 bay window, Devon Moonraker Volkswagen Camper with "pop top" roof and all the trimmings.

Mark Ritson, her owner and creator of Morecambe and Wize camper van hire, assured us that Sandie "took a little getting used to", and that indeed proved to be the case as we lurched onto the Prom with second gear finally playing the game.

We were heading for Scotgate Caravan Park in Braithwaite, near Keswick, where we'd booked a two-night stay with electric hook-up for £45.

Never exceeding 55mph, which is all Sandie will allow, we trundled merrily through South Lakeland feeling pretty cool, the thrill of riding in something so striking, getting beeped and waved at regularly by passers-by, meant the two and a half hour journey passed in a flash.

It was wet when we arrived at the site, and once we'd parked up and got out the awning, quite naturally, it began to chuck it down. Unphased (at first) I methodically began to assemble what would be our "eating and drinking area" for the weekend.

"Surely this must go in here, so why is it not doing?" were my rainsoaked mutterings, until finally it was up and attached to the side of Sandie.

She seemed happier after that and so was I.

And of course it abruptly stopped raining.

The awning, which can be opened up on three sides, is essential if you're going to be stopping in one place for a while – and it was an invaluable storage space for our stuff which would have cramped things up inside the camper.

On further investigation, I decided Sandie could have been a Transformer, or a game of Twister, in her past life.

Everything fit somewhere and that fit into something else which detached to become something else.

Inside the van there is an electric cool box, central heating, sink with tap, gas hob and grill, CD player with iPod connector, cutlery and pans, an awning heater, three hammocks for the kids and more drawers and openings than an antique writing desk.

Sandie also has a fully integrated mains hook up with two twin sockets and a leisure battery if you wanted to "rough it".

She was, in effect, the complete package.

The two hammocks in the roof are designed for children, so we found a space in the back of the van to contain our one-year-old. An extra cot mattress is advisable.

Plenty of fun and games were had trying to convert the living quarters into our bed for the night.

Once made, it was surprisingly comfortable and we had a pretty good night's sleep.

The next night was much easier.

I can't say I didn't get stressed with Sandie's logistics at times but waking up in the morning, looking out of her retro curtained windows at the hazy sunshine rising up over the mountains – all that stress just melted away...man!

I was sad to leave Sandie behind that weekend and I think if we'd had longer and were able to travel around a bit more, that feeling would have been stronger.

It was certainly an experience I'll never forget, and would recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure, a love of the outdoors or an appreciation of these timelessly iconic retro vehicles. An element of patience also comes in quite handy!

Sandie now has a sister – Pebbles – a 1966 Volkswagen Canterbury Pitt model. We glimpsed her as we set off and she really is a beauty.
The campers can be hired for a weekend break (Friday to Monday – £325 peak), midweek break (Monday to Thursday – £295 peak) or for a full week (Friday to Friday £550 peak).

For more information contact Mark on 0845 349 1691, email enquiries@morecambeandwize.co.uk, or check out their website ="http://www.morecambeandwize.co.uk">www.morecambeandwize.co.uk.