Stone174

40,000 hits!

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:06:00 +0000

Again, many thanks for your continued reading. The blog is averaging around 100 hits per day now, not bad seeing as I haven't really done anything to the van in ages!

The re-map is getting ever closer, and to ward off the evil Winter blues I've started trawling the internet for campsites and overnight spots for the year ahead.

See you out there!

The Winter Blues...

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:03:00 +0000

I hate this time of year; Christmas and New Year are over, yet the warmer, brighter and lighter weather seems a long way off yet. Paying the repair bill this morning has done nothing to lighten my mood either - on the plus-side, the van sailed through another MOT with only an advisory on the rear brakes in the next 8-10K miles (hopefully that's another year away yet).

As you'll recall from previous posts we were hoping that the bill would be partly covered by the AA's Parts & labour insurance - unfortunately not the case. Since our issue with the driveshaft we had the van reclassified from Van to Motorcaravan - guess what the AA don't cover...? Motorhomes and campervans!

Our friendly AA man had (quite rightly) written T5 Camper on his paperwork so there was no way of talking our way out of it. And it wouldn't be fair to drag the garage into wranglings with the AA if we fraudulently tried to claim it as a van - so hey-ho, suck up the (almost £900 with service and MOT) costs and move forwards!

So if you're reading this thinking 'I've always wanted a T5 Camper' remember; big vehicles can often mean big parts and big bills.

Roll on the lighter nights, warmer weather and Dubfreeze, there's another camping trip on the cards too, just before Valentine's weekend - plenty to look forward to. In the meantime, here's a couple of pics I found on the internet while looking at show photos from last year...

The diagnosis...

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:40:00 +0000

After the previous weekend and it's electrical problems we were pretty relieved to get home. Annoyingly, we probably relaxed a little too much, parked the van down the side of the house as usual, went inside and tried to forget about it for a day or so.

Some helpful feedback from users of the Brickyard forum pointed us towards possible problems - it's usually at this point you start to see pound-signs!!!

With the van booked in for an MOT at the end of the week we left it, knowing that we'd only have to limp it half a mile down the road to Aire Valley Workshop. Not so easy... a quick check of battery status on the electrical control panel in the van read; Leisure Battery 13.2v, Vehicle Battery 0.8v. No flashing red light on the door top indicated a stone-dead battery, no alarm, no central locking.

Time to call out the AA. Once again another great show of customer service; from initial phone call and text message updates, to the chap arriving with a friendly smile and a love of T5s, the experience was faultless. On a side note he did mention that he'd just come from another T5 - broken driveshaft! That brought back some memories.

With the help of a heavy-duty jump-starter he had the van up and running straight away and with the help of a multi-meter spotted the alternator was delivering 16v to the van battery. He kindly followed us 'round to the garage and brought us home again, with a helpful description of the problem for further investigation - and handy paperwork to claim back on the AA Parts & Labour cover.

A phone call the next day from the garage reveals it is the voltage regulator and alternator at fault. A new battery will also be fitted. Then MOT and service. We should have a healthy van back within the next couple of days.

A worrying weekend away

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:25:00 +0000

Just after New Year seems a great time to grab a quick weekend away - the campsites are quiet, cheaper than normal and the pubs and restaurants don't seem to be as manic as over the Christmas period.

With a weekend in York on the cards, certain things can be taken for granted; good company, good food, and a good night's sleep. But this time things took a turn for the worse - it seems we invited some electrical gremlins along for the weekend too...

Meeting up, ready to go

Everything was normal until after a coffee-break at Harrogate, back in the van we noticed no dash lights (the blue lighting behind the clock and odometer) and all gauges - speedo, engine temp, fuel, and rev counter needles dropped to zero.

We pulled in to the world's most pot-holed layby just off the A59 on the east of Harrogate for a check of fuses and read of the manual.

We've had some little niggles before that have usually rectified themselves with the old 'turn it off, wait, turn it on again' routine - but every time we tried this the clocks would light up and function for a few seconds of the engine running and then drop back to zero with no illumination.

