(AKA - A real life test/review of the Garmin Streetpilot C320)

What are camper vans for if they’re not for heading off, on an impulse, into the country for a spot of exploration? And what better to help you with that than a bit of in-bus navigation help? By that I am referring, of course to RatNav.

OK, I really mean SatNav, but Eugene, the van’s newest mascot (named somewhat unfairly after the Big Brother contestant on account of the oversized chompers) needs somewhere to sit and I don’t want to let that get in the way of a cheesy pun.

I’d always wondered what use these systems were. They were something that "other people" used, generally people in BMWs with plush leather seats. But then one day I found myself in the back of a car. A BMW, actually. With leather seats. And I was watching Tim’s Satnav follow us and guide us all around the country lanes to John’s place in Sezincote, delivering us right there on that spot in the middle of nowhere. I knew it was only a matter of time until I succumbed and bought me one of those!

I got a Garmin Streetpilot C320 about a week ago but this weekend was the first time that I tried it out for sure. I looked at a map (the old fashioned kind) and decided a bimble around the Forest of Dean would be a good idea. The unit seemed to fail its first test when I headed for the M4. I knew that I needed to head west and go over the bridge into Wales, but it was suggesting I go left, heading for London. Er … OK, let’s let it recover. Because the good thing is that if you go off route, it quickly recalculates a route for you. I worked out later that it was guiding me the right way, as I had set the unit to avoid tolls, so it was suggesting a route other than the M4 route I had headed out on (because you have to pay to go across the Severn Bridge). I unset that option then carried on my way. Oh, and paid the toll when we crossed the old Severn Bridge.

I cannot praise these things enough. It took the stress out of navigating to such a degree it was laughable. I was making my way around little towns like I’d known them for years, not once making a wrong turn. When we got to our campsite (located using the GPS), we immediately headed out, using the nearby points of interest facility on the unit to good use. By selecting one point at a time and letting the unit suggest a route, we found ourselves driving down pretty routes that we probably would not have done had we tried to navigate using the large scale map. The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly Symonds Yat, recommended to us by some other people (kombi owners!) that we befriended at the campsite. I simply tapped in the town name, then looked for accommodation near to that town (on the basis that the accommodation closest to the centre would be a good place to start). It suggested a place called the Saracens Head Inn. Symonds Yat is a beautiful spot, and without the SatNav I might not have found it.

Bottom line - you may think that SatNav/GPS is for geeks (and I think I can qualify for that category) but it really was an excellent thing to have this weekend. I just know that it will help me find places I wouldn’t otherwise do and it will also make me feel happier about driving off down random country lanes because I know I’ll always have a guide to help me out. One that doesn’t get grumpy about being asked, too

Photos from Forest of Dean getaway are here

Well, it’s been a while since I updated the Kombi blog, but there’s not been a huge amount happening. Well, not anything obvious, at least. There haven’t been any shows to attend since the last aborted botch of a show (which turned out to be a handful of people down Boscombe pier, not that it was anyone’s fault). But the VW show season is starting to pick up. This weekend is Volksworld, and I’m hoping to attend if I can, but already have something else planned that weekend. Whenever the next show is, I can at least roll up in a little more comfort than previously, and here’s why - I have a heater!

Going anywhere in the van before always had a down side, and that was the cold. Cold toes, cold nose, cold hands - anything that either wasn’t wrapped up or was facing a jet of cold air turned to ice. It made any journey uncomfortable, and replacing the existing heater - or rather non-existent heateing parts - of the van was not really an option. You see, the placement of the engine right at the back and the length of the tubing from the rear of the van to the front of the vehicle doesn’t make for great (guaranteed) heating in these old vans. And the other thing to bear in mind is that it only works when the engine is running. So, I have got myself an Eberspacher D1LC diesel heater. Imagine a jet engine scaled down and you are getting close. This little baby should keep the van toasty warm in future, regardless of whether the engine is running. Now I just need to get the darn thing plummed in and wired up!

Ethel (for that is her name, dear forgetful or first-time readers) has had a couple of cosmetic changes of note in the last couple of months. Firstly, the roo bars came off, and with it the spare tyre (please don’t let me run over any nails!). It was immediately clear how much that extra steel over the front affected steering; without the roo bars I noticed a marked improvement in handling. I just gotta make sure that I don’t hit any ‘roos now. I also removed the silly little fold-down step at the side and some other metallic ‘cruft’ underneath the van that did little but add to the weight and fuel consumption. Little changes all add up.

In February, Ethel got some new curtains that my sister made. These have all been fitted to the ridiculously small curtain tracking that has probably been there for the whole of the van’s life. They’re looking good, although when closed up there are a few little gaps of light that creep in (need to get big sis to add a touch more material for absolute privacy, methinks!).

Finally, over the last couple of days Ethel got a new smile. Well, a white bumper, at least (looks a bit like a smile to me!), front and back. The bumpers were a bit scratched up and I’ve seen how easily these things can rot out without a bit of care. The problem with Ethel, though, is that her colour is an Aussie one that can’t easily be matched here in the UK, so I couldn’t guarantee an exact match for the bumper, hence I opted for white. It will makes sense in the long run as any further dings and scratches will be easy to cover up and, if I’m honest, they help to balance out the van as a whole (the white pop-top and air scoops).

Ethel’s new ‘pearly-whites’

So, that’s Ethel’s recent work. We took her out this weekend to the Cotswolds, and you can see her new flash of white in these pictures. I don’t think that there’ll be any other major changes in the immediate future, but who knows what little goodies I might pick up at one of the shows this year? So tempting …

Note: All my van pictures will, at some point, also make it onto my Flickr site.