The Movelite awning, which is made by West Yorkshire based “Outdoor Revolution” is ideal for a couple of adults and packs away in to a small holdall that can be stored under the seats. It will fit on either the side of the Bongo (using figure-of-8 channels, or on the rear. We asked Val Clark to report back on how easy it was to put up for the first time user.

Sunday 11 May 2008- Conditions Perfect.

Erecting the Movelite was going to be a challenge for novices like us. To begin with very little information was given, from colour coding, diagrams etc were vertially non existant. It requires 2 people to do this job. Once the two main frame poles were put in place we seemed to get the hang of it. Total time taken on our 1st attempt 1.5 hours. This included all the guy ropes, tent pegs, ground sheet and inner tent put in place. The final task, to bring Bessie Bongo along side was easy. Size wise this awning is ideal for 2. Compact, not too heavy to carry, stows away well. Not sure how it would stand up in high winds or a storm, but very pleased with our new purchase so far.

It’s May 2008, and we (Ian & Marianne) have just returned from the Scottish Bongo Bash, north of Fort William, a day earlier than anticipated due to a medical emergency. As you can see from the picture above, Marianne’s face has been entirely destroyed by the wee midges (that don’t come out until July, we were reliably informed).

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The site, Linnhe Lochside Holiday Park is managed by “Woody”, a fellow Bongo owner, and is in a spectacular setting just off the “road to the isles”, about 6 miles NW of Fort William. The facilities are top notch, and the 30 Bongos and their occupants were made very welcome.

The pitches are all on hard standing, and awnings had to be erected using steel pegs. Fortunately, there was little wind to blow the awnings down if you had forgotten your heavy duty pegs.

There were no events planned over the holiday weekend, and much of the time was spent walking around admiring the Bongos……

……..spending “quality time” with the family……

…….walking on the beach admiring the scenery….

…….or driving to the white sand beaches at Arisaig (which Henderson and Brandy loved).

On the way back, we saw a very rare sight, Ben Nevis without any clouds!

Ofcourse, warm weather means the midges come out in the evenings, and although some people dined “al-fresco” without any problems…..

….for others, it was hell on earth! Still, if we venture that way again, you may not recognise me, because I may take some additional safeguards!

Foolishly believing that, at last, this really was England’s best ever chance to win the World Cup, Paul Hewitt sets forth to Germany in his Bongo. This is his tale.

We set off for Dover from Poole on Thursday 22nd June at lunchtime. Negotiated M25 and M20 quite comfortably but not a certain well known burger outlet at a Motorway service station a few miles before Dover. I cracked a tooth badly on a burger. With an hour to go to ferry there was nothing else for it but to take the evening ferry to Dunquerque with Norfolk Line (£24 single – great value) and hope to visit a German dentist on the following Monday. So for the next 3 days I survived on a diet of mushy foods, paracetamols and pure German lager.

We stopped Thursday night in Dunquerque and the next day struck out for our pre-booked campsite at Bad Liebenzell, 40kms west of Stuttgart, in south west Germany. Driving through north east France, Belgium, Luxembourg and into Germany we only hit really bad traffic 1 hr away from Stuttgart after an unfortunate wrong turning. We blame the German road signs not having road numbers, only destination names (big cities such as Munich, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and the like). So this wasn’t really very helpful to us in finding the right route to our small sylvan hamlet in the Black Forest. And the Germans love to confuse us almost as much as the French by giving roads more than one alpha numeric title.

Our wrong turning took us along a 3 lane motorway which was down to one lane for many kilometres due to major roadworks. Talk about bad timing and planning. With so many World Cup football fans of many nations driving in, around and through Germany it dispelled the German organisation and efficiency myth.

We made our campsite after dark, grabbed a beer and went to bed after a long day. Within half an hour we were disturbed by someone at the back of the Bongo banging on our rear door at midnight. I summoned up as much courage as possible and confronted a drunken scouser who when asked what he was doing replied he didn’t have a clue as he was “out of his head”… I pointed him in the direction of the path and he staggered on his way. We found his sunglasses the next morning but couldn’t find him. Pleased to say, that was the only slightly fearful moment we have had with other English fans in all the 5 tournaments we have attended.

The campsite was tops, nestled in a small wooded valley on the edge of a pretty town and would thoroughly recommend it. There was a large beautifully maintained outdoor swimming pool next door which was very welcome in the 30degC temperatures. But it cooled down in the forest at night so good night’s kip was never a problem.

On Sunday 25th we went to the Stuttgart Fans Park to view the England v Ecuador game on 2 big screens. There were 79,852 England fans, 146 Ecuadorian fans and 2 Australians. There was no trouble (that we saw) and the whole thing went off very well – except the football which was pretty dull to be honest.

The nice German dentist hacked half my tooth away the next morning and although we had our E11’s with us, didn’t want any money at all! I could now tuck into some decent German sausage.

The rest of our 6 day stay at Bad Liebenzell was idyllic. One day we drove for an hour through beautiful wooded hills and mountains west to Baden-Baden where the England squad were based. It is a spa town and very pretty.

Baden-Baden (so good they named it twice) was where the glorious England squad and their wags (Wives And Girlfriends) stayed. And lo and behold I came across this well known footballer of the dirty tackle leaving a house of ill-repute, just like last year in Liverpool. He prefers more mature pleasures, I understand.

Doesn’t Colleen look fabulous without her make up?

With England facing Portugal in the quarter finals the following Saturday in Gelsenkirchen (near Dortmund and Dusseldorf), we drove north.We found a strange little campsite in a town some 40kms from the venue. It was full of permanent pitches with permanent old caravans in situ. Some had a paraphernalia of garden gnomes, others small gardens full of beautiful flora whilst others were pretty grim. That part of Germany (North Rhine Westphalia) is known more for being the former industrial (but now commercial) heartland of Germany, rather than a place of natural beauty. It is rather flat and uninspiring but for 2 nights, we didn’t mind.

The Gelsenkirchen authorities did the fans proud by having 2 fan parks – one dedicated to England fans with BBC beamed coverage on the 2 large screens.

After our inevitable loss to Portugal on penalties we made our way home, stopping off at Eindhoven overnight. The next morning, 2 hours drive took us to Calais and homeward bound.

All told, our Bongo, did us proud. Not a single problem. The overdue 15,000 km service a week before the trip probably helped!

Now we are planning Euro 2008 – Austria here we come …. anyone know any good campsites over there?

Usually when you go on holiday, one of the things you worry about is whether you have left the gas on. But for Allen Townsend and his family, the opposite was true…….

We purchased our Bongo just before Christmas after months of trying to find the right one for us. We had been watching one with a brand new full conversion on Ebay for a week and no one had put in a bid, but the starting price was £500 over our budget. I know it’s not really the done thing, but I took the gamble and contacted the owner with my offer, and he said “as its near Christmas its your lucky day!”

Two days latter it was parked outside our house.

(Continues below)

We had booked a cottage way up in Dundonnell, Scotland, for Christmas, and we were all looking forward to the 14 hour trip. We planned a couple of stops for a rest and cups of tea and coffee brewed up in our Bongo. Once we had everything packed, it quickly became apparant that we were stocked up to the gunnels, and we had packed more than we thought, I loaded it from the inside packing the bags over the rear seat, filling all the cupboards and wardrobe, all near to bursting.

We left Portsmouth at 6pm and I drove non-stop to Gretna services, arriving just after 1am. By this time I was dying for a cup of coffee, so I spent what seemed an eternity moving the luggage and the dog so I could reach the hob and sink. But guess what? I had made a big mistake in not turning on the gas supply which is situated in the rear cupboard before loading the Bongo. I really couldn’t face unpacking everything from the rear, so after the whole family had finished calling me “stupid!” and other names that made me blush, we were forced to actually go in to the Service Station and buy some beverages……..

We reached our destination at midday; it had been such a comfortable ride.

We are now safely back and planning a proper camping trip as soon as the weather warms up.

Early in October 2013 Julie contacted Bongo Mission Control to tell us that she was having a nightmarish problem with her Bongo engine.

” I bought it in April (stupidly from Ebay!) and it had a ticking noise in the engine, my local garage said it was probably the tappets so gave it an oil change and the advice was to give it a good run to see if that cleared it.

I made a weekend trip to York and all seemed ok otherwise with no overheating or other issues. The tapping noise continued. I decided to continue anyway with my planned trip to Southern Spain (quite a mission for a woman travelling alone, especially as I don’t speak French or Spanish!)

Upon reaching my final destination as a precaution, I booked it into a Spanish garage for checking over or repair before returning back to the UK. The mechanic said it has been ‘butchered’ by the previous owner so it needs some major surgery! Something to do with the cam shaft and various other related bits..the two week trip by now had turned into a month and they laughed when I said I would drive it back!

Having to return to work, I cashed in on the breakdown recovery (LV) and got a flight back to the UK and the Bongo (sob) was repatriated via transporter

Now the van is back home and I’m trying to resolve the fault either with replacement parts or a replacement engine (cant let my loyal pal go after such an amazing trip!)”

We gave Julie the relevant information, but, intriqued by her journey, we asked whether she had kept a diary or taken any photos.

Well, she certainly had, and you can download the pdf file and read here extraordinary tale!

Notes on importing a Bongo (or Daloni and Stevan wait and wait……)

It was Christmas Day 2004 that we saw our first Bongo. We were standing on the roof terrace at Hampton open air pool, clutching hot coffees, looking down into the car park, and there it was.

That Bongo, it turned out, was newly purchased by some friends. We all had a look and decided yup, it was the vehicle for us. We could pack it full of kids for trips to the park and go camping in it. Fantastic.

We didn’t have any money at the time so set about researching/day dreaming. Should we go down to Tilbury docks and bid on one? Should we buy one off the forecourt, ebay or the Thames Valley Trader?

Then we came across import schemes. The rationale is this: you give your vehicle specs to a company with expertise in this area. They find and bid on a Bongo for you at auction in Japan, import it and deal with all the paperwork and mechanical necessaries for which you pay them a fee plus the cost of any work. But because it is imported in your name as a private individual, it attracts less duty so saves you money.

It sounded to us like a no brainer. We read the reviews, kept an eye on websites offering the service, had an exchange of emails and decided to do it. We could get a Bongo on the road within eight to ten weeks for £5000.

Two years later in February 2006 we were ready to move on our dream. We sent an email expressing our interest and later the same day had a chat with the charming rep from the import company. We sent over our cheque for £350 (a fee that’s returnable until a car has been bid on and won at auction) and our specs: four wheel drive, low mileage, high roof, black.

Over the next three weeks we received details of three vehicles coming up at auction. One was the right colour, but a 2WD. The next had high mileage. Like Goldilocks, the third one was just right. We went for it (or rather someone else did on our behalf) and the Bongo was ours for £3,150.
We transferred the funds and told friends excitedly all about our new Bongo. ‘Ooh,’ they said, ‘you are brave. I wouldn’t hand £3,500 to an internet site.’ We went a bit quiet and pondered.

Then we began to wait. And what a wait it turned out to be.

First there was a delay getting our vehicle on board a cargo ship. Then the vessel was ‘trans-shipped’ – it went via Copenhagen and sat in the dock for a month while it was unloaded and reloaded.

Easter came and went and we shivered with our five and two-year-old children in a tent on Exmoor.

We had a little frisson or excitement just after Easter when a letter marked ‘HM Customs’ landed on the mat confirming arrival of Bongo chassis number 101690 at Dover, registered in my name. Oh the thrill of knowing for sure that it existed and we had not been taken for £3,500 by a fly-by-night operator. Could we send around £1,300 post haste for the duty fees? Off went another wedge of money.

The next delay was in getting the Bongo out of the docks. The trans-shipment meant three ships had arrived at once so the company doing this part of the job was, well, overstretched.

Finally, out she came and into the workshop in Bristol. We were sent an email with a schedule of works necessary for the MOT and some items we might like to consider. We said yes to a new cambelt and tensioners and an immobiliser. Everso sorry but on account of one of her mechanics being off sick it would take, ahem, rather longer than expected.
Whitsun half term came and went. The weather was better for camping than at Easter.

