A Winter Weekend in the Lakes- is our VW Campervan ready for skiing in the Alps?

Join us on a winter adventure as we head into the Lake District for a last-minute getaway in our trusty VW campervan! We’ll be testing out the van's winter readiness as we prepare for our big ski trip to the Alps later in the month. From cozying up in the van to tackling some icy weather, we're taking you along for the ride as we check if our camper can handle the chilly conditions and mountain passes.
In this video, you'll see:
What upgrades we have made to prepare our van for the next year
The winter prep for our campervan
Stunning Lake District winter scenery
Our campervan hacks for cold weather
We are Richard and Jackie and we live in the UK. We retired from teaching at the age of 51 in the summer of 2022. Our plans for early requirement include relocating to the Yorkshire Dales, developing our forever home and travelling the UK, Europe and eventually the world in our VW campervan Nelson.
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Many thanks,
Richard & Jackie

[@AJ-qn6gd]

The good thing with the window vac is that you empty it outside the van whereas with cloths you dry them in the van and all that moisture stays in the van, you not getting rid of the moisture just temporarily relocating it ! Got one love it 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

So true - and I have to say - the nerd in me just loves using the window vac - I find it really therapeutic 😂

[@AJ-qn6gd]

@ I would normally say you need to get out more but you already do !

[@Ben-og3eg]

We just did 10 days over Christmas in our van, just using park4night, no sites or hookup all off grid! Loved every minute! And topped off by some amazing weather and snow conditions for skiing!

[@JC-kh1ut]

Awesome, please do a video on how you ski/camp in the alps. I am sure it will helpful for many peoples. The logistics etc. love you guys. Hope you have great snow and safe travels we is there and back.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

we have all sorts of video's planned about the van life aspect, the skiing and most importantly the mountain food and picnic spots to help keep us on budget 😊 Thanks for watching our channel

[@stevelavelle2301]

Great tips as always many thanks and enjoy your time in the alps

[@davidwhiteman4649]

Lovely to see a Nelson video again and we are picking up lots of tips for when we buy our first van later this year (most likely a nearly new T6.1 VW California Ocean, ready for early retirement next year). We plan to ski a lot in winter once retired and may occasionally stay in the van. It’s not essential in our case as we have had a little ski apartment for 20 years in the great little French ski resort of Sainte Foy Tarentaise. That’s actually the main reason we never had a van while we were working - all our annual leave was spent at the ski apartment, winter and summer, and we couldn’t really justify the cost of the mortgage on that as well as paying for a van!

[@paulospursuits]

Picked up a good couple of tips there - thanks - I'm scoping out my new-to-me van for a possible Alps trip myself.

[@glynnbiss3936]

Hi Richard and Jackie. My wife and I are also early retirees and regularly go skiing in our camper van. We had a VW T6 for 7 years and now have a Grand California 680 - We needed a toilet and a little more space! Hearing you are likely to change your van this year, I thought it may be of use to share a thought regarding keeping warm and avoiding fresh water tanks/systems freezing. We have a diesel heater that requires power from either the mains hook up or leisure battery. When we are skiing we ensure the heating is always on. During the day and when we are in bed, the thermostat is set low (circa 12 degrees) - This ensures the van never becomes too cold, all the tanks and pipes do not freeze and the fresh water tank does not automatically dump when the temperature drops below 4 degrees. For our ski trip this year we have a new addition....... a bespoke insulated cover that covers the front of the van to the ground (bonnet, front wheels). Our cab area is the bit that can feel chilly as cold air comes in through the engine compartment. I hope this info is of use when choosing your new van? Enjoy your ski trip Kind regards Glynn.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Thanks for this Glynn- really kind and well thought out advice. Ohhhh the luxury of timed and regulated heating...we have either manually on or off and pretty much either scoring hot or cold with our LPG heater😂 We are so excited to get to grips with more advanced systems as you describe, with a bit of trepidation too. The thought of destroying a water system in sub-zero conditions terrifies me! A lot of the people we have met skiing in MH's swear by the full cab covers. It seems alot more efficient than stuffing the cab with spare blankets and duvets. Thanks again for the comment and support👍

[@michaelhawes4875]

We put our Duvalay inside a single duvet cover. Helps protect it even more whilst rolled up in the back and acts as a sheet.

[@our_path_unseen]

Great to know that you can stay very warm in your van. Looking forward to seeing your Alps videos - Enjoy!