It was here we noticed the stalk controls had given up too; no indicators, no wipers. Headlights are working fine and a pull of the left stalk for full beam also worked fine? Other items on the dash such as heater controls also worked fine. Brake lights also worked as normal.

Thankfully, being part of a three van convoy, we stuck ourselves in the middle so as not to upset other road users with our lack of indicators.

So on to the campsite. Another night on the now-regular Lysander Arms - as discussed in previous posts, this place is ideal for getting into and back out of York City Centre, plus with the benefit of electric hook-up you're always going to sleep well - toasty and warm.

Pitched up - we had the campsite to ourselves

It's amazing how a few pints can help erase the worry of a faulty van, plus with having AA membership and the Caddy to use as a regular vehicle it really wasn't worth getting wound-up over.

The next morning we fired the van up and everything (nearly) worked fine - okay, there's an Airbag light permanently on but we can cope with that. A half-mile drive around to the park-and-ride and everything still checks out okay; indicators, lights, all gauges on the dash fully functioning. A few more hours around York, a full English breakfast and a couple of nice coffees and it's time to head home...

Not 10 miles into our return journey and we now have the EPC warning light on the dash to keep the Airbag light company. Another quick flick the handbook reveals this to be a possible ABS fault; check brakes a few times, keep driving steadily...

...until the dash goes again.

Weirdly, every time we brake up to a junction or roundabout, just before coming to a complete halt and then for the time we are stationary, the dash comes back to life. Start moving and everything goes again - is this the infamous brakelight-switch that we have experienced before?

Deciding against going over the notorious Blubberhouses route (not really a place to be breaking down) we elected the longer, flatter route through Pool, Otley and Ilkley back to Skipton. Pulling into Otley and the dash is back with us again; all gauges working, Airbag light and EPC light fully on. No indicators or wipers. Pull stalk to flash lights does work though. I'm glad at this point we didn't leave it any later as I didn't really want anything like lights to fail on us in the dark...

...then it started raining. No wipers and trying to see through a windscreen covered in really fine drizzle on unlit country roads is no fun - if this was any more than a handful of miles away from home we would have stopped. Full trust was placed in the vehicle in front (thanks Shaun) and for a while we were following two brake lights and white lines.

Call it good timing but the van is booked-in for an MOT at the end of this week. I'm looking forward to what the diagnostics have to say. So, does any of this sound familiar to other T5 owners? Any advice will be gratefully received.

Merry Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:52:00 +0000

...and a happy 2012!

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last couple of months. Priorities turned towards the Caddy, as they would with that being our daily-driver. Although that doesn't mean the T5 has been neglected - we've been camping a couple of times; York for a Christmas shopping trip, and the annual sleep-over at the in-laws over the Christmas period.

The beginning of the new year should see us making the first inquiries with Pendle Performance about the EGR blank and DPF-off remap for a smoother running engine, better economy and (hopefully) increased performance. More on this soon.

We're also going to be moving forward with the colour-coding. The Caravelle headlights are sat waiting to be fitted and the first calls to Merseyspeed will be made soon.

Here's to another great year of camping, shows, biking, and generally messing-about in vans - see you out there!

The side project

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:39:00 +0000

So the Lupo went and has been replaced with something infinitely better; a tasty 59-plate VW Caddy TDI in Raven Blue with only 19.5k miles on the clock, still under VW warranty.

For more info on this project click here.

30,000 hits!

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 11:57:00 +0000

Many thanks again for your continued reading. Sorry the modifications have been few and far between over the past 12 months - we've been judiciously saving-up for the next big items; colour-coding, remap and pop-top roof fitting!

Oh, and there's a new project on the way soon now the Lupo has sold!

What's in a name?

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:26:00 +0000

I've never really sat comfortably with the name 'Transporter', there has always seemed to be something work-a-day about it. And the last thing I want to think about when I'm away in my van is work - we're not really 'transporting' anything, are we?