The work was duly carried out and the day of the MOT test arrived. It failed. A small point to do with a brake cable but another small expense. And oh, the battery kept draining. Would we like a new one – or two since the Bongo needs a leisure battery? That’d be around £50 a pop plus VAT. Total on mechanics so far: just over £1200.

So, with paperwork in hand, and a camping wedding in Berkshire lined up for a few weeks hence, I set off for DVLA Wimbledon to register and tax the Bongo. The wait wasn’t too bad and half an hour later I was on my way back home, with a spring in my step.

Ha! I hadn’t figured with the next hurdle. Instead of issuing registration papers, DVLA called our Bongo in for a spot check on the chassis number. One in 10,000 Japanese imports is thus affected, we were told. Which is cold comfort when your vehicle is in Bristol and DVLA would like to see it in Wimbledon on Monday, And no, you may not drive it there. Seen the cost of a low loader Bristol to London lately?

The import company were very helpful and said if we could get the inspection changed to Bristol she would take it down but would have to charge £50.

Now, calling a local DVLA is no simple matter. You ring Swansea who relay your number to Wimbledon who call you back, ask the exact nature of your call, find an answer and call you back. If you happen to be away from your phone, say because you have to go to the bathroom, they leave a message to say they called and couldn’t reach you. Then it’s back to Swansea. And so it goes on.

Eventually I managed to speak to someone looking at my paperwork and he said yes, he could transfer the inspection to Bristol and would fax the paperwork over post haste. It could take two to four weeks to get a new inspection date.

By this time we were 16 weeks into the process and I was at the end of my tether. So I called the importer. He listened carefully to what I had to say and pointed out that none of it was, strictly speaking, his fault. If you take a flight with BA, he argued, they can’t guarantee that the plane won’t break down.

Yes, but, if it does they put you up in a five star hotel and pay for your food until they can get you home. That’s what I should have said. Instead I said weakly that this wasn’t the point and I didn’t expect to wait 16 weeks. He said he would cover the £50 to take the vehicle to DVLA in Bristol.

Two weeks later DVLA had not been in touch. I called. They had no record of my having ever been in touch. I think they sensed my near despair and had the head of inspections call me personally and leave his direct line. A date was made two weeks hence for the inspection.

We had perfect weather for the wedding and thoroughly enjoyed staying in our tent, since you ask.

A week after our return, the import company called to say they had been down there with the Bongo. ‘I don’t why they wanted to see it really,’ she confided. ‘All they did was look at the chassis number.’

We were all set. Insured, taxed, number plates in place and ready to go. It had taken 20 weeks but we had a Bongo with a full service, new cam belt, new batteries, alloys, 18,000 miles on the clock and an interior to match. All for £6,500. It is, by any stretch of the imagination, a bargain.

Oh you should have seen our smiles when we first set eyes on her. Lovely. And we have had so much fun since, camping out at the seaside and carting Bongos full of children hither and thither. What a laugh.

So in short, if you are looking to use an import scheme, our advice would be to go ahead because you could end up with a bargain and it could take the eight weeks advertised. But don’t bank on it. You might be in for a much, much longer wait than you hoped for.

Simon, Alex, George and Sorcha set off for Sunny Scotland. But everything including the kitchen sink proves too much even for the cavernous Bongo, so urgent trailer mods are required. Plus buggering about with bike racks, and how to keep the kids quiet on a Bongo budget.

So there we were, all ready to go to Scotland in order to offer ourselves up to the Northern rain-gods for the annual sacrifice. This is only the second time camping in our Bongo, the dry-run (ha-ha) being the Stourport Bongo-Bash where low overnight temperatures have convinced the missus that we would need all the duvets this time round. Now we have a problem: no matter how you squash and squeeze, duvet compression is impossible. This short of space we have two options; we can either consider our tog rating again, or leave the kids at home. Clearly neither will happen, so I am forced to press into service both our small camping trailer and the old top-box bought originally for our old Volvo.

By fitting the top-box onto the trailer by means of screwing a sheet of 12mm external ply onto the trailer, and attaching the top-box to that, I now have somewhere for the awning, cooking gear, and clothes. The trailer has a drop-down tailgate, so I can slide stuff in there, including the (often soaking) awning and the gas bottle/cooker with the lid on. The clothes go into the top-box, which is a modified Halfords model. All that was required was to saw-off the bars which normally attach to the gutter so they fitted the width of the trailer, and bolt them to the new lid. Keep the bolts short so they do not protrude too far into the trailer space to avoid catching stuff. I used right-angled brackets to hold the top down with weather-strip in-between the top and trailer to keep rain out. Ideally, I would have hinged the lot so that it hinged up from the back, but I did not have time to do this. With my silver Bongo, the whole lot even matches for colour and design!

But I also wanted to take the kids’ bikes, and found most of the solutions for bike racks on the club site to be either too expensive or unsatisfactory for trailer towing. So I had a look at the Halfords site and found their towball-attached carrier for £80.00. This does fit the Bongo, but requires some modification to the tow-ball by means of spacers. These are readily available from motorist’s centres or Halfords themselves. I used a half-inch and one-inch spacer as shown, and four-inch bolts. Torqued-up good and tight, with shake-proof washers on the nuts, they have not moved in three thousand miles.

The advantage of this carrier is that it pivots easily, even with bikes attached, and allows access to the tailgate. This is what it looks like loaded with the kids’ bikes:

I also took off the rear wiper, which is a single 10mm nut to undo. This done, there is plenty of clearance:

The straps as shown (to keep the whole thing tight and stable) are not as supplied as I took them off of an old cycle carrier I junked. The straps which do come with the carrier will attach to the rearmost upper seatbelt anchor and feed through the tailgate seal with no problem, but this makes it fiddly to close the tailgate keeping the straps on the outside, so I went this way instead. Either way works well. You will need to undo the bolt allowing the handlebars on the bikes to move and rotate them 90 degrees.

OK, so keeping them occupied whilst we struggle with the awning upon arrival sorted, so what about silencing the ‘are we there yet?’ irritations? I found two solutions, both cheap, and both work well. The first is a small DVD player with 7″ screen from Tesco priced at just £80.00. It is designed to hang from the front seats, comes with two headphone outputs, and a remote control, and will run from own internal rechargeable battery or 12v supply. The brand is Technika. This is much better than I imagined it would be, and very much a bargain, allowing the driver to listen to the radio whilst the kids watch their DVD without interference. Note that the 12v cord as supplied is too short to reach from the rear 12v socket. I am going to put another one in the centre console somewhere, sometime….

However, I have also been looking for a solution to plug my laptop into the sound system for a while. There are numerous reasons as to why I would want to do this: I have lots of my MP3 files on the laptop I like to listen to; I use my laptop for GPS navigation (this works really well with a USB GPS dongle and the excellent Navigator software all in at under £100.00) which has a voice to alert me to roundabouts etc; the laptop is a wide-screen and plays DVDs but I want better sound so we can all watch a film cuddled-up together in the Bongo of an evening (especially when its pouring with rain as in Scotland). There are lots of expensive solutions to this, and there is one cheap one, which is, of course, the one I went for. This is simply a low-power FM transmitter, of which there are numerous examples, but I got the Belkin Tunecast II because it is a name I recognise and had the features I was after. I got mine from an eBay trader for £8.98 (but watch the P&P). All-in for around £20.00, and it works really well.

Interestingly, although 15.4″ widescreen laptops were not available when my Bongo was built, Mazda clearly had them in mind as the space between the front seats is an exact size match, and the laptop sits comfortably on top of the console thingy either way around – facing front for navigation and music, and rear for playing DVDs. The seats stop the unit from sliding about and only determined acceleration will shift it (unlikely in a Bongo J).

The laptop is kept charged by a universal 12v step-up laptop charger available from lots of places including Keene electronics, from whence mine originated. Incidentally, GPS is an absolute must in order to solve that other holiday irritation, the fundamental and hard-wired inability of any woman to read a map successfully in any orientation and any reasonable time-frame! Of course that’s not true, I only put that in there to irritate half the membership (the wife told me to say that, and also to add that it wouldn’t be so bad if I could just bring myself to stop and ask….). But it honestly does help to smooth the way!

To sum up, a successful set of cheap but effective solutions, all tried-and-tested.

If you want to take Bongo to the most rugged scenery in Western Europe, you won’t have far to go. And at the end of a tiring day bagging some more Munros, the Bongo can provide everything you need.

Although the Bongo doesn’t appear too much in this Tale, Matt Prowse (“Driver+Passengers”) originally posted these words and photos on the Bongo Fury Forum and, in case you missed it first time around, it is worth a read!

I returned this evening following a week’s tour of the Highlands around Glen Nevis, Knoydart and Glen Shiel, which involved stopping in Drumnadrochit no fewer than four times!

Destination: The Highlands of Scotland
Distance: 860 miles
Duration: 7 days
Walking: about 55 miles

I left on the Thursday evening around 6pm and drove to the Glen Nevis campsite to meet up with Sara (mountainmummy) and family. Donald and I walked Ben Nevis via Carn Mor Dearg on the Friday.

In the evening I nearly camped near Arisaig, but had to return to try and locate my rucksack, having left it lying in the car park after coming off Nevis so I wildcamped near the visitors’ center.

I managed to retrieve my rucksack the next day, intact, following a round trip to Inverness Airport to pick up my walking partner for the next three days. Having returned to Fort William, we then drove along the shore of Loch Quoich and on to Kinloch Hourn. From there we went in on foot to camp at Barisdale and climb Luinne Bheinn and Ladhar Bheinn on the Sunday and Monday. My friend camped one more night and I returned to the Bongo for a quiet night by the shore of Loch Quoich.

After a drop off at Inverness Airport I went to spend the rest of Tuesday with dave_aber. Curry, a few pints, a warm shower, a bed for the night and some good chat – 5* Dave! We even got some pics of his rear suspension, which I will label up for the wiki.

Driving at a pretty constant 45mph, I made my way down Glen Shiel to Shiel Bridge and on to Morvich.

I parked at the Kintail Rangers Service and Mountain Rescue post carpark and took the tent up to the Falls of Glomach.

At the falls, I continued down the valley, had some food and started hauling ass back up to another bealach – by this time it was about 2230 but the light was clinging on. About 3/4 of the way up, I found a beautifully rounded knoll with a flat top on which to pitch up. Not a terrifically distant view and somewhat cloudy, but a beautiful glen. It was filled with deer, cattle, sheep and birdsong and the camping spot was a wonderfully lucky find at 11 at night! I stayed in bed until 0930 when the rain eased off and returned to the Bongo.

I parked for a while at a viewpoint on the road to the Glenelg ferry, and decided that the Glen Shiel munros and those on the Isle of Skye could wait until another day and I returned home… to pie-night in the local tavern!

One thing I have noticed, is that I use less fuel than the Bongo does. Plus the tent is warmer. But falling back into the Bongo at the end of a walking trip like any of those is “pure magic”!

During the sweltering heat of July 2006, the mystic tribe of the Ancient Bongoliers met at the Blackland Lakes campsite in Wiltshire to visit the ancient monuments of Avebury stone circle, Silbury Hill, and West Kennet Long Barrow.

But nobody had brought any waterproof clothing with them.

It really was hot! Local chaps Tim Preece and Leo Stevens ferried us to our starting point in Avebury village, and as soon as we set off it was immediately apparant that everyone was going to struggle to do the full walk. But everyone managed to trot round the stone circle and see its unique setting.

The party that set off for the 2 mile walk to Silbury Hill consisted of 10 hardy souls. The rest of the party retired to the Red Lion for an early lunch.

Silbury Hill is the largest man made eart-structure in Europe, and quite possibly the world. It is 130 feet high and was constructed about 3,000 BC. It would have taken a labour force of 1,000 Irish navies 8 years to complete. If the contract would have been given to the same firm responsible for the building of Wembley Stadium, it would have taken 320 management consultants 25 years to build!

