I didn’t really intend watching this … but did.

I watched the original documentary and thought afterword’s Savile was a seriously dodgy bloke. I like Theroux did not realise how truly nasty and manipulative he actually was. Cringe worthy watching the footage again.

Is there a reason the newer style hiace is not for sale in the uk?

I like the idea of the freedom of a campervan which can carry your sports gear and just pull over and kip up for whatever you are doing the next day, for short breaks. More of a mobile sports storage / somewhere to kip. Just take a tent as well if you are needing more space.

I also see the attraction of a larger family motorhome but what I don’t get is the parking up in what looks like a car park.

This is a lovely spot, Witches Craig, below the Ochils on the outskirts of Stirling but it is quite pricy and it looks like you are staying in a car park.

North of the sun (surf / snowboard) documentary is good if you can find it.

Look up The North Face on youtube (sponsored films by the clothing company) they have some interesting films e.g. the free solo climber Alex Honnold.
Fledglings

Towers of Ennedi
180o South

National Geographic did a shorts series rock climbing in China incredible cliffs that is good.

2″ blocks under the feet?
Hence raising your horizontal datum line for the height of the worktop around the room.
Fit the rest as normal.
You would need to source or make deeper kickboards as the gap will be larger / non standard.

Yep, I have been using contacts for 30 years for sport as v short sighted. Glasses most of the rest of time. Skiing initially as glasses are a pain, hate drizzle / steaming up. Moving on to Dailes simplified it massively. Put them in and chuck when done. Never had any bother with them. It takes a bit of getting use to getting them in. Also you don’t break / scratch your glasses too. Normal shades or clear glasses as protection or not just as many people do.

Ta, some great design tips there.
Loving the quality carpet finish & round the windows.
You could have a little bit of secret storage under the raised seating floor.
I imagine you have spent a fair few hours on the van, great job.

Not mega miles but:

Mk1 Focus 1.8 petrol 155k retired due to sump issues. Abused from 6 months old by myself.

Vectra 1.8 petrol 163k retired with only Cat converter MOT fail. I was running it as a second car and I didn’t need it anymore. It was a freebe from my Dad who was offer £300 as a trade in at 117k. I think in 47k miles after that it only needed a new battery and a minor suspension repair.

Mondeo 2.2 tdci 169k, written off by a tourist, it was still running good.

I am currently on a sprightly SAAB at 128k so I wonder how it will fair.

When I was a student I worked as a delivery driver and drove several vans with 300k + that still went fine. Mercedes and Toyota’s mainly.

nice van …. amazing landscape

We were picking blaeberries & wild rasps on our bike ride today in the highlands. They were good.

Yes the side meshes will take a bike bottle.
If the bag is full of stuff it might be a bit harder to get it in.

I’ve had both.
Currently got a 25.
The 32 has noticable more space / deeper. Feels the same on your back.
As if you fill up the front / top pockets like i do it eats into the main body space.
Great bags.

So would you get your van weighed on a weigh bridge to prove it is under the 3.05t limit? How do the dvla check?

Also has anyone converted one recently adding graphics to make a panel van look more like a motorhome as per the exterior requirements?

Just a bit of an observation coming back down the A9 from Aviemore today.
I was following a bit behind a small van crusing at 50mph (correct speed) for about 15miles.
There was pretty huge cue of cars behind it.

Shortly after that i followed a big sprinter panel van most of the way to perth.
It was doing exactly the same speed as i was going. 63ish on speedo on single and about 80 on dual. It must have gone 50-60 miles way over the van limit.
So maybe getting a lot of tickets or maybe not.

Anyone got a motorhome or converter (van) camper (reclassified) e.g ducato or T5
What is your speed limit on the A9 do you sit at 60mph on single sections?

A question for nickdavies regarding the speed limits.

On the A9 in the single lane a van speed limit is 50mph.
I have followed several ducato lwb size prof converted campervans which sit at the car 60 mph speed through all the average speed cameras. Are they just chancing it or are the allowed car speed limits. I assume their v5 classification would be the same as a reclassified van.

