An Unexpected detour.. (Winter Van Life)

We are officially on the road with our vets. After spending six weeks with our mate Gary, preparing her for winter, doing whatever we could to stop us all from freezing. We can do it, we can rebuild it. We haven't had a cup of tea since you've been here. I don't think so. We're as ready as we can be for Scandinavia. Everything's working! It's just like mini months. I'm not sure I'd mind that. That's enjoyable. We have feet! Oh, I think we lost that on the motorway. We have our phones come off. If you're new around here, then we're Craig and Amy. This is our bus and she's called Custard because she used to be yellow. She's taken us on many different adventures. We've been through the Sahara Desert and through the mountains of Morocco. You ready to climb a mountain? Yes! We've toured sunny Europe through the south of France, Switzerland and Germany. I smell a beer festival. And she's even taken us around the North Coast 500 in Scotland. But for us, van life doesn't always run that smoothly. Babe, we've got some bad news. Custard, the bus' favourite game. Pipe's just burst. Oh my God. So join us as we adventure to the Arctic Circle. But before that, we've got one secret mission in France to surprise some very special people. Oh, we're going! I can't believe it's finally come. Go on then, turn it on, make sure it works. Custard! Oh, like a dream. All right, industrial estate. See you on the open road, babes. Here we go. Thanks, girl. We'll miss you. Take it easy, mate. You're going to be so bored without us down that carriage. But where are we going? No idea. Is it heating on? Yeah. Why are you cold? My toes are freezing already. At least have someone who will greet you by ear, not anymore. You know Amy B sat on that chair because of the little array of snacks just scattered around. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Says France that we've brought. I think we're going the wrong way. Okay, we've managed to get ourselves on the earlier Eurotunnel. We also took down our coffee machine because it was threatening to come off the side. We've learned from our friend, Max, that they do like to move a bit. Oh, I'm so sorry, coffee machine. This is last call, J3, we've got to go. I'm just having a moment because I've just remembered the last time we were actually on the Eurotunnel. We brought the three gorgeous, fluffy, four-legged boys home with us from Morocco. Everybody say bon voyage. Honestly, if you haven't seen that series, go and watch it now. It was so much fun. We had the best time, didn't we, Craig? Craig was a little bit stressed out with the dogs and the van and everything. We miss you guys. I know you're watching, but I just want to say I love you and we miss you and we hope you're doing well in your new families. From three fluffy poochies to a different kind of fluffy. But the girls, they're washed, they're ready for their holiday. We took them to the hairdressers. They had a great time. Ready for Norway they are. Because we're always so organised, we're looking for somewhere to sleep tonight. Right now. And park for night. If you're new to van life, this is the best app. It is a little bit hit and miss, but sometimes you find winners. Are you winning? No. Money. Yes, France, we bloody love France. Which is a place where you can take your camper van and just stay. We paid 10 euros. Just set out for van life here. It's fabulous. Look at all the washing machines. There's only one rule in this van. Shoes off at the door. Slippers on. As you know, if you've been watching along for the Winter Rising build, this is our first night in Custard. Craig's popping the rugs down for the first time ever because we haven't got... Lawrence, talk about your rugs. Who's Lawrence? Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen. He's a hazard, mate. Look how slippery they are. You are going down straight away. Looks great. Looks cosy. No, you ruined it. It's actually really cosy. You can sleep on the floor. You can sleep on the floor, Amy. There you go. Stop it. Oh, that's nice of you, innit? Woo, child. She looks so good. So cosy. The heating is not even on. And because of like the carpets and all the stuff we've done and the curtains, it's like warm in here. We've got our big curtain closed between the van and the cab. And then we've got... Obviously, we've got our rugs down. Welcome to the heated cloud, aka Custard's bed. So we tried to go all Scandinavian and buy two single... This is one single. So we've basically got two massive quilts. Underneath that, we've got heated blankets. And then underneath that, we've got teddy bear bottom sheets. We're not gonna get out, Craig, in the morning. Inside, it's 16 degrees. And outside, it's 9. We've got our teddy bear pyjamas on. I don't think we're gonna need to sleep just yet with the heater on. But I feel like the further up we go to the Arctic Circle, we're gonna need to pop it on. We've actually put a little thermometer in the boot. So that's not outside. That's just in the boot. I'm ready for bed, but