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a huge anvil shaped cloud headed ominously across the downs. It was heading straight for us.

We made a dash for the sanctuary of the West Kennet Long Barrow on the nearby hill, but we only got half way there before the storm hit. We were all soaked to the skin. Unfortunately none of us thought to get our cameras out as were too busy dodging the bolts of lightning and cowering from the thunderclaps. But here’s one of West Kennet that I took earlier.

Once the storm had passed, we made a bolt back to the car park at Avebury, and then back to the campsite. As we drove in to our paddock, we were presented with a scene of huge devastation! At least 2 awnings (one belonging to the Bongomaster! and the other having been pegged out by the Bongomaster!) had collapsed, and a number of items of clothing had fallen in to a puddle! Again, although no photos survived the tremendous storm, the picture below gives some indication of the mind-boggling horror!

We were, clearly, lucky to survive, so we all went out for a slap up meal and a few pints (or a lot of pints in John Garner’s case) at the Talbot.

Here’s to the next (dis) organised event!

Left to right: Third- Bernard Symcock, Winner- Paul Hinton, Second- Tony Johnson

Everyone involved in the inaugural (2007) Mazda Bongo golf event agreed it was a great success. Chesterton Valley is one of the Midland’s hidden gems. The condition of the course was superb, and, the welcome given by the staff made this a most enjoyable experience.

The weather for the practice round and the competition itself was perfect. The golf, in parts, was good too.

(Continues below)

In the evening, between the two rounds, we were fortunate enough to locate a first rate Chinese retaurant in nearby Wellington. Suitably impregnated with monosodium glutamate and alcohol, we slept well and awoke refreshed for the cut and thrust of the competition round.

Battle commenced at 9am. By mid afternoon it was decided.

The winner, as you can see from the pictures, was Paul Hinton (a local lad). He won it with 39 points, but, only on count back, from Tony Johnson. Your current reporter finished third. Paul has agreed to organise the event again next year and will defend his title. Who amongst us is man (or woman) enough to take it from him?

After a few well chosen words to the cheering masses, and polishing off a drink on the winner, we went our separate ways content in the knowledge that we all had a great time, and, can’t wait for next years 2nd Great Mazda Bongo Golf Challenge.

Bernard (Scoop) Symcock

Anyone interested in forthcoming Bongo golf tournaments should contact Paul Hinton at [email protected]

That’s what Moroccan bus drivers say when you get on the bus apparantly. But that’s enough of my jokes. Let’s join Nick and Lesley Poole as they travel to North Africa.

We’ve travelled extensively by motorcycle for several years but the time came to have a change of transport, so off shopping for a camper van we went.

We bought ours in October 2012, from ‘Andy’s Imports’ near Norwich. Andy’s been great showing us around the van explaining how things work etc. The van’s a 2000 model Mazda, 2.5 diesel auto It’s been converted, and a nice job they’ve done too. Elevating roof, blinds, two burner hob, sink and a fridge for the beer and wine! With the rocker bed we’re good to go.

So here we are on our first Bongo adventure. The plan was to search out some heat while back home we’d be freezing in another winter, so Morocco was the chosen destination. I hope you all enjoy the adventure with us.

Feb 11th 2013. Portugal, Algarve.

It seems we escaped the UK weather just at the right time. The Bongo was all packed and ready to go so we headed south through France stopping off at roadside Aires overnight. We found a campsite 2km from the centre of Santiago de Compostella where we took a day wandering around the narrow streets and taking in the views of the Cathedral and other wonderful buildings.

We had heavy rain storms and very chilly nights so we decided to head to the Algarve , Portugal as quickly as possible. The van is very comfortable and it is great not having to pack up a wet tent every morning. We do however have to pack up our bed and repack the storage area but it only takes a few seconds and we are developing a bit of a system between us.

Spain in particular is not ready for people needing to camp. Many of the sites are closed up until May and the few that are open seem very surprised to see anyone. We hugged the coast line through Spain and into Portugal, the resorts are like ghost towns. The most spooky was Praia da Tocha which had been engulfed by sand dunes and was completely desolate with trees strewn along the roads, evidence of a big storm.

We have been mainly sticking to the small back roads where we have seen more of the locals. Old ladies in Black with, aprons and head scarves, men on ancient mini tractors, donkeys pulling carts, Local roadside markets selling very local produce and folks just sitting in the sun chatting.

The road networks in Portugal are quite OTT. Almost empty Duel carriageways run along side almost empty toll roads, the signing is ok for a while and then nothing at all. I don’t think our 2012 map is up to date with the change of road numbers so we have taken a few unplanned detours!

The further south we are the more large campervans we see , mainly German and Dutch with the occasional Brit but once we arrived in the Algarve all the signs are suddenly in English. Large signs advertising “Full English Breakfast” and “Sunday Roasts with choice of Chips or roast potatoes” are everywhere it seems we have arrived…….but it’s raining!!!

Feb 20th 2013 Tarifa , Spain

So here we are in the south of Spain. The breeze is a bit cool but the sun is constant…..it has been raining over the past few days, but not where we are!

We had a couple of days in Luz, catching a bus into Lagos to enjoy the wonderful buildings and superb marina and walking miles around the narrow streets. The locals are wrapped up in their winter woollies and we have t-shirts and a light fleece and receive many odd looks.

52 miles along the coast we stopped off at Armacao de Pera and used our cycles for the first time on an hours hilly ride along the coast line. The cliffs and caves are magical and the beaches are golden and clean. The campsite cost 5 Euro’s and was worth every cent with lovely hot showers and plenty of space.

The lovely site at Albufeira was full of Brits. The Sgt major organised a boule match that lasted the whole morning and kept the campers happy.

On Friday we arrived at Quatiera where we met up with friends from the UK who spend their winter in the sun. We used our cycles regularly as the loo block was almost half a mile away! We also cycled along the wonderful promenade to the huge marina and again out into local villages in the hills.

We are now in Tarifa on roads we know well from the motor cycle guiding days. We are close to the Hurricane hotel a favourite lunch stop. We can see Morocco clearly, it looks as though we could swim across but we have decided to search out Carlos in Algeciras and hopefully get a ferry to Tangier Med by Friday. All is well with the Bongo, it’s neat and compact and buzzes along happily.So hopefully the next update will be from Moroc

Morocco! Thurs 28th Feb

Whilst on the ferry we queued to have our passports stamped and checked and handed in our slips or immigration paper that Carlos had kindly given us with our tickets. Nick had to temporarily import the Bongo so armed with passport and all vehicle docs and forms he spoke to a customs officer who came and looked briefly at the van and sent Nick off to the Police office someway across the new port buildings for a rubber stamp on a piece of paper. Nick also managed to buy some insurance for a month for £80 and drew some cash from a nearby ATM. I had time to watch the comings and goings which were very entertaining. Some of the vans of the locals were so heavily packed that they could hardly move. The custom officers only wanted a quick look in the car boots and ignored the huge bundles under canvas on the roofs. The phrase “everything but the kitchen sink” sprung to mind especially when I spotted one van with 7 bicycles in disrepair and 4 double drainer sinks aloft!!!

The next morning started wet and windy and continued windy all day. We headed south along the coast by-passing Rabbat the capital. The country side is green and water logged in places. Men and women are tending herds of sheep and cows on the roadside and folks are harvesting grass and loading small carts pulled by smaller donkeys. Everyone seems busy. But …..there are plastic bags and rubbish everywhere blowing about in the wind.

A litre of diesel is 76p!!..yes 76 pence!!….Happy days!!

The centre of Casablanca was exciting !!It was serious cut and thrust which Nick really enjoys. Lane chopping, pot holes, mopeds, pedestrians, donkey carts you name it, it was there. Large glitzy hotels alongside small shanty shacks, plush expensive cars fighting for space with donkey carts… its all contrasts.

The campsites so far have been very shabby and not particularly clean but are well used by the constant flow off French campervans heading in all directions.

We have visited the walled towns in the Medina in Casablance and Essaouia, (the windiest city in Moroc and it blew a hoolie.) We have travelled inland to smaller towns and eaten the local couscous and tagines of vegetables and meat. We have bought fresh bread and bananas from carts on dusty roadsides but its still a bit of a culture shock when you see the beggars in the streets and old men looking after a few skinny sheep on the roadside. The drainage system is almost non existent but you can tell from 5 miles away where the next village is before seeing it.

We are now having a few laid back days near the main surfing area of Taghazout a few miles north of Agadir. We have called in on Tom, one of Daniels school friends, and have enjoyed the freshest fish ever as we watch the latest catch being dismembered. The weather is changing and they are hoping for the first rain in about 8 months. No wonder everything is so parched and dry.

Zagora, Morocco. 9th March 2013

As promised the long awaited rain arrived with thunder bolts and lightening “Very, very frightening!!” The Bongo was surrounded in muddy pools and the sea turned stewed tea colour where the soil had been washed down off the hillsides. We didn’t venture far during the 3 days of rain but decided that as soon as it stopped we would head further south along the coast to Sidi Ifni, an old decaying Spanish town. The surfing beach was strewn with rubbish and the camp site was dirty and run down but full of large French camper vans.

We realised that we had seen enough of the beaches and needed to explore the interior so headed to Tiznit , an old walled medina town to the west of the Anti Atlas mountains. We almost stopped to explore but felt the need to continue further having been stationary for almost a week. We were not disappointed. The narrow, single lane with two way traffic road took us through some wonderful scenery. The rain had bought to life the barren land which now had hints of green and white blossom in the trees. The roadside cacti had red fruit and bushes yellow flowers. The rock formations were amazing. And when we eventually arrived in Tafroute we were surrounded by huge red granite rock formations, some hanging dangerously above houses and roads.

Tafroute town was one of the nicest we have visited so far and the local markets on the dusty rubble street over the river bridge gave us a chance to explore and chat to the locals. This is definitely a place to spend a week or so as in the surrounding mountains are ancient cave paintings and many walks but we are now limited with time and only have 2 weeks left to play with. As we had had such a lovely drive we decided to treat ourselves to a sizzling hot vegetable omelette served in a tagine dish…delicious.

From Taroudant we passed through the saffron growing area of Taliouine and towards the mountains where we had our fist view of the snow capped Atlas mountains. The valley road was so flat we expected to see Tina Turner or Mel Gibson chasing across the plains in “Mad Max” mode. Soon the Bongo was climbing into the foothills again never missing a beat. The automatic gear box saved Nick from performing endless gear changes and the small compact van could pass oncoming vehicles without having to pull off the road at regular intervals. Tour buses hurtle along these twisty roads so I am sure all passengers are armed with sick bags as even in the van I felt a bit queasy at times.

The bonus of being small is the Bongo can fit in tiny spaces between the “Palaces on wheels” as we found at the municipal camp ground in Ouarzazate where the temperature had risen to 30+ deg in the day but dropped to duvet temperature by night. At Ouarzazate we declined the offer of touring one of the many film studio sets where films such as Jewel of the Nile, Gladiator, Alexander the Great and Kingdom of Heaven were made, but I am sure we have seen a lot of the landscape before.

We are now camped in a quiet, palm tree filled courtyard site on the edge of Zagora appropriately named “Oasis Palmier” where my hand washing has dried within 2 hours, the toilets are clean and soap is provided at the basins and the best of all….they have Loo roll!!!! A real Oasis!! Tomorrow, we are heading towards Merzouga to the 50km mounds of sand called Erg Chebbi ,where we may swap the Bongo for a camel for a few hours.

Editorial note: That was the last we heard from them, except for a brief email that said

“We have just rigged up a makeshift sun shade to attach to the side of the Bongo as its 50deg and we are running from shade to shade. Keep warm.x”

18th March, Chef Chaouen, Rif Mountains, Morocco

From the tranquillity of the camp site in Zagora we headed out to the moonscape scenery of the desert. The Bongo took to the piste,( rocky,sandy tracks,) as though it was made for this type of terrain. The rock formations became smooth and layered into rounded hills and were filled with all types of treasures such as fossils and crystals. We stopped off the desolate track for a picnic and found fossils and quarts without having to search for them. The occasional roadside stalls were heaving with rocks and crystals of all shapes and sizes but why buy when you can pick your own?