So after much deliberation about de-badging and looking around at other T5's, we've decided on a little re-brand! Off with the old lettering with the help of a little lighter fluid, a strong finger-nail and some patience (the unseasonal warm weather has helped too), and it's on with something more befitting:

A genuine VW part, sourced from Germany and shipped in just a couple of days, it's on with the Multivan lettering. The masking tape was used to retain the 'Transporter' positioning and double-check I was not only putting the Multivan lettering in the right place, but I was adhering it in a straight line!
Not bad for half an hour's work:

Now we have a Multivan; which fits nicely with a multi-life of holidays, biking and walking. No more transporting!

Over and out

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:44:00 +0000

In true tradition of saving the best 'til last I had decided the final route out of Wales, towards home, would be the most scenic yet.

Ready for the off:

'We're going over that?'

A brief stop half-way up to admire the views:

Then on to the Pen-y-pass; a road built in the 1830's to transfer ore from the mines down to Llanberis.

At 1,180ft above sea level, only a Landrover, climbers and a few hardy sheep go much higher:

And from here it would be all downhill (metaphorically) until we get home. To Wales and camping in the forest - we will return...

From sublime to surreal...

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:14:00 +0000

If you've been reading the previous posts about Vanfest and the week in Wales, you'll have noticed the bike has been on the back of the van for most of the time. I knew I'd only realistically get two biking opportunities; the Malvern Hills and today in the forest at Beddgelert.
Before setting off I had downloaded a handy map which showed some reference points (the campsite) and some viewpoints (much higher up) linked by forest tracks that had been cleverly numbered with marker posts. Simple, follow the numbers and find your way around.

Or not so simple. Since the numbering of the posts on the map in my pocket the Forest Enterprise have been around a renumbered them according to their own map - and the two don't tally up!

I soon worked out that if I was heading 'north and up' I was gradually getting further from the campsite, thus heading 'down and south' I would return towards the campsite.

I'll let the pictures do the talking of how quiet, spectacular and beautiful the forest was that morning:

Gradual climbing, surrounded by mountains

Llyn Llewelyn - half way up

Looking back towards the campsite

Some nice, unused tracks (with occasional single-track)

Whilst I could have spent all day up there, I had Mrs. Stone174's sanity to think about, so some speedy descending back to the site for a shower and a brew before making the trip down to Porthmadog to find the awesome Deli Y Bwtri for a large meat and cheese-based sandwich. As the weather was fairing-up we stocked up on a few provisions (including cheap chocolate from Lidl) and headed for a bit more beach.

Knowing there was some beach close-by, we kept driving until we hit sand - quite literally! The wide expanse of Black Rock Sands (where it was free to drive and park on the beach) became a great photo opportunity.

The van looks truly at home on the sand

'Nothing too surreal so far' you're thinking. With our craving for beach satisfied we journeyed southwards for a few miles to Portmeirion. I half-knew what to expect and, having never really watched The Prisoner, I was keen to learn more about the history and pre-television days of the village. Luckily it was half-price admission after 3pm so we paid and wandered in...

I quite liked the place; from certain views it feels more Italian than Welsh. Yes there are weird bits and some of the colours are a bit 'ice-cream parlour' but there are some nice quirky touches - I won't spoil the surprise for those that haven't been!

After escaping the heady-dose of surreal it was back to relative sanity of the campsite for a final barbecue of the holiday - don't tell Number Two!

Stunning Snowdonia

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:55:00 +0000

So we're pitched up in the forest, right next to the Welsh Highland Railway that runs from Porthmadog up to Caenarfon over some fairly dramatic terrain. Looking at their website before setting off on holiday I was expecting the occasional, out-of-season diesel engine to trundle past. Then out of the trees...

The campsite had it's own 'halt' where you could hail a train for either direction - perfect!

Having said that, we had missed the last train of the day, so elected to take the 15 minute walk in to the village. By this time (and it was time to sample a pint in each of the village's three pubs) the sun had made appearance and treated us to fantastic display of light and shade that my phone's camera can't give justice to:

After sitting in the sun sampling local ales we chose The Saracen's Head for a fairly average but well deserved meal, made the short walk back up to the campsite, and slept soundly amongst the trees.

