Meeting Chantelle for the first time

After the disappointment of realising we couldn't go ahead with the Thames Burlingham, we scanned eBay many times in the hope of finding what we wanted. Mostly, they were either too new and characterless, or too precious, and deserved to be preserved. We were over the moon when we saw the Bedford Marshall, and made arrangements to go and see her as soon as we could.

We drove down to Gloucester on a bright but cold day. As we got closer, we started to wonder how we'd find the house in the very pretty village we were in, when Alfie shouted "Look, over there !" She was parked up a little drive; a beautiful bus sat in a beautiful setting.

We got out, and knew immediately we wanted her. Especially we loved, in descending order, the bell, the cab, the wooden floor, and the old sock ! We could see how this could be just perfect for all our summers. We were made really welcome, and rushed home to place our bid. We were absolutely over the moon the following evening, when we were the winners, and Chantelle was ours.