The terracotta colours gradually faded into golden sand with the occasional dark layers of black coal. There was some evidence of mining in various areas all we had to do was look for a dust storm. The disappointing part was that near villages the children would come out and stand in front of the van asking for money or presents. Again it is difficult to decide what you should do. Do you give up to high way robbery or try to ignore the situation. No one has a real answer.

We eventually arrived at Merzouga a dusty village at the foot af the enormous sand dune Erg Chebbi. By the time we had parked the van we were offered sweet mint tea and several tour options from 4×4 trips churning up the dunes to 2 day camel trips sleeping in Berba tents in the dunes. We opted for the half hour ride to the dunes to watch the sun set and then ride home. That was plenty for us both but Nick suffered after the 1st half hour. I am not sure which hurt most his back or legs but he was brave and remounted for the ride back for a lovely Tagine dinner and local Berbers entertaining us with music and drums.

After 3 days the weather began to change. It had been hot 40deg by day and cold at night with wonderful clear skies so we could star gaze, but the wind was increasing. On our drive north toward Goulmima we could hardly see the track as the sand was blowing fiercely across the desert.

The air was hot ,dry and very dusty…not good for the sinus! We found a camp site and had a wander around the dusty town looking at all the tiny shops and stalls. This town had 2 Motor cycle shops selling the Docker cargo carrying tricycles that are used all over the country, one step up from a donkey!!

The next day we had clear views of the snow capped High Atlas mountains and the temperature had dropped to 19 deg!! The roads were twisty and winding through the mountains and the country side became much greener when we got to the Middle (Moyan) atlas mountains. And then we discovered Disney land in the shape of Camping International at Azrou. The campsite was so out of place it was surreal but the showers were the best in Morocco so I was happy. We took comfy seats above the toilet block and watched the sunset over the mountains in the crisp cool evening.

Fez medina was great fun. We managed to take a red petite taxi from close to the site to the entrance to the Medina(Walled city). Guides told us it was dangerous without them but we had a great time wandering about getting lost and chatting with the locals. A stop off for an energy giving sugared mint tea, gave us the opportunity to chat with nearby store holders and watch the world and tourists go by. A Lunch of bread and soup above the stalls of the silver and copper beaters was entertaining if not deafening. It’s always good to watch a real skilled worker and there are skilled craftsmen on every corner.

We are now in the Rif Mountains south of Tangier enjoying the fresh if not damp air. There is a certain herbal aroma hanging in the air and if you stand still for more than a minute someone wants to help you relax and sleep well. They are persistent but we are tougher than them. The very steep hike to the Medina was worth it as entered the old town which is painted in pale blues. There are many tiny alleys and dead ends with open doors containing carpets for us to view. The hike back was breath taking!!

We are closer to the ferry to Algeciras and hot showers, flushing loos and breakfast cereal is getting closer!! WE have mostly enjoyed our time here in Morocco although there are several things that can irritate. It is worth exploring as the culture is so different to ours in Europe and is almost on the doorstep. The camper van experience has been a revelation and something we have both enjoyed…but we won’t be giving up the motorcycling yet!!!!

Easter Sunday 31st March, Castell de Ferro, Costa del Sol Spain.

Our last day in Morocco and we were greeted with a cheery “Good Morning” from the man dangling a rather large packet of something herbal over the fence near the van!!! So this is the Riff Valley we have all heard about!

It was quite a dull drizzly day with some wonderful low rainbows as we drove down to the fertile area north of the Riff Mountains. We followed the coast road to Tetouen towards Sebta , the Spanish port by the huge rock not dissimilar to Gibraltar. High rise holiday apartments were being built facing the sea and to the rear were vast dirty rubble strewn plots filled with rubbish, quite an eye sore. The road from Sebta to Tanger Med port was awful! Huge pot holes and places where the roads had collapsed, meandering through the hills. We arrived at Tangier Med where smiling gofers told us that the office was now closed for lunch.. ..come back at 2pm. At 2pm we joined the queue to have our tickets and passports checked and told to go to the checkpoint where all vehicles were being x-rayed by an enormous moving machine whilst we stood behind a fence. Once cleared we joined the queue for the 4pm ferry which eventually left at 6:22pm! In spite of the wind the crossing was remarkable smooth and we could soon see the Spanish coastline.

On disembarking we joined yet another queue to leave the port. It appeared that the security checks were being carried out under a work to rule type of situation which kept other passengers longer than really necessary. We seemed to get through quickly compared to others so it was straight to Lidl’s car park and the nearby Mc Donalds (To keep Nick happy).

Lidl’s in Algiceras seems to encourage over night campervan parking so we joined 20+ other vans for a very wet over night stop.

We has covered 2300 miles in Morocco and apart from a speeding ticket, 74kph in a 60kph costing 300 dh £24 somewhere remote in the middle of the desert, we had no problems and will return again armed with more loo roll and baby wipes.

We found a quiet campsite near Estapona where everywhere was so clean and tidy. The showers where hot and I made use of the facilities by stringing 2 lines of washing out which dried within and hour or so in the warm sunshine…….and rest! The 15 min stroll to the beach gave us lovely views of Gibraltar and the mountains of Morocco, so near yet so very different in many ways.

We moved further along the coast to Fuengirola where we spoiled our selves with a real “All day breakfast” with real bacon, wonderful! We walked the long promenade and sat in coffee shops watching the world go by in the sunshine whilst more snow is forecast at home.

3 years ago we spent several months in Ronda and had promised to return to catch up with friends we had met during our stay. It was great to see Gema and Jose again. We had a morning with Jose who speaks little English but strangely the conversation flows naturally. He took us to his friends bar where we were treated to Tapas speciality of the house, a mix of salads, meats, cheese, fish with bread and olives, all wonderfully tasty. Gema sent us on our way with some special Easter biscuits dusted with sugar…naughty but nice.

The week long Easter processions had begun and we watched one slowly pass through the town. Dressed in their black long robes and klu klux klan type headgear with scores of stong men hidden under the huge ornate statues that are carried through the town . Throughout the Easter week these processions happen daily from one church at a time. The most unsettling group is of the silent order from the old town which walk quietly, except for the dragging of the chains round their ankles, through the middle of the night. Quite a spectacular to experience.(They woke me up in a cold sweat when were staying in the flat with the dragging of chains across the cobble streets)

As Ronda is high in the hills it was also cold and wet so after a couple of days we headed south and arrived in a small coastal village near Motril called Castell de Ferro. Most of the few people staying on this quiet site, filled with plants and shrubs, are locals here for the Easter break. The village is small and within a day you are on nodding terms with many locals so we have spent our Easter weekend here in the sun thinking of you back home.

Till next time
Lesley and Nick

Following an MOT failure on the centre section of the exhaust, and deciding that the tailpipe was not going to last too long either, I decided to drive down to MIJ Performance in Walsall (West Mids) to get a full new stainless steel exhaust fitted.

After negotiating my way around some one-way streets and lots of roadworks, I finally arrived, and was made very welcome in their reception area. But I had a couple of hours to kill, and asked what there was to do in Walsall. Somone suggested the art gallery. And that’s when the nightmare began.

Don’t get me wrong. I come from Basingstoke originally. So I know what a bad town looks like. But those of a nervous disposition should stop reading now. And if you live in Walsall, please don’t hit me….

I was told that I couldn’t miss the art gallery because “it was just past the boxing club”. Well, I must have walked through an industrial wasteland for about 20 minutes before giving up, and, fancying a cup of coffee, headed in to town instead.

The High Street in Walsall could be anywhere in England. Look! A Superdrug! Look! HSBC! Look! A charity shop! All very grim really.

Unable to find anything resembling a cafe, I eventually stumbled across the local Debenhams. The restaurant was on the 1st floor. I went to the counter and asked a young, lisping, overweight man whether it was OK just to have a cup of coffee. But to my consternation, he then asked me if I was wearing a Kipper Tie! (I found out later from my good wife, who lived round these parts when she was younger, that he had probably asked me if I wanted a “Cup of Tea”, but in a Black Country accent).

I retreated from Debenhams, once again trying to find the art gallery, but this time took a wrong turn and ended up at the bus station, which was obviously the result of some town planning conference in the late 1960’s.

I looked at the departure board. You can get to just about anywhere from Walsall bus station. Bloxwich. Bilston. Dudley. Sutton Coldfield. Anywhere.

Time marched on. Thinking it was about time to return to MIJ, I walked up this long road past a large multi-storey car park.

Which is when I realised. The art gallery had been designed by the same bloke who had designed the bus station!!! No wonder I could not find it!

On my return to MIJ, I was just in time to take a few shots of the last stages of exhaust renewal.

All-in-all an excellent job by MIJ. You get a lifetime guarantee on the exhaust, and it’s an excellent price at £280 for a full replacement.

Highly recommended (the firm that is, not Walsall)!

Sometimes reading through the contributions to the Bongo Forum can be a bit depressing. Owners asking for solutions to technical problems. Complaints about service. Grumbles about the youth of today. That sort of thing. So it is quite refreshing to come across something positive for a change. Alison01326 reports.

“Well, this has come round very quickly. We have had our Bongo (known as Seymour) for a year and I’m as delighted with it now as I was the day I picked it up (well, the day we put down the deposit really).

I’ve chronicled various experiences with it on here, and at the risk of repeating myself, I’m hoping this may be of interest to the newer members to the forum particularly those contemplating Bongo ownership or just embarking on same.

While I was expecting the boy we were thinking of replacing my Fiat Multipla with another MPV, preferably with a sliding door, and we did the rounds of all the main dealers and there was nothing which really caught our eye except a Land Rover Disco complete with Aztec Autohaven rear tent awning thingy. That appealed most of all but the price was beyond that of mere mortals such as ourselves. Shortly after that we saw a Bongo parked up at Slapton (near the tank) in July or August 2005 and had a good peer in through the windows and thought that it would be an excellent replacement for the Multipla. There was one for sale at the end of our road, but it’s bodywork wasn’t great.

We all but forgot about it in the flurry of new baby and jobless husband and the subject didn’t come up again until September 2008 when we had spent 10 days on holiday divided between Youth Hostels and Travelodges and averaged £60 per night for accommodation. We decided to look for a Bongo when we got home, and coincidentally we saw one at Stansted and got the boy’s seal of approval. On the way home from Newquay Airport, we spotted the Mazda Bongo Co (or rather the boy shouted “A Bongo Shop” at the same time as we noticed it – funny how we use that road several times a year and have never noticed before) So we went back a week or so later for a crash course in all things Bongo and for a look around. At this time we knew little about the beasties (I did not discover Bongo Fury until after we had committed to buy, and it was nearly three months before I discovered the Forum ).

The only criteria we went armed with was colour (had to be silver), price (had to be able to afford it) and it had to be lower mileage than the car we were replacing (72,000 miles). We added diesel and split folding rear seats to the list having found out the options and there was Seymour ticking all the boxes. 1998 (R) silver, split rear seats, diesel, 4WD auto (wasn’t sure about that), within budget and with just a little over 56000 km on the clock. And all the paperwork.

Hubby checked the engine and underneath and we had to have a test drive. Test drive completed, we paid the deposit, looked at conversion options (the Mazda Bongo Co use Clearcut Conversions and had some converted Bongos on the forecourt), decided that a removable rear “weekender” would be just the job for what was to be the main family car so ordered one of those, asked for the alloys to be taken off and replaced with steel wheels and away we went.

I didn’t have any changes of heart (possibly would have done if I’d known about this Forum) unlike the three other car purchases I have made, ie “I’ve spent HOW much?”.

