Super September...

...a month to remember!

When chatting to people about the van, one question that often crops up is 'do you use it much?'. Now at first this always seems fairly odd and I usually answer with an upbeat 'Yes, you've got to' - meaning that six years of sinking all my hard-earned in to a campervan, do you think I just look at it?

If possible I'd be away in it more but the usual commitments always get in the way. But this last month has been fantastic and, in no way intentional, we have managed to be in the van every weekend since the end of August.

Weekend one
We left work on Friday evening and made the trip to Strensham services - we overnighted here to be at Busfest for first-light the next day. Busfest was as busy as ever, as a regular visitor I don't think it would be wrong of me to say it's getting a bit same-y. Maybe the format needs shaking up a bit, maybe we'll give it a miss next year... It was nice to have a look over the new T6 van but I don't think I'll be facelifting my facelift any time soon.
By 4pm we were ready for the off. It was back to the M5 for a quick jaunt to Gloucester Services (simply the best services on the motorway network) for a shower and grab some provisions to eat further down the road. By 7pm, with the aid of a good playlist, we were parked up in our usual spot at Taunton Deane. We'd toyed with the idea of going further that evening but that would have meant stopping at an unknown location, both feeling tired we stopped, ate pies, drank a bottle of beer, watched a bit of TV and fell asleep.

Our regular spot at Taunton Deane services

We slept in on Sunday morning! It must have been all the walking around Busfest. We used our breakfast voucher (as part of the overnight parking fee) and quickly got on our way.
It's not often we have a deadline to keep but our destination was Chapel Porth near St. Agnes for the World Bellyboarding Championships - British eccentricity at it's best!

The bit between weekends one and two
The first campsite we arrived at on Sunday afternoon was Dove Meadows at Marazion - we'd stay here for just two nights before moving on.

Just two minutes walk from the campsite at Marazion

From Marazion it was a quick hop up to Falmouth and Menehay Farm Touring Park - again two more nights here before moving on.
Our final stop was a new one - there's always that element of trepidation when first arriving at a site never before visited - but three nights at Padstow Touring Park didn't disappoint. Excellent facilities, a great location, friendly staff, nice camping neighbours (plenty of VWs!) meant this is one site we will definately be heading back to.

Great sheltered pitch at Padstow Touring Park

Weekend two
This would be our last night at Padstow before the long Sunday haul home. So far there had only been one spot of rain, during the night, I guess we'd been lucky.

Weekend three
Regular readers will know that we've done our fair share of VW shows over the last few years. But a 'festival' is somewhere the van has rarely gone. Partly down to a different crowd that may not be as appreciating of my shiny paintwork and partly as neither Mrs. Stone174 or I have been the 'festival' type. Back in December last year we booked early-bird tickets for the Good Life Experience, a festival we'd heard of via Instagram friends that looked to be our kind of thing. I'll probably go in to more details in a future post but I'll say now - we're booking tickets for next year the day they are released!

Our generous pitch at the Good Life Experience (beer open!)

Weekend four
The weather forecast was good again. We'd had barely a drop of rain in Cornwall, or at the Good Life Experience, and with the van still half-packed we started hunting for a campsite that could have us for just one night, ideally within an hour's drive of home. With a yearning for some sea air we chose Red Bank Farm at Bolton-le-Sands on the west coast, just above Morecambe. Two fields, both gently sloping, one with a view of the village and railway line, the other with sea views across the bay to Grange and the south lake district beyond. We chose the latter, leveled-up, went for a beach walk, barbecued and slept well. All in perfect clear weather conditions.

The fantastic views at Red Bank Farm

So all-in, September has been great to us. We're planning the rest of the year with enough trips to break up the winter boredom and feeling of hibernation. Then there's 2016; Dubfreeze... Volksworld... Cornwall...

Cornwall in Three

'So did the three-part Cornish break work?' you ask. Well yes, pretty much. The only restricting factor (when trying to keep the mile-count down) was the weather.

Basing yourself in a particular location on a particular day meant that, unless you wanted to travel, you stick with the weather in that location. On previous breaks we have often moved from north coast to south coast (and vice versa) to chase the good weather. It wasn't too big a deal and in reality we had one cloudy morning and one with that wonderful Cornish mizzle that thankfully blew out by early afternoon to leave the usual crisp blue skies and light cloud.

One part of the break that we really enjoyed was having the bikes with us:

At our first stop, Dove Meadows at Marazion, we could leave the van on site and jump straight on the the coastal path that runs around Mount's Bay in to Penzance and on to Newlyn. With a pasty or two for the outbound journey and a beer or two on the way back, the bikes opened up another viewpoint of our favourite spots. Using the parts of the national cycle network that criss-cross quite a few of Cornwall's narrow, almost-traffic-free, lanes we could reach places previously unvisited such as the lovely Tremenherre Sculpture Gardens just outside Penzance.

