Mega-mileage campervan fails to meet his maker

A pick-up truck arrives to rescue Cecil on Bodmin Moor

A VW campervan's journey towards a million miles has been cut short when it blew a gasket on the way from Cornwall to the country where it was made.

The van, known as Cecil, which has clocked up close to the milestone mileage with Cornish environmental organisation Clean Ocean Sailing, was on the way to the VW plant in Wolfsburg, Germany.

But a blown head gasket on the A30 east of Bodmin Moor meant the campervan had to be towed back to its home in Gweek for repairs, its owner said.

Steve Green said he was determined to try the trip again to the factory where Cecil was made in 1972.

Cecil has a crane and winch attachment for picking up plastic waste from the coast

The van, which runs on recycled chip fat, has been the workhorse of Clean Ocean Sailing since Mr Green brought it over to Cornwall from Australia in 1998.

Cecil is Mr Green's daily driver and has a crane and winch attachment for picking up plastic waste from the coast which Clean Ocean Sailing collects for recycling.

The trip to Wolfsburg was a dream for Mr Green, who has nurtured the campervan to its amazing mileage, and the journey was being filmed by The Travel Show for BBC News.

But a fan switch next to a new radiator was destroyed by hot exhaust fumes and the engine overheated, leading to the gasket failure and a ride back to Gweek on a pick-up truck.

'Quite emotional'

"Usually when he breaks down it's because a chip has got caught in a pipe," said Mr Green.

"At least everyone's safe. Cecil is back in Gweek now, I'm putting him in the workshop in a minute.

"I'm going to take the cylinder head off, have it machined, and check for cracks and put them all back together again."

He said he was planning another trip, with his family coming along for the ride.

"This time was a bit of a hurry and as left my six-year-old Simon was cuddling him and saying goodbye to Cecil, and asking if he could come.

"It was actually really quite emotional and it feels like Cecil decided not to go this time, because he wanted his family to go with him."

If you want to see Cecil in action, the van is due to appear on The Travel Show in January.