B Roads to Beddgelert

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:42:00 +0000

With the morning it was time to leave the sleepy town of Builth Wells behind, and as the mile count begins to rise, so does the terrain around us. Having chatted with the campsite owners about our journey north it was decided that the satnav's route-choice left a little to be desired and as such, the road atlas came out for a better understanding of the way forward (plus the satnav can't show you nice lakes with lovely lay-bys to stop at and admire the view).

It was at this point in the holiday that our cravings for a bit of beach took hold. So a little detour (over some big hills) was chosen so we could head to the coast at Barmouth.

Onwards and upwards

Almost at the top!

Having only ever seen Barmouth in photographs, I was keen to see if the place was as pretty in reality. First, another toll bridge across the estuary to save some miles:

Then into town for a spot of lunch and a walk on the beach.

It felt very much like the town had already seen it's hay-day. There was an air of faded-splendour to the old parts of town; a small fishing port at one end near the railway bridge, and an impressive Victorian promenade at the other end of town. In between however seemed quite run-down and poor, missing the injection of life that comes from a hand-full of cafés, shops selling anything other than novelties and postcards, and hotels that aren't boarded-up.
One thing I loved was the Easter-island style figure-head nestled in the dunes looking out to sea - very photogenic...

So we had walked through town, back along the beach and killed around two hours here. Time to move on.

Heading north along the coast, weather improving, past Harlech and up towards Porthmadog, turning right to head deep into Snowdonia, it wasn't long before the roads narrowed, waterfalls became more impressive, and the spectacular scenery was turned up to eleven (more about this in the next post)...

At the Forest Holidays site at Beddgelert we were greeted with a lovely warm welcome by knowledgeable, friendly (but not over-bearing) staff who couldn't do enough to make us feel at home. Fresh bread was ordered for the following morning and within minutes we were pitched up in the trees - if you love being in the forest as much as me, you'll understand why I was grinning from ear to ear!

With mountain-biking right on the doorstep, a narrow-gauge railway line at the back of the van and camping in a forest with a short walk to the village (and it's pubs) we were truly in our element. More on the beauty of Beddgelert soon...

Heading West

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:09:00 +0000

Time had come to leave the shadow of the Malvern Hills and head west; traveling through the very pretty town of Ledbury we continued west to Hereford for another stop for provisions (barbecue weather again!) and fill up with diesel before pressing on. Unfortunately we found Hereford's supermarkets to be without petrol stations so decided to continue towards our destination of Builth Wells stopping somewhere along the way for a bit of lunch.

Another 30 mins on and we decide to detour into Hay-on-Wye - somewhere I had heard about due to the Hay Festival that takes part every year there.

After a quick 'campervan-lunch' consisting of cold meats, bread and cheese (simple but so good) we went for a wander around town.

Hay-on-Wye is another very pretty market town, uncommercialised and absolutely littered with book and antique shops.

Hay Castle is home to the world's first honesty bookshop and Europe's largest secondhand bookstore, the whole place is dotted with covered, outdoor shelving.

After an hour or so's browsing we get back in the van for the evening's destination; Builth Wells - a small welsh market town home to many events at the Royal Showground - unfortunately nothing was taking place during our visit (the Tour of Britain was due through the next day but we'd already be on our way) and on the whole, there didn't seem too much to do in the town itself although the surrounding hills look prime for walking and biking.

We pitched up for the evening on the very friendly White House Campsite right next to the river Wye that we had followed and criss-crossed on our journey up the valley.

It would have been nice to pitch nearer the water's edge, but the strong winds forced us to tuck into the corner. A great site that I would use again - we almost had the place to ourselves. Another barbecue and an early night were ahead of us before the real scenic journey into the heart of Wales which was to follow...

Life after Vanfest

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 09:21:00 +0000

So the show had packed away and the amount of campers on site began to diminish. Having the bike on the van meant I could spend a few hours exploring the web of bridleways that cover the Malvern Hills.

My legs were still tired from the previous day's milling-around the showground so I elected for a route that had a steep climb to begin with but then followed the contours of the 'Malvern-side' of the hills. Nothing too technical, just a good spin of the legs to work off a few of the excesses of the weekend.