I'm pooped. Let's take your makeup off, babes, and we'll go to bed. I think Trevor's pyjamas are a bit too big. Put your arse away, love. This is a PG channel. I wanted these pyjamas for ages. And by the time I got into H&M, they only had XLF. I was like, that'll do. But like, if anyone wants to join us on this trip, you can live in my pyjamas. I'm on holiday, Craig. What do you mean I need to get up? I would like a coffee, though. How'd you sleep? Really, really well. It was toasty warm, wasn't it? We literally slept for 12 hours. It's 20 past 10. I mean, there is an hour time difference. But we went to bed at 20 past 10. All that driving, Craig. You must have needed it. We need some coffee, even though it's decaf. Right, bright and shine. This bed is so comfy. I don't want to get out of it. Thanks to everybody who bought merch last week. A bunch of legends. Good morning, Cali. On a grey morning. See how we've got this film on now? We don't have it on that window when there's condensation. But we have it on this, and there isn't. If you put your hand there, you can't feel the cold. But if you put your hand there, it's like a breeze. It's mad, isn't it? Took this picture just before we left. What a legend. It makes a whole van smell like beautiful coffee in the morning. You're not a real vanlife wanker unless you show yourself making coffee in the morning. I'd like a flower on mine, please. Yeah, no worries. Here you go, Trev. Thank you. Cheers. Proper coffee, that is. It's going to be a good day. Shout out to our friends, Charlie and Josh, for the mugs. Got it on in your moustache. The cab's the only part that's not heated. We bought this thing for the condensation, but it's not working very well. So the windows are pretty wet. So we've got one of these. What's it called? Karcher. We'll call him Karl. Watch this. She's a good selfie, isn't she? Nice technique. It's nice. Take our man down, he's going a little wet. For the next stop. I'm actually so excited. You can probably guess where we're going because of where we are right now. What, in Calais? France. 10 points if you can guess in the comments now. Look at how slow Kirsten is. So painfully slow. She's capped at 62 miles an hour. Amy will not request anything other than a Mariah Carey's Christmas album. It's December. Does Tupac have a Christmas song? No. On and on. He should have had one. Second fuel up. 105 euros for 54 litres of diesel. And we're still an hour from our destination in Le Paris. For everyone asking, no, we didn't get the fuel gauge fixed. It was a big job. Nobody was willing to do it. I rang the country and everyone was like, no. So every four hours-ish, we fill up. So hot news, everybody. It seems this Christmas, folks will again be going mad for green health drink, Athletic Greens. That's right, Cathy. IG1 by Athletic Greens is the most talked about product on the market today. Let's talk with some of our viewers on their experience of the nutritional drink. Caller one, who do we have? Hey there, it's Johnny. Me and the lady have been having some trouble in the old bedroom, if you know what I mean. But ever since I started drinking IG1 four years ago, my energy has been through the roof. I've now got six children and another two on the way. All of the kids uses it. Donnie is an athlete. Lorna, she's a vegan. Vicky is paleo. Don Don is keto friendly. It works for us all. Johnny, that is great news, mate. Thank you for sharing. All right, caller number two, who do we have? Hiya, love. Can you hear me? It's Diane. Yes, Diane. We can hear you, love. Well, let me tell you how much I love my IG1. My mum always told me health starts in the gut. It's true. I've actually been able to downsize my bathroom cabinet. I don't need to take 35 pills a day now. I just take one scoop of IG1 daily. I read the box. 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food source nutrients in one convenient daily serving. I thought, you're lying. Hazel from down the road said to me the other day, are you pregnant? I was like, darling, no. I've just been taking the green stuff. Thank you, Diane, for that in-depth review. A facelift, you say? Maybe I should try it myself. Well, Kathy, it seems like everybody's going on a health kick this Christmas. But remember, folks, IG1 is for life, not just for Christmas. And now is a great time to start getting healthy. Just head to the link in our description to start your new routine. If you can get your hands on it. Happy holidays. All right, all right, we'll tell you the plan. My sister turned 30 the other day. We actually left on her birthday and we felt really bad about it. So she's taken our nieces to Disneyland Paris. So she doesn't think we're coming. But we are. We've bought tickets for two days. We've never been. Well, Amy has back in the day, but she doesn't remember. I was young, don't remember a thing. Oh, cool. That's so cool. Disneyland, baby. I feel like such a big kid, like this is so unplanned. Don't you just think we could pay for it as adults and go? So we weren't actually sure where