Rusty VW bothering - on the road again

[Dyslexic Viking]

Will you share some photos from the trip with us when it suits you?

I like road trips and have really enjoyed your postings of previous trips.

[2316cc]

22 hours ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

Will you share some photos from the trip with us when it suits you?

I like road trips and have really enjoyed your postings of previous trips.

Seconded! I really enjoy this thread and there needs to be more of it! 

[rusty_vw_man]

Thanks! You never know if people are interested or if you are just shouting into the void! 

So this Easter trip was back to Spain - ferry to Bilbao, then Zaragoza, Valencia, Toledo and back to get the ferry home from Santander. 2200 miles, 64 hours on a ferry. 

Photos are a bit patchy, as due to my charging skills* my phone was often flat, because I’d plug one end into the phone, but forget to put the other end in a usb socket. Winner. 

Firstly churros. 

crispy hot loveliness dipped in molten chocolate. What’s not to love. For bonus points I saved some down my T-shirt for later.  
 

Lots of old shite around the place - loads of old French luxury saloons still doing sterling service. Car of the trip for me was this one though, what a beauty:

 

for bonus points still apparently in everyday use.

Zaragoza saw me having a squint at this, which was similar to mine but more dieselly:

Weather here was a bit mixed - warm but quite wet from time to time. 

Next stop Valencia, which was endless orange trees that I have lots of photos of but they just look like fields of trees, and you don’t get the lovely smell. It was much warmer and more desert like - this was the campsite:

whilst there I also tried pleb-shite (or cycling as the masses insist on calling it) for the first time in years. 

and I shit you not, found the actual holy grail - I’ve no idea what Monty Python or Indiania Jones were up to, it’s just in a side chapel in Valencia cathedral. if you believe the story it’s apparently the real deal. If you don’t it’s still a pretty impressive cup

 
 

bit more camp action:

Saw another nice caravelle which was for sale - lot less rusty than mine living as it had in the sun:

now I’m not religious in the slightest, but the Spanish catholics know how to build a top notch  place of worship

next was a trip over to Toledo and Aranjuez through the most horrific weather I’d ever driven in - driving rain and sleet. 

Toledo was spectacular, but a bit busy for me, full of other tourists and tat shops (never had so many opportunities to buy a sword).

the royals summer palace was a thing of extravagance - first some carriage shite

their smoking room - not sure what they were smoking though!

and the most comprehensive selection of coffee in machine id ever seen

did enjoy it all, and loved the geckos in the wash block 

started the long trip home and had the first issue. Gears have a dog leg first, with reverse above. Couldn’t select first or reverse. Two options - shagged gear bag (there is a delicate ‘hockey stick’ that controls these gears) or linkage issues.  

popped the selector box off, and found that without the lock out gate in place everything worked as it should, which was a relief. There is a spring loaded ball bearing that slots into an indent that prevents this bellows collapsing, and thus locking out 1st and reverse:

the ball under some pressure released at speed into the car park:

but I finally found it under the white one! Next it needed some cleaning and lube, but I had to improvise 

worked a treat and off we went again. Made it back to the ferry 

where I did spot this 

come on - own up which one of it was you?!

got home 11:30 last night and back at work today. 

Some minor work to do over the next couple of months then off to Finland and Northern Norway…..

can highly recommend Spain, lovely people, cracking cars and some great driving. The long ferry is also worth it I think, although it was just a shade rough on the return leg - I found myself at one point in the air falling, as my bunk was swiftly coming back up to meet me! Will book it agin for next year, give us something to look forward to! 

[tom13]

Great write up. Looked a great time. I have said it before but I love your dedication to this bus. What was the rough price of your ferry? Thinking about just a return trip, any tips for getting the best deal? Did you do Santander or Bilbao?

[rusty_vw_man]

9 hours ago, tom13 said:

Great write up. Looked a great time. I have said it before but I love your dedication to this bus. What was the rough price of your ferry? Thinking about just a return trip, any tips for getting the best deal? Did you do Santander or Bilbao?

Ferry was about a grand - for a standard length over height space and cabin with Brittany Ferries. Cheaper in a lower vehicle. That’s booking early (9 months before sailing) price is roughly double if you book the week before. We sailed to Bilbao and returned via Santander - they seem to alternate between the two at random. Only a short drive between them though.  Based on our shocking 22mpg and the need for an overnight stay on the way we worked out the ferry is the same cost as driving down through France. 

I might have said before, persisting with the van is just because i can’t afford the van I actually want, and I’ve got this one so I just have to make do with it!