Then for the afternoon we took a leisurely drive through 'chocolate-box' villages down to Tewkesbury. After parking and an obligatory pint we took a stroll around town and the cathedral.

The weather was definitely on our side and Tewkesbury is one to visit again and spend a little more time in. There were a couple of bookshops that I could have happily spent all afternoon in!

A proper lazy-day of not doing much at all - that relaxed holiday feeling was starting to kick in...

Another great week away

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Having just got back home from a great week away, unpacked most of the van, eaten and not washed-up, got used to carpet and television again, it's time to look through the photos and maybe put a few up on here.
As you'll know from the last post, the schedule was fairly-well planned out, so this installment will be the first couple of days away; Vanfest and Blackmore campsite.

Blackmore is a lovely site with great facilities. Tree-lined pitches, the ubiquitous one-way system, generous space between each pitch means you never feel crammed-in or on top of one another. Parked-up on newly laid hard-standing, we're surrounded by caravan-types; normal enough I suppose although they all tend to go inside and watch Coronation Street and Eastenders - can't you do that at home?

A quick trip up to Malvern for provisions - something to barbecue as the weather demands it - reveals the sprawling metropolis (Vanopolis...?) of Vanfest at the showground - this picture doesn't do it justice - it's huge!

So well-fed and a few beers later (it doesn't take much to make me sleepy) and I'm out like a light, ready for a one-day visit to Vanfest...

The first thing that hit us (even more than last year) was the number of van-converters, especially for the T5 market - have you tallied-up the amount of the three vans in the pic above yet?
I'm starting to wonder if I've got our van's agreed insurance valuation wrong and whether I should be adding another few grand!!!
This year's cars-for-sale area was plain crazy; a £20k T3, a £30k Bay-window... high mileage T5s commanding big money because they've been converted into a 'surf-van'... yeah right!

Both Mrs. Stone174 and I fell in love with this double-pop-top roof from the well-spoken Germans; Terra-camper. Although I'd like one fitting the other way around with the little 'pop' at the back. The amount of stand-up space inside was fantastic. As we're still on the look-out for a pop-top roof, you never know, it could be a UK-first!

There was a T5 to suite every taste (if not necessarily every budget). The show and shine was as disappointing as always. The price of burgers, chips and donuts was ludicrous (although I'm a northerner so you'll see me with my own butties!). The thought of camping there all weekend fills me with dread; been there, done that, no thanks.

Which is why, when you get back to Blackmore, there's a little treat in store...

V-dubs everywhere!

Gone are the caravans with their satellite dishes, in comes a variety of colour, shape and size. Look carefully at the picture above; there's T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. There was also a Karmann Gypsy just out of shot!

And with the dubs comes a great atmosphere - we all joked about how all the orange Bays had congregated towards each other!

Old vans and new could rub shoulders with one another, a multitude of languages could be heard; English, French, Dutch, German, we had Swiss neighbours between the trees - this felt more like a v-dub show than the corporate money-machine that is Vanfest. Without wanting to give-away this little secret, I suggest you book Blackmore next year... we have!

Look out for the next installment shortly.

Getting away: part three

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:02:00 +0000

A little bit of planning goes along way.

Now I'm not one of these people that has a detailed itinerary planned-out for a week away, but a small amount of planning (whilst sat at my desk at work) can go a long way to getting the most out of what little time we have away.

We usually take two, week-long holidays a year; one before the kids break up for summer holidays, and one when they've gone back to school. One of these weeks will usually be in my beloved Cornwall, the other will be somewhere different - uncharted waters so to speak.

And for that reason I like to do a bit of planning ahead - how much driving between destinations, campsites for each night, and things to do near those sites. Made so much easier over recent years with the likes of GoogleMaps, Streetview etc.

The holiday will start at the Camping & Caravanning Club site at Blackmore. Close to the Malvern Hills and within a brisk walk of Vanfest for a Sunday visit. We'll stay here until Tuesday morning then set of through Hereford for our destination at Builth Wells where we're hoping to camp by the river close to town.

