We parked up just after midday with the temperature sat just below freezing. The campsite was frozen solid with just a few paths cleared to get to the facilities. Once hooked-up we plugged in a little electric fan heater to take the edge off the cold (no need to waste diesel using the Eberspächer when hooked-up). One word of warning if you do similar - be careful how you place your electric heater - keep it away from any bedding or anything that might fall onto it. We bought one with a low-profile with no chance of it falling over, and with a thermostat so it can quietly click on and off while we're away from the van for any length of time. Placed in the middle of the floor in the back of the van it holds a steady 16˚C inside regardless of the temperature outside.
You'll notice from the pics that both vans are using external cab blinds from Just Kampers. Combined with a set of internal thermo-blinds they really help to keep the inside warm and stop the windscreen from becoming a mass of condensation where the warm internal air meets the colder external air - I'd highly recommend this if you're planning any regular winter camping.
After a good meal and a selection of drinks in a handful of York's finer pubs we headed back to our white-over pitches, van nicely warmed it doesn't take long before we're sound asleep. We prefer to sleep without any heating on at all - one day I'd love to find a totally silent fan-heater but until then I like my night's sleep to be quiet and unbroken.
With these few investments (and the initial insulation done to the van) you really can enjoy your camper all-year-round - anyone fancy heading to the ski-resorts next winter?!