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Thank you! Even when it does get cold it doesn't take long to get Nelson nice and toasty warm again - just boiling the kettle in the morning makes a difference 😊🚐 Very excited to get into the Alps skiing again ⛷️

[@KR-bq2pw]

We love a weekend away in our van in winter. It’s probably our favourite time. Campsites are usually quieter and as you say there’s something so cosy about closing the door, turning on the heating and playing a few games of UNO. I travel with my little boy who is six and he loves the closeness and cosy feel of winter van life. I hope you have a great time skiing

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

There really is something quite cosy about winter camping - I also like being out in the hills in the winter and returning to make a nice hot tea and cake. We are looking forward to the ski trip - the van packing starts tomorrow! Have a great 2025 and lots of fun travel adventures x

[@Daz5Daz]

In terms of keeping windows open when cooking - I can recommend that you get a set of wind deflector trims for the front door windows. They are great for camping because the allow you to crack the windows open by a few inches whilst still ensuring that rain and snow cannot come in through the gap. I have them on my T4 and they are available for most vans.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

It's probably a good job it didn't rain too heavily on Friday night as we don't have deflectors 😬 but it definitely did make a difference to the condensation in the front. We will have a look for some - thanks for the tip.

[@birkatron1]

Looking forward to the skiing trip videos, this is something we would love to do so any advice regarding campsites/ski equipment etc will be gratefully received. Have a fab trip!

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Thank you - we are really excited to be off in the van again 🚐⛷️

[@jangould4321]

Have a great time on your winter skiing trip. We invested in wool duvets for a winter trip to Sweden, lovely and toasty.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

A wool duvet sounds amazing! We are getting very excited for the Alps 🚐🏔️

[@helenbenham19]

Good to see Nelson out and about and looking forward to the next videos with you skiing ⛷️

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

It was so good to be back out in the van - we loved Thailand but Nelson and van life will always be our preferred method of travel 🚐

[@jasonnicol8302]

Ahh, super to see Nelson again. I do like your van vlogs, with some essential maintenance to him. To keep warm we have two Duvalay sleeping bags, they come with probably an inch or two of memory foam with a built in quilt, very toasty. The diesel heater is good also. I do have a mini dehumidifier plus a window vac for condensation. The pub did look nice!, has fair put me in the mood for a pint.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

It was so good to get away in the van again - we have only had one trip away in him since mid august! The memory foam is a game changer - as you say it keeps the heat in. Thanks for watching to channel - glad you enjoy the van life vlogs as there are a few coming from the Alps! ⛷️🏔️🚐❄️ 😊

[@fionaridley5011]

Our last trip/weekend away in the van was end of September. To say I am beyond itching to get away is an understatement. We limped home from that weekend and the van ended up in the garage for 3 months, cost us an utter fortune. Garage was great, they had never known such bad luck/series of error codes etc They absorbed a 100 hours of labour themselves, scratching heads, training their apprentices on rare problems Do not get a low mileage van for it's age when you trade in! We bought a 6yo immaculate school minibus with 11k miles on the clock. It now has 30k miles, and has basically had the engine rebuilt. First generation ad blue engine. 2 day trips so far as a very busy family Christmas. Huge tip for next van, get a Maxx Air fan installed. we never have condensation problems winter or summer, we cook in the van a lot,(it acts as an extractor fan when turned up so grease goes into the filter rather than onto ceiling) we keep it on at 10% 24/7 as uses tiny amounts electricity and silent. In summer helps with cooling/air flow too as you can reverse the flow. I'm trying not to look at the Thailand vlogs much, as our winter holiday is not happening due to the unexpected van mechanical disasters, heh ho. The last few years I've set cycling goals as you're doing, harder this year as physical injuries taking a long time to heal so planning not to get impatient and any plans are good plans, right? Here's to 2025 adventures and explorations.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Oh no what a pain!! I am glad that you have finally got it all sorted but quite heartbreaking for you at the cost both financially and mentally missing out on some of your plans. One of our friends was saying how great the Maxx air fans are - the list of 'essential add ons' for the new van keeps growing 😂 What are your van travel plans for this year? Hopefully you will get more mobile again as the weather improves - I am a fair weather cyclist anyway! Hopefully the only way is up for you in 2025 - have fun x

[@carolinehunt6003]

We were at the Langdale site in Vinny in November when we discovered the cathedral caves for the first time thanks to your vlogs. Good to see you back in Nelson 😊

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Still one of our favourite winter campsites ❤️🚐 It was so good to be back in Nelson - he is still our favourite way to travel 😊

[@jillchew-tetlaw3388]

Yeah, you are back out in Nelson. Looking forward to your skiing trip videos. Safe journey to the alps.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

I know - we absolutely loved being back out in him 🚐

[@gcsScotland]

Informative as ever. I like the look of your pop-top insulation idea - look forward to that video! Your 3 extras to carry on the winter hills are good for the conditions you encountered but for full winter conditions in the Lakes, Wales or up here in Scotland I’d say an ice axe and crampons are essential plus the knowledge of how to use them. Goggles can also be essential for navigating and walking in poor conditions. Have a great ski trip!!

