Adventure Overland Show 2016

It’s late September and here we are again driving Puffin to the Adventure and Overland show at the Stratford on Avon racecourse.

On the way we had called into the local clinic for our Flu jabs and returned some clothes to Marks & Spencer’s.

I like to be productive. I did think about dropping a load of rubbish at the local tip as we passed by, but they have height barriers.

I look forward to this show every year. It fuels my dreams, makes me want to travel more and perhaps push some boundaries.

The stands selling natural products made from leather and wood always draw me in.

I can wander the tools and parts stalls all day, trying to stop myself from buying that must have set of spanners.

Obviously the vehicles are the stars here and the mix is so varied.

I will just let the photos tell the tale.

The French made Gazell demount caught my eye. It’s being sold in the UK by SBS

SBS Adventure Campers

There was a good turn out of Ex army conversions

This Unimog is Mowgli as seen on the blog

http://mowgli-adventures.com/meet-our-unimog-camper-named-mowgli/

 

Cooking was high on my agenda. I was hoping to find the Hawkins pressure cooker. A simple, but effective cooker made in India since 1959. The small 2 litre capacity cooker would be ideal for our campervan allowing us the cook fresh local produce in a greatly reduced time. If there was one there, I didn’t find it.

Hawkins Pressure Cookers

I was also looking for a silicone mould for our Omnia oven, but it seems that Omnia don’t have any in stock in Sweden, let alone the UK.

 

 

 

 

Adventure & Overland Show 2015

The fourth Adventure Overland show was being held on the 26^th & 27^th September at the Stratford upon Avon racecourse.

Puffin was our choice of transport for the short trip to the racecourse on the Saturday morning.

There wasn’t any hold up at the entrance or parking at the show , as this is a well organized event.

There were some new exhibitors and plenty of trade stands selling all those must have, even if you haven’t a use for it items. So much to see, where do we start.

There seemed to be more visitors wandering around than last year show. It was quite busy and the sun was shining making it an enjoyable affair.

When you look at the vehicles and destinations that they have travelled to, you can’t help getting itchy feet.

Ruby came with us and enjoyed the attention from all the other visiting dogs.

Our Granddaughter was dragged along kicking and screaming, but she enjoyed it in the end.

I found my dream truck. A German converted Mercedes with a fabulous interior.

***Please Note*** (added April 2016) I made a mistake when I stated that the Mercedes was converted in Germany.

It is in fact an excellent DUTCH conversion by Adventure Trucks. There web site can be viewed here  www.adventure-trucks.com

The extreme knitter was slightly disappointed with the lack of varied catering compared to last year and no craft marquee this year.

There is always a good turnout of VW T25 Syncros that I have a soft spot for.

The car park had interesting vehicles, like this Ariel Leader

The range of display vehicles was extensive.

This Tiger is the star of a blog

http://www.travelin-tortuga.com

 

I’m already looking forward to the next show in September 2016.

 

The Adventure Overland show

I went to the first Adventure Overland show held last year at Daventry that proved to be so interesting that we had to visit the second show held at the Stratford upon Avon racecourse.

Saturday morning on the 28^th Sept saw us travel all of 7 miles to get there.

The show has a relaxed free and easy feel to it with plenty of lighthearted banter.

How I ended up discussing the merits of various camping toilets with a lady visitor I’ll never know, not my normal topic of conversation.The show was massive compared to the first show and so different to other shows. It is best described as a large campsite with stands and displays. You end up looking at exhibitors & visitors vehicles, talking to anyone & everyone.

I wouldn’t normally promote a product, but while at the show we came across the baavet stand. I had previously read about their products on their web site and I was impressed by their claims for the pure wool duvet, but with quite a high price tag compared to a Morrisons own brand budget quilt, I wanted to see, touch and smell this duvet for myself before parting with the hard earned cash. Well it past those tests and with a 30-day return it if you don’t like it guarantee the plastic took a hefty wallop.

Food was a prominent feature at the show with food & drink from around the world. There was a long winding queue for the Camel curry at the exotic meats stand.

It looks like the show will be held again at Stratford Racecourse in September 2014, well worth a visit.

Baavet update:-

Having used the baavet for while now it has proved to do exactly what the manufacturers claim. It regulates our sleeping temperature, so no more hot sticky nights. I must admit initially I was sceptical about the duvet, but have been converted.

One problem we are experiencing is the magic spell that was cast on our baavet by Welsh Pixies that prevents us from getting out of bed in the morning. Obviously a fault we are just going to have to live with.