And here we are twelve months on having had a couple of minor electrical niggles, with no mechanical problems, a clear MOT pass (no advisories) a couple of weeks ago. Along the way we have bought aLeisure Battery, a Willinton split charge kit, Royal Traveller Annexe (tunnel awning), a Royal Utility Tent (for when it’s just two of us), and an Easi Canopi (don’t know what my excuse was but it’s useful), had the wiring to the rear 12v socket improved, about to have another 12v socket put in on the other side, fitted a hi – lo coolant alarm and a mason alarm, replaced the space saver with a steel wheel, bought a rain cover for the AFT (improves insulation no end), and burned the rest of the budget on a Webasto diesel heater.

We’ve done a bit over 12000 km (7500 miles) including a two week trip to Biarritz and back, spent 27 nights in it (some of which were just me and the boy – something I wouldn’t have tackled with a tent), had lots of very long days out in it (used to give up and come home at about 2, but now it’s do stuff, return to Bongo for lunch and some chilling out, then back to doing more things). It’s often just me and the boy (OH works ridiculous hours including night shifts) and we make full use of the seating configurations – sitting on the little flip down seats behind the front seats with the middle bench folded flat for lunch, then flattening the middle bench out and using the rear seat(s) slightly reclined as a sofa for listening to music or stories for a bit. Sometimes Isaac plays with his cars up in the roof while I sit and do nothing. There’s something wonderful about sitting in the Bongo in the rain and playing a board game or just doing nothing Most of Isaac’s friends have been up in the roof, we can take my not-very-mobile Mum out and leave her in the Bongo with the sliding door open if the weather’s decent, we’ve done a few rather mucky runs to the tip (going tomorrow with three biggish radiators) and I’ve used it as a changing room in Aldi & Lidl’s car parks rather than go home to try something on and then have to come back to change it if it doesn’t fit. And I reckon I’ve saved more than enough money on coffees and lunches and snacks in cafes to make up for the fuel consumption (which round here is about 24mpg)

I intend to keep Seymour until it’s at least as old as my husband’s car (which means I’ve got about 25 years to go). The boy often says “Thank you Seymour for a lovely day” when we get home so I shall publicly thank Seymour for his sterling work and realiability so far and urge those of you who haven’t got a Bongo yet to find a good one and GET ON WITH IT!

The only downside to owning a Bongo is my enthusiasm for it – I am getting very very boring (and a bit evangelical, I think).

It was going to be a jaunt through the Black Forest to the French Alps: sun, scenery and a trouble-free journey. (Not like last year, when the Bongo very noisily lost an exhaust manifold stud. In a remote part of the Massif Central. On a Sunday, of course). And so it proved, apart from the ‘sun’ bit. The weather gods had evidently tied a depression to my aerial, for a practical joke.

But there were a few snippets which I’d like to share with fellow Bongoers.

Dover: 4 Bongos seen.

International Playboy: If you travel across the bottom edge of Luxembourg, you can go through 4 countries (Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Germany) in about 25 minutes.

Heidelberg: Worth a visit, it probably doesn’t rain there all the time.

Rothenburg: Immaculately preserved/restored medieval walled town. Definitely worth a detour.

Titisee: Splendidly-named lake in the Black Forest. It was actually mostly warm and sunny while we were there. Nice lakeside campsite, reasonably priced.

Lake Annecy: Nice lakeside campsite, giving excellent views of cloud and rain. The old part of Annecy itself is however very picturesque, even when wet.

Aurec (near St Etienne): Fled here to escape rain. Highly scenic but very un-touristy. Went several days without seeing a single British vehicle. Campsite on banks of Loire, which runs through rugged gorges hereabouts. Site noticeboard instructs “In case of fire, warm the campsite management …”!

More Bongo Sightings: At a safari park near Annonay.

Sorry, Ian, I was unable to read their registration numbers.

Gray: Potentially nice town but undoubtedly run-down. Enlivened by visit to restaurant which included, in its English language menu:

Paving Stone of Sandre to the Cider Butter
The Net Ox to Morels
Carp Crackling
Ox paving stone sauce Bearnaise
The Believed Ham of County
The Ham Section of Bets
The Ox Flap has Shallot
The Camembert cheeses or freezes it two balls

Laon: Spectacular hilltop town, with massive cathedral completed in 1225. For many centuries, Laon was actually the capital of France until, reportedly, it failed in its bid to host the 992 Olympics. Incidentally, on the campsite pitch opposite ours was an unusual motorcaravan conversion on a Mazda E2200.

Silly Names: Just time to stop off at a couple of villages in northern France. The one at the top of this page sums up what being a Coventry supporter is all about. Those who don’t want to live in Misery can move a few miles to Y. The Bongomaster is particularly keen for members to make such a move, to reduce the length of his address list. Either that or he’ll have to replace the ribbon on his pre-war Olympia tripewriter.

Note that, by this stage, I had mastered the knack of driving on the wrong side of the road.

Importance of a good Navigator: While in Germany, I innocently asked my navigator “We’re on the D523: is that OK?”. “Yes, it just goes to a different place” came the reply. I make no comment on the fact that the navigator was female. And, for all I know, may still be found standing at the side of the D523 …

Boulogne: Returned to brilliant sunshine – by far the hottest day of the holiday. 3 Bongos at the port. We’re definitely taking over the world.

Overall, about 2500 miles. The Bongo performed faultlessly and achieved 24.8 mpg – not bad considering it included some fairly stiff climbs.

Let me tell you about my in-van entertainment. Fitted by Style Ice of Exeter, my beautiful ’97 Freda now boasts a PS2 slung under the dsah in the passenger footwell, a roof-mounted flip down 10″ Veba TFT screen, a dash-mounted Pioneer DEH-P3500MP D4Q CD/radio/amp, two infra-red PS2 remote consoles, 2 pairs of infra-red headphones, a DVD remote control and a TV screen remote control.

This little lot came to approx £1300, but it’s the dog’s spherical objects. I originally approached Style Ice with the intention of fitting a DVD player, but they talked me into the PS2 as it costs approx the same and, of course, you can play games on it as well as watching movies. The bloke said I wouldn’t hear a peep out of Genghis and Boadicea after it was installed, and he was right.

They love it so much, they even sit out on the drive playing it in preference to playing the one fitted in doors! And the Mrs is impressed with the movie viewing option, so I’m actually out of the dog house albeit temporarily.

I had my doubts about the PS2 in the first instance; after all, it isn’t purpose designed for use on the move and I anticipated that it would jump around all over the place. But Style Ice advised me that PS2 is a very good sealed unit and, again, they were right. No worries in that department.

The headphones are handy, too, because it means me and the boss don’t have to listen to the kids entertainment whilst on the move. Indeed, because the CD player was fitted in addition to the PS2, we can listen to a CD whilst the monsters are watching a movie or playing a game.

But the kit really comes into it’s own when you put the PS2 through the CD player as an amp. With four speakers, you get a genuine surround-sound cinema style soundtrack. Leave the engine running whilst you’re playing a game or watching a movie and, boy, you actually feel the car chases and rocket launches as well as seeing them. Excellent.

But what if you’re at the camp site, engine off? Won’t it drain the old battery. Well, I’ve watched a 2.5 hour movie ‘sans’ ignition on and had no problem starting up the next day…wouldn’t want to risk much longer, though.

So, what can I say in conclusion. . . get yourself a traveller tunnel drive-away awning, call Style Ice on 0800 7836869 or visit their site www.style-ice.co.uk and get the kit fitted, and you need never go home again. Attached photos don’t do it justice, but it’s all I’ve had time for thus far. Maybe I’ll make it up the the bash after next, and any comers can have a look for themselves.

This just in from Helen & Neil Millast:

As newbies to the Bongo fold, we have been looking forward to our first camping trip since we got the beloved Bongo last month. We decided to test it out at the Dyfi Enduro event in Wales, where there is free camping available for those with tents and campervans. Neil was entered to ride the enduro (this is a yearly mountain bike event, consisting of a massive loop of a trail, with lots of lovely steep climps and muddy descents) but I wasn’t, and instead planned to spend Sunday chilling out in the Bongo with a book, biscuits and lots of nice tea.

Upon arrival on Saturday evening we located our friends (tent campers) and then had a lovely time erecting our awning. We then sat back in our camping chairs to admire our efforts with a beer. Scanning round the campside we expected to spot a Bongo or two, and in fact had been practicing our special greeting in readiness. However, to our dismay all the other campervans seemed to be VDubs or home converted transits. We were lone Bongonauts!

Our first night in the Bongo proved to be a success – not too cold, the thermal front cab blinds seemed to work well, and the inflatable mattress was passable (well, for me anyway. Poor Neil was on the lower side of the slope and fared a little less comfortably!) Points for future trips: Buy a better air compressor. Inflate the mattress a bit more. Buy levelling chocks. Figure out how to make the fridge work as a fridge rather than a freezer to avoid solid milk. Other than these small points we were very impressed with the Bongo as a camper, and found it surprisingly roomy even with the roof down.

Neil was sufficiently rested to make a cheery start for the enduro, and I managed to get some nice pics of the boys heading out. They left at 11am and were back around 5pm, covered in mud, looking tired but pleased with themselves. Along the route there were aparrently many entertaining spectacles this year including a harpist and Darth Maul fighting Princess Leia. Either that or the free drinks were spiked with something very odd.

Registering a Bongo abroad can prove to be expensive and time consuming. But member Mick Parsons managed to beat the bureaucrats in Spain. This is his tale.

El Bongo – Emigrating to Spain

There have been many stories of Bongos abroad, and many owners who wish to export their vehicles to foreign lands. I had never heard of the Bongo until last summer when I met a fellow owner camping in Spain with his Bongo. As a result I was fascinated with the flexibility and versatility of these Vehicles, and had to get one! At the time I was between homes having sold my UK home, and I was living in a Motor Home in Spain, and waiting for my new home in Spain to be completed.

Last August I returned to the UK and decided to part ex my 4 x 4 for a Bongo which I found in a dealership near Chichester. My Bongo is the new shape 1999 facelift Model and was already converted to the Standard layout side kitchen prior to purchase.

I left the Motor home in the UK and travelled back to Spain in the Bongo fully loaded and had to fill the front seats and roof with luggage to bed down for the night. After 3 days I arrived back in Spain and took possession of my new home in Alhama De Murcia, Murcia, Spain.

Due to the novelty of moving in and sorting out the new home etc I forgot to get the Bongo re-registered within the 30 day period so had to follow the long expensive route, and was then liable for import tax.

In order to re-register the Bongo it had to pass the Spanish ITV (Similar to MOT) and to facilitate this I needed to move the rear fog light simple procedure which I did myself, and make the headlights shine the other way.

There are no Headlights (that I am aware of) for the new shape Bongo which suit LHD so I hit a problem, luckily I utilised a local organisation that specialise in importing UK Cars and deal with ITV and local Garages. The Lady was brilliant and assisted me all the way through the process, and did all the talking and translating.

First stop was a Car Electrical specialist who spent two hours on the Bongo and at the end managed to turn the Bulbs in order to meet the criteria and used the same headlight jig as the ITV centre, The Electrician gave me the thumbs up thumbs down gesture meaning it may or may not pass the ITV? Next we went to the ITV centre and had the lights checked before the ITV to ensure they would be OK and then the ITV.

It was a nerve racking experience but eventually worthwhile, the ITV generates the Spanish Logbook which is more about weights and Measurements of wheel base spacing than anything else.

Note for camper vans you need certificates for Gas and Electric and in Spain a certificate is required for any add on’s such as Awnings and Tow Bars.

Luckily all was well (I was shown a loose exhaust bracket and advised to tighten it up afterwards) and I was issued with the appropriate documents and ITV sticker for two years. I believe this is “The First Bongo with Spanish Plates”. “El Bongo”.

For the rear number plate I had to use one designed for the Alfa Romeo Front as standard Spanish plates would not fit?

The whole process cost around 1400€ which included Electricians Bill, ITV, Number plates, Import Tax, and Agents fees.

