Knowing Mandy loves camping in the campervan almost as much as I do, I thought she would see some element of fun in having a bespoke birthday cake to remind us of those cool times we have spent at the coast in the van. I had seen a friend of mine post pictures of facebook of some amazing cakes she had made, so Mandy’s 50th seemed like just the excuse I needed for commissioning the cake. I sent some photos, and a scribbled sketch containing a few ideas I had. I was very specific about the details needed to make people believe it was my van (colour, name, registration number, solar panels etc, etc). I was a little concerned that I may have been expecting too much of her when she said to me “this is actually a cake you are asking me to make, and not a model”. I told her I had every confidence she would come through with the goods. So all that was left to do is await the phone call to say it was ready to collect.
Suffice to say both Mandy and I were suitably impressed with the end result.
A little progress on the gearbox…Due to issues with a batch of faulty parts, the gearbox wasn’t ready for my September holiday. As has been covered in a previous post we managed to get away thanks to a friend lending me a box. Ironically, I received an email stating my gearbox was ready the first day of our three week break. Suffice to say I was not really in any positing to collect until the end of September where it sat in my garage until a couple of days ago.
The box build spec changed from standard to include a 4.14 final drive, stronger 4 pinion differential and new differential bearings. This should compliment my new, more powerful AAZ engine with longer gears throughout and a higher cruising top speed.
Knowing that the gear boxes are prone to corrosion due to its position underneath the camper in front of the engine, my intention was to paint the casings before fitting the box. I thought about etch primer (the yellow stuff that comes out of an aerosol can), but decided to try Hammerite primer on a small section of the alloy to see how well it adhered. After a couple of days I checked and it seemed to have keyed on really well, so the rest of the box was painted.
I am in no great rush to have the box fitted, and the reality is it’s probably going to sit in my garage for the next 6 month until my van is booked in for a service at Brickwerks. I’ll get them to fit it then 🙂 . Hammerite takes a good few weeks to cure, after which I will paint again with a mid grey engine enamel.
I have had a couple of people ask me about the thermal screens I use on my van (seen above on both the window and pop top). Both of these get used on almost every camp over oblivious to the time of year or temperature for reasons explained below.
The pop top roof canvas was purchased directly from Paucer
The obvious reason for buying the screen initially was to try and retain the heat from inside of the van during cold weather. However, we do find that it reduces the noise slightly if camped in busy locations, along with reducing buffeting sounds when windy, and the sound of rain on the canvas. During summer it reduces the amount of light in the van which can be helpful when the sun starts to rise at 5am. After all, who wants to be woken up at the crack of dawn when your on your hols? 🙂
All T3 / T25s have glass window screens and door glass so a thermal wrap is a must if you want to stand any chance of eliminating condensation from the cab area of your van. The Silver Screen was an expensive purchase in comparison to the alternatives that are on offer from the likes of Just Campers etc. At over £100 it was twice as much, but my purchase is still as good today, as the day I brought it. You can definitely see the difference in the thickness of the quilting and the old saying ‘you get what you pay for’ certainly rings true here. The screen cover was brought directly from Silver Screens ( www.silverscreens.co.uk ).
We arrived at the previous camp over (Blackpool Sands) with no definite plan for the third and final week of our September break. The location in Dartmouth left a few options available of which one of the more considered was Isle Of White for four or five days. However, for some time I had heard how nice the New Forest was, and after some deliberation both Mandy and I decided to head over and see what all the fuss was about. Our mobile data connection at Blackpool Sands beach was almost none existent, so we took advantage of the café wifi connection to explored campsites in the new forest in more detail. There are a number of locations available for campers, but one particular one focuses on sites for people who like to be surrounded by trees. This is under the ‘Camping in the Forest’ website (https://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/england/ ). This really ticks the box for us, so we took a punt at a large site consisting of approx 600 pitches called Hollands Wood ( https://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/england/new-forest/hollands-wood-campsite ) .
I must admit, it did concern me that it could cater for so many, and I guess I was thinking it would be tightly packed, with very restrictive pitches. How wrong could I be!
There are no pre-defined pitches to speak of, and due to the time of year we didn’t have to contend with the school holiday crowds. We were advised on arrival that certain pitches were good for the early morning views out from the forest across the prairies towards Brockenhurst Village.