to park when you come here. But apparently you can just park right on inside the park. So you just pay for an overnight ticket, which is 45 euros. Which is criminal. And you could stay for the night. I hope they've got shower blocks for that. 45 euros a night. I know. For a campervan. We're just parking on a bit of cement, mate. Walter, drop your prices, kid. I think we're in the right spot. Oh, I love the washing machines. So luckily we didn't bump into Craig's sister, Nathan, and the kids last night. They didn't pass us on the motorway, which was very lucky. So we're literally just walking into Disney now. We're hoping they don't see us before we see them. But there is two parks, so it's a pretty big place. We've got the whole family on WhatsApp trying to figure out where these kids are. I feel on edge. Hopefully they don't spot us first. Scanning a million faces a second like the Terminator. This place is amazing though. Probably magical. I'm so nervous. Such a nice day for it. There's the castle there. All right, we've had confirmation she's texted my mum. She's on the Cars ride, which is in the other park. Of course it is. So we're going to find them now. So we're in Walt Disney Studios now. We've just had a photo of Mariella eating a crepe on a fountain. That's our clue. Oh, my heart's racing. I can see the fountain. The music as well, so pretty. I know. So my theory is it takes a regular five-year-old probably about five minutes to eat a crepe. They may still be on that fountain. So we're making our way around. Fingers crossed. There's the crepes. They must have bought them there. Slowly, Craig. There's the fountain. I found it. Can you see it? I can see it. I've got a bright red hat on, Craig. I should have probably worn like a beige hat or something, camouflage. Surprise! What are you doing? Whilst we were working on the bus at home, we got to spend a lot of time with our families. So we couldn't miss the opportunity to see the girls experience Disney for the first time. Meet Phoebe and Mariella. You may remember them from when they stayed over on our bus a few years ago. You did a little poo. Sorry? You can't? The next two days were spent in fits of laughter, eating loads of sugar and chasing adrenaline with these two nutters. It was my first ride. We're going on Fear Pan and I'm really scared. I'm not a ride type of person, if you know me. I'm quite travel sick on most things, including rides. But Phoebe tells me it's the best. Yeah, it is. Should she be scared or no? No. We've got a fast track and we've just skipped a massacre. We all feel really guilty. We're all just a bit like... Maz, what do you think of that ride? Thumbs up from Maz. Yeah, she's right. It was a two out of ten, that one. I want to work at Disney. All for all's sake. So cool. Wow. How was Snow White? I'm giving it a nine. A nine? Disney had a whole vegan store. Vegan sandwich, mate. Cost a fortune. Next ride's Amy's request. I look sick. We're going to go on and we're going to have the best time ever. Come on, Uncle Craig. This is the fastest roller coaster in the park, do you know that? It's like trains. Fastest train in Europe. Hold on to your hat, Uncle Craig. Sick train, boys. Mum. We've actually lost Mum and Dad. Mum! Do you want to see the parade? Next ride, let's go get them. Santa! Uncle Craig's going to have a heart attack. I don't know if I can do it. I'm asking the guy, I'm like, does it go like this? And he's like, no. I'm like, just for Marielle, you know. You'll be fine. It's for me, really. Disney's sick, lads. You nervous or am I nervous? We're both nervous. Oh, don't be scared, girls. You'll be fine. Hold on to Mickey for me. Oh, hold on! Oh, what's that all about? You alright, babes? I don't know if I feel good or not. I need to sit down. We didn't have dinner just for that. That was pretty fast. All right, we stopped for some food. We're refuelled. We're back for round two. It's dark. It's litter. First ride, we're going on Crush. Absolutely not. I should be rolling right now. I'm that full. But it was 20 euros for burger and chips and I was gonna eat it all. What are we going on next, babes? Crush! Can I get one of these? How much is it? 25 euros. No, put it back. We just went on the New Avengers ride and my eyes are watering. It was class. I feel like a little kid again. Trevor just waved with the bags, bless her. Yeah, I'm bag man today. Who put that tree there? I am all Disney'd out, mate. I'd say I was tired but I've had so much sugar. I'm buzzing. Oh, it's good to be back in Kesterd, though. Tomorrow, we start the drive to Scandinavia. 