Coorie xlwb l4h2 Peugeot Boxer

Coorie Doon means in Scotland to cuddle in, but there’s more to it than that. We are asking you to embrace ‘all things Scottish’, to sign up to a more simple way of life where the warmth of a soft wool blanket, a good book, a steaming cup of cocoa and a wonderful view of hills and mountains can all be enjoyed from the comfort of a wonderfully soft couch. Throw in the added luxury of the kettle softly whistling on top of a quaint copper stove and you have it…. Coorie…..just one in a series of campers where comfort is at the heart.
Like all of our campers, Coorie was put together piece by piece – take for example her beautiful curved sink cupboard – each length of oak was carefully chosen, the angle precisely cut and shaped by hand, before being placed to form part of the whole……it is this attention to detail and connection to the wood that makes James work so unique….the campers are one of a kind, every one stands alone as a totally individual piece.
We showcased Coorie at the Camp Quirky festival in May, where her claim to fame was to entice the wonderful Russell Brand, along with his family to take a seat up in her raised seating area where the family enjoyed gazing around at everything, and even asked us to create for them a quirky campervan of their own! She got lots of attention from others at the festival – we were often chatting to as many as 8 at a time, explaining the build to them, which shows she is a very social animal!

In Coorie we have created a series of spaces which present almost like separate ‘rooms’. In this way there is a kitchen, a little dining space where you can sit, nursing your cuppa while you stare mindlessly at the beautiful copper stove, with an incredibly comfortable separate sitting room at the top which is also a bedroom. She has an ‘almost’ fixed bed…in that it takes literally one minute to put together. The fixed/not fixed bed dilemma is the main thing most people consider when buying a van, and we remain firmly in the ‘not fixed’ camp. We cherish the space available for hanging out and chilling during the day, and feel that the tiny amount of time required to make up a bed is available to most people on holiday…and actually it’s quite fun transforming your space each day! The main problem is not building the bed, but storing the bedding in an easily accessible place? So Coorie has a couple of storage hatches right in the bed area, which extend a little way under the bed to make bedding storage a breeze.

The main bed is 6ft 2 inches running lengthways, it is made from memory foam mattresses, for ultimate comfort, with 2 bolster cushions which slot in to make it up. A simple pull out section makes this really easy and quick.

We enjoyed our first adventure in Coorie earlier this year and found her a joy to camp in. The layout means someone can languish in bed with copious cups of tea (hopefully me haha!) while the other person can sit in the kitchen area looking at maps and planning the day’s trip. As the evening draws on, the back doors can be opened onto the view, and you can enjoy the outside from the comfort of the astonishingly comfy couches.

Coories fabrics and decor have been carefully chosen to reflect the cosy jumble of a well lived in cottage. The main seats are sewn from soft tartan blankets, incredibly soft to the touch, and I couldn’t resist adding in some eclectic patchwork, made from Scottish wool offcuts…..the aim of this design is to smooth and comfort.
The beautiful Moroccan style kitchen sink has been chosen to make washing up fun! The dining table right next to it is the natural place to wash up onto, making it easy to then pack away the dishes into her dedicated kitchen dresser cupboard above the hob. A fridge sits below which runs off the 2 solar panels mounted on the roof.
The kitchen is built from reclaimed whisky barrel oak, and as well as the little dresser she has 3 drawers for storage and a top cupboard for food.

She has a 2 ringed gas hob for cooking, but much more exciting than this is her little copper diesel heater which has an aga type hot plate. This can be used for 90% of your cooking needs and opens up a whole new field of possibilities…I find it great for crumpets or to slowly simmer a pot of soup while you go for a wander. If you search for refleks stove recipes you will find people make pizza, bread and other delights on these innovative little stoves…and the best thing about them is they are completely silent, so you can be really cosy and warm, watching nature through the windows without the usual whirr of a diesel or gas heater.

Storage: in addition to the kitchen storage she has 2 hatches at floor level in the seating area…one could be adapted for a dog if you have a travelling companion. There are 2 large clothes drawers and we have built a little bookshelf above the back doors. There is a very large boot space out back, big enough for all of your adventure gear, like inflatable canoes, hiking gear and whatever you are into.

The exciting pull out kitchen tap provides showering possibilities…you can simply mix yourself a container of warm water either using the kettle on the stove or hob, and a dry compost toilet is hidden below the little dining room box seat.

Showering and toileting considerations seem to be high on the list of priorities when people are looking for a campervan, but think carefully…..what do you really need? We have built 35 campers to date and very quickly realised that the space taken up by a dedicated shower room is just not worth it….look at the pictures of this build then ask yourself ‘how is it possible to have all this chill out space?’ The answer is by keeping it really simple. Yes, there is a loo if you need it, and yes you can have a wonderfully wild shower at the side door —we have even done this in the corner of a campsite, but showers are actually a fairly recent invention, take up loads of hot water and are quite unnecessary – it’s much nicer to come in, put the stove on, and get a wash in the warmth and comfort of your van.

Storage…..storage in Coorie is as follows: a large boot space suitable for all of your outside adventure gear…our 2 folds up ebikes fit in there. 2 large drawers for clothes and 2 large storage hatches …(one for bedding and a wine cellar)! 3 drawers in the kitchen, overhead cupboards and a dresser style cupboard. Large amount of under sink cupboard space. Extra drawer under raised floor in dining area. 2 bookshelves…one above bed at the back and one above fire. Over cab storage.

Technical stuff….she is insulated with celatex, recycled plastic, and silver foil bubble insulation. She has a compliant gas safe system with fixed vents in the floor and ceiling and a drop vent in the sealed gas cupboard.
She has 2 opening windows in the bed area with insect screens and a roof vent also with insect screens.
She has 200w of solar power on the roof and a split charge system which recharges the battery as you drive along.

Why not head over to https://rusticsimplicity.co.uk/home-2/rustic-simplicity-scrapbook-pages/coorie-doon/ for pics of Coorie – as well as an explanation of why and how we built her the way we did?
Our campers are usually only on sale for a few days…the record was the last one, Peregrine, which sold in 2 days to a couple from the Netherlands who flew over specially….we do realise that being in Scotland presents a problem for viewing, but we are close to Edinburgh airport and happy to pick you up if you are a serious potential buyer. The price is fixed and reflects what we paid for the base van, the stuff we’ve put in it and the incredible amount of work involved in hand crafting each piece of wood and fabric.