Vauxhall Forum – VxOn[/url]

Vivaro / Movano Camper Van / Day Van Conversions (including Renault/Nissan Derivatives) Forum

http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=147

Also the T4 / T5 forums are good for ideas.
See the LWB and SWB Garage forums for campervan / pimped builds.

matt007 – fine conversion there.

What seats are you using in the back there?
Which donor vehicle are they from and will they fold flat or come out easily?
Sorry one more question.
I am assuming your conversion will stay as a van (with increased number of seats) rather than a V5 change to a motorcaravan?

Thanks

Crewlie .. thats a good looking motor there. What model is it?

Nice photos folks, it is making me jealous. I will have to stick to the tent for now.

Nice job on your bathroom. Love the tiling, great colour and style. Where has the bog gone?

You are right bainbrge I worked in film VFX around that time and used Lightwave. There wasn’t a huge amount of control over the lens flare as it was a new feature. It was used a lot in Babylon 5. They would have been using beta unreleased versions of the software as we were.

“LightWave was the first professional 3D package to incorporate lens flares into its arsenal. Simply put, a lens flare is an artifact that appears in the lens elements of a camera when you aim it toward a source of light. It is by all definitions a defect—a limitation of the camera lens. However, by imitating this defect, you can add the realism of using an actual camera to LightWave animations.”

Below are a couple of Lightwave scenes from about 1997.
These have been composited in 2d, the lens flare in the second one is a real camera shot element added on top of the CGI. God almost 20 years ago.

Nice set of brakes on your Brompton Ben.
I had one that colour. Now traveling round the USA somewhere via ebay.

Here is another one from a couple of years ago.
Interlocking birch ply, it comes apart with no screws or glue.
The first photo is a scale model mock up.

Here is a side table I made from rejected oak window sills.
The legs and top are laminated.
The finish is 6-8 coats of neutral Danish Oil followed by 3-4 coats of Miniwax wipe-on polyurethane final finish. The latter is good stuff I got from the US. I have a background in 3d CAD so sometimes use that to develop ideas and sizes. Buttons on the underside to hold the top on and allow for wood movement.

If a caravelle is classed as a car. Is this the same for a factory vivaro crew cab or a vito dualiner?

If you put a bed or a kitchen pod in the back of the above but V5 is not changed to a full camper does this affect your insurance?

See VxON below for vivaro camper forum for ideas.

http://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/index.php?forums/vivaro-movano-camper-van-day-van-conversions-including-renault-nissan-derivatives.200/

Also T5forum for info.

A whole mixture of budgets and step by step conversions.
If you don’t need seats in the rear a side pull out bench seat/bed gives more space and will take full bikes etc.

A foot+ of untracked powder

For me it is getting out and doing stuff in the outdoors.

I used to, every other weekend.
Sleeper down late sun. Straight off train to work.
Virgin Train back after work Fri.
I did work in central london so fairly quick to get to the station.

Also did a flight commute from gatwick as I was working in Guildford on a contract. Even with quick boarding it seems to take a while to get to airport in time.

I prefered the train other than not getting on until 5 mins before it left at the londom end. If you are paying it fair adds up and occationally you don’t get there.

Some xmas pressies made from bits and pieces kicking about.

A Lego box for my daughter. (There is also some Lego to go with it, which she is well keen on).

Chopping board for mother. (Partly from a kitchen worktop that was getting chucked).

p.s. I love the balance bike, lovely work!

1979 T reg mini in 1992.

Customised by myself with bucket seats, carb, inlet manifold, exhaust etc. It went pretty good.
Orange pool ball gear knob to match colour “borrowed” from local bar.
Go faster stripes & spot lights.
Went lots of places in that car. Including windsurfing.

Like this

http://s416.photobucket.com/user/RiponredTJ/media/5BallInstalled.jpg.html

Quite fancy another one for fun.

