Joys, trials, tribulations..

I don’t think people realize just how emotional owning a campervan can be. You have to live it to really understand the ups and downs. I’ve become  sentimentally attached to my van as times passed, and this last month has been a roller coaster ride with highs one minute, and lows the next. This has been amplified as our month long holiday in Europe looms closer… and mechanical issues are still rearing their head uncomfortably close to the departure date!

May Bank Holidays trip out in the van started with Stanford hall VW show on the Sunday. The weather was great, although a little overcast and chilly at times. The vibe for both Mandy and I was positive as we traveled over from Derby to Lutterworth, Leicestershire. I was still coming to terms with new engines ability to accelerate at speed and take hills in its stride. This is something most people take for granted in a vehicle, but after living with Wolfgang’s wheezy 1.6Turbo Diesel engine for more than two years, the new found power was a total revelation. That said, I had to refrain from utilizing its full potential until the engine was run in. This consisted of approximately 500 miles of careful driving, keeping the engine withing a limited rpm. Not too low, and not too high . The previous weekends camp over at Kings Lynn had put this tally at 270 miles. This May bank holidays tally should surpass the 500  needed.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So we arrived at Stanford at approximately 11.30 and parked in an undulating field just across from the main field and Hall. This show was our first VW show of 2017 which was a little belated as the previous two years we had attended Dubfreeze in February. I deliberately limit the amount of VW shows we go to so as not to get bored of ‘the scene’. One or two annually prove to be entertaining, and I know from previous experience that Stanford Hall and Tatton Park are up there with the best. Both are in amazing  rural locations, with lakes, trees, historic buildings and plenty of wildlife.

Last years Stanford VW Show we camped over on the Saturday night, which was nice. Always good to hook up with like minded people and have a beer. This year we didn’t want to commit to camping as we knew we were going to be away for the Sunday evening and we had a few things to get sorted at home. The show has all of the ingredients to make an interesting day. Auto jumble, vehicles for sale, concourse classics, modern, tuned, bays, splits, and stalls selling goods of all descriptions.  We spent a good four hours perusing the grounds,  and bumped into a handful of close friends during that time. Come mid afternoon we decided it was time to get back to the van, have a bite to eat and head off to our next destination.

Secret Garden

It took approximately an hour and a half to get to The Secret Garden Touring Park in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. On arrival I popped into reception to make our presence know to the owners. I was greeted in the shop by a friendly lady (who’s name escapes me). The goods for sale in the shop were limited, but all locally sourced. The array of cider available was interesting and the offer of a taste was just too tempting for me to say no. My tipple at home is larger, but when away I like a pint of cider. Mandy was still sitting in the van but i was encouraged to go and entice her into the shop so she wasn’t being excluded. With lots of alcohol and a few sausages, she soon realized there was only one possible route this was going to take. Long story short, we had a few tasters and left with 4 pints of cider, two bottles of toffee vodka and some fresh pressed pear juice. The pear juice was Mandy’s 🙂

We left the shop and were asked to follow a chap on a push bike who would direct us to our pitch. Our booking was only a couple of days prior to our arrival date, so pitches were limited. We were only really camping this weekend because we needed to get some miles on the van, so we were not overly fussy about where we stayed. None electric grass pitch in ‘The Meadow’  was where we were taken. We were pleasantly surprised. It had a good feel about it!

The Meadow consisted of a large grass area with pitches around the outside. The center of the field was left uncut apart from a path mowed through the center to give quick access from the further edge of the field to the shower block and toilets. It was nice that the owners of the site had not tried to capitalize on the space in the middle of the field by turning it into extra pitches. The feeling of space was nice, and each pitch had its own fire pit.

Minutes after arrival  and the van was set up. We chilled for an hour then decided to have a wander round the other areas of the campsite. It took about an hour to explore, and got back to the van as the temperature dropped and the sunlight started to fade. We put the radio and heater on, and the cider started to flow. I was very chilled!

Extract from Campsite Webpage….

We are a relaxed, 11 acre, site of low occupation (just 37 pitches) focusing on the study and enjoyment of wildlife, and a real camping experience in the heart of the Fens.

The site is designed around 2 features. The Garden & Meadow plots 1- 10 which are serviced with water & electric hook up providing a 16 amp power supply & water to each pitch.

There are also 5 non serviced camping plots on the far side of the meadow, and our camping Pod (Skypod).

 Adjacent we have Fen Park with 17 serviced pitches and 5 non serviced camping plots, this is also where the Tipi is situated. Fen Park has its own extensive landscaped play and exploring space, with the Maze, two picnic areas and the adventure/play field.

 By providing a low occupation facility, we aim to offer a genuine “back to nature” camping experience in Cambridgeshire with top quality amenities where you can relax and enjoy your own space and have the freedom to explore all we offer on site.

To facilitate this all our pitches are equipped with fire pits, logs and fire lighting equipment are available from the site shop.

The following day we were up and showered early. Dippy eggs (as Mandy calls them), toast and OJ was our choice for breakfast.

It seemed the weekend had turned out perfectly. However, as we started to head towards home things didn’t seem 100%. The gears are always a little notchy when driven from cold which is fairly standard for this type of van. This tends to clear after a short while and it becomes smooth to engage. After half an hour or so it was still notchy but nothing to complain about. As we approached home on the A52 towards Derby i noticed I had difficulty getting the gear lever out of 4th. I thought this may have just been a single incident so didn’t mention it to Mandy. It did concern me though. A couple of miles up the road the same happened again. Bugger!

After some research and a scheduled visit to Brickwerks it has been confirmed that the syncro for 4th and 5th gear is failing in the box. Just what I need as the Euro trip looms. As if I haven’t spent enough money on the van already! So the last week has been emotionally challenging. The trip has hung in the balance previously with the decision to change the engine, but we have reached the point of no return now and we weren’t going to let this latest hiccup stop us.

Shortly after I had got back from Brickwerks, contact had been made with a supplier of second hand parts and arrangements had been made for a replacement  gearbox to be delivered within a few days. I also placed an order with Brickwerks for a new clutch and slave cylinder. All of this has since arrived and my local garage is due to do the install imminently .

3H Gearbox
Clutch and Master Cylinder

I’m hoping there are no more issues with the van once this is completed 🙁 As you can see, owning a classic campervan can lead you though a raft of emotions on an almost daily basis. That said, the good times far out-way the bad. You just have to take the rough with the smooth. If all goes to plan, Wolfgang should provide us with a month of happy experiences during our trip to France, Switzerland and Italy in just over a week. Good times are on the horizon…I hope! 🙂


Comments

2 responses to “Joys, trials, tribulations..”

  1. Andy,

    I know what you mean. I try to rationalize the work and money, ” it’s my hobby” . And that’s true to a degree, but mostly it is that I love my van.

    Cheers

    Ab

  2. Cheers Alistair. Gearbox change went well and seems to be good shifting throughout. My van is in a good place now. Hopefully reliable for the trip 😉

Leave a Reply