The Wye Valley
21 JunI’m writing this post retrospectively on Monday, after Gillian and I took the Suzuki on an overnight camping expedition to the Wye Valley. Everything is 20:20 in hindsight. Let’s just say the most reliable thing about the camping trip was the Suzuki.
Although a few problems have come to light, over 300 miles the car was pretty good. I have become accustomed to life in the slow lane, as our happy cruising speed was about 55mph. Problems that need to be sorted are:
- A small amount of fuel is leaking from the top of the fuel tank, only when it is absolutely full,
- The exhaust is hitting on the differential housing on big bumps,
- The gearbox has jumped out of 3rd gear three times in 300 miles, but only when coasting,
- The roof is leaking, and the water runs onto the 240V inverter!
I’m sure there will be some more problems that come to light given a full inspection.
Problems that need to be sorted with our camping paraphernalia are:
- I’d discussed with Gillian whether to take a duvet or our sleeping bags, but then forgot to pack either. Needless to say it was freezing in the Wye Valley, and we have narrowly escaped pneumonia. They say a blunt pencil is better than a sharp mind, so I’ve made a suitable note to remember the sleeping bags next time.
- Having never pitched my 8 pound tent from Tesco (a local supermarket), I was surprised to find you can’t zip the door closed fully! The skin doesn’t breath, and even with the door involuntarily ajar, in cold conditions water condensation tends to drip from the inside of the tent. This doesn’t help one keep warm either.
- 10mm foam mattresses are very cheap for a good reason, and we will be purchasing some self inflating style mattresses so that we don’t die of insomnia.
While we may have been cold, the camping stove worked well, and boil in the bag meals that were surprisingly tasty ensured that we wouldn’t die hungry.
Fortunately Gillian noticed the absence of the duvet before the shops were shut, and we were able to purchase a cheap (but very thin) duvet enroute. This prevented us from having to sleep in the car with the heater running…and the English call it the summer!
On the other hand, it was unfortunate that I left the camera at home with the duvet, so I have no pictures to liven the post, and you’ll just have to believe me when I say the Wye Valley is England at its picturesque best.