Our two weeks holiday prior to this point was excellent. We always love time away in the van visiting different places. That said many of the locations we visited fell into the coastal, beach, quaint village or city break theme. We had never experienced the beauty of the New Forest, and it is so very different to anything else. The amazing vistas are hard to take in, and the closeness to nature is something that both Mandy and myself struggled to comprehend.
Wild cattle, Shetland ponies, donkeys and horses all roam free throughout the campsites and the village.
Locked in our van whilst a herd of cattle drift by #DontScratchThePaint 🙁
So the first night was great. Horses, squirrels and birds. The following morning delivered as far as the choice of location was concerned. Dew on the grass, mist in the air and wild animals to boot 🙂
Life just stepped up a notch 🙂 .
The next three days consisted of exploring the area which included Brockenhurst. This is a small village with a further education collage on its outskirts. This means the village has a massive influx of youngsters at certain times of the day. What impact does this have on the local community? Well I guess it works, but it’s a little strange. That said, it’s bazzar to see the animals wandering around the roads in the village. So I guess an open mind and a relaxed acceptance to most things is a requirement for the locals . Most houses have cattle grids to stop none human inhabitants from becoming an on-site nuisance. There are stories of ponies and donkeys brazenly walking into the local stores to eat the fresh produce, having to be coaxed out.
It really is hard to paint a picture to the city goer that hasn’t experienced the oddity of animals living in such close proximity to humans, but it really must be on the top of your list of things to do if you haven’t yet experienced this part of the world!
Moving on to our next New Forest camp -Round Hill. This was nice, but I think we both agreed that it wasn’t quite as nice as Hollands Wood. It was literally a mile down the road, but the tree canopy was limited making it feel open and exposed. Maybe if we had chosen this site first we would have been happy (not knowing what we were missing), but it was OK! Still ponies and horses wandering around, but it didn’t have the cosy aspect.
We took the opportunity to visit Christchurch during our stay, but I will post more about this later 🙂
Dartmouth was the destination for the ninth camp over of our three week break. It was a brilliant location for a camp over which happened to be at the very edge of the privately owned blue flag beach of Blackpool Sands. We had done this event the previous two years, and we really enjoyed the like minded company of the people who camped over for the weekend.
11th September started by visiting Truro. We had skirted around the town the previous year, but felt as the weather was a little unsettled, it may be the ideal time to do a little shopping and have a meal before we headed to our final destination in Charlestown near St Austell. We had seen Broadmeadow House on a review of the 10 best campsites in Cornwall on the Guardian Website. It seemed to tick the box for Mandy and I, with very limited numbers of campers allowed at any one time, and amazing views of St Austell Bay.
We arrived at Charlestown and pulled up outside a nice cottage at the end of a quaint street. We had been text by the owner ‘Debs’ earlier on in the day with accurate directions and a question about the type of beverage we would like in our welcome basket. We proceeded through two gates and up a very steep hill into the camping field. The van struggled with traction on the incline on a couple of occasions with the wheels spinning just shy of the top. But eventually we got there and parked up at the lower part of the field.
Parked up and ready to camp.
We knew that the winds were going to pick up at some point during our three night stop, and there was almost certainly going to be some rain, but I felt the views out to sea and around the bay were more than going to make up for any unsettled weather we might have. Never the less everything was secured down in anticipation.
We had done a little research about the small town before we arrived, and it seemed interesting, although we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. The afternoon of our arrival saw us going for a short walk to try and put the campsite into some context with the surroundings.
Some obscure viking ship 🙁
view of the harbor
Harbor
That evening we saw an amazing sunset, but as predicted this was shortly followed by wind and rain.
Sunset
Well this pretty much set the scene as far as weather was concerned for the duration of our stay, but we were lucky that the indoor attraction of the Shipwereck Museum provided shelter for a morning during the worst stint of rain, and a number of restaurants, galleries and tearooms bridged the gaps during the odd shower. We also paid to have a look around the harbor which was the berthing place for some very old ships and the filming of some of Poldark. We chose to visit the harbor on our last day, but were advised that we wouldn’t be able to get to the quayside until afternoon due to a ship entering port.
We woke up Wednesday morning and looked out into the bay to see the tall masts of an old ship. We had a shower and breakfast, and rushed down just in time to catch the ship entering. Not something you see every day.
We pootled around for the rest of the morning having a coffee and perusing the shops. We had eaten at a restaurant the previous day called Wreckers which had a great menu (and cider) so we chose to eat there for a second time while we waited for the harbor to open.
