My name is Sasha Morgan, and I have a passion for campervans. In particular, VW campervans. I wrote a book called Escape to Lilacwell, which tells the story of a twenty-something year old quitting her job and buying a campervan to go on an adventure across England, while discovering Lilacwell - the fictional Lancashire village she falls in love with.
My earliest experience of camping was a disaster. Growing up in the 70’s in the suburbs, my
parents decided a ‘camping trip’ would be a great idea. To be fair, they sold it well to their
off spring, with exciting promises of ‘camp fires under the stars,’ ‘picnics in the countryside,’
and ‘sleeping under canvas’.
So off we all went, full of optimism, in the Ford Cortina packed to the rafters. Our
destination was Silverdale, the beautiful costal village of Lancashire, standing on Morecambe
Bay, near the border with Cumbria. It offers sheltered walks along limestone paths amongst
woodland, leading to panoramic views of the Lakeland Fells. It’s gorgeous, it really is and
should have been the perfect spot for a fantastic family holiday. It wasn’t. For a start, Mum
and Dad really struggled to erect the tent. ‘Well, they’d never done it before, had they?’ they
told three disgruntled children. Of course the rain didn’t help either, which meant that once
the tent had eventually gone up, everything was cold and damp.
It didn’t get any better, as the rain persisted day after day. Then came the wind. I still
remember my mum and I sat in the car, just to stay dry, when to our horror, saw the tent
literally blow upwards from the ground, with Dad clinging onto the frame. Together he and
my brother just about managed to keep it pulled down.
That proved to be the last straw. The holiday was cut short and we were going home. But
not before a kind lady, who witnessed the whole fiasco from her campervan, invited us three
children inside for a drink, while Mum and Dad packed everything up. And there it began,
my love of campervans.
Maybe I associate them as a sense of refuge, a safe haven, but I was smitten immediately
when first stepping foot inside the warm, cosy little space. Why oh why hadn’t we holidayed
in one of these, instead of a cold, damp tent? It was such a magical space through the eyes
of a child with its dinky hob and sink, folding seats and cute, frilly curtains. It even had the
luxury of a toilet!
Today, campervans are still a magical space to me, some forty-odd years on. There’s
something about packing up the van for an impromptu mini break. It gives me a buzz
anticipating a fresh trip and landing in the glorious countryside, meeting fellow, likeminded
people.
My VW Campervan didn’t come cheap, but is worth every penny with all the joy it’s
brought. So much so, it gave me inspiration to write a book.
Escape to Lilacwell is about a
young, twenty-something girl who decides to ditch the rat race, buy a campervan and just
take off. It’s not long before she discovers Lilacwell, which is a fictitious Lancashire village
in the Forest of Bowland. She never looks back – and like the character in my book, neither
have I. I’d never part with my campervan.