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!

Living the Vanlife - a long overdue update

Apologies again for what seems like a long break between posts but with the good-weather on our side every time we take the van out, you can't blame me for not posting as regularly as usual.

Since the last post we made our annual trip down to Sandown Park for the Volksworld Show; aweful weather on the Thursday night's half-way trip had us thinking we were in for similar to 2013 but the Friday morning dawned bright and the rest of the weekend was just glorious.

In terms of sheer variety and entertainment the Volksworld Show 2014 was a hard one to beat; the best aircooled metal from all corners of Europe, a swapmeet that you need to go around four or five times to see everything, club displays, skate and BMX displays, breakdancing, live music, sunshine, a chilled-out campsite, a few beers in Esher, this one will stick in the memory bank for a long time to come!

A few pics:

Check out the blue sky

One of the stars of the show for me

Gorgeous lowlight Ghia

Cool-flo's BMX display had men my age drooling

Vintage Speed display was jaw-dropping

Old-skool breakdance display was a nice diversion

After Volksworld we made the short trip over to the Chertsey C&CC site for two nights with a day trip in to London. On arriving and having a nice meal we headed back to the van and just as I was checking the front blind on the van a figure walked over and in broken English asked "you have been to Volksworld show? You come far?", to which I answered "yes, from up north, Yorkshire", "oh, I come far too... from Israel". Crikey. It turns out Benny (who runs a VW shop, known as Dr. Bug) has flown in to Heathrow, hired a T5 California and filled his suitcases with parts bought at the swapmeet - so many parts that he needed to purchase another suitcase before heading home the next day. We chatted for around half an hour about the VW scene in Israel, the difficulties he has finding parts, showing each other photos of our projects on our phones etc. We parted after giving him some travel tips so he could go sightseeing in London the next day where I assume he bought another suitcase!

After camping at the show next to Belgians, French, Dutch and German campers, to meet a chap from Israel who shared our passion for all things VW made the whole weekend a truly cosmopolitan experience.

An Afternoon with the Californias

It was with some trepidation that we rolled in to a car park full of T5s that were all very different from ours. All with owners that on first appearance seemed very different to us...

The natural preconception is that your average California owner isn't necessarily into the 'scene' but have bought themselves a slice of ready-made-cool without the usual rights of passage associated with working your way through some of Volkswagen's earlier models.

How would they view our van?

Kindly organised by my father, owner of an early T4 California, the club meet was one of several taking place up and down the country; an opportunity for like-minded owners to get together and share hints and tips on California ownership.

So after a morning of cleaning and detailing, we pulled up and aired-out:

On the whole I think most Cali owners liked it - a chance for them to see something different from their own (almost identical) vans. There were some funny comments, 'its on them modified springs' being the best, and it was great to see people's reactions when you tell them the van started life as an empty panel van, 'you'd never know' was the comment from one owner that made me smile.

On closer inspection you could see some variations in the Californias in attendance; variations in model year, headlight upgrades, interior accessories etc. One van that did stand out was a California that had more individuality than others - blacked out badges, awning and bike rack made this van stand apart from the others:

We hung around for around an hour and half, chatting away about our interior, camping trips and van life in general - it turns out that most California owners are cut from pretty-much the same cloth; they all crave the same spirit of getting-away in their vans...

Would I go to another? Probably. There's talk of a camp-out later in the year - chance for a longer natter over a beer with fellow campers...

If you're interested in a VW California or the California Owners Club, follow the link to their forum here.

Good weather, good omens...

...and a long-overdue update.

It's Dubfreeze again! Back out of hibernation and raring to get the 2014 show season underway. I did start to question what on earth we were doing on Saturday morning; packing the van in the rain with a cold wind blowing sideways, meeting friends and driving over the M62 and down the M6 on a day when the media is telling us not to travel unless you have to... and we're going camping!

Good morning Stafford!