Lunch at Wreckers
I must admit I did question why we had paid for a walk around the harbor when we could see it from a short distance away, but it was interesting. You could walk onto and around an old ship, and there was a fair bit of information to read about the history of the port / harbor.
Anyways, I was more than impressed with Charlestown, and both Mandy and I plan to return at some point in the not too distant future. Next Stop. Totnes..
Planning our next port of call wasn’t difficult. We had a couple of options but both decided that Bude looked worth a visit. Mandy had friends that had stayed at Bude earlier in the year, and feedback from them meant we shouldn’t be disappointed. As with so many places we visit between campsites, we knew we were only really going to leave with a taste of what the place has to offer. The day was mainly overcast and blustery with the odd hint of sunshine. We parked up in the main carpark next to the beach. This was the first contact with sand and the sea, so although the weather wasn’t amazing, we felt an element of excitement.
Beach smiles 🙂
After a brief wander round, a very expensive, but nice serving of Fish & Chips at Urchins Bistro and a sit on the beach, we decided to take a leisurely drive over to Padstow. This was our second time at Padstow Touring Park, the first time being last year. During the planning of this holiday we were in two minds whether or not to book in for a second year on the trot, but we both agreed that there was an element of comfort in knowing we liked the campsite, and we left last year knowing there was more to discover at Padstow than our stay there had allowed.
Before getting to the campsite we stopped off at the local Tesco supermarket to stock up on Supplies. We were there for three nights, and once the van is set up we like to use that as a static base. Knowing this it was important to get fresh bread etc. On arrival at the campsite found ourselves on the all too familiar pitch we had last year. Quite a surprise in light of the campsites many pitches.
We filled the water tank, popped the roof, wound out the awning and ten minutes later it seemed like we had never been away. We had a bite to eat and stretched our legs with a half hour nosy round the campsite. I was definitely starting to feel relaxed…
Time for a snooooze
The following day started with this burst of sunshine caught as I wondered back from the shower block…
This pretty much set the scene for the next few days. Mainly sun with the odd cloud, which gave us plenty of opportunity to explore the areas of Padstow we had previously missed. Three nights was one of the longer stops of the holiday, but time to relax and change the tempo for the next few weeks ahead was always the intention of this particular part of the break. The stress of work, and the issues I had with the gearbox had kind of taken their toll on the run up to the holiday, but this was just what we needed.
The first stop of our three week holiday was only ever going to be an over-nighter to break up the journey from Derby to Cornwall. Not because I felt it was too far to travel in one stint, but more to do with the fact we wouldn’t be able to leave Derby until late afternoon due to a christening we were attending. We would usually choose to leave early morning but this was not an option. I felt that three hours drive would put us in a good location to be able to visit somewhere on the Monday before our firsts main stay of the holiday in Padstow.
Our search and subsequent booking was only done a few days previously. We chose Hideout Camping found on the Pitchup.com website. The location was great in in terms of distance, in Somerset just on the border or North Devon. The drive down was hassle free but wet…
As we approached the campsite at around 7pm I realized that the decision to not to attempt the drive to Padstow in one go was the right one. The day had been long and busy, and the campsite was a welcome break.
The weather wan’t fantastic, but I could live with that. Both Mandy and I knew we had a stress free three weeks in front of us. There was plenty of time for sun. For now we were just going to chill! Bed came early and before we knew it were were getting up for a coffee and a shower the following morning. The shower facilities were good, the pitches had electric hook up (not that we needed it) and the views of the surrounding countryside were excellent.
It was a bit of a shame having to leave so soon, but we had to remind ourselves this was only ever going to be a stepping stone to greater things.
Leading on from the last post where I had built up the loan gearbox with new input shaft and diesel bell housing and just needed to fit to the van…
I was quite proud of myself as far as the logistics and organisation of tools and other components were concerned. The work I was undertaking was away form home and as a result away from the comfort and safety of my reasonably extensive tool collection. I had thought long and hard about the process I needed to go through to remove the gearbox a week or so before, and I had done the same for the installation of the new gearbox to make sure I was suitably equipped for the task. The barn I was working in wasn’t a million miles away from home, but best part of an hour round trip would have been remarkably frustrating if I found myself lacking a socket or spanner.