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Agreed! Despite what we look like, we are actually quite risk adverse so would always postpone a hike if the weather conditions suggested needing full crampons and axes. When it is blowing, we do chuck in some goggles as we have been ice-blasted before and it is not a pleasant experience. Thanks for the support. The Blue-Peter Special Edition Pop-Top creation vid is out tomorrow morning👍

[@iansimpson936]

Great informative video. Looking forward to seeing your skiing adventures in your happy place

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

We are getting really excited for the ski trip - especially with all the snow we have in the Dales this morning! It's a pity all our ski gear is still in the lock up ⛷️❄️

[@dieselbushcraft1299]

I found the electric fan heater to dry the air too much and couldn’t be left switched on. We bought a small purpose built low wattage oil filled radiator, when not in use it stores between back the drivers seat and the kitchen. I also made an extra insulation board for the tailgate glass, we suffered condensation on the glass and then it ran down inside the tailgate and collected inside the bottom of the tailgate. First of all bought a van shades blind pod like the ones you have but still found we got condensation. So I cut a piece of plywood bigger than the window aperture on the blind pod. Stuck closed cell insulation foam on one side and then covered both sides with the 4 way stretch carpet. Then stapled velcro around the edges of the cover so it simply sticks to the existing carpet lining of the blind pod. So now when we go away in winter we stick this over the blind and it has pretty much solved the condensation in the tailgate and has actually made the van warmer. My van will never be finished as it will just keep evolving. Enjoy your winter travels and the skiing 👍

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Absolute genius solution to the tail gate problem. We could not believe the amount of water that accumulated last winter...granted we were in sub zero conditions over a couple of months when full timing in the Alps, and we were never able to find a solution to it. It is a real problem isn't it! Many thanks for this solution, I will look to get creating when we get back...far too much other stuff to do before we depart I am afraid😂 Alot of people we met on the road in Europe swear by the oil fired radiatiors...again will look to perhaps pick one up on the road as we travel south. For obvious reasons, they are rarer than hens teeth in ski resorts! Thanks for the indepth support, much appreciated👍

[@JanetRogers-z3o]

Hi, we were inspired by your skiing vlog last year so we're off to St Gervais/Les Contamines in a couple of weeks in Eddie (our LWB T5) to give it a go. I am keen to see how you constructed your pop-top insulation as I'm definately going to need to make one for our trip. Excited & terrified in equal measure....

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Awesome - Richard's blue Peter special edition is out tomorrow morning 😂 the temperature was about 2 degrees at the weekend and we think it seemed to help keep the van abit warmer. It does make such a difference to the space in the van if we can keep the roof up! I am sure you will have a great time - one thing we did notice last year was condensation dripping from the tailgate window into the carpeted section right at the bottom of the boot - so we will be more conscious to keep wiping it or leave a cloth there to soak up the water - but that was just a small niggle. Have a great trip x

[@adamjarmitt]

Off the Flaine on the 1st of Feb! Safe drive, snow looks great already!

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

We are getting so excited - it is due to bucket it down all week ready for us on Saturday ⛷️ is all the family going?

[@tomrayner8871]

That's awesome. Were booked in for huttopia BsM in march following your review

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Hope you enjoy it! We are back there for a couple of weeks in January ⛷️🏔️

[@tomrayner8871]

@@earlyretirementwanderlust Can't wait. Enjoy. We've just come back from Grau Roig Andorra in our van.

[@alannorman1773]

Looks a bit colder than Thailand 😂. Good luck with your trip to the Alps. Looking forward to watching the vlogs. Safe travels ❤❤.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

🤣about 32 degrees colder! It was great to be out in the van again and all raring to go now in the Alps 🚐❄️ the irony is - might be snowed in and stuck in the dales!

[@onthetrail202]

Those boots 👌🏼 great video!

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Cheers Eddy - they are really comfortable and keep my feet dry - something my old boots were not great at with the soles falling off 😂

[@suewheeler5795]

The shelter is good for when you stop and have a coffee for shelter. I've finally just4 given in and ordered a rainbow screen for my pop top as a treat 🤣

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

We did use it once years ago in Scotland when we needed a shelter from the wind and a coffee break. If we had been more organised last year when we first skied we would have ordered one from rainbow screens but as we are getting a new van before next winter hopefully - we are hoping this will do the job 😊 Have you got any nice winter trips planned?