But the morning after the beers had washed away the memory of bad weather dawned crisp and bright. The temp gauge said 0.5˚C and the ice on the bonnet confirmed it. The inside temp was around 12˚C thanks to the Eberspächer and the roof staying down overnight.

Roof popped, kettle on.

The journey down was yet another confirmation that the recent DMF and clutch replacement had been a complete success - no more judder under load, everything operating as it should.

If you search previous posts you'll read about my love of Dubfreeze and the fact that it's not so much a 'show' as a reason to get out - and I'm so glad we (and many others) did - it's amazing what a little bit of sunshine can do for the spirit!

On another positive note, we chatted to someone about another 'upgrade'... not so much a modification, but definitely one to keep an eye out for. It won't be happening until mid-August but fingers-crossed this will be one thing that will make the van truly unique amongst it's stablemates. Sorry, I'm not giving anything away just yet...

The van will also be going back to The Camper Shak on Friday for a few interior tweaks and a repair to some damage done last year; nothing major, just a freshen up ready for camping at the Volksworld Show in March - see you there!

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!!!

Show Report: Fueled Society 2013

The youth of today - don't you just love 'em. I guess this is a statement said by many over the generations, last weekend I found myself mumbling it. And before you think 'here we go, Stone174's on another show rant' hang on, this one was a really good show, helped no-end by the glorious sunshine.

Gates opened for camping at 10am on the Saturday morning - a really good idea as it meant a real lazy day of doing very little, bagging a good camping spot, watching cars and vans arrive and generally sitting under that sun with a cold beer.

Watching the type of vehicle and owner arriving we suddenly realised that the show had a somewhat 'split personality' to it. Hoardes of young lads in nearly new cars running static drops to the ground. Thankfully they were in 'general' camping and we were in the designated 'quiet' camping - more on that soon...

The show's appeal on paper was a mix of live music, quality food stalls and a vintage fair. Combined with a line-up of show vehicles from different scenes, it can't fail to be good. But the majority of the live music was hard-rock (not appealing to the bass-loving lads), the food was a great mix of Noodles, Chili Dogs, Brazilian street food, Beers from a local brewery etc. (the majority of punters seemed to be eating chips and drinking Budweiser), the vintage fair was really cool but retro-phones, vintage tweed and teacups aren't exactly 'scene' either.

With a more diverse crowd I feel this show could really work. But should the organisers play to the masses? Or push their promotion towards that more discerning audience?

My grumble at the youth of today started when, on each visit across the field to use the facilities (of which there weren't enough), I would find myself picking up the aforementioned Budweiser bottles - carelessly discarded on a field where the next day the youths would be driving their vehicles!
Bins and loos; the two things that should be in abundance at every show.

Quiet camping didn't really work. Of the 500 camping passes sold, 400 must have been in general camping. I was amazed at 6.30pm that a security gang would come rushing over to me to check that my barbecue wasn't in the grass - but where were they at 1.30am when there's still a noise nuisance?
The location of quiet camping just wasn't right - stuck in the middle with the live music stage in one direction and general camping in the other. One of the organising crew asked us on Sunday morning if it had been okay so we explained a few issues, he agreed pointing out an area that had been suggested for quiet camping that would have been far better, so maybe next year...

Rant over. The rest of the show was great - it's still in it's infancy and the first year of being a two-day event - so I'll happily forgive most of the negative points. And a massive well-done to the organisers who never get enough praise for putting on events like this.

We woke early, tidied up, breakfasted, stuck the van on the show field and sat in the sun.

We got some great comments for all different walks of life - even the youth of today seem to like it! The mix of cars on the show field was fantastic; everything from Vdubs and Audis to Lancia, Ford, drag cars, rally cars, American cars and trucks.

Would we go again? The jury's still out at the moment. I guess having a modern, watercooled campervan and searching for that perfect car-show, I too need a 'split personality'.

Campervan TV

As a die-hard 'camper' I used to frown upon fellow campers that were sat inside (usually in caravans) watching the soaps, whilst the sun was shining in the early evening. I still do... but have grown to realise that just sometimes, usually on a wet and windy evening, something other than the local paper or a book might not be a bad idea - if only to watch the weather forecast for the next few days!