I arrived at the barn in my smart car with the gearbox in the boot just after 9am on the Thursday morning. The day was pleasant and had a nice summery feel to it which put me in a good / positive frame of mind.
Onlookers
The appearance of some very inquisitive cows in the barn opposite put a smile on my face before work commenced. I was quietly confident that I should be able to fit the gearbox without assistance by positioning it on two trolley jacks and elevating them once slid into position. In my head it was that simple, but the reality was proving quite the opposite. A friend had offered to help in the afternoon if I was struggling, but I hoped not to have to bother him. However, after two hours on my back, my shoulder blades becoming increasingly sore, and my eyes aggravated from dirt particles, I had to concede and take him up on his offer.
During my two+ hour battle in trying to get the box into position, I had noticed that the steel gearbox mount at the front of the box looked like it was never going to match up correctly with the bodywork. This got me thinking that maybe, just maybe the petrol and diesel mounts were different length. I couldn’t verify this during my struggle, but as lunchtime approached, and I had to scuttle back home to collect my friend, I thought it wouldn’t do any harm to collect the other mount and match it against the one on the box I was trying to fit.
An hour later, I was back at the barn with Simon. A quick shifty under the van confirmed my suspicion was correct. The mounts were subtly different. The box needed dropping, wheeling out and the mount swapped over. After best part of four hours my positive mood had started to ebb, but my friend was as positive about the install as I had been at the start of the day. This proved infectious as we both set to work. Within minutes the gearbox was in position and nuts and bolts were being tightened up. Ancillaries on, drive shafts connected and the van fired up and rolled off the ramps by 4.30pm. I was pleased that it had all come together so quickly, but I still needed to drive the van to find out if it was good or not. My three week September holiday hinged on this box being a worker.
I loaded the van with all tools, ramps, trolley jacks etc that had been used throughout the day, and Simon jumped in the passenger seat. We set off from the barn towards home leaving my smart car behind. I was very mindful of the feel of the gear lever and the selection of the gears as we moved from quiet country road, to the increasingly busier city roads of Derby. By the time we got home I was confident that if there were going to have been any issues, they would have been picked up during the half hour drive home. Suffice to say I was buzzing, and for the first time in months I could start looking forward to a holiday in the campervan. I knew that both Kev and Simon were partial to a splash of whisky, so that evening I dropped by with a bottle for each. Kev for the loan of his gearbox, and Simon for his much needed assistance.
Anyways, we decided to have a family get together at our local park, Calke Abbey to celebrate Wolfgang’s resurrection on the Sunday. Weather was great and all enjoyed.
After the epic failure, and massive disappointment of not being able to have our dream holiday in the campervan back in May due to mechanical issues, the agony has been prolonged by restrictions on using the van over any distance until the gearbox has been replaced. A lengthy lead time of two months on getting my gearbox into the specialist left me feeling slightly frustrated, but mid July arrived and the box was delivered in person.
A month or so later and the refurbishment of my original gearbox seemed to be taking a lot longer than expected. Not exactly sure why but I’ve decided to take a friend up on the offer of loan gearbox to tide me over. I originally considered this option a couple of months previously to keep my van mobile in the interim but decided to wait. However, as my September holiday looms I have had to fall back on this as my only real possibility of getting my van roadworthy in time.
Pulling a gearbox out and replacing with another would normally be something I would leave to the experts, but the tight schedule means no availability in the only garage I really trust to do the job properly. So needs must. I rolled my sleeves up and got stuck in. All be it a little reluctantly.
Leaking Gearbox Out
The loan gearbox was petrol, so there was always going to have to be changes made before fitting to my diesel van. The bell / clutch housing needed to be swapped over along with the input shaft. After draining the oil from both boxes I split the clutch housing from the gearbox.
Then I proceeded to change the shaft. However, on close inspection I found the diesel input shaft to be pretty badly worn where it sits in the clutch spigott bearing.
Clearly I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the next holiday by turning a blind eye to something I could rectify prior to fitting the gearbox. So I posted on social media to see if anybody had a replacement I could use. Within an hour or so I had a bite, and by the end of the day I had images as proof of the condition of a good replacement part.
The wonders of Paypal meant that my part was on its way the following day. The clutch housing has also fitted with a new input shaft seal, and 4.5l of gearbox oil purchased in readiness of gearbox rebuild completion. Hopefully, the van should be back on the road in a matter of days 🙂
