Tam and Toby ~~ Hunting Zorba .....Take two.

gpat said:
Your returning home adventure is going to be the most exciting thing on here by miles. Maybe a new thread.

Tams escape!
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It might be exciting for you but i can honestly say ive got to the point of information overload , slightly worried , nervous , stressed etc its a nightmare trying to work everything out , get timings right , find out info on forever changing regs and requirements etc
Its exhausting ☹️
Part of me thinks just chill out the next 3 weeks then deal with it then but the other part that cant switch off needs a plan

The costs are going to be bad enough ....but the stress and anxiety doesnt help.

Excited is the last thing i feel sadly
 
Northernraider said:
It might be exciting for you but i can honestly say ive got to the point of information overload , slightly worried , nervous , stressed etc its a nightmare trying to work everything out , get timings right , find out info on forever changing regs and requirements etc
Its exhausting ☹️
Part of me thinks just chill out the next 3 weeks then deal with it then but the other part that cant switch off needs a plan

The costs are going to be bad enough ....but the stress and anxiety doesnt help.

Excited is the last thing i feel sadly
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Any news on the bus?
 
Northernraider said:
It might be exciting for you but i can honestly say ive got to the point of information overload , slightly worried , nervous , stressed etc its a nightmare trying to work everything out , get timings right , find out info on forever changing regs and requirements etc
Its exhausting ☹️
Part of me thinks just chill out the next 3 weeks then deal with it then but the other part that cant switch off needs a plan

The costs are going to be bad enough ....but the stress and anxiety doesnt help.

Excited is the last thing i feel sadly
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Understand. I would be anxious too. Its normal. There must be some consolation in knowing you have an army of advisors on here (and the wider interweb). Imagine the same scenario 20 years ago.

Personally I think you will be fine. Returning is a different matter to traveling out and expect that countries will want/support you getting through and out again. 'In transit' is different to travelling.

Everyone is wishing you the best of luck.
 
chaser said:
Any news on the bus?
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Its supposed to be getting delivered today at around 2pm
Ive a mate who is motor savvy and actually works for mercedes going to be there to give it a once over for me and sort the paperwork etc so hoping it all goes smoothly
 
gpat said:
Understand. I would be anxious too. Its normal. There must be some consolation in knowing you have an army of advisors on here (and the wider interweb). Imagine the same scenario 20 years ago.

Personally I think you will be fine. Returning is a different matter to traveling out and expect that countries will want/support you getting through and out again. 'In transit' is different to travelling.

Everyone is wishing you the best of luck.
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Yes it does help even for just a bit moral support to be honest.

I was always an anxious traveller when i flew places etc ...i think its whenever its anything thats outwith my control i panic ...i was always fine once id arrived at the hotel but pre flight , pre transport bus etc etc i was always on edge.

I was the same on trains... especially if i had changeovers to make etc .....stress central.


And here its because of the ferry snd needing the test a certain time before then the limited time to transit each country etc .....i always think what can go wrong and its a hard habit to break.

But it may turn out to be better than im imagining at present

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I know I’m probably telling my grandmother how to suck eggs - have you got a notebook where you can right your information as you get it, phone numbers etc? I always feel better when something is written down, & out of my head! I’m a great believer in lists, they have got me through some very sticky times, & stop things whirling around in my head so much !
 
I can understand that, it’s the uncertainty. If you knew the exact process you’d be fine. The dogs add an extra complication as does the 90 days. It’s not as though you can just throw your hands up and say you’ll just stay in Greece in case it messes up your plans when you try to get back into France on the Eurotunnel next trip.

Not many of us would be up to explaining at the border why we had overstayed on our previous trip due to Covid however many receipts/letters etc we had in a language that was not our native one.
 
Stonemags76 said:
I know I’m probably telling my grandmother how to suck eggs - have you got a notebook where you can right your information as you get it, phone numbers etc? I always feel better when something is written down, & out of my head! I’m a great believer in lists, they have got me through some very sticky times, & stop things whirling around in my head so much !
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I havent and I could slap myself for not having even plain paper in the van and i now regret selling my printer also.
But next shopping trip ill be picking up a notepad aswell as more disposable masks
But you're correct if i have it all written down with contact numbers etc it will help
 
Dazzlin said:
I really like that design of stove.
Small enough for the van, cooking option on the top, but can be kept down, and the tray around the base is a nice way to keep the area tidy(er) .
Have you got a supplier for it please?
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Ok it took me longer than i thought but here you go ....its the shepherd stove from these guys in Cornwall

anevaystoves.com

Shepherd™ Stove

The Shepherd Stove is a 1.8 kW stove designed for tiny spaces: converted vans, shepherd's huts, & small bell tents or tipis. Compact and super-efficient, the Shepherd will keep your space cosy with minimal fuel. Find out more.
anevaystoves.com anevaystoves.com
 
Northernraider said:
I havent and I could slap myself for not having even plain paper in the van and i now regret selling my printer also.
But next shopping trip ill be picking up a notepad aswell as more disposable masks
But you're correct if i have it all written down with contact numbers etc it will help
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I couldn't do what you're doing without copious lists
Maybe you could start on a blank page in a book, road atlas, van manual?, a paperbag? I'm sure it will help. Hope so anyway.

