1964 Cheltenham Puku 4 Restoration Part Three

With the drama of Part Two of the 1964 Cheltenham Puku 4 restoration still fresh in my mind, it was with some relief and bewilderment that I raised the corner steadies and gently pushed it out of my workshop to hitch up to my 1969 Rover P6 3500 and set off for a weekend away. Was I mad? Certainly.

It’s always an anxious first few miles when you’re towing a newly restored caravan. You’re listening for noises, looking for bits dropping off and partly expect the whole thing to just implode for ten minutes or so. I needn’t have worried. The Cheltenham, as explained in my first article about it, tows impeccably. The smooth Rover V8 effortlessly burbled along and the Cheltenham stuck to the road with an assurance that modern caravans could only dream of.

I arrived at the venue for the 2023 Retro Camping Club National Rally and AGM and this was my first assurance that just maybe I’d done an alright job of the renovation when fellow members flocked to admire my handiwork. This is where I’d have probably appreciated having a dry run with the Cheltenham before attending such an event. Although the 50-mile trip hadn’t highlighted any issues, I would soon find plenty of issues with some of the new parts that had been fitted. Chiefly the brand new onboard water pump had a faulty diaphragm which proceeded to splurge water all over the cabinetry and floor!

Just sitting in the Cheltenham on site allowed me the first moment of reflection since starting the project. It was all go for so many months that I never stopped to reflect on just how far the caravan had come since I picked it up just some nine weeks prior to this weekend away!

Make no mistake, the Cheltenham was far from finished, but it was usable. I’d grabbed some cheap throws from IKEA to cover the original upholstery temporarily, I still hadn’t managed to do anything with the original gas lamps and there were a lot of snagging jobs to do. But not to worry - I was out camping and enjoying it.

Besides, as much as I was reflecting on what work I needed to do still, there were some things that were finished that I was really proud of. The kitchen was the main thing. This was a real experiment for me to try and blend the original mid-century style with some modern conveniences.

The new round sink is luxurious and something that you’d find in a new caravan. It holds a normal household washing up bowl and you can actually wash normal sized dinner plates in it - something that never happens with normal vintage caravan sinks! I paired it with a household tap with pull down shower head attachment. Part of my new kitchen design was to incorporate space for a free-standing Cadac cooker. My thought process was that most of us carry additional external cooking equipment anyway, why not just make the external hob part of the internal kitchen so that only one needs to be carried? Besides, the Cadac cooker with its interchangeable pan stands and grill pans is much easier to use and clean than any fitted caravan hob that I could find.

The kitchen wasn’t the only thing that I was proud of. I was overwhelmed with how cohesive the interior turned out. It was more or less exactly how I envisaged it for all those months. To just sit in it on a campsite and slowly absorb all the details that I’d occasionally been kept awake at night plotting was really rewarding. I felt like I’d preserved the heart of the caravan by keeping all the features that made the Cheltenham so lovely. Even the real wooden furniture had restored well, whilst preserving its patina that breathed so much character into the design.

The weekend went well. The Cheltenham is a cosy place to be in, which just envelops you in its curvaceous cocoon-like body shell. I had absolutely no regrets about taking this project on whatsoever. The pride it fills me with to pull onto a campsite with this gorgeous caravan is immense.

If you have the skills or the funds to take on a vintage caravan, you should do it. It’s an ecological alternative to buying new, and you end up with something that has character, style and reflects your personality. And if it’s lasted 60 years already, it’s probably good for another 60.

If you’ve followed this journey from the beginning, thank you for reading. I will post some updates about my travels with the Puku 4 as time goes on.