3.8 degrees. So our heater goes up to level six but we haven't put it on six yet just because we know what's to come. We've got it on two at the moment and then as we go into the minuses, we'll put it up and put it up. Oh, I'm actually quite nervous about it becoming minus but we'll cross that bridge when it comes to it. She's a fresh one, lads. We're all steamed up in here. We're going to make our way today towards Denmark. I don't know how far we're going to get. We'll probably end up in Belgium somewhere. Have a good time at Disney, babes? The best. I think we did some mathematics, little equations here and there, figuring out how long Kesterd's going to take us to get to Norway. The answer is 35 days. We'd better get a move on. Because we want to go all the way up to Lofoten and then make our way back down so we have more light. But the total drive in is 44 hours. So you need to times that by about three for Kesterd. So I think it's going to take us about 10 days to get there. I really hope that that's not true. You know, we woke up really early today. Half past 10 starts. We're doing well. All right, let's go. Christmas songs, please drive. We made it to Belgium. It's a frosty morning here in Belgium. So we're in a little town. I'm not sure how you say it, but it's really cute. We found an awesome parker. Today, we're going to try and head towards Hamburg. Tell me, where do we want to go? To the Christmas markets. 1.2 degrees. 1.1. It's not minus yet, but it's definitely gloves and hat weather already. Next to all the white washing machines. She's got some character, our girl. The first sign of snowy frost on Custard and Bath. We're going to have to leave the heating on tonight, I think. You look lovely and bundled up, babes. Back on Bike Jones. It's been a while. I think the last time we were on Bike Jones, we were in Morocco somewhere. We haven't ridden it for ages, but it's the best thing we've ever got on Custard. Yeah, it really is. We're going to find some vegan bakes, some vegan food, do a bit of Christmas shopping. Without actually shopping, because there's no room in the bus. We might do a little bit of shopping. I don't think I felt Christmassy at all yet this December, so I'm really buzzing now, the fact that there's snow on the ground. It is actually lightly snowing, and we're heading to some of the best Christmas markets in Europe. I think Christmas mode starts from here on out. Sorry, Craig. More Christmas tunes. The most amazing thing I've ever done in my life. No idea what they're beeping. Good boy, Bike Jones. Come on, men, I'm making some room. Leave the dog. Okay, so we've come to Vincent Vegan. We've got a massive burger. The Big Vyganski. Chicken burger, beef burger. There's bacon in it. I'm pretty sure there's cheese, jalapeno. This looks insane. Fish and chips and some kind of chili chips. That's going to slap the chops off us because there's jalapenos all over it. This very first is banging. I love it when you come to a country and you want to try the traditional dishes, and they've got a vegan version of it. The best, isn't it? It's like proper winter food. I'm intrigued with the fish though. Try the fish. Tell me if it actually tastes like fish. Like a little bit, but it's like really nice. Decent that, I like it. I've got to say, I like Hamburg. It's a good vibe. Old river, cafes and shops. Banging Christmas tree. I've never been so cold though. So yeah, let's get in. Let's get some vegan goodness. Something that drips. Sounds lush. You need to toughen up, pal, because it's zero degrees. We've got another 25 degrees to drop by. I know. Look at this guy, he's fine. He's hard, not like you. Drop us a like on this video if you want us to get a dog. Christmas! There's an almighty smell. It's beautiful. It's like deep fried sprinkles of goodness. Mission, find that smell, Craig. Find a smell. It smells like mulled wine and sugar and cracks and Christmas. Proper spicy. Something that drips. Trevor's got an unpopular opinion. Mulled wines were horrible. Tell them. Does anyone even really like yours? Is that just something you do because you've come out and it's warm? Let us know in the comments if you like mulled wine. Trevor doesn't. They're going to come for you, Trevor. Oh, look at these things. I was buzzing when I saw what I thought was gingerbread. Unfortunately not, they're dog treats. The search continues. Okay, I think we found it. There's a huge queue, which always means that the place is banging. It's called schmalzbacher, which in English means smack the chops off the back of your head. I would pay to smell like this every single day. Well, we've got to ask them if they're vegan. If they're not, I'm just going to ask for a bag full of icing sugar. Hi there. Is it vegan? There's egg here. Okay, I can take it. Oh, okay. Thank you. We've got a Polaroid camera so we can put some photos in the van. So we'll see what it looks like when we get back. Hopefully it works. Oh, we should get this one, Craig. One for you and one for me. Brownie points to anyone that can tell us what it means in the comments. I think it means you are my love. Cluck. Gluck. Chicken. We're not getting dessert, we're going home. It's lovely and warm. Oh, that did me light. Let me hang the dog off for a minute. I think these carpets and taking our shoes off at the door is a great idea. Shall we have a look at our Christmas Polaroid? Let's have a look. Oh, it's a bit dark but it's cool. She is dark. It looks cool though. It's cool, isn't it? Proper retro.