sonja's & andrew's classic vw camper vans

 

About us

Sonja Willems and Andrew Thompson are the two co-founders and co-owners of Blue Yonder camper vans, a company based in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, UK, specializing in self drive hire of classic VW camper vans.

So why did they start a VW camper van hire business?! Here is the full story:

Andrew’s father bought a 1963 VW camper van in 1969, when Andrew was 2 years old.

Andrew’s parents and the 5 children plus 2 aunts and often other relations or friends would go on holiday in the VW camper van. Andrew’s mother prepared frozen stews ready for all to enjoy once they had pitched camp. One day Andrew’s father found a shortcut on the o/s map, it led up a single-track road, then a farm track and petered out half way up a mountain. The whole family set to building a track for our light blue “Splitty”, though had to admit defeat after several hours and Andrew’s father reversed the van all the way back down. What a wonderful holiday adventure.

The family would often travel in the evening, with the children cosy on the bed in the back, snuggled up with blankets.

The last big summer holiday was the drought year of 1976 before a hole in the chassis garaged the “Splitty”.

Andrew’s father, his brother Julian and Andrew spent many hours over the years rebuilding the van. Periods between work on the van lengthened as Andrew and Julian moved away from home and had other commitments, until it looked as though the van would remain in the garage.

A few years ago Andrew and Sonja got serious about getting the “Splitty” reregistered, MOTd and back on the road and spent more weekends at Andrew’s parents. Despite increasingly poor health Andrew’s father was fully involved and together they got the van back on the road in November 2007.

To begin with, wooden armchairs served as rear seats for trips to the seaside and carol singing in Hatfield forest. Andrew’s father gave Andrew and Sonja the money to have the van resprayed, but sadly did not live to see the van in its new finery.

Andrew and Sonja enjoy the van so much and get so many admiring looks and comments that they have just set up a business hiring out classic VW camper vans called Blue Yonder camper vans. Now other people can share the freedom, happiness and relaxation that a classic VW camper van gives.

www.blueyondercampervans.co.uk