Then on to Falmouth and the surprising Menehay Farm campsite. A first-time visit for us and we've already booked to go back for a few more nights in September. We were given a friendly welcome and a pitch number and then left to it, just how it should be. Great facilities, level pitches, free wi-fi, a wonderful location and transport links in to town, it was hard to find fault with Menehay. Vanlife really started to kick-in here as our pace relaxed:

As the weather was favourable we opted to walk in to Falmouth; a mile and a half of down hill, up hill and down again left us both ready for a beer on arrival. The following day we chose a more leisurely route around Swanpool and Ghyllyngvase beaches. There's a regular circular bus with a stop right outside the campsite should it be required.

Finally it was north to Trewan Hall, the site we can always trust to be consistently good.

Using the bikes more and the van less had been good on the wallet too - without the need for an extra tank of diesel meant we could spend a little more on eating out than usual, and here on the north coast are the perfect opportunities to do just that - the perfect way to end the break.

We'll be doing another three-part break again in September using two of the sites mentioned here and one totally new site to us - it's got to be a good way of finding new spots without relying on one particular site for the whole break.

Splitting a holiday in three

Hello there! Long-time-no-blog. Thought I'd put down a handy tip for touring around a holiday destination without racking up too many miles. You see, in previous years of visiting our beloved southwest, we've stayed in the one location (Trewan Hall campsite) and then dragged ourselves up and down the A30 and A39 visiting our favourite spots.
This year we're trying something a little different; a holiday of three parts, each location spaced far enough apart to give us a different part of Cornwall without the need to use the van quite as much.

Our first stop will be Dove Meadows at Marazion, ideal for St. Michael's Mount, Penzance, St. Ives, Sennen and all that the very tip of the county has to offer.
Then a short hop to Menehay Farm on the outskirts of Falmouth for a couple of nights where we're hoping to sample some of the pubs and restaurants in town.
Finally, after stocking up on some provisions in Truro, we'll head up to Trewan Hall for the classic North Cornwall beaches, Padstow, Newquay, Perranporth etc.

Seems a really simple idea and one we've discussed on previous breaks - now to put it in to practice!

Cornwall trip & Busfest 2013

I know what you're thinking; there hasn't been a post on here for a while. So here's a long-overdue update...

There's nothing much to report on the van front other than it has been in regular use as Camper, show vehicle, bike transporter, spare room, and chill-out area. Early September saw us make our annual pilgrimage to the Southwest for some camping, surfing and general lazing about, with the return journey being interrupted by a stop at the Busfest show under the Malvern hills.

Our first stop was at our regular haunt, Trewan Hall campsite near St. Columb Major. As the week progressed, the campsite emptied leaving just us with a field to ourselves.

The weather was kind so we made our usual trips up and down the spine of Cornwall; St. Ives is one of my favourites - but it's always better when you take the park and ride train from Lelant rather than struggling to drive into town and find a parking space.

The Eden Project is always quite high on our list and one we hadn't visited in quite a while. The addition of the new aerial walkways adds a great new perspective to an already spectacular site.

Plenty of chilling out with our fellow van-campers took place. If ever there was a perfect time and location for the 'snail-like' lifestyle of carrying eveything around with you, it's Cornwall in early September when the weather can change three times in a day. One minute you're sat in the fog, the next minute you're getting ready for a spot of surfing under clear blue skies.

Perranporth sunsets are always a bit special in September.

Feeling refreshed from a few days in the southwest, it was time to head north to our next stop; the Blackmore Camping & Caravanning Club site just a mile or so down the road from Busfest at the Three Counties Showground. Being on a designated hard-standing pitch isn't quite the same as the freestyle Cornish camping, but having electric hookup was nice as the temperature had cooled.

A small selection of the awesome vans at Busfest:

Busfest was as busy as ever and there seemed to be even more of our European bus-loving cousins making the trip to the show. Loads of Germans, Dutch and Belgians in attendance - they always come over with the really cool vans that never really sold in the UK; syncro T4s and cool early bays were in abundance. The show and shine was a little thin on T5's - more than last year, and the quality/taste is getting better year on year.

This year really highlighted the need to get our interior done. Sticking with the 'no-compromise' ethos, I'd really like the dash and door cards trimmed along with the front seats and rear seat/bed. Cost-wise I fear this will have to be done in two stages; we'll get the seating done first as Mrs. Stone174 can no longer deal with making the bed up with just bare foam and an Ikea throw.