The only other drawback is the Insurance 600€ / year (Fully Comprehensive) as opposed to £230 in the UK. This is slightly off set by only 95€/year Car tax

So if anyone else is looking at a similar venture you will need to work out if you want to go to the hassle and cost.

At the end of the day I now have a legal Bongo on Spanish plates and can tour Spain from my base in Murcia.

Since purchase I have added a few modifications and fitted a Fiamma Awning and gutted one of the cupboards to fit the Porta loo in. I also use a stand alone awning. For me as a Spanish Resident the Bongo gives me a neat compact touring vehicle to explore this corner of Europe. Apart from my friend I have seen two other Bongos in this area over the past year.

Mick
[email protected]

Last August myself, wifey Mandy & two Cairn terriers, Alice & Archie, set off from our house in Romiley, nr. Stockport, Cheshire & headed down to Ipplepen, betwixt Newton Abbot & Totnes, Devon. We stopped at a brilliant touring site called “Ross Park” which has ex. pitches & facilities, orchard, nature walks & the best dog walk EVER. (I think it was once a 9 hole golf course). Totally fenced & secure and even had a dog shower & drying room! (Details here)

Our trip to Devon was coupled with a visit to see our youngest son, Jamie, who is serving in the Royal Navy on HMS Northumberland, which was currently ‘along-side’ at Devonport naval base,Plymouth.

(This pic. of Bongo, caravan & me was taken outside the gate at the base)

Jamie took us on an fascinating tour of his ship, whilst Archie & Al caught up on their sleep in the Bongo. After 5 days we headed down to deepest Cornwall & stopped (couldn’t go much further) at Caravan club site at Sennen Cove,for 5 more blustery days & nights.

One day we stopped at Hale for a traditional Bongo Sunday lunch (beach car park, Lid up, kettle on). No sun,though! I was in charge of the soup, Mandy was reading the map (a bit late now we had stopped!). Alice was snoozing, but sniffing the air as well and Archie had surreptitiously devoured our sandwhiches. He gave his little game away when he started crunching on an iPod earpiece for desert! The only safe haven was up in the roof (now known as the Bongo Dog-House).

It took us a whole 2 minutes to forgive him & in no time we were dashing through the sand dunes & the showers for an after dinner run (walking is Not an option).

We did have a fantastic trip & are planning more this year (2 down already), hoping for a scorching summer.

Yours Mark & Mandy Savage + trainee Bongonaut Cairns: Alice-Mother (Good dog) Archie-Son (Not so Good dog)

Here at Bongo Towers we are of the firm opinion that it is best to buy a Bongo from a reputable dealer. After all, if someone is selling a Bongo for under £4,500, there has to be a reason, doesn’t there?

The following tale was sent to the owners club and illustrates this point rather well. All names and locations have been changed to prevent any further trouble.

“I should like to say that buying a Bongo should have been a happy experience for us as a retirement vehicle”, writes Mr X of Hertfordshire. “We love the outdoor life but as pensioners we could not justify the expense of a full motor home.

With hindsight I wish that I had gone to one of the specialist Bongo dealers. Instead we have had the most horrendous experience of our life that has reduced my wife to tears and myself to a nervous wreck and unable to sleep at night for fear of recrimination from the most evil and unscrupulous motor trader it has ever been my misfortune to deal with.

I was looking for a decent part exchange for my Toyota LiteAce which was 100% reliable with a full service history. I approached one of the main Bongo dealers, but they were not keen on taking an older vehicle, so I started looking elsewhere with a view to having the Bongo converted at a later date. I then saw an ad in the paper for a low mileage Bongo at a local dealers. We went and had a look. The vehicle was well presented with a service, road tax and warranty. They also did part exchange. On a test drive the engine seemed a little noisy, but I was assured this was just a stuck hydraulic tappet as the car had been standing for some time in Japan, but all would be fine when we came to pick it up 2 weeks later.

After we drove the car home, the next morning I noticed oil and anti-freeze leaking from underneath. In some alarm, I called my local service man. He put the car on a hoist and took off the under tray. We saw that the whole engine and gearbox had been taken out and the sump removed, and the four-wheel drive shafts were both split and leaking. I phoned the dealer who just said that I should list all the faults and return it! I demanded a full refund and my old car back. This was refused point blank and I was offered another Bongo, or wait until the other one was repaired. I was not prepared to accept this, and so the manager intervened and the atmosphere became very threatening on a “take it or leave it” basis. With my wife becoming increasingly nervous we decided to take the different Bongo subject to my mechanic’s inspection. This vehicle turned out have a broken anti-roll bar bracket and various other faults, so they offered me a £500 refund. I was left with no other option than to accept.

OK, I know I should have gone to Trading Standards, but these dealers know our address and we feel intimidated and know that if we kick up trouble we would have a visit in the middle of the night.

It turned out that unlike the original vehicle this replacement Bongo was a very basic model with no central locking, no electric mirrors or blinds and not even correctly matching seats.

The vehicle seems to be running OK, but I am really angry about the whole affair, and myself and my wife can not reveal the name of the trader because we live in fear of recrimination………”

Following this letter I made some investigations and, by a process of elimination, found out the name of the firm involved, and they have now been added to my black list. But I felt that I could do little more other than publicise this horrible tale on the website as a warning to others.

As a postscript, a few weeks later I received this:

“After a service and a cam belt change, all done at my own expense, I am gradually finding more things wrong with the vehicle. For instance, the rear seats are from another vehicle, the sliding rails are faulty with shards of metal leaving sharp ends to cut yourself on, the tailgate light cover is missing and the rear seat handles and plastic covers are missing. The tyres are the wrong size and the speedo, which I was told had been “chipped”, still shows in km/h.”

At the Bongo Bash 2007, the children were divided in to 3 age groups, given a template, and told to “colour their Bongo”. The winners are shown here; page down to see all the other entries.

Age 4 and under

Winner: C Gids

Age 5 to 10

Winner: Miles White

Age 11 or over

Winner: Daniel Winters

It was a tough call making a decision, and thanks to Katherine and Margaret for sorting it all out. And thanks to Keith & Sharon for scanning the pictures.

Here are the other entries.

DRoberts

BBlack3rd

EFish

CHolt2nd

GFanner

IStainsby

Lincoln

PGlasspool

SStainsby

SSwain

Age 5 to 10

2nd Place: Jessica Holt

3rd Place: Alex Hoyland

Here are the other entries.

ALewis

BMalone

DH

EAbbott

ERobson

FFanner

GShallis

HH

IHolt

Jasmine

JRobertson

LBell

Lloyd

MArdley

Millie

RSwain

TC

TField

THarvey

TMalone

Age 11 or over

2nd Place: Tyne Higginbotham

3rd Place: Rowann B

Here are the other entries.

PHipkiss

SAllen

LMorley

KSwain

Joe

EHadley

DBlack

Tony Johnson reports:

When I bought my Bongo, two years ago it was my second camper van. I had converted the first one from a standard 8 seater layout.

This one I bought in the seven seater arrangement with a sink/ cooker/ fridge unit along the offside , the standard Bongo rear seat and a fold out bed/seat in the forward area. It had a ZIG unit and all wiring located in a large box under the rear seat.

I found it a most inconvenient and space wasting arrangement. The forward fold out seat /bed blocked access to the sink and cooker and was in fact too high to reach the same level as the rear seat when converting into a bed. (I reduced it’s height by 70mm, but it was still not satisfactory.) The Bongo rear seat made further units and storage impossible and the large box of wiring occupied all the floor space under the seat and raised questions as to what could be in it to fill such an area. So I planned some alterations.

I removed the Bongo rear seat and the forward fold out seat/bed. This yielded an excellent supply of cherry ply boards and plastic ‘T’ edging strip, both of which matched the fitted unit. I opened the wiring box by prising off the lid which had been fitted with mastic. It revealed two interesting things. First it was mainly empty space and secondly it revealed an in line fuse; the presence of which was unknown and would have been impossible to access without prising off the lid.

This yielded more cherrywood panels, edging strip and a top which perfectly matched the top of the sink/cooker unit.
I used all this boarding to extend the unit right along the offside and built in a small box at the rear for the electrics which I re-wired and which then allowed the designing of a space above it to accommodate the toilet box.

Lockers and locker lids were made and edged in the plastic trim to match the original. I made a cutter to fit my bench drill for this trim and simply ran it round the edge of each piece and pressed the T edging strip into place. The push lock fittings I bought to match the originals but I couldn’t locate any the same size so they are slightly larger. There was enough wood to make a locker above the new unit with a slightly wider door for ease of access.

The top of the new unit, made from the lid of the old wiring box (A reminder for any one who might have dozed off) is hinged so it provides additional access to the same locker as accessed from the front panel but also reveals a cutlery drawer.

I made a fold out seat which clips to the stainless steel bar located above the small locker door below the sink. This allows seating to be on both sides of the table. This additional front locker also provides access to the gas bottle.

Now that the fold out seat/bed had gone I restored the small Bongo folding seat behind the passenger seat. This is most useful both for its designed purpose and also as a temporary shelf which can be reached from the driver’s seat.
All these plans had hinged around the idea of installing a rock and roll bed and before I began I had spent some time searching for a source. I came across the firm JDS Metaltech of Leeds who have a website with very useful illustrations of their products and a clear price structure. They produce full and 3’4 size rock and roll beds and anything else you may design.. They will supply cushions, (fitted with a top layer of softer foam if required) boards and fitted seat belts and offer a free fitting service. The extension runs smoothly on castors and is locked in the shut position with sturdy swivel clips.

I placed my order and elected to fit my own as I had not at that point taken out the rear seat or re-wired the electrics.
When it arrived I was extremely impressed. It was well designed, sturdily built and had an opening flap below the seat for storage.

Because I fitted it myself, which was perfectly straightforward after a little careful measuring, I was able to appreciate the accurate and substantial fitting kit supplied with the unit. I found the company very helpful and very straightforward to do business with. They don’t supply a front board for this unit, presumably because they don’t know what furniture already exists, but I had a piece of cherry board left over large enough, with a little piece glued on, to make my own.

There were one or two minor things I adapted to prevent rattles. I took the seat boards off and re-screwed them on a bed of mastic. I turned two nylon bushes for the holes where the swivel clips push through and I put spring washers on the seat belt locating bolts. All is now silent.

The modification to the roof is to allow easier lowering of the mushroom roof as the canvas tends to billow out when lowering and protrude from the side of the roof. I put in a round hatch but this wasn’t enough to allow the air to escape quickly enough so I cut the panel and this can be lifted to one side before the roof is fully lowered (supported on the extended pole) and gives access to the canvas to allow it to be pulled clear.

There is sufficient space above the roof panels for it to be replaced when the roof is fully lowered. It is supported by the aluminium strip on one side and the forward roof panel on the leading edge.

The arrangement has given us more space, free access to to the sink and cooker and masses more storage areas.
We could of course have bought such an arrangement from new if we had been able to examine all the layouts before buying but it doesn’t always work out like that and anyway, it’s not so interesting.

Justin Foster is a fibre optic engineer. But he is also a man on a mission, as you can see from the photo above. Little did he suspect that a paddle in the Bay of Biscay would lead to a severe career change. Justin takes up the story:-

For this year’s holiday the good lady (Hannah) and I decided to take the Bongo from Plymouth to Roscoff, and then we drove straight down to Bidart (Biarritz) and surfed our way back to the ferry stopping at Hossegor, Biscarrosse, Arcachon, Lacanau, Royan, Ile d’Oleron, Longville, La Chume, Concarneau, Benodet, La Torche, and then finally back home again to the English Riviera. The whole trip took us two weeks and the Freda didnt miss a beat.

En-route we met some interesting people including the Haworths from Barnstaple (that’s them on the right).

Anyway, everything went, um, swimmingly, except for when I was surfing at Lacanau when my good lady Hannah thought she would come out and take some pictures of me surfing with the waterproof camera, putting the ignition key in the camera bag strapped to her. But when we walked out of the water the camera bag was unzipped, and with a 2 metre swell there wasn’t much chance of retrieving the key.

