Sonia

Description of Beds: The bed in Sonia is an enormous 190 x 170 cm, giving plenty of space to sleep two adults plus a little one. However, there’s also enough floor space in the van to put up a travel cot or a toddler camp bed if you prefer your own space (both available as add-ons). If your companion is of the furry variety, there’s even enough space for a dog bed too. Description of Seating: There are three belted seats in the front (including driver), all with headrests. A baby seat and a child seat are both available to use. When the bed is put away, there is a huge amount of space for sitting, yoga or even dancing. With 3 metres of seating down one side and nearly 2 metres on the other side, there’s plenty of spare space onboard. Even when the bed is up, there’s room for three adults to sit. There’s an adjustable table that can be fixed at two different points in the van. There’s also a movable wooden box over the toilet that can be used to sit on inside or outside or even to fix the table on. A further large outside table (shown in the photos) and two chairs are available as add-ons. Description of Electrical Setup: Sonia is fitted with a mains hook up, a 300w inverter and battery charger, and two 120Ah leisure batteries. There are 2 x 240v sockets for when the van is hooked up and 4 x USB sockets. The batteries will easily keep the fridge, lights and USB sockets running for three days without additional charge, but a split charger relay will automatically charge the batteries when you drive. About the area: Sonia lives in the market town of Newbury and is parked on a quiet residential street, with a view of Donnington Castle. Newbury is also home to the Newbury Racecourse, the beautiful Kennet and Avon canal, and Greenham Common which was used as a filming location for Star Wars. In addition, Highclere Castle, home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and the filming location of Downton Abbey, is only a 10-minute drive away. Parking: If you drive to collect Sonia, you are welcome to leave your car in our driveway. If you come by train to Newbury, we will normally be able to pick you up from the station. Cooking Equipment: There is a 2 gas ring burner hob. A top loading 12v electric fridge. A 900 watt combination microwave with grill and oven (this only works with a hook up). Sink with a tap and running cold water. Sonia has a fully equipped kitchen including; frying pan, griddle pan, 2 x saucepans with lids, wooden spoon, ladle, spatula, potato masher, sharp knife, chopping board, whistling stove-top kettle, electric kettle (only works with a hook up), salad bowl, dinner plates x 3, side plates x 3, bowls x 3, Mugs x 3, tumblers x 3, wine glasses x 3, stovetop coffee maker, hand towel x 1, tea towels x 2, spices and salt and pepper, tin opener, corkscrew/bottle opener, washing up bowl, dustpan and brush, and finally, a table cloth. Water and Sanitation: There is a 70 litre under-chassis water tank which provides fresh water via a pump. There is an easy access filler cap to fill the tank with water when needed at the rear of the van. There is also a waste-water tank which takes all your waste from the sink. You can heat the kettle on the gas hob for hot water. Sonia has a portable toilet that is neatly hidden under a large wooden box. Audio Equipment: There is a built in Mercedes Sprinter stereo with bluetooth, plus a bluetooth speaker in the living area. Type of Heating: The Propex Heatsource 12V HS2000 is an automatic thermostatically controlled blown air heating system, which gets things toasty very quickly. For the warmer weather the two windows and two skylights can be opened and combined with the detachable roof fan, this allows plenty of fresh air to flow through. Extra Information: Sonia’s owner, Becky, has parents who are both professional show jumpers, so she spent a lot of her childhood travelling round in horseboxes. This is where she got her travel bug and also a good grounding on what works for a life on wheels. Michael at MS Horseboxes has worked on Becky’s dad’s horsebox for years and has now helped Becky create her dream. There is a garage space in the back which will take two road or town bikes plus all the extras like tables, chairs and BBQ. The rear doors can be locked with an additional extremely strong lock for added security for your expensive bikes. Sonia also has an awning and rear parking sensors. Conversion Story: We first bought Sonia to be our adventure van. The first thing we did was put a mattress and a surfboard in the back and drive down to Devon. She’s come a long way since then in terms of comfort and style! Everything is designed to give a sense of space and light. We worked hard to ensure we achieved this vision, whilst also including some personal touches like the ‘Game of Thrones’ stencils and some coat hooks made by a blacksmith in Estonia. I designed the layout around my love of triathlons; with a waterproofed internal garage compartment for two road bikes, wet wetsuits and all the other paraphernalia needed. Later, when we were expecting our first child, the layout was adjusted to accommodate a family, with a fold down nappy changing area (which can also be used as a standing desk), a microwave/oven/grill for baby food and even more storage space.