A SUMMER of love, lying under the stars with no interruptions but the soundtrack to the seventies – that is the image the original Volkswagen Campervan conjures up. And it is that return to a decade of freedom and fun which Thornbury couple Tod and Naomi Millard are offering to happy campers.

Their rental business, Campers Away, has seen a huge increase in demand as the credit crunch is stopping more and more families from travelling abroad and encouraging us all to explore the great outdoors. Ali Dent reports.

THERE is nothing Tod Millard does not know about original Type 2 VW vans.

He has been restoring the much-loved retro vans for most of his life after developing a passion for classic cars at an early age.

But when the economy fell into freefall last year, Tod, 43, who has lived in Thornbury all his life, found few customers with thousands of pounds to spare on the nostalgic campers.

"Since the credit crunch I have not had many orders," he said. "People just can’t afford it.

"I could not see the benefits of the rental market to start with but now I understand why it has caught on.

"It costs £10,000 to £15,000 to rebuild a van and then you have to spend a lot on it a year in maintenance costs. But with renting, you can hire one out twice a year and save a lot of money."

Tod and his wife Naomi, 35, launched Campers Away last summer renting out their two vans, Ziggy and Lizzy (after Ziggy Stardust and Thin Lizzy), for weekends and week-long breaks.

"People love driving a bit of nostalgia, it is like taking a little piece of history away with you," said Naomi.

"We love the seventies and everything the vans represent. They are so much fun and have a lot of character.

"Everyone waves at you when you are out in the van and they always get people smiling."

Tod and Naomi, who live in Homefield with their four children, are seeing a big rise in bookings this year.

"We are quite full for July and August so we are really pleased," said Naomi, originally from Rockhampton.

"We are getting a lot of interest from professional couples who want to take the vans away for a week and just get away from everything.

"And we have had people enquiring about the vans from abroad."

Tod said: "The best thing about them is you can pack up all your equipment and take it with you.

"We bought our first one after going on holiday to Woolacombe, in Devon, in a people carrier. We decided then and there we were never going back unless it was in a camper van."

For further information visit www.campersaway.co.uk

Ali Dent gave Ziggy, an original VW Camper van, a test drive on a trip to Brighton:

THE best thing about driving an original 1970s VW camper van is how happy it makes you feel.

Driving to Brighton on a boiling hot Friday afternoon could be an arduous journey but instead, in the VW, it is an adventure. Fellow camper fans beep and wave as you pass one another, each on their own road to discovery of freedom for the weekend.

Sitting behind the wheel is like joining a club; not of middle-aged classic car enthusiasts but of super-cool surfer types.

Even the lack of modern car controls, power steering and a fifth gear, does not detract from the driving experience. In fact it makes it even more of an enjoyable event.

And sleeping in these 30-year-old vans will send you into a superb summer slumber. They are certainly a step up from tents and a guarantee to make you the envy of the camp site.

The VW van is a talking point with everyone from modern campervan owners to Japanese tourists stopping to take pictures and ask questions during a weekend break by the beach.

Tod and Naomi’s little extras – tea, coffee and condiments and their CD of driving 1970s tracks – all add up to an effortless holiday full of style and retro cool.

But while the VW van comes complete with a full tank of nostalgia, holidays in them are all about making memories of your own.