Two hours later with a thin piece of wood and a ‘borrowed’ piece of someone’s washing rack I gained entry through the drivers door…. no need to say exactly how I did it but no damage was caused… and luckily I keep a spare key hidden in the engine bay.

This was when I had a moment of inspiration and decided that car crime was potentially more profitable than my current line of work, and on the way back to old Blighty I worked on my future career plans.

On the way back through France we mainly stayed overnight in the little motor home stops, and found some great ones in Biarritz and Biscarrose for 7 euros a night.

The highlights of the trip for me were surfing all along the south up to the Vendee area as I didnt need a wetsuit! Les Conches (bud bud) was the best beach set up by far for me and had great waves, a pannini stall and a small bar! (my heaven!) Just the odd nudest person slightly put me off balance while surfing!

All in all we spent in two weeks what we would normally spend going on our annual month holiday to Sri Lanka including flights (France was a lot more expensive than we first thought!) But we had a great time and will do it again, especially as I now know how to break in to campervans!

Already thinking of the next trip around Ireland.

In 2001 Pete and Ursula (“Ushi”) McAleavey bought a Talbot Express camper van ( having retired a few years earlier) and spent their time touring around the U.K. on two or three weeks trips, and a trip to Germany. Pete explains what happened next…….

“In 2006 we decided that we needed a bit more comfort and a tow vehicle that could be used for days out with some of the campervan facillites,ie portapoti / cooking etc. A search through the camping magazines steered us towards a Bongo, and after a visit to Outback Autos ( Steve ) not too far away we found what we were looking for, a 96 2 wd autofree top with split rear seats white over silver. We were very happy! And next, we decided to get a good caravan. Our conclusion; an Eriba Puck L.

So we were even more happy and carried on with the same routine, two to three week trips etc. But in September 2010 whilst on trip my dear lady develops her medical problems, and we had to sell Eriba. But no way were we going to sell the Bongo, actually nothing really could replace it, but there was need to get my wife in /out safely and easily.

A search on the web took me to the Autoadapt web site, and I contacted our nearest supplier in Norfolk.They came, I bought, they fitted, we paid, we’re happy! So good old Bongo, it carries on in another type of role. Here’s some photos of the adaptions.”

Ex-Royal Navy pilot and airline captain Alun Thomas rode his restored 1960 Royal Enfield from Southampton to the Isle of Man, and then around the TT circuit.

Using a Bongo as a support vehicle, and supported by Bongo members, his object was to raise funds for the Cancer & Leukaemia in Childhood (CLIC) charity.

This is his story.

Captain Constellation’s Challenge!

I depressed the tickler for the customary count of three, set the mixture slightly rich, and gave the kickstart a long, positive bootful. 700 cubic centimetres of raw power burst into life. I looked about me, checking that the other machines had all started, primed my chain lubricator, and we moved off in line behind Lead Marshall Harry Cardy’s Thunderbird, down Government House drive. It was 1030. Turning right into Governor’s Road, we crossed the two mini-roundabouts into Glencrutchery Road, passing the legendary pit lane, start line and grandstand, to stop briefly at the traffic signals at the top of Bray Hill, then off again at a comfortable 35-40 mph. Rea Men are doing over 160 at the foot of Bray, but we were just out for a gentle canter and our bikes were up to 57 years old. Best not push them too hard-and there is a speed limit on non-race days!

It was the 12th May, a couple of weeks before the TT races began, but preparations were well in hand, kerbstones being painted black and white, crash pads fitted to stone walls and lamp-posts. It wasn’t hard to follow the course despite the traffic and the euphoria of finally realising the dream of riding a motorcycle around the Isle of Man TT Circuit. The sun blazed down, the haze shimmered, the 500 Bullet in front of me thumped authoritatively. My Constellation rumbled along at scarcely more than idling revs. What an absolutely cracking day!

My journey to the Isle of Man really began back in March 2005 when my grandson was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour. He was just four and a half years old. The diagnosis was sudden and devastating. He and his family live in Cornwall, twenty-five miles from the nearest hospital. His surgery was carried out in London and his radiotherapy in Bristol. Chemotherapy was at both Bristol and Truro Hospitals. For the six week duration of his daily radiotherapy, the family was accommodated, in Bristol, at CLIC House, which provides bedrooms and shared kitchen, laundry, playroom, garden and lounge, for up to fourteen families, within walking distance of the hospital. At home, a CLIC nurse supported the family and counselled his school friends. Similar facilities are available at many paediatric units throughout the U.K.

In October, my grandson completed the aggressive treatment needed to prevent the tumour spreading, and he continues to be screened regularly. The results so far have been “all clear” and we hope fervently he will continue in remission. We have the greatest admiration for all the many hospital staff and their efforts to improve his health, but greater still is our admiration for his parents, who have worked so hard to maintain a normal way of life for their children whilst the treatment continued. CLIC Sargent has made a huge contribution to this, and in August last year my wife, Sue, and I decided to launch “Captain Constellation’s Challenge” to raise both public awareness and money for CLIC Sargent.

I’m an airline pilot with BA Connect, based at Southampton, but as a classic motorcycle enthusiast I have long wanted to ride one of my Royal Enfield machines around the TT circuit, and Sue and I conceived my “alter ego”, Captain Constellation, to undertake the Epic Ride from Southampton to the Isle of Man, and around the TT circuit, on my self-restored Constellation. Generally, my main interest has been in repair and restoration. I confess that I do not find riding in modern traffic much fun, so, apart from rallies and the odd blast around the lanes of Hampshire, a longish journey such as this was an unprecedented-and somewhat daunting-task!

Most of our spare time during the winter was taken up with various fundraising activities as well as fitting a tow hook to our Mazda Bongo support vehicle, procuring a suitable trailer and, of course, the many hours of painstaking route planning that would ensure that navigational errors did not delay our progress. We decided to trailer the Constellation home after the ride (quit while you’re ahead!) and so it seemed a good idea to take along a spare machine. My Meteor Minor was selected for this role and an excellent Erde three-bike trailer was lent to us, free of charge, by Gordon Bevis, proprietor of Spike Island Motorcycles in Eastleigh.

I set off from home at 0900 on Monday 8th May, initially to stop off at A&A Motorcycles by way of a courtesy call, then to rendezvous with Sue, who had left a little later in the Bongo, at a convenient lay-by on the A36 at Landford. We then set off in a loose convoy over our prepared route to our campsite at Cowslip Green, near Bristol. Light rain was falling intermittently, the roads were damp most of the way, but my abiding impression is of an almost universal smell of diesel, of which there was considerable evidence on the road surface, especially around Salisbury. We had each written brief driving instructions, but had spent so long planning the route that we hardly needed to refer to them on the way, even though it was somewhat indirect.

On arrival at Brook Lodge Farm campsite 93 miles had been recorded on the Constellation’s odometer. We were able to set up our awning in dry conditions, the rain having stopped, but the forecast indicated that more rain would fall later, and so it proved. Having secured the trailer and awning, Sue and I set off into Bristol, with Constellation and Bongo, to thank the staff at CLIC House for their assistance and care of our family. It was then that the heavens opened! By the time we reached CLIC House, I was virtually saturated, despite my shiny new Akito gear, and on arriving at CLIC House I discovered that all my lights had failed apart from the brake light. Fortunately, the rain eased off, and after a cup of coffee and a pleasant renewal of acquaintance with the CLIC staff, we were able to set off back towards the campsite. Closure of the swing bridge entailed a short diversion, but track was soon regained. About halfway back to the site, my second little technical problem began to manifest itself. It seemed to me that my engine was misfiring on one cylinder, especially at high power, which could only be due, I thought, to water in the magneto. Sure enough, just past the airport, the Connie gave up the ghost altogether. Sue was ahead of me, so I pulled into a convenient gateway to consider my options. I wasn’t keen to use my mobile phone, as I would have to take off my brain bucket and the rain had started again. The odometer showed that I had covered 123 miles since leaving home that morning, so I checked the fuel tank contents and found that there was fuel, although the level was low. I have four Royal Enfields and the supply arrangements are different on all of them. I seemed to recall that the Constellation had no reserve tap, and I couldn’t see one from on board the bike, so I tried leaning the bike over to the left to tip remaining the fuel over the central spine of the tank. This met with little success. I could see a little fuel running down the feed pipe, but it was no more than a teaspoonful. I would need more than that to get to the campsite. I pulled the bike onto its centre stand and prepared to phone Sue and ask her to get me some fuel from the garage about five miles ahead in Langford, but one last check under the fuel tank revealed that there WAS a reserve fuel tap, cunningly concealed right up under the “skirt” of the tank. “Is it open or closed?” I thought to myself. There was only one way to find out because, what with the weather and my presbyopia, I certainly couldn’t read the labels. I pulled the lever across-and fuel gushed down the feed pipe! A gentle tickle followed by a firm prod saw me on my way once again, relieved not to have had to take off my helmet in the pouring rain and sorry to have doubted the excellent job that Sean Hawker made of rebuilding my magneto!
Back at the campsite, I found that the Meteor Minor’s battery was flat. Now, this bike has coil ignition, and if I couldn’t fix the Connie’s lights it might be needed, and if it was, the battery would have to have some juice in it. A brief investigation revealed that the brake light switch was out of adjustment so after correcting that I rigged the battery charger whilst Sue took the Bongo off to the filling station to refuel and get some unleaded for the Constellation. When she returned, and I prepared to refuel the Constellation I discovered that I had no measuring cup for my Miller’s VSP! The latest batch, which I had purchased especially for the trip, was in a new type of bottle. No measuring cup is supplied with the new design (Mr Miller please note!) and so I had made a mental note to bring one of the old cups with me. I now remembered that mental note. I began to feel a little disheartened. Fuel exhaustion, failed lights, flat batteries, cataracts of rain, and now old-timers disease! I made an experienced guess at the amount of VSP required, said a short prayer suggesting that some slightly drier weather would be a good idea for the morrow, considered the response to such prayer that Noah had obtained, and covered the bikes for the night.
Sue had prepared one of her most delightful culinary triumphs, and was busy resurrecting the frozen chilli in her Remoska. A large helping of hot chilli, accompanied by a no more than moderate-sized (!) glass of Cabernet Merlot and I began to feel a little more relaxed. In the morning, the rain would stop, I’d fix the lights, the Meteor would fire up on the first prod, and we had no more calls to make. But as I fell asleep, I thought that, had I been a Catholic, I’d have given my Rosary a thorough telling………

Day Two dawned cloudy and overcast, but the rain had stopped, indeed, it stayed dry pretty well all day. After breakfast, things began to look up. I soon found that the Constellation’s lighting failure was due to the loss of a grub screw from the light switch. I had no spares, but I did find that the set screw from an emergency cable nipple would fit well enough, and so the lights were quickly restored. The Meteor’s battery now overflowed with wigglyamps and the engine started easily, so after the usual camping chores, we broke camp, packed our gear and, at about 1130, we set off towards Much Wenlock.

The only cause for complaint I found was an encounter with what I can only assume was a shell-crater in the middle of the carriageway about 100 yards after passing the sign heralding my arrival in Shropshire. I couldn’t avoid it due to overtaking traffic and the forks bottomed out, but I managed to keep my seat. After that, progress through Shropshire was rapid and smooth, I didn’t even see much of the famous Shropshire fertilizer on the roads, although there were several spreaders to be seen and olfactory evidence was plentiful!

By the time we reached Craven Arms, the weather was dry and sunny with scarcely a cloud in the sky. As I approached the filling station via the rather tortuous approach road, the white, long wheel-based van ahead of me stopped abruptly. He had failed to make the turn into the pump lane and, without further ado, began to reverse quite quickly. I was obviously in the centre of his rear view mirror-we had both been making a right turn, and I was in his five-o’clock. I turned to my left and took off like a scalded cat, only just managing to prevent the collision which would have wrecked my bike and injured me. I took the bike back around the block and approached the filling station. As I parked at the next pump to the van I thanked the driver for almost writing me off. When I explained what had happened, he said I wasn’t in his mirror, but after considering the matter for a minute or two, apologised, saying he hadn’t seen me. Not the same thing, is it?