Wednesday will see us heading up through scenic Wales to one of the C&CC's Forest sites at Beddgelert. I'm hoping this will be a great base for a day (and maybe a night's) mountain-biking with the forest being right on the doorstep. We're also hoping to tackle Snowdon - by means of the rack-railway! Then heading home at the weekend.

You will have noticed that I stipulate 'only minimal planning' as I always find the holidays tend to become organic and we often end up deviating from initial plans - no harm in that I suppose.

Finally, as I don't know this part of Wales at all, I'd be grateful of any tips you can share - places to go, things to avoid etc. Thanks.

Stone in Print

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:42:00 +0000

Happiness is a full page feature!

I was merely browsing the forums the other day when I noticed a plea for T5 owners to come forward and give their story for a forthcoming issue of Volkswagen Driver Magazine.

And after my previous foray with fame with the Best looking van competition, I thought I'd chance my luck.

A few emails, attachments and a bit of copy-writing later and here we are, taking up a page of a national magazine. I've got to say, they've done a really good job of breaking the stereotype of campervanners as middle-aged, weekend-hippies who visit National Trust properties and have really boosted the image of the T5 as a high quality, do-it-all, leisure vehicle - something I was keen to get across in my little piece.

And I'm really pleased with it - I admit I'm not the world's best writer (and I thought journalistic license might have taken over with a bit of judicial editing) but the article is pretty much word-for-word as I originally emailed it over - maybe they were up against a tight deadline?!

If you're struggling to find a copy of Volkswagen Driver in the shops, you can purchase a copy here.

Show report: VW Festival

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:03:00 +0000

Not so much of a report as a mini-rant.

I can fully appreciate running a show of this size takes a lot of balls. Not to mention commitment of time and resources, but there's a few factors that - when combined - can easily make or break a show.

You never see posters for Vanfest around Malvern or Worcester?

We camped there last year on a trade plot, this year however we decided not to. Aggressive marketing of the show with posters around Leeds city centre and adverts on local radio promoting the event more as a 'festival' than a show (I know, the clue is in the name), we decided that just a Sunday visit was in order.

Sunday would also be a great opportunity to stick the Lupo in cars-for-sale. So, early start, sandwiches packed and away we go. Into traffic queues far greater than previous years - Harewood House is a total bottle neck - something seriously needs to be done about access. After sitting in traffic for over an hour we were through the gate. Stopping briefly at one of the orange hi-viz wearing event staff to ask if we could put the car in the cars for sale area. "Full" was the short reply, "follow everyone else".

Okay, I thought to myself, maybe we had to be here when the gates opened. We parked up in general parking and wandered into the show - straight to the cars for sale area - loads of space!!!

So, over to another hi-viz, this time making sure we found an 'organiser' and not event 'management'. "Is there any chance of getting our car into cars for sale?" we politely asked.
Some muffled walkie-talkie'ing followed. They clearly didn't want the hassle and came up with various reasons why it would be difficult (Still not midday yet - and isn't this a one day show?) so I merely said "fair enough, we didn't have this problem last weekend at Tatton Park" and walked off.

As wonderful a location as Harewood is, I can't help thinking the show shouldn't be there. The event staff seemed overly precious about glass bottles - to the point of coralling my friend back to his trade plot when he went for a walk with a bottle in his hand - now I know there are implications with livestock using the show area etc. but he's a responsible adult - give the man some credit.

Traffic management - as already mentioned, this seems almost non-existent. Trying to get thousands of cars through an archway entrance and a couple of gates is never going to work. This is totally down to Harewood's location and thus needs stronger management - look at the Three Counties Showground and Vanfest - trade gate, camping gate, day visitor gate, exit-only gate and so on.

There's two things that any show can never have enough of - toilets and dustbins - these seemed to be lacking. Whilst queueing to get out (another hour or so) we noticed large amounts of campsite rubbish blowing across empty fields - a carrier bag is just as dangerous to livestock as broken glass. And those tardis-like portaloos, there's never enough of them. Selling out all your tickets then creating more overflow camping means you're going to need much more in the way of facilities.