As ever, keep watching this space. I'll try and put up a few musings as to the direction I'd like the interior to take, without giving too much away! Apologies for the break between posts - but you can't blame me for being out in my van all the time!!!

Volksword Show 2013 Highlights

You're probably thinking why does a staunch modern-van fan go to the Volksworld Show? There's no T5s in there... no T4s (except one being given away as a competition prize) and no T3s. Most of the traders and all the swapmeet stalls are selling stuff for older VWs, why go?

It's all to do with VW's heritage. As a die-hard Volkswagen fan, the Volksworld Show will never disappoint; it's the show that many new, restored, discovered, rare and original cars are first debuted. This year was no exception.

I checked my Instagram feed early on the Saturday morning long before the gates opened, to find that just a few hours earlier the Volksworld crew were still adding the finishing touches to one of this year's surprises - a recreation of a fifties dealership - filled with early and rare coachbuilts.

Great attention to detail and filled with cars from Karosserie Rometsch and Beutler, to name a few. Simply jaw-dropping. I've always had a soft-spot for the Rometsch Beeskow, to see this 1951 example in the flesh was fabulous.

Other vehicles of note; the 1952 Barndoor painstakingly restored by Status VW:

The body-dropped Split by Type 2 Detectives with flawless body and paint by iKustoms:

The Lightning Bug. Found, restored and shipped to the UK. This should be racing again at the European Bug-in later this year:

Outside, this gorgeous Audi 100 was displaying this year's trend of going lower than most:

Back inside, this Notchback with stunning body and paintwork - another area where many people have upped-their-game this year. Some of the paintwork and finishing levels were just off the scale.

Will I be going again next year? More than likely. The weather could have easily put people off but it really wasn't that bad - with the pop-top roof staying down and the diesel heater ticking over, we were quite comfortable... or was that the drink keeping me warm? Here's another pic of that cold camping:

See you there next year, hopefully it will be warmer!

The Volksworld Show 2013 Roadtrip

Planning had begun back at the beginning of the year for a trip south, a day in London, a weekend at the Volksworld show, and an overnight stop on the way home. Like all best-laid-plans, things started to fall apart (literally) almost straight away.

Ready for the off...

The snow, hail and rain didn't dampen our spirits, but the cancellation of Sunday night's stay at the St. Neots C&CC site due to flooding meant some frantic last-minute rebooking was in order.

Our first port of call was the C&CC site at Chertsey. A nice, riverside site with great facilities and a friendly welcome. We were pitched up and in the pub in no time at all - an almost perfect first day...

Almost perfect? You ask. Well, we soon noticed on the way down that we have become a victim of the ever-popular frozen and split windscreen washer pipe.

Pitched up, hooked up and perfectly level

The Chertsey site is ideal for visiting the centre of London. Just a brisk walk across town to the railway station where we purchased a combined rail/underground pass for the day that delivers you into Waterloo in less than an hour. Trains are incredibly regular, compared to up North, and run late into the evening so you can enjoy a full day in London and avoid the evening rush hour.

Amazing to think roads were closed with drifting snow back home

Friday saw us head over to the Volksworld show. My only gripe with the whole show was being told on the paperwork that camping opened at 3pm - so we milled-around, killing time between leaving the campsite and getting to Sandown. When we arrived at the racecourse at 14:45 (expecting to queue) but we found people had been camped up for ages, bagging all the level spots, great!

I quickly jumped out of the van and found a not-quite-level spot that did look dry and firm under-foot - some campers were already stuck and being towed out.

Parked up and aired-out

By Sunday the temperature had dropped considerably; the windchill on the racecourse was freezing. I guess this kept the show attendance down, everyone was indoors at the show and I felt really sorry for anyone with an outside trade stand or display. I'll go into more detail about the show in a future post.

If only I could convey how cold it felt...

So we come to leave on Sunday lunchtime, a quick adjust of the mirrors and the driver's side (which had been on the exposed side to the weather all weekend) promptly fell off and cracked. A slow steady journey up to the C&CC site at Milton Keynes (our replacement site) was on the cards. A stiff drink was in order when we arrived. The Accuair eLevel touchpad had also given up on Sunday morning - I was starting to wonder what else could go wrong...

Monday dawned bright and cold, as we're both early risers we headed straight for the Volkswagen Van Centre in Bletchley near Milton Keynes. At this point we were all prepared for 'none in stock' or 'that'll be X hundred pounds' but we were greeted with a very helpful 'I'll see what we can do'.