The town of Much Wenlock was reached about 3 o’clock, with 241 miles on the Constellation’s odometer, and we soon located our campsite. The Sytche is a well equipped campsite on the edge of the town, looking out over the countryside to the North West. Whilst we erected our awning and arranged our wet gear to dry in the light breeze, the sky cleared and we were treated to a beautiful, warm, clear evening disturbed only by birdsong and the occasional helicopter from nearby R.A.F. Shawbury setting out on a navigation exercise (Much Wenlock is invariably the “departure point”, to the annoyance of some residents and visitors alike!). As we sat in the evening sun savouring another excellent supper, this time chicken and vegetable casserole, and a drop more of the Cabernet, it struck me that most of the six or eight mobile homes on the campsite were equipped with extraordinarily elaborate aerial systems, some with satellite dishes, and almost all of our neighbours were sitting in their ‘vans watching television, the silly sods!

During the evening a temporarily absent neighbour returned to the site and it transpired that we had camped, quite unknowingly, next to another Mazda Bongo, and so we struck up an acquaintance with the owner.

Day Three dawned bright but cloudy. After the usual breakfast and camping chores, we set off at about 1030 after phoning ahead with our E.T.A. to H.M.S Eaglet, the Royal Navy establishment in Liverpool where our vehicles were to spend the night.

Commodore John Madgwick, O.B.E., is the Naval Regional Officer Northern England (NRONE), headquartered at Eaglet, but is better known to his friends as “Magic”, and he had very graciously agreed to our leaving the Bongo, trailer and bikes in his establishment for security overnight, and so that we would be ready to board the nearby Seacat ferry to Douglas next morning. He and I have met briefly once or twice during the intervening years, but we served together in 826 Naval Air Squadron, H.M.S. Eagle, in the 1960s. Naturally, our meeting brought back many pleasant memories, but after an all-too-short interlude, duties called us both, Magic to the organisation of a forthcoming mine countermeasures exercise and myself to the trailering of both motorcycles in readiness for the ferry. I had to unship the Meteor Minor from the centre track, and position it onto the right side track, but first of all, since the Meteor has only 17″ wheels, it was necessary to remove the offside footrest so as to clear the trailer’s mudguard. I then persuaded the Constellation onto the left side track, securing both very carefully for the Seacat’s boarding ramp and sea crossing. All this was pretty thirsty work, as the sun had come out with a vengeance, and I regretted neglecting to bring a hat to protect my, nowadays, rather thinly-covered scalp, but the fact is that the weather had been so consistently depressing during the weeks before our journey began that I simply hadn’t thought of it. Fortunately I was assisted, quite unasked, by a very helpful young man who emerged from the establishment accommodation block and took a very great interest in my bikes. I didn’t catch his name, but I do thank him most kindly.

Day Four began with a continental breakfast at the Travelodge, and then all we had to do was stroll next door to Eaglet, flash up the Bongo and drive the mile or so to the ferry port, passing the “Three Graces” (the seafarer’s term for those three elegant buildings which line the Liverpool waterfront, the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building, and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board building) along the way. Boarding the Super Seacat 2 was straightforward (in a roundabout sort of way!) and the ship was ready to “slip and proceed”, as sailors say, on schedule at 1100. It was a beautiful day, the sea was smooth and the crossing uneventful, save for a scrumptious “Manx Breakfast” which, it must be remarked, closely resembles its English equivalent! We were alongside in Douglas by half-past one and duly disembarked, driving straight up to Government House where we were met by His Excellency, Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul Haddacks, and Lady Haddacks.

On arrival at Government House I was surprised and delighted to discover that Sir Paul’s residence is guarded by a splendid field piece which strongly resembles that depicted on the Royal Enfield marque badge, and Sir Paul assured me that it is kept loaded and primed-just in case! A garage had been allocated for the motorcycles, and we proceeded to unload them and prepare for the final part of the Challenge-a lap of the TT circuit, scheduled for 1030 the next day. The Meteor Minor was unloaded first, fired up without difficulty, and ridden around to the garage, where it was checked and made ready for its part as back-up machine. I unloaded the Constellation, started it and rode it around to the garage as well. I then noticed the trail of oil which had been left on the roadway. It was immediately apparent that the oil was from the Connie, and the oil filter cap was found to be loose. This could be disastrous for the Constellation-perhaps the Minor would get a run around the circuit after all! I investigated and found that the oil filter cap securing stud had stripped its thread. I removed the stud, sawed off the damaged section of thread, and found that the stud, being rather longer than necessary, was still long enough to be reinstalled. The securing nut was, fortunately, undamaged, so the repair was completed, to my considerable relief! Although I would very much like to have ridden the Meteor Minor around the course, as things fell out, I didn’t have time, and the “Challenge” was really to ride the Constellation. Just to be on the safe side, I took the Connie for a quick run down Glencrutchery Road, topped off the fuel tank, and finished off by checking the oil and tyre pressures. All was ready for the Big Day!

Day Five, Friday 12th May, 1015. I was ready. Both of the bikes were ready. The weather was fine. Silence reigned. Where were they? I had invited several friends and colleagues to accompany me around the circuit as a kind of “Captain’s Escort”. I have studied plenty of “on-bike action” videos and also driven around the circuit in a car, so I reckoned I wouldn’t get lost, but a few riders who knew the circuit would guarantee it, and numbers would help with the publicity, as well.
I shouldn’t have worried. One after another, they arrived, and what a wonderful sight and sound they made. The V.M.C.C. contingent comprised Tony East (1965 Thunderbird), Ken Blackburn (Velocette Venom), Clive Kneale (Sprung-hub Speed Twin), Harry Cardy (Oil-in-frame Thunderbird), Juan Clague (1948 B.S.A. A7) and Ashley Gardner, also a captain at B.A. Connect, (1973 Suzuki “Kettle”). All of these kind gentlemen are residents of the Isle of Man, of course, but the team was completed by the arrival of Brian Selwood, of the Royal Enfield Owners Club. He has attended the TT races regularly for many years and has also served as a track marshal. On this occasion he had ridden his 2000 Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet up from Aldershot a couple of weeks early in order to join us on the ride-and thus I was escorted by this Most Distinguished Company, seated upon seven of the most beautifully prepared bikes I have ever seen, on my lap of the circuit. What a fabulous experience, what wonderful friends, and what a fantastic result was in store!

As we made our stately progress around the hallowed circuit, there were very few delays. At Quarterbridge, a particularly busy and complex double roundabout when subject to normal traffic, we had to wait a minute or two before continuing toward Braddan, and as we approached the signals at Ballacraine we were held up by a couple of agricultural wagons. Preparations for the racing were in hand at Glen Vine, delaying us very briefly, and, after a short wait for temporary signals at Drinkwater’s Bend, we settled into a pleasant 50 m.p.h. clip, subject, of course, to the local speed limits and keeping a weather eye out for the cardboard bobby with a radar gun just outside Kirk Michael!
The well known features of the circuit passed in succession, Alpine Cottage, Ballaugh Bridge, Sulby, and soon we were passing through Parliament Square, Ramsay, negotiating light traffic as we swung through Waterworks and into the Gooseneck. This is extremely tight and was taken at a careful 30 m.p.h. and then we were on the steep climb onto the Mountain. I had been a little concerned about my Constellation’s power output. Although these 700cc twins were capable of well over 110 m.p.h. when new, I have been unable to replicate such a performance, not least because of current speed limits, of course, and I was unsure how the climb would go, but we virtually stormed up the incline, passing the Guthrie Memorial and into the Mountain Mile at a fine pace. After the necessarily slow initial climb out of Ramsay, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Constellation would climb easily in top gear. Tony East, who was just behind me on his ’65 Thunderbird, confided afterwards that he had had to drop into third gear to keep up!

The Mountain section must surely be a universal favourite. Sweeping bends combine with beautiful views to make a racing circuit which is unique, as far as I know. Under racing conditions, the experience is rather less romantic and prodigiously more demanding-absolute concentration is required to progress through some of these extremely complex bend sequences at speeds of around 180 m.p.h., and in some races, four laps are completed!

Once again, the famous names slipped past, evoking memories of the radio commentaries I had heard in my youth, “listen as the factory Nortons come by, etc.”, the Verandah, Bungalow, and into the triple curvature Brandywell. Windy Corner had been closed for resurfacing for about six weeks, commencing in March, and I had been worried that the work might not be completed before my Challenge lap, but all was well. In fact the camber has been modified to give a more consistent curve, and this might well lead to slightly better racing times, though it is said that the main problem with Windy is, naturally, the crosswind, which prevents riders from banking rapidly enough upon entering the bend. There was no wind today, and we had no trouble banking at our modest speed, and so to Kate’s Cottage and into the long, precipitous straight down to Creg-ny-Baa. It would be easy to arrive at the Hotel with a little too much speed for the corner and I’ve often wondered how many riders have tried to take the bend too fast and ended up in the car park-or even the bar, perish the thought! There’s always a big crowd here on race days, and there’s a large stand, positioned well out of the way of any errant machines!
The remainder of the circuit is quite fast, and we covered it quickly enough, but at Signpost Corner we were really getting back into the suburbs, and first 40 and then 30 m.p.h. limits reduced our speed. Although the Isle of Man is the motorcycle racing capital of the world, you can still be prosecuted for speeding, and this particular stretch is a favourite. If proof were needed, I saw a speed cop here with a radar gun the day after the ride.

With 362 miles on the Constellation’s odometer, we crossed the “Finish Line” at Government House at 1139, to be welcomed by His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, and Lady Haddacks, the ex Mayor of Douglas, Mrs Glenda Corkish, and Mr Corkish, the ex Mayoress of Douglas, Mrs Ruth Denning, and Mr Denning, as well as the legendary TT rider, Eddie Crooks, and Mrs Crooks. Mrs Corkish and Mrs Denning had completed their term of office just the day before our ride.

As we parked our machines and began to relax and discuss our experiences Harry Cardy very graciously presented me with the last remaining badge commemorating the V.M.C.C. 2005 International T.T. Golden Jubilee Rally, a very handsome adornment indeed, which I shall always treasure. Mrs Denning then absolutely made our day by presenting Sue and I with a cheque for £2000 in favour of CLIC Sargent, which had been one of their favoured charities whilst in office. This took the total amount raised to a little over an absolutely incredible £10000! The entire company was then entertained for a light lunch by His Excellency and Lady Haddacks which made a splendid end to an absolutely fabulous experience.

After a weekend of relaxation courtesy of our hosts, when some of the splendours of the Isle of Man were explored by car, the bikes were trailered together for the journey home just as the weather broke on Sunday afternoon. A night of heavy rain could not dampen our enthusiasm for the island as, early on Monday morning, we made our way reluctantly to the ferry port to begin our journey home. We had had a week beyond our wildest dreams, the only disappointment being that the Meteor Minor had not graced the track. Perhaps it will return one day! The trip back was uneventful and quick. The day after our return we heard that the ferries had been held off because of the discovery of a WW2 bomb in the Mersey, and the M6 was closed in both directions following two crashes. The gods had certainly smiled on us for the whole adventure. Since our return the bikes have settled back into a less prestigious environment, and even more donations have been made, bringing our total to nearly £10900, and at the time of writing, there are still two months until the closing date of our fundraising.

It only remains for me to thank, most sincerely, first of all my wife, Sue, for her unwavering help, support and forbearance, and also the many, many, kind and generous individuals and companies, really too numerous to mention here, who have sponsored or assisted us on our journey, or contributed to our fundraising activities. We simply could not have done it without you all!

Alun Thomas
(aka Captain Constellation)

Unlike the Bongomaster, John Cady is a bit of a dab hand when it comes to using saws, screwdrivers, spanners and glue. So when I learnt that he had converted a Bongo from scratch, I commissioned him to write this Bongo Tale!