The show itself is fantastic; a high number of quality show cars, some great trade stands, a good 'vibe' about the place and nice weather all go some way to redeem the negative points. VW Festival is a well organised event. Just not a well managed one. With rumours of it becoming a two-day show next year (and probably a hike in the ticket cost) I'm not sure I'll be attending...

Getting away: part two

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:34:00 +0000

So you've arrived on site. Not driving again today? Crack open a beer! One question often asked is how do you keep your pitch on a site when you've driven off for a day out? I guess these days this only applies to sites where you are allowed to go anywhere in the field and aren't allocated a specific area.
There are a few methods; we usually leave a windbreak up, or at least leave a pair of chocks out - being bright yellow they tend to get noticed quite easily. I'm not really a fan of those little signs with your registration number on them, I find them a bit twee...

Next on the agenda is usually food (a subject that is rarely far from my mind). This is where the day's eating is often dictated by the weather - I quite like this style of only planning a few hours in advance - one of the great reasons campervanning is so appealing; flexibility.

For a week in Cornwall we only take basic provisions. These are usually the 'rainy-day' items; a few tins, some pasta, a jar of pesto, bags of crisps etc. It's always worth getting the local papers when you arrive and find out when and where the local farmers' markets are; Truro is Wednesday and Saturday and is a great opportunity to pick local breads and cheeses (and pasties!) good enough for beach snacks and lunchtime grazing. Local butchers and supermarkets are great for picking up items for barbecues, again- depending on the weather!

We'll also decide on a couple of days to eat out. Nothing fancy, although we do like the odd restaurant treat every now and then. Finding a good takeaway chinese or pizza, to be eaten by a beach or harbour, can make a great evening - ask a local which is best. Just remember not to fill the van with pungent aromas just before bedtime!

Cooking inside the van is quite rare for us - maybe the odd pan of boiling water for pasta or new potatoes to go with a barbecue - this is where the twin-slider comes into it's own:

A restaurant with a view: cooking in the car park above Harlyn Bay

Loads of ventilation from sliding the door open makes cooking in the van feel almost like being outside - no mess, no fuss, no smelly interior.
The golden rules (as with most things campervan) are; think small and simple, a little preparation goes along way, and never leave any rubbish behind.

Over the years we've eaten in some great locations, something that just isn't possible with any other type of holiday. Here's to many more great camper meals!

Amongst a different crowd

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 15:35:00 +0000

Diversity. That's the name of the game. It is so easy to become blinkered by the vehicles we see at each and every show, so every now and then it's nice to mix things up a bit - like modern cars? Go to a classic car show. Like aircooled v-dubs? Go to GTI event... and so on.

So this morning we took a trip over to Awesome GTI in Manchester for the DetailedUK Summer Bash. I was expecting a handful of cars, maybe 30 or so. What I was greeted with were several large car parks full of quality motors from the water-cooled scene.

The van drew a few looks from passers-by even though the budget is nowhere near some of the machinery on display. But for a couple of T4s and a Sportline T5 we where the only other van there. Which is cool - it gives the crowd that only ever sees Lupos, Golfs and various Audis something different to look at.

The visit has certainly inspired me to finish off the van in a few areas - some final carpet lining, tidying up the interior, colour-coding the bumpers... and it would be nice if the van was a little lower too!

UPDATE: a few photos of the shiny modified motors here: http://stone174.tumblr.com/

And the runner-up is...

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:32:00 +0000

...well, one of five to be precise!

I thought I'd enter a recent competition by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to find the UK's best looking van. Okay, I know grey bumpers and a few scratches and dings are never going to win any beauty contests but I thought a few pictures and a considered entry email which explained the van was built to be used and not just looked at, might have stood my in good stead.

Plus the winning price of £1000 to spend on VW accessories sounded very tempting. So I entered.

Congratulations to Gordon Wood from Scotland for a tasty looking T4 and to all the other runners-up, all good looking vans. Maybe next time...

Getting away

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:01:00 +0000

One week, one campsite, two people, a thousand things to do.