[@alanbenham4139]

Great content as always, with top tips 🙏

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Thank you - definitely on the countdown to ⛷️ now 🚐

[@FrugalMrB]

I bet you were glad that you headed home before the snow arrived - I'm sure your village looks lovely this morning ❄

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

So much snow this morning ❄️ are you supposed to park running today? I’m sure you have as much ❄️ as us Skipton way

[@FrugalMrB]

Parkrun was yesterday - so many local ones were cancelled due to icy conditions, but Skipton was on. Yes we have lots of snow, I’ll go for a wander later. 🥾

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Us too - it’s far too tempting - it’s a pity our skis are still the lockup 🤣⛷️

[@SamanthaJones-h8l]

Hi, good to see you out in Nelson again 😊 Jackie I love that blue sweatshirt, would you mind me asking where you got it from please 😊 xx

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

It was so good to be back in the mountains in Nelson ❤️ I bought the sweatshirt in the US from a place called REI cooperative - I thought it makes a nice change from my winter jumper 😊

[@SamanthaJones-h8l]

@earlyretirementwanderlust thank you 😊 the jumper is still my favourite though 😂

[@IJ_uk]

At 2:40 what walking trousers do you have? They look good.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Richards trousers are Fjallraven Kebs which are fantastic - he has worn them for 5 years now and they are bomb proof. Mine are from the Decathlon hiking range - Simond mountaineering trousers

[@IJ_uk]

@earlyretirementwanderlust thanks for the quick reply an the info I was after. ❤️👍

[@Lilrom2003]

Check the level of antifreeze used in the windshield wiper fluid. UK antifreeze typically protects till -5 or -10C while in Alps you need at least -20C. Expensive but really cosy are electric blankets ( wrongly named as they should be between mattress and sheet) I use low voltage one for safety and also regular heat distribution. Allows you to sleep better in cold rooms as well. Did you resolve the fridge issue?

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Thanks for this...I just couldn't shoehorn the screen wash into this video, but I have a vat of -20C solution ready to go on our forthcoming road trip video. A really valid point as on one of our first visits to the alps many years ago, the car screen wash was frozen solid and took hours to defrost😂 I think my parents instilled a lifelong fear in me of "electric blankets" from the 1970's...I guess technology has moved on since then?😉 The Fridge is all fine now👍 Thanks for the advice and support as always🙏

[@Lilrom2003]

@ years ago I froze screen wash in the lines to the headlight washers, which cracked and drained the vessel meaning car unusually just before Christmas family visits the car was unusable if any snow salt of slush on road. Can really mess up a holiday. I once parked warm car when snowing started which formed 1cm icelayer on car windscreen took 5 liters of solution to remove as it was -20C and ice too solid to scrape without destroying glass😀 Also have Michelin Crossclimate after throwing away minimal use winter tyres from my last car , works out cheaper.

[@se3059]

Lovely video, especially the shots of Lakes. Good luck spending several weeks in Alps, rather you than me ....I'll be flying down for 1 week trip 😂 For the condensation consider a mini dehumidifier, no bigger than the coffeepot....does need mains however. Alternatively a couple of dehumidifier bags which can be re-charged in microwave can help.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

😂 it's character building for us! We do actually love being away in the van in winter so it is no real hardship 🚐 We took the little dehumidifier gel pots away to keep in the cupboards last year that worked quite well Have a great time on your trip - where are you off to?

[@se3059]

Sestriere... Have safe drive down and a lovely trip.....look forward to seeing your ski videos ⛷️

[@samwright9458]

What’s the bed topper? Have a great trip, cheers

[@job181]

We are hoping to do 2 months skiing in the alps in our Van (Dave to his friends) in 2026 so it would be fantastic to have a cost breakdown.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

We are going to do a cost to drive down versus our kids flying and will probably do a trip cost at the end. We did find that we could almost keep to our home weekly budget when we were staying in Bourg last year as the campsite is by a big supermarket and we took picnics out on the slopes ⛷️

[@job181]

@ that’s great I’ll look forward to it. Do you buy a season ski pass?

[@geebutteree4755]

Great to see nelson again, saw you again the other day at booths , I did wave but you were , heading out and watching the road, which is fair enough 😁 I keep seeing you in passing lol if you see a crazy lady waving in a yellow fiat or yellow T25 , that’s me , can I ask Richard, where are your sunglasses from 😎

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

It was so nice to be back out in Nelson - we loved Thailand but we love van life more 🚐 When we get back from skiing we should meet up for a coffee - we are quite oblivious at times as to what is going on around us when we are wandering around 😂

[@geebutteree4755]

@ coffee sounds good, this snow is certainly getting you in preparation for the alps, there is plenty of it today, can’t beat the dales in the snow , have a lovely snowy day 😊 ❄️

[@phil.cowling]

Hi both. Do you have a strava page that can be followed? Totally understand if you if its not something you wish to make public.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Richard is not on strava - I have an account that you send a request to follow😊

[@nickpmoody]

Where do you store external windscreen cover the next morning when it’s soaked please?

