As we emerge blinking into the light after many months cooped up at home, thoughts inevitably turn to adventure.
Never before has the lure of escape been so strong, yet it comes tempered by an understandable fear of the unknown, which is why the security of a portable home-from-home holds such appeal.
This year the iconic VW ‘Bulli’ celebrates its 70th birthday, but it’s hard to link today’s water-cooled, front-engined sophisticate with the Beetle-based ‘Splittie’ Type 1 launched back in March 1950.
From the start, the Transporter was a vehicle beloved by those in search of a Bohemian lifestyle, with official builder Westfalia leading the way in conversions from 1951.
It wasn’t until 2003 that Volkswagen took production in-house by launching the California, initially based on the T5.
These days, however, Bohemia doesn’t come cheap. Our test California 6.1 – Type 6, first facelift – in posher ‘Ocean’ spec ranges from nearly £64k to a shade under £70k depending on options, and that figure soon ramps up if you pick tasty items such as two-tone paint, at a not inconsiderable £2880.