I'm not keen to have a flip-down monitor in the van or a screen on a bracket that can be folded away. The route I chose to go down was to simply watch TV on the laptop. After-all, the laptop is nearly always with me, I can use it for checking emails, blogging on the go, editing photos etc.

A few months ago I picked up an Elgato EyeTV DTT dongle. For a little under £60 it comes with an easy setup disk and a magnetic-mount aerial. Simply arrive on site, plug in and set the dongle to auto-tune - it usually finds between 20 and 50 free-to-view channels within a couple of minutes depending on whereabouts you are in the UK. There's also space to record programmes to the dongle for later viewing - just like a modern set-top-box.

The size of a small USB stick - the dongle takes up next to no space in the van

Great results from such a tiny aerial, it even works inside the poptop

An instant, pin-sharp, full screen picture

Plus the whole thing is portable, can be hidden away and plays DVDs and music too. With the addition of an old iMac remote control I can change channel and adjust volume without getting out of bed! Whilst die-hard campers might scoff at the thought of never being away from the television, I feel this is the perfect half-way solution without having anything permanently fitted in the van.

Celebrating 100,000 hits...

Many thanks to every single reader of the Stone174 blog. It's you guys and your kind comments that have kept me blogging.

There is more to come; the modifications might not be as large as previous but there is a continual refinement in progress and a few unique touches on the cards this year. Not to mention more trips to shows and weeks away camping.

Thanks again,
Richard (Stone174)

Show Report: Bustypes 2013

I'm going to start scaling-down the show reports on here; I feel they're getting a little 'same-y' - talk about the weather, whinge about the food on offer, etc, etc. Whilst I enjoy giving you a 'punter's-perspective', I think it's time to knock them on the head.

Maybe I'll continue them in the future with just a few pics from my Instagram feed:

I'm hoping to be submitting images and words on a freelance basis to Volksworld's VWT Magazine in the not too distant future so my writing up of shows will 'hopefully' be seen there instead.

The show itself is still, year on year, very good. A tried and tested formula that doesn't need messing with. The weather played ball and after what has been a fairly rough Winter, it was great to be able to sit outside our vans and get together with friends from last season. Camped by the entrance there were a couple of thoughts running through my mind on the Friday afternoon; the first was 'where are they going to put everyone?' - an almost constant stream of campers came in from 3pm until around 7pm! Secondly, it was great to see so many T4's and T5's; later model vans have been truly embraced by the scene with many people selling-up their old vans in favour of the newer varieties... but why so many non-VW campervans (or motorhomes to give them the correct title) this year?

I've already seen a few negative comments on the forums from people that couldn't arrive until Saturday and then struggling to find a space - should the camping be VW only, or limited numbers of tickets available to non-VW's? I'm not sure it could be possible.

Finally the food. Many camper-owners (ourselves and friends included) love our food. I enjoy nothing more than a good social barbecue with everyone dipping in, buying and cooking their own food, sitting around talking, drinking and grazing on what's available. But come Sunday morning after maybe a few too many shots the night before it's time to see what the show's food-court can offer...

A 'speciality' coffee van with no hot water telling us to go and get coffee from another seller - instant coffee!!! Over-priced and borderline-under-cooked burgers and hot dogs being sold at ridiculous prices. I just don't get it. Are the organisers putting the contract out to the highest bidder or the highest quality? This year's selection was dire.

Surely a few hours research could source some local independent caterers - the type that attend farmer's markets and food-fayres? It's not that people aren't willing to pay but as a show-goer we shouldn't be expected to pay for poor quality food. It might cut in to the show's overheads but surely the positive feedback and increased sales would enhance the show's reputation and add another reason for visiting year after year - just my thoughts...

I'll definitely be there again next year. Maybe I'll be brave enough to put the van in the show'n'shine. Either way - I'll be bringing enough food for the whole weekend!

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.