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Northernraider said:
Ok it took me longer than i thought but here you go ....its the shepherd stove from these guys in Cornwall

anevaystoves.com

Shepherd™ Stove

The Shepherd Stove is a 1.8 kW stove designed for tiny spaces: converted vans, shepherd's huts, & small bell tents or tipis. Compact and super-efficient, the Shepherd will keep your space cosy with minimal fuel. Find out more.
anevaystoves.com anevaystoves.com
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Looks nice. I wonder if they ever have a sale on though! They are not cheap are they?
 
Just bookmark them all aswel on your mobile ,i have 100,s on mine.🤣
 
Thanks for finding that, "small wood burner with lift up lid sat in a tray" wasn't getting many results.... 🙄

Looking forward to seeing your build come together, possible project - a spanish reg vario for us in next few years.... 😎
 
gpat said:
Looks nice. I wonder if they ever have a sale on though! They are not cheap are they?
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Yeah it is pricey
The cheapest is the Cyclops from Glastonbury stoves its £200
The Hobbit is £500
The grizzly £450
That shepherd £600
And thats before you buy the flues etc
But as its an item towards the end of my build ill see how the budget goes and decide then

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Dazzlin said:
Thanks for finding that, "small wood burner with lift up lid sat in a tray" wasn't getting many results.... 🙄

Looking forward to seeing your build come together, possible project - a spanish reg vario for us in next few years.... 😎
Click to expand...
Yeah i had to ask on instagram lol
 
Parked up at messini now at the same spot i visited before back in December. Im going to just chill here for a few days , weather is nice again with decent temps for the next week at least

Milo couldn't wait to dive in for a swim
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So the bus arrived eventually around 2.45 ... had a lot of trouble getting it in the drive even with another driver guiding him and they are meant to be professional lol. Anyway it has a bit more surface rust around the cills than was visible in the photo's but i expected that. My mate had a look around it and thinks engine sounds great , no smoke or visible leaks ...the rust is all repairable , full log book left , service history and 3 keys so thats all good ....the seller has been on phone 3 times as PayPal apparently holding his payment but thats nowt to do with me as its all went through on my end . If he'd delivered it yesterday and took bank transfer as arranged he'd have had it and saved a few hundred in fees.

But he seems all friendly now and asking to see pics once its converted ...the crabby woman was his wife.

So its there and seems as described for now so ill see what i think when im home
Mum and sister can only see rusty bits ...typical wimmen lol

They've been sending pics of all the rust.

Ill probably put a full set of cills on it anyway and a back valance ....i want to design custom tail lights for it as i dont like the originals and ill be fitting a rear carrier like the bottom photo for a motorbike.

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A lot of the rust is caused by that really ugly crappy bodykit which will be the first thing to get removed.

Nothing i cant fix and nothing i wasnt expecting on a 15 year old merc.

But "kouros" will be stunning when built 😁
 
Northernraider said:
So the bus arrived eventually around 2.45 ... had a lot of trouble getting it in the drive even with another driver guiding him and they are meant to be professional lol. Anyway it has a bit more surface rust around the cills etc than was visible in the photo's but i expected that. My mate had a look around it etc and thinks engine sounds great , no smoke etc ...the rust is all repairable , full log book left , service history etc and 3 keys so thats all good ....the seller has been on phone 3 times as PayPal apparently holding his payment but thats nowt to do with me as its all went through on my end . If he'd delivered it yesterday and took bank transfer as arranged he'd have had it and saved a few hundred in fees.

But he seems all friendly now and asking to see pics once its converted etc ...the crabby woman was his wife.

So its there and seems as described for now so ill see what i think when im home
Mum and sister can only see rusty bits ...typical wimmen lol

They've been sending pics of all the rust.

Ill probably put a full set of cills on it anyway and a back valance ....i want to design custom tail lights for it anyway as i dont like the originals and ill be fitting a rear carrier like bottom photo anyway for a motorbike.

View attachment 466833View attachment 466834View attachment 466835View attachment 466836View attachment 466837View attachment 466838View attachment 466839View attachment 466840View attachment 466841


A lot of the rust is caused by that really ugly crappy bodykit which will be the first thing to get removed.

Nothing i cant fix and nothing i wasnt expecting on a 15 year old merc.

But "kouros" will be stunning when built 😁
Click to expand...
Ha Ha. I see what you mean. The photographer wasn't focusing on the good bits thats for sure. You are of course correct and that's not bad for its age and is to be expected. Plenty of metal in them things unlike the newer vans which are designed to self destruct after exactly 15 years. The bodykit is a bit weird I agree and probably not helping by holding water.

Id love to have a go at that, it will look fantastic with a coat of new paint

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If you went back on the same ferry perhaps one of you could book without a cabin and then share to save a bit of cssh. Minoan cabins are a bit basic but have a shower & loo, mains sockets.
 
monzer said:
Looks like a great van. What length is it?
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Just over 7 metres long , 2900 high and 2200 width. About 5 metres from rear of drivers seat to the back window which is 300mm longer than the inside of the hymer.

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