For some, the thought of spending a week in a van is totally ridiculous - there's no bathroom, kitchen, television or room service. But there is so much more! So over the next few blog-posts I thought I'd share some tips on how to get the utmost from living out of a vehicle for a week.

Tip 1: Maximise your holiday time.
To enjoy every possible minute of our holiday we like to leave straight from work on a Friday. This has several advantages; as we both work in Leeds it is pretty much straight onto the motorway network, we can be in Cornwall for first-thing in the morning, and the long motorway slog is split into two manageable chunks.
Leg one is usually Leeds to Taunton Deane services. We take a break a Donington for a bite to eat and stoke up the caffeine levels then with a good iPod playlist the M42 and M5 just fly by. Arriving at Taunton Deane around 9.30pm we pay for the overnight parking (currently a tenner) and camp up for the night.
Sleeping at the services takes a bit of forethought - always check out where most people park as that's where the traffic will be (including late-night idiots) all night. Try and get away from the passing wagons. Don't go too far into a dark corner and possibly out of gaze of the CCTV should anything untoward happen. Lock all your doors, get some rest.
We like to make the bed before leaving so there is the minimum amount of fuss when all you want to do is get your head down - it is usually just a matter of fitting the window blinds, spinning the passenger seat around and diving under the duvet.

The next morning will probably be an early start for Leg two but this is a good thing; less wagons and caravans by the time you hit the A30. At Bodmin we'll refill the van with cheap supermarket diesel (as oppose the tourist-priced fuel further into Cornwall) then refill ourselves with a full-english breakfast, finally arriving at our campsite at around 10am - luckily they always let us check-in early. If not, take a trip to the beach - they are emptier in the mornings, or stock up on provisions - the same can be said for the supermarkets, especially the ones nearer the resorts, always quieter in the mornings.

Finally, don't forget to relax! There will always be caravans on the A30, there will always be that milk tanker trying to overtake another wagon for the next ten miles and there will always be one idiot trying to cut in at the last minute when the dual carriageway turns back to single lane, keep your location in mind and it won't be long before your feet hit the sand.

Look out for some more van-holiday tips soon...

A week in Cornwall - home of the T5

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:26:00 +0000

A week of glorious sunshine.

So that's another week in Cornwall done. Having spent years holidaying down there in both the T5 and the previous T3 we've always been used to being among camper-company. But this year in particular there seemed to be T5s (and nice ones too) wherever we went.

Every time we pulled up in a beach car park, like-minded campers and vanners where parking up with us - often with admiring glances, a thumbs up of acknowledgment, or in some cases questioning and comments.

Here's some evidence of T5 'swarming' at the beach:


Many of you will know this car park well...

A slightly abused Sportline and a brand spanking Cali for good measure!

Car parking is one of my massive bugbears whilst down in the Southwest, everywhere seems to have you over a barrel with pay and display - with many car parks converting to the new 'camera-controlled' operation where you have to key in your registration - annoying to say the least - I used to like handing my ticket over to a local surfer at the end of the day for them to use into the evening.

Even the car parks look nice in Cornwall!

I'll be blogging some handy-tips for spending a week away in a van soon...

Back to Earth with a bump

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:39:00 +0000

Did I mention I like quiet campsites?

After a wonderful week of camping in Cornwall (with plenty of sunshine) we certainly came back to reality with a bump. We racked-up our usual mileage getting there and back, tooling around from beach to beach etc. (around 1,000 miles) and almost made it home without incident (~okay, so I put a big scratch in the sliding door by opening it against the back of a camping chair but we won't mention that~) when four miles from home we hit North Yorkshire County Council's wonderful road-chippings (sorry, 'surface-dressing').

Cue a big chip in the windscreen, thankfully passenger side but nonetheless thoroughly annoying. And then when back on the drive at home - a leaking front shock absorber - brilliant! Welcome home...

I'll go into more positive details of the holiday shortly, probably when the van is back from Aire Valley Workshop.

20,000 hits

noreply@blogger.com (richard) — Mon, 30 May 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Thanks everyone for your continued reading.

Richard