And Buffy the Bothy worked very well..
Except, of course the journey started with a few problems!! Having just had the van serviced before the journey it did not occur to me that the coolant system was not something that was looked at, They seemed very efficient at everything else. They checked the lights, changed the oil, checked the brakes and the suspension, and gave the van the full "once over". But that did not stop me leaving on Sunday afternoon, heading from Caerphilly Castle to meet up with the Crimson Moon to pick up Mead supplies for Germany, and look down at the temperature gauge to see it balancing at the top of 120 degrees - right into the red !!!
A quick look around and the ramp for Port Talbot was within half a mile so I pulled off thinking I might make it to Tesco's if desperate, not really a garage, but a recognisable location!!. Pulling over to the side of the road I gingerly opened the bonnet - thinking that I only allowed myself a spare 5 hours for the outgoing journey, and this was not a good start !!! The engine looked very hot!! (I know I am not an expert - I try not to look at the engine too often anyway !!) Leaving it a few minutes to cool a little, waiting in a Welsh residential street with a camper van, chatting with a local resident. With the top of the radiator finally off - and a small fountain of dirty rust coloured water over the pavement, I became grateful that I had filled all my water bottles up before leaving. Both 2 litre bottles, and 6 x 500ml bottles later I was without water in the camper, except for the one with Ribena in it - I thought that may not do the engine any good, and carefully started onto the motorway again....
Keeping to 50 mph and watching the temperature gauge as much as the road I headed on my journey...
Luckily - not change in the temperature. It must have simple been that the van was standing on the hard standing for a week without being moved after the service...
But that was one !!!
Travelling down the long slope towards the Castle at Caerphilly, I was using my normal technique of coasting out of gear in order to maintain a slightly higher mile per gallon ratio, when the engine stopped and the EDC red light came on. I thought - this is not a good start !!! The Electronic Diesel Control used to come into play a lot on the old van when we were using the bio-diesel, and the filter was beginning to get dirty - but the filters had been changed so that could not be it.... Pulling to the side of the motorway I found that after stopping for a moment the engine started again first time - and seemed to carry on with no real bad effects...
That was two...!!
So on to the Castle, and meeting with old friends from Longshanks, Alex and Mick from the Crimson Moon, who seemed to be having a good event, all the staff from the castle. Seemed strange to be there in ordinary clothes and no real responsibilities - so with Dor on the Dashboard - I started on the road to Oxford, Folkestone, Calais and Brokeloh.....
Somewhere near Oxford, I heard a "clunk" and looked to the passenger seat which contained my Crimson Moon Tab book containing all my driving documents, tickets, and the spare drawer full of crisps and cans of coke... essential for any journey through 5 countries... Not immediately noticeable was the fact that my mobile telephone was missing. At this stage it might have been on the floor, or fallen into the door step gap, but it certainly was not where it had been. And so it turned out. The most likely explanation was that it had fallen down the hole where the seat belts are connected, and into the floor of the seat - which sadly was a fully enclosed structure!!! With only a small gap, too small for my hand to reach in at the rear!!
So I was without a phone, heading for another journey, with my wife's 60th Birthday the next morning, and no way of contacting !!!
That was three!!
And they say things happen in three's and so it seemed as the remainder of the journey seemed fairly uneventful..
Collecting a passenger in Oxford, and heading on through the night via the Channel Tunnel - still impresses me that there are so few people involved in the whole process - automatic number recognition for the vehicle, a push button acceptance of the earlier trip offered at no extra charge, one man in a booth to say which lane to go in, and passport control for both Britain and France prior to leaving so the remainder of teh journey was ready to go... One attendant in the train to put the chocks in place and tell you to put the vehicle into gear and hand brake on!! A neat system !!!
Catching the 1am train instead of the 3am meant that the journey was shortened by a couple of hours.. and by 11am we were signed in with tags on our arms and ready to blag the van onto the grounds.
Bad news then - they were wanting a 50 Euro deposit for taking the vehicle in - returnable when you took the vehicle off and parked.... Not a very good idea when the van was not going to return!! But a nice smile and a sorry tale of not having got to the hole in the wall yet and not having euros, meant that a 10 euro deposit was acceptable. Well she was a pretty blonde and I was trying to speak in German !!! I though 10 Euro is a small extra price to pay for the extra comfort. (of having the van - not of the blonde - sadly !!)
So it turned out that my early departure was to the good. Most of the bard tents were not in place yet - so I was able to put the van in place and build Bertha without calling much attention to what I was doing. The main frame went up to the front first and I put the walls around so no-one could see the front. That way it looked as though the van was just parked behind.. Then a quick frame around the back and walls up and the whole inside was completely hidden. Then I added the risers in the middle and lastly put the lid onto the tent.
The front was not opened again until the tapestries were up and the Bothy was completely hidden. It was to be so hot over the next few days that the sliding door did not shut again for the event. But it was hot in the tents, and at least I had a toilet and bed and a cooker with me. And the fridge seemed to work on the way out - and gave me cold for two days. I did not ever bother getting the gas connection working though I had it with me - the milk did not last more than a day and black tea became the norm. The bacon and butter lasted for three days so it was not really needed after that.
The first day was not a costume day for everyone. And so it was a shorts and tee shirt / singlet walk around the "Stadt" the shopping area and taverns. During the remainder of the day and the next a steady flow of bards and dancers arrived, and slowly I introduced myself to them. It became clear quickly that I would be the only native English speaking person in the camp. though most could speak English, the norm would be German, except when trying to include me directly in the conversation. It would seem that my German woudl have to come back - and come back quickly...
So the tale of Germany will continue - but now I will start on the list of Photographs - only really took the camera out on two occasions, but seem to have a mountain of photos to go through.
Uploaded one video last night - the Fire dancers...
maybe some breakfast before working on the photos.......
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