Reggie

About the area: Reggie is situated in the beautiful Esk Valley on the rural Scottish Borders. Just a 45 minutes drive from Carlisle, with regular train services from the South and North. The nearest town is Langholm, known as the Muckletoon. Pick-ups can easily be organised by prior arrangement from both places and also Lockerbie which is an hour by train from Edinburgh or Glasgow. If you're driving there is off-road parking to keep your vehicle safe while you're away in Reggie. This is the perfect starting point to explore Scotland and the North of England. Whether you’re heading to the famous NC500, the Cairngorms National Park, the Scottish Highlands & Islands, the beautiful West Coast beaches or South to England for the spectacular Cumbrian fells, or wild Yorkshire Moors. Reggie comes with information on all local attractions, hikes and drives. Including Grey Mare’s waterfall and The Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre. Description of Beds: Reggie’s extra long wheelbase (Xlwb) allows space for a huge 192 cm x 168 cm bed, it’s raised, permanently fixed, super comfortable, and built down the cabin to accommodate taller guests. The bed comes with a memory foam mattress, and topper, it sleeps 2 but Reggie also has a bench bed/couch 174 cm x 72 cm that easily converts by lowering the dining table. Description of Seating: Reggie can fit 4 people socially in the main living space with the dining table converted to a couch and the front captain's seat turned around. There are belted seats for 2 passengers; the driver and passenger. Description of Electrical Setup: Reggie has 2 large solar panels, 2 12V leisure batteries with an inverter. There is an electric hook-up available, 6 plug sockets, and 5 USB points. Reggie has main lights in the cab, back, front and garage plus indoor fairy lights for a cosier atmosphere. Reggie can run off-grid for up to 10 days with reasonable electrical use without any issues. Parking: If you drive to collect the van, you are welcome to leave your car in Reggie’s normal parking spot, safely on the property. If you come by train, Reggie's owners will be able to pick you up from Carlisle or Lockerbie station when prearranged, and at an extra cost. There is also the reliable X95 bus to Langholm from Carlisle, which takes 45 mins, or Telford country bus from Lockerbie to Eskdalemuir, which takes 30 mins, it can be less reliable but is a great scenic route! Cooking Equipment: Reggie has two gas hobs inside, plus a single gas burner and a small, well loved BBQ bucket/fire pit that you can use to cook outside. Reggie was originally built as a home, and so comes with everything you could possibly need to cook up a feast for up to four people. That includes traditional tin camping mugs, plates, bowls, stainless steel cutlery, wine glasses, beakers, a chopping board, a kettle, small frying pan, Ridgemonkey pan, large and small saucepan, strainer, Tupperware for storage, cooking spoons, sharp knife, pen knife, a tin opener, corkscrew/bottle opener, colander, washing up bowl, dustpan and brush and a heap of handy items ‘just in case’ like a toasting rack that you can use over the gas hob or BBQ to make really good toasties. Water and Sanitation: Reggie has an outdoor solar-heated shower bag that can be hooked over the back doors. It comes with shower curtains for privacy and to stop the water coming inside. The bag can also be filled with warm water from the kettle if the sun is not shining. The only hot water source is from boiling the kettle. There is a removable toilet kept in a cupboard which can be pulled out to use inside or in the toilet tent outside. There is a 25 litre freshwater bottle which will be filled on your arrival that supplies water to the sink via a pump. Both the freshwater and 25 litre grey water bottles are easily accessed and removable from the cupboard under the sink. Audio Equipment: Reggie is a little dated when it comes to audio-tech but has an essential Bluetooth speaker for mobile/laptop connection to listen to music and a phone holder in the cab for satnav use. Reggie also comes with a 3 MiFi box for the internet when connection is available. Type of Heating: We can supply an electric blow heater but can only be used when you have an electric hook up, it will eat up your solar power pretty quick! Reggie always comes with 2 hot water bottles and plenty of extra blankets. Pet Information: Reggie accepts well behaved pets, but ideally they need to be kept off the bed and soft furnishings. Conversion Story: Reggie was converted in 2020 to be a home, and in 2021 we moved in full time while travelling around the country. As long term campervan owners and renters we wanted to create a layout and design that worked for comfort and suited the needs and priorities of full time van life. The Xlwb allows for the massive bed with garage space below to fit bikes and other outdoor equipment. The driver’s cabin is open to the rear for easy driver access and the passenger seat swivels to create more seating for guests. Now we are settled and working on new projects, while Reggie is sitting on the drive! We want to get her out on the road where she belongs, having more adventures! About the Owner: We are Nigel and Karen Turner, Artists from Central London. We always knew we would leave London but were never sure where we wanted to be. We had always camped for holidays and converted our first van, a VW Caravelle, Bluebell 24 years ago. We spent the 10 years hiring all different types of vans for holiday fun while researching exactly what worked for us, and so the design for Reggie was born. We lived in Reggie for a year travelling the length and breadth of the UK, Ireland and Scotland looking for our forever home, settling in the beautiful Scottish Borders. Our favourite thing about Reggie is the strength, even though she's a big old beast she gets you down the narrowest lanes, up the steepest climbs and into the most stunning locations.