Hello Coddiwomplers* 👋

January always feels like a reset month — not just new plans, but a reminder of how things actually work once real life and winter weather get involved.

We’ve spent the last few weekends out in Somerset and Sussex, fitting trips around work, watching the forecast, and adjusting plans as we go. Some days it’s been council car parks and practical stops; other nights have felt like little luxuries — a campsite with electric and drainage (honestly, bliss), or a quiet wild camp under a windmill with views for miles.

That’s winter van life for us. Less about chasing highlights, more about showing up, making the most of what’s there, and enjoying the quieter moments when they appear.

Postcard from the Road

As many of you already know, we still work alongside filming and editing. That means when we finally get somewhere interesting, the weather doesn’t always play along — and January has been very January about it.

When that happens, we’ve started making the occasional quiet video. No talking, no opinions — just showing you around with calm music and letting the place speak for itself.

It isn’t always what we planned… but it is what the trip gave us.

We really enjoy watching this style of video ourselves, and we’ve been experimenting to see how it fits alongside our usual vlogs. What we don’t know yet is what you think.

Do you want more of these? Fewer? Or just the odd one when conditions call for it? Your feedback genuinely matters to us, and it will shape what we do next.

Looking Ahead — Our Great British Escape List

This year, we’ll be loading up Giovanni and heading off on a longer tour of Great Britain. Some stops will be familiar favourites we want to revisit quietly, but a big part of the plan is finally visiting places we’ve saved for years — locations we’ve seen on TV, in books, or mentioned by others as calm, escapist corners of the UK.

We’ve started calling this Our Great British Escape List — not a fixed route, just a growing collection of places that promise space, stillness, or a good view. Over the coming months, we’ll be finding out which ones live up to that promise and taking you along with us.

It is happening, even if the exact dots on the map are still moving. With UK weather being what it is, we’ll probably still be in big coats by summer — but that feels about right.

If you have a favourite UK escape — the kind of place you go for a quiet moment or a good view — tell us. We might just add it to the list.

Behind the Scenes

While we were in Sussex, we ended up making one of our quieter-style videos. An entire day’s filming happened without our microphones recording, so rather than force it into a standard vlog, we leaned into a calm, observational format instead — and it suits the place surprisingly well.

We’ll share this with our Members and Patrons a few days early as a small thank-you for their support, before it goes live for everyone else.

Pitstop Tip — Packing Cubes

This month’s practical tip comes straight from the van.

Angela swears by packing cubes.

Alan… less so. His method is more “fling it in a carrier bag and hope for the best” 😂

But the cubes do win:

• They compress clothes and save space
• Using different cubes for different clothing makes everything easier to find
• No more unpacking half the van to get to one jumper

Packing cubes we love →

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From the Van Window — Jack & Jill Windmills, Sussex

Winter light, open skies, and the kind of stillness that makes you slow down without realising you’ve done it.

Your Turn

We’re building our quiet-places list for the year ahead.

What are your must-see UK “secret” escapes? Where do you go when you need space, calm, or just a good view?

Share places, stories, or both — we’d love to hear them.

Before We Go…

Coming up on YouTube:

• Ebbor Gorge and Brean Down in Somerset
• An entirely unplanned (but very welcome) pizza stop
• A visit to the South Downs
• And hopefully a historic spot much closer to home

A mix of walks, views, food, and the usual reality — which feels like a pretty good way to start the year.

Thanks, as always, for being here with us. Here’s to a steady, grounded January — and seeing where the road takes us next.

Angela & Alan 🚐

*Coddiwompler: someone who travels purposefully toward an unknown destination.

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