Due to the greater percentage of water cooled cars, previous visits have seen me question whether the show is really for me and I don’t think that view has really changed.  In my view,  unless (like us) you’ve bought a discounted ticket in advance, I don’t think the £12 you would pay on the door at Spring Dub represents great value for money – particularly when you compare it with a show like Stanford Hall for example.  It certainly seemed as though the overall number of cars on show was lower than in previous years and there also appeared to be fewer people visiting the show. That’s not a scientific observation in any way, just a gut feeling, and could be because we were there pretty early.

The advantage of there being fewer people meant that it was much more comfortable to take advantage of the merch opportunities and for once I did actually make a couple of purchases. I am so rock n roll these days that I picked a couple of tea towels (officially licensed by Volkswagen no less) and a pretty sweet tee shirt for a fiver that is certainly not officially licensed by anyone! I did also invest in a fridge magnet with the photo of the bug that was taken as we rolled into the show. Pricey, but worth it!

Oh Vienna!

Over the Easter weekend, Brad and I travelled to Vienna to see a little rock band called Metallica. That in itself is another story, but of course we’re always on the look out for old VWs. Sadly we didn’t get the chance to snap the rather lovely old Porsche 356 that we saw, but I did manage to get a couple of photos of an LT35 that was being used as a promo vehicle for some sort of religious organisation. Right up my straße!

In an echo of Harewood Hall a few years ago I forgot to put the memory card back in the camera following the Vienna trip. Fortunately the camera on my phone is a little better than it was on the old iPhone 4……..

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Incredibly this is the first thing I’ve written for the site since September – no idea where those 6 months have gone! Time apparently flies when you pack up the smokes! Back in September I was really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of Circle the Wagen. At some stage in October the copy I’d ordered from Amazon turned up, and to be blunt I wish I hadn’t bothered. I desperately wanted to love the movie, but it just irritated me I’m afraid. The premise of the film was awesome; after all, who wouldn’t want to go on a road trip across the States in an old VW? Sadly, it failed to deliver on pretty much all counts. Our protagonist, Dave, bailed on the journey after less than a third of the way, leaving the bus at a motel whilst he buggered off around the world apparently teaching English and no doubt “finding himself”.

Four years later, along with his flat-cap-wearing, pipe-smoking hipster mate (who contributes precisely bugger all to the film), he decides to finish the journey. And finish it he does. Woo hoo. Once back in California, Dave gives us his clearest demonstration yet that he couldn’t give a crap about owning a bus, as he promptly dumps it at his mate’s place. I even gave the film a second watch, just in case I’d misjudged it the first time around. I hadn’t, and I doubt very much that I’ll bother with it again. Sorry fellas – great idea, awful execution.

Anyway, that’s my little rant over. After 4 months in storage, Clarence has made it through the MOT with minimal work. Just some air in his washer jet bottle and a bit of tighten up of the old handbrake – unreal! So after a service, it was time to give him a run down to the Waterloo Inn at Biggin to catch up with Darryl and Nick and eat some pie. Yep, we went camping in February! Not sure I’ll be doing that again – even with a little oil filled radiator in the bus, it was still awfully chilly in there. And by the time the snow arrived on Sunday lunchtime, I’d had enough! But despite the chill, the food beer and company were all of the highest order, and of course we managed to squeeze a visit to the cheese shop at Hartington!

So Clarence is back at Beetle People having a few of the goodies I’d ordered for him at Christmas fitted. On the shopping list was a full set of window and door seals, a set of jail bars, and after 3 years of ownership I’ve eventually bought him a script batch for his rump! It’s not all good news however – John sent me some pictures the other day of the rust around the bottom of the windscreen, which has necessitated the purchase of a repair panel to put that right. The guys at Custom & Commercial came through though, and got the panel to John the following day and by the looks of the photos he’s sent acrosss he seems to be making pretty good progress.

And after attending the first Spring Dub a couple of years ago, at the weekend I headed back up to what they now call the Yorkshire Event Centre in the bug. There was definitely a stronger turnout from the watercooled boys, and I’m sure that there were more aircooled cars there a couple of years ago. I’m not sure I understand why there were a couple of BMWs on show, and whilst there were a few things that caught my eye the vast majority wasn’t really my cup of tea and that doesn’t really inspire me to visit again in the future.

One show that I am very much looking forward to heading back to is the Volksworld Show at the end of March. After a year off last year, it’ll be good to be back at Sandown Park with Brad, Rossy and Nels. Hopefully we get the sunshine of 3 years ago rather than the snow of 2 years ago!

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And I may well have purchased some new merch…..

So a quick check on Google Maps as to how to get there, and off we went. Typically, the lovely spring sunshine we’ve enjoyed this week decided against showing itself, so it was rather chilly and I was more than ready for a coffee by the time we arrived. The queue to get in was something of a surprise – I dread to think what it must be like when the Great Yorkshire Show is on!

Hopefully the show will grow – especially the air cooled side of things as it certainly seemed to be dominated by water cooled VWs – and whilst there were a handful of traders there, none of the names you normally expect to see were in attendance. There’s definitely the appetite out there, as could be seen by the number of cars in the car park, so let’s hope that word gets out. There just aren’t as many shows in the North as the South, which is a real shame.

In other news, following another shocker of a week (thanks HMRC!) I treated myself to a new tee shirt courtesy of the lovely chaps at Aircooled Apparel who also threw in some free stickers, which are always appreciated! The countdown to Easter is in full flow, and I can’t wait to get together with Nick and Darryl and their respective busses! Although before then it’s the Volksworld Show at Sandown with Bradmundo – exciting times!

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