I asked a probationer in the school I work recently how things were going.
He described it in one word “relentless” which I thought was very apt.

The day certainly passes pretty damn quick. Personally it is getting a little more manageable, but I do think of quitting often. I am learning how to be more efficient, what has the biggest impact, and not too take too much of it home.
I spend about 2+ hours extra a day in school most days, there is a lot of pressure due to “evidence” and loads of unnecessary administration.

My dad had extra insulation put in his loft of a 1950’s house. He reckons it makes a noticable difference to warmth, bills. More than a foot thick now. When it was put in they were careful not to screw up the intended airflow / ventilation.

I think good insulation is meant to be the most cost effective / best eco you can do to many homes.

3.3 million it came in all in mmmmmmmmm.
I did question the wifes justification saying something along the lines of you can wake up and take in the view and watch the boats go by.

I remember visiting the isle of wight and getting a similar experience sitting outside my tent.

I also had a escapist with burst zip stiching, which was probably my fault. They sent out a new bag as a replacement. Great kit.

A chop (mitre) saw will save you alot of time / hassle. There is quite a bit of cutting. Spacer kit for expansion round edges. Knee pads! An extra pair of hands when putting together long sections is a big help. Plenty materials as there will be wastage and there might but duff lengths.

What are you all using for a seat for kids this age?

Just a half decent adult one or something smaller?
I have most of the parts for a build for my 9 going on 10 daughter not sure about the seat though.
I was thinking of a rigid fork initially.

You can get a nice wood finished down firing sub for a more discrete look. BK XLS200

http://www.bkelec.com/hifi/sub_woofers/XLS200-DF.htm

Excellent sound, well regarded and highly recommended.
I have a lamp on top, most people don’t notice it is a speaker.

I agree with other posts, I think a half decent surround sound improves viewing much more than a super fancy TV (although that would be nice too).

2012 Nukeproof Mega – Bought 2013
Surprisingly original, swapped out for reverb & new seat, tyres.
Usual worn out stuff, bb, chain, cassette.

2010 Genesis Altitude (HT) – Bought 2011
Almostly completely replaced / upgraded. Only fork,derailleurs and shifters original. Now 2×9.

2002 Schwinn Road Bike – Bought 2005
Now used as commuter, recently replaced bars, stem, seat, seat post, wider rear cassette to improve / change ride position.

I know you are in London but have a look at this

http://www.teachinscotland.org/?dm_i=LQE,34OUF,3LDKO9,B7V7J,1

This gives quite a bit of info for people thinking of going into teaching.

I am currently doing my probation in Scotland, working in a secondary school for a year (NQT – Newly qualified teacher). So with a bit of luck I will be full registered and looking for a job to start after the summer. (I am also under no illusion that I may not find a full time job and may return to my previous career but that is not my intention). I also think the experience will make me better now at any job – Transferable Skills etc.

At 45 I was one of the older ones in my uni year, but having spent most of my working life in creative/tech companies I don’t feel too much of an old duffer.

There is no doubt about it there is a very steep learning curve and it is very hard to start with (well I found it that way). It is a very busy job (which I quite like) you need to do a whole load of things at the same time. There is an awful lot to do out with standing up in front of a class. Preparation, course development, marking, reports, parent’s evenings, professional development, and clubs etc. Efficiency, good time management and thinking on your feat are definite requirements otherwise it could take over your life completely.

I think Primary is a bit different, my brother and wife are both Primary teachers and they seem to be expected to do everything regardless of how much of their free time it takes up. Experienced Secondary teachers seem to be a bit more hardnosed. (No offence to Primary Teachers that is just my observation).

If you are interested in kids, getting to know them, like a challenge and being busy it is still a good if demanding job. The holidays are grand (and needed).

I am intetested in giving the 365 a go. A photo taken each day so far this year. What does anybody suggest for uploading, storing the images. The Blipfoto looks quite good. Or is Flickr they way to go? I’ve not used any image hosting to store photos online before.