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

If we are staying at the campsite a few days it stays on the window - if we are travelling we put it on the vinyl floor in the back of the van and take it out to dry in the shed when we get home! We have had a couple of really soggy journeys 😂

[@nickpmoody]

@ thanks for the reply :-) I find dealing with wet kit one of the challenges with a small van like a VW. Whilst I almost always use campsite showers, if I had a larger platform van I’d still have a shower cubicle, not for taking showers, for drying out kit! Cheers.

[@Betheflo]

Some valuable winter tips. So inspirational - I have just bought a vw camper and am planning some spring / summer trips. How do you store your ski equipment and dry your clothes and boots? Do the French camp sites have drying rooms?

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

The campsite we stay at in Bourg st Maurice has a ski and boot room that you can also keep your ski clothing in to dry if needed. They don't have a clothes drying room but we use the tumble dryers occasionally if needed - especially every few days for our towels. Most ski campsites have drying facilities - The Austrian ones were on another level! We actually pay to use a ski locker up in Arc 1600 so we can walk to the funicular and just put our ski boots on near the first chairlift 🎿 Enjoy your travels in the new van 🚐

[@Daz5Daz]

If you are at a very basic site I do have some tips for getting your kit dry. For your ski pants and jackets etc just make sure you spend an hour in a nice cosy bar at the end of the day before returning to your van - this will allow your gear to dry out nicely and it's really not much of a hardship to spend an hour or so in the pub! As for boots. If you don't have access to boot drying facilities then you can take either reusable or disposable hand/feet warming packs with you and pop them into your boots each night.

[@ashleyveness687]

Hi guys newly subscribed the channel but have been following you for a while now, love the content and find you both very inspiring. A quick tip, at the end of the above video you showed the window cleaner without charge and all the water ran down the glass, just wondering if you could start at the bottom and work up avoiding the runs, or did it do that because it wasn't working ? Looking forward to the skiing vids too. We have a T6.1 and are newbies so your tips are invaluable. Regards Ashley.

[@davidwhiteman4649]

We have one at home for our bathroom and my wife also muttered “Tut tut Richard, always start from the bottom!”.

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

@davidwhiteman4649 🤣

[@adammawdesley7913]

Morning ! Very useful video and in a great location too ! We had our first overnighter away this year on Friday in Cambridgeshire and certainly ky had to use our diesel heater ! Quick question (which you’ve almost certainly answered before…sorry !) is what do you do with your wet clothes / coast in the van, especially in the uk ? In the alps I guess you’ll have drying rooms but im assuming you have found these in the uk ? Cheers !

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

We love the NT campsite in the Langdales ❤️ The great thing with Vw's is they are so small that they heat up really quickly! Good question about damp/wet clothes - in the lakes a lot of the campsites have a drying room which is great. Failing that we use the tumble dryers at campsites especially for damp towels. The campsite in Bourg St Maurice is great as it has a drying room for ski's boots and ski clothing items and tumble dryers for the rest.

[@adammawdesley7913]

Excellent, I haven’t come across them in the sites we have stayed at but we are fledgling campervanners so not surprised 👌 (apologies for the endless typos too…writing comments on my phone and my eyesight is not as good as it once was…I bet, being ex teachers, you wince each time 😂)

[@madoak5597]

Hi guys - just a couple of questions. I noted your insulated windscreen cover was that a custom made one? Also the insulating wrap for the pop-up. Very interested in doing that as basically mine is just a wind tunnel. Was it difficult to put in and did you have any problems with the pop-up going up and down with the extra bulk? Bear in mind I am a 60 year-old woman with no practical skills whatsoever ha ha!

[@earlyretirementwanderlust]

Hi there- thanks for the comment. Our screen cover is by Rainbow screens- you can find them on Facebook. They are fab and this is our second one in 7 years of heavy usage. I made the pop top insulation as an internal wrap. It needs to be taken out before pulling the pop-top down. Not ideal for one night stays, but perfect for our extended stay in the Alps. The "how to" video is coming Tuesday, but it was a bit awkward to created due to the length of material used. Not too bad though, considering I have no practical skills at all😂

[@madoak5597]

Thank you so much. I was looking at the rainbow ones so that’s exactly the one I’m going to get looking forward to seeing the installation thing too in due course much appreciated.