March is also when Clarence’s MOT is due and back in November I had taken advantage of VW Heritage’s Black Friday deal and ordered a new steering box. After 6 years I really didn’t think we would get him through another MOT with the current set up. Unfortunately by the time MOT time had come around, the new box hadn’t arrived so I had to cancel that order and order one from Just Kampers instead. Because of the rarity of LHD early bay steering boxes I decided that we needed to go down the route of converting him to a late bay box. Amazingly, he only failed the MOT on one item:

Nearside Rear Inner Drive shaft which forms part of the suspension coupling gaiter damaged to the extent that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc (2.4.G.4e)

I was super looking forward to giving the new steering box a good test that weekend as Ginger Mat and I were planning on popping up to Harrogate for this year’s Spring Dub, but the snow stitched us up on that one also, the show being postponed to April. Hopefully the weather won’t affect that, or the Clique 53 Spring Classic at Newstead Abbey next weekend.

Instead it got a decent work out last weekend when we headed down to the Waterloo Inn at Biggin to catch up with Darryl and Jo, Tess the dog and the Pageant 7.  Naturally it rained, but at least the snow stayed away. And what a difference the new steering box made! Sadly it couldn’t stop England losing to France in the rugby, but it is so much better, especially on some of those winding Peak District roads. It wasn’t the cheapest thing I’ve ever had done but it makes driving far more relaxed.

Years ago I had the idea of repainting the bug’s old hubcaps and because of some paint issues it was a job that never got completed, I’m not sure what rekindled that idea but I decided to have another go. When it gets a little warmer I’ll be stripping them all again because we had an unfortunate reaction…….

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Clarence was a popular little dude and had clearly caught a few people’s eye. Not least the couple who were sitting next to us at dinner who were about to spend their first night in a bus (a fully restored late bay) that they had picked up from Newcastle earlier in the day and were driving back to London. All I can remember other than that is that he was a barrister called Keith. I’d love to have found out how they got on but sadly they left very early the next morning so we didn’t get the chance to find out!

So, the floor. As I may have mentioned before, it occasionally takes me a little while to get around to dealing with some jobs. In the case of Clarence’s flooring, it has taken 5 years to get rid of the awful dark laminate flooring and replace it with some lovely grey and white checkered lino. The original plan was to deal with it whilst I was over at the folks’ for lunch on Easter Sunday. Fortunately the weather wasn’t great, so decided against it. As it turns out, that was a great call because it turned into a real pig of a job. It’s an old Volkswagen so I guess that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise! And anyway, it meant I got to spend some time with my sister and her kids which isn’t something that happens every day. Plus they got to go for a run in the bus – something that had never previously happened!

Anyhoo, the following weekend the forecast was significantly better, so we headed back over to Wakefield to bosh it out in a day. Or at least that was the plan, anyway. It turns out that the laminate flooring was stuck down with some sort of diamond/titanium hybrid concrete that meant that any hopes of saving the original ply underneath went right out of the window. That meant an unscheduled trip to B&Q was on the cards and of course I couldn’t get the size I needed in a single piece, so had to buy 3 lengths. Awesome. Getting the bed out was proving somewhat impossible and after a couple of sheared screws I decided to call it a day and return the following morning.

Which I did with my pal Mat in tow. It’s amazing the difference another pair of hands can make on occasion and the bed was out in no time. It clearly hadn’t been out for a good few years and there was a fair amount of detritus under there. Nothing particularly interesting other than a handful of american coins. Once the bed was out and we’d put the hoover round, the actual laying of the floor was a breeze. And how good does it look?

It’s nice to have done a job like that before the camping season really gets under way and we do have a couple of trips lined up already. You’ll recall that I spent my birthday weekend up at Masham sampling their breweries’ finest wares. Well today I booked the campsite for Matt’s birthday weekend in June. So that won’t be a boozy one….. I’ll also be making a return to Langdale at the beginning of August with Mat and Cycy. It’s hard (terrifying?) to believe that I first visited there 25 years ago this year. Let’s hope the weather’s a little better than it was when Matt and I visited a couple of years ago when it rained non-stop the entire time we were there!! Hopefully we’ll squeeze a couple of other impromptu trips in here and there too.

Finally, it’s also taken me five years, but it looks as though I have found a handbook and Campmobile instruction manual for a 71 bus, I won the eBay auction a couple of nights ago so it’s a nervous wait until it arrives!

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In more interesting news, I’ve just got back from a lovely weekend camping with Mr and Mrs French at the Waterloo Inn at Biggin. I think my legs have just about recovered from the 13 mile walk we did on Saturday! Of course, we did have a couple of refreshment stops, just to make sure we were properly hydrated…….

Clarence behaved impeccably, and the new seals did a great job keeping out the downpour we had on the Saturday night. It’s a cracking little site in a beautiful part of the Peak District, and we always get a super warm welcome from Bridget and Gary. The food and beer was top notch as always, and of course we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Old Cheese Shop at Hartington. Looking at what I wrote back at the beginning of March, that’s almost a direct quote from our February trip! At least the temperature was a little more civilised on this occasion.

So since our trip to Sandown Park back in March, what’s been going on? Well, Clarence’s windscreen work got completed (eventually), although I’m still not 100% convinced about that. I’m not going to go into detail on that here though. I’ve also ended up fitting a number of the replacement seals myself and, with the exception of the rear light seals which were a royal pain in the ass, that’s gone pretty well. I also got a bit tired of the static seatbelts so have replaced those with some inertia reel belts which are a vast improvement. We’ve also got cupholders now! And a spare ashtray bracket, but that’s another story altogether!

After months of procrastination I think I’ve now reached a decision on the curtains, but they probably won’t get ordered before me and Matt head up to the Lakes in a couple of weeks. He (Clarence, not Matt) is looking a little shinier than he had been thanks to a few evening Autoglym sessions, and is generally looking pretty good all round these days. He does need a new petrol cap though, which should arrive any day now thanks to the chaps at VW Heritage, but he’s eventually got his badge on his rump and I fitted the jailbars the other weekend too so he looks great from the back now.

Having booked our trip back to the Premier Ski Resort in the Alps, me and Oli took Clarence for a run over to Xscape in April for our first ski in a good few years – fortunately no snow was consumed on this occasion! Being back on snow, even if it was man made, was just so good. Felt like home.

Last weekend we were down south for Matt’s 40th birthday party, and because I’d taken a slightly circuitous route to Tunbridge Wells (it was weird being back – seriously not sure how you can still miss someone after all that time, but there you go) via Reading, I got the chance to go for a run out to the Siren Brewery in a freshly MOT’d Carlos before heading across to Kent. Thoroughly enjoyable it was too, unlike Siren’s Berliner Weisse…….

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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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