A phone call to the TPS around the corner, a quick trip there to pay, and we're back with replacements for both sides - it seemed to make sense at just £30 each - I never liked the tinted glass that Merseyspeed had fitted; they had no anti-rattle prongs either which might have explained why one fell out!

Back to VW and the helpful girl on reception collared a young lad on his tea-break who followed us out and fitted them for free. We were on our way and very grateful for their help.

Our next stop, having left our traveling companions to make their way home, was back to iKustoms for a quick spanner-check of the airride install, fit some new top mounts, and hopefully diagnose the eLevel problem. I'll not go into too many details but a quick two-hour stop here turned into a marathon five hour visit with nothing going right. Many thanks must go to Iain at iKustoms for his persistence in sorting problems large and small when us lesser-mortals would have thrown in the towel and slammed the garage door shut!

By 16:30 we were on our way. Everything was working, we had everything crossed. Just the washer pipe to sort at a later date.

#vanlife

Just a few iphone shots from a great weekend away in York. Autumn was looking it's best, good food, good company, good vanlife!

Show report: Ultimate Dubs

Not a show that I've been to before, Ultimate Dubs is primarily a water-cooled show held at the International Centre in Telford. We made the journey in the Caddy rather than the T5 which meant being at the mercy of cheap hotel deals with paper-thin walls, expensive bar prices and obnoxious guests - if we go again next year it will be in the camper!

The show is a one-day affair but it seems everyone arrives on Saturday and sets about cleaning their cars (something I took part in too!), the hotel car park was like a mini show'n'shine, pretty cool...

...but we left on Sunday feeling a little flat. Not just through lack of decent sleep but the water-cooled scene as a whole seems far too 'money' for me. And it's not a hater-thing; I have the utmost admiration for the cars and owners that have poured blood, sweat and tears into their rides - but a succession of nice paint, air-ride, Rotiform wheels, big stereo, RS4 seats, repeat, repeat, ~yawn~ fade-out... leaves me a little jaded. The show could benefit from more trade - more 'middle of the spectrum' trade rather than cheap stickers at one end and big-dollar conversions at the other.

Would I go again? Hmm... maybe. As a self-confessed 'wheel-perv' I could spend all day looking at different wheel and tyre setups - the kids call it 'fitment' and 'stance' but I think I'm too old for all that!?! The venue is pretty nice (and warm) but the car park is very limited - if you're not there first thing your ride will be in one of Telford's many shopper's car parks... we got there early!

Anyhoo, here's a few pics from the day. Not many T5s in attendance...

iKustoms' T5 on air looked stunning

Show-winning Caddy was a jaw-dropper

Super-simple Mk2: less is more!

A very tasty Passat wagon

Something for the air-cooled fans

Another perfect Mk2

Tidy Jetta on air

I certainly left feeling that our T5 needs to drop more than the current 40mm. Time to look for a coilover deal I think - air-ride would be great but there's no way I could justify the spend.

There's some more info on the show-winning Caddy over on the tdistyle blog.

Getting away

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...

Post Nº100: A trip to the lakes

We took the opportunity of a free weekend to make the most of this Autumn's colours with a trip into the Lake District. The National Park is only 90 minutes from Skipton along busy but steady A-roads and pretty quickly we're treated to quite a spectacle of colour.

It was great to see plenty of other T5s knocking around and being put to use for various weekend activities; mountainbiking, walking and kayaking.

The route was a bit of an 'out and back' affair; driving through Windermere and Ambleside before our first stop at Keswick. A bite to eat and a mooch around town, we also went to check out the two Camping & Caravanning Club sites; The Oval and Keswick, the latter being closed due to flooding. Needless to say we'll be back next year for a couple of nights.

Then down to Ambleside down the spectacular road past Thirlmere and Grasmere - the Lakes scenery could have given New England a run for it's money on a day like today. A quick walk around town and a lust over a few bikes in Biketreks before our final stop at Windermere and Bowness just in time for a quick coffee before heading home.

As the title of this post says, this is number 100 - a small milestone in the van's history and ongoing transformation. Thanks for reading and sticking with it this far.

Show report: VW Festival 2010

There's nothing like a bit of sunshine to make a show just a little bit special. Good cars, good friends and a healthy dose of sunshine all combined to make 2010's VW Festival at Harewood House probably the best one yet. Rumours are abound that next year's show will feature camping from Friday evening (the standard UK show format). Nothing is confirmed yet but it would make for a fantastic weekend away.

I was lucky enough to perch the van on the end of a friend's trade plot and seemed to have a regular stream of admirers and enquirers all day long. I took a few pics (not many) and uploaded them to Flickr here.