Chapter 1 – The road to Kalletal
They say each journey starts with a single step, but for an intrepid group from the T2OC it was a turn of a wheel.
Planning an adventure on any scale always involves a degree of trepidation, excitement and trying to foresee and mitigate any possible problems.
With all the due diligence we could think of done, and the grumpy cat safely at the cattery, we set off on Friday the 22nd of May.
We headed south on the ‘big’ roads – not our favourites but necessary for the distance we needed to cover. The journey went smoothly notwithstanding the usual roadworks and bottlenecks around the M25! We spent a peaceful night at the Canterbury Aire – highly recommended at £8 for 24hrs including a bus ticket into town. It even has a good pub next door!
On the Saturday we headed towards Dover via a MacDonald’s breakfast and a wave to Nick, Lorna and Rosy en route to their Calais crossing! We were planning on being two hours early for our DFDS ferry to Dunkirk at noon. We then found ourselves in the ‘national news’ making chaos of the new border control process. It took five and a half hours in a barely moving queue in 30 degree heat to finally get aboard a ferry at 2pm – not the nicest experience. At least we had James and Marina as shipmates!
After landing in Dunkirk it was thankfully a short and trouble-free drive to the beautiful site at Renescure in Flanders, where we received a lovely welcome from our hosts and much needed hugs (and a cold beer) from our wonderful posse – and Michelle in hedgehog rescue mode! The day of rest that followed was much needed and we wandered into the village in the sweltering heat to soak up the ‘je ne sais quoi’ and watch a cycle race, bagging a few freebies from the promo cars.
A muggy Monday dawned and, after enjoying the ‘fresh bakery to your pitch’ delivery, it was time to head east in convoy. We bid ‘adieu’ to France, a little reluctantly as there was so much more to explore, but the Netherlands were calling. With Nick and Lorna (Poppy) leading us on, this first convoy also included Michelle and Steve (Foxy), Paul and Anette (?), James and Marina (Cherry), Rosy (Ritzy), Malcom and Val (Michelle) and of course, us in our little Olly!
The most notable event of the trip was poor Cherry slipping her fan belt (or knicker elastic as Marina called it) after a few miles, but with James straight on it and support from Nick and Malcom we were soon on our way again. A bonus was all the beautiful vintage cars and motorcycles that passed us as we waited under shady trees on a cobbled village lane atop a hill – all we were missing was an ice cream shop (and maybe a loo…). Later on we had a pleasant comfort and fuel stop and, after a little height barrier misadventure for Malcom and Val (Cherry to the rescue), we finally reached another shady tree stop at Vessem, where we found Stewart and Linda (Dennis) waiting for us. This was a massive site but we were tucked way in a practically private woodland glade a comfortable distance from the hustle and bustle and a handy on site shop – but no milk hey girls?!?
Tuesday morning saw all our little wheels rolling in our now 8 vehicle strong convoy as we headed on to our final destination of Kalletal in Germany. On the way we were kindly hosted by Rowland at his lovely home in Krefeld. He went to so much trouble and spoilt us all with food and drink, including the traditional pork ‘hedgehog’ dish (who chopped his nose off?!?) and delectable strawberry flan. This warmth and generosity was just a taster for the hospitality to come. We won’t mention a crucial member of the posse getting left behind on departure…
Rowland kindly led us to an Aldi for supplies (wine, beer, and some lesser vitals) before he bade us farewell – he would be joining us again later in the week. Confusion reigned when weaving our way through the busy, multi-laned streets of the town, ultimately leading to the group getting split in three different directions – traffic lights are the kryptonite of a smooth, stress-free convoy! Thanks to Lorna’s tireless and patient shepherdessing and having the Life360 tracking app we were soon herded and led in the right direction again – though how Rosy managed whilst flying solo – what a legend!
One of the day’s challenges was when poor Malcom and Val got diverted around a weak bridge due to being (allegedly!) overweight. Such discrimination! Glad they didn’t weigh us on the way back… Luckily their road ran parallel with ours and we were all soon reunited.
It’s hard to describe our arrival at Hof Stock near Kalletal in Germany. We were much later than planned, we were travel weary, hot and sweaty – yet the enthusiasm and warmth, coupled with the good food and a few beers/ wines/ gins, made us all feel instantly at home. We are all here safe, well, with a little fettling to be done on a couple of our chariots, but ready for the next, main, chapter to begin.
This is a very special place, a bit like a fairytale Hansel and Gretel scenario on steroids! You wake to the joyous sound of the birds, and as you stroll down the hill to our deluxe toilets and shower you pass beautiful stone and timbered buildings dodging the chickens and ducks (watch those toes Lorna!), saying hello to the ponies, pigs and sheep.
And so, ensconced in our beloved travelling homes and surrounded by the kindness of our like-minded German friends, our feature event begins…
Chapter 2 – Happy Hof Stock Days
And so… ‘What happened next?’ I hear you ask.
Day one (Wednesday the 27th) was a much needed day of recuperation. We were treated to fresh bread and traditional rolls baked in straw – they came in both sweet and savoury and were delectable! A few of the vans had earned some tinkering; Foxy’s brakes, Ritzy’s ‘Christmas’ lights, Poppy’s distributor and Cherry’s fan belt. These were mainly minor tweaks and adjustments but a few parts were needed and Ritzy would have to be ‘plugged in’ to the dreaded diagnostic machine! The perils of a modern van…
You could not wish for a better group of people to have around you should you need support, knowledge and guidance – special thanks must go to Mutsch who for a couple of days was just a pair of legs sticking out from under a van or two!
Our lovely hosts including Uli, Irmi and Birgit fuelled us up in the afternoon with coffee and cake, and I believe this is where my pickert addiction began… a local delicacy that is part pancake, part crumpet, part teacake, but all darn good!! Ulf has a lot (of pounds) to answer for.
Once we were refreshed and rejuvenated, we were whisked away to a local distillery next to a river in the sunshine to have a tasting and lovely dinner – it’s a hard life. Ulf brings the fruit here from his 140 strong orchard to be turned into liquid magic by Martin. Needless to say a very good time was had by all, and we made our clinking way back to the Hof for drinks around the firepit and a (relatively) early night.
Day two (Thursday) was vermin infested! That is to say, we went to the fairytale town of Hamelin in convoy, and we had the pleasure of DJ Freidrich and the lovely Maria in Olly.The club had arranged parking right outside the (appropriately named) Rathaus on a plaza in the middle of town. The buses looked like jewels in the sunshine and attracted a lot of attention – including getting used by a passing wedding group for their photos! The tour was fascinating and it is a very pretty place indeed. From Hamelin we went to Schlosswirtschaft for lunch on the terrace overlooking the river. The journey back was full of 70s music and a lot of singing,dancing and laughter on board. Another companionable evening was spent chatting under the gazebos.
Day three (Friday) a smaller group of techno enthusiasts (i.e. geeks) boarded the little T4 fire bus (driven by Mutsch) and the ‘coffee cake’ bay (driven by Andreas) to visit the Heinz Nixdorf Museums Forum in Paderborn. On arrival we posed for a photo for the museum’s ‘socials’. This is the largest computer museum in the world and if, like me, you thought it might be a collection of dusty childhood memories, you’d be very wrong! It was totally engrossing, informative and interactive with exhibits spanning some 5000 years from the beginnings of writing to robots of the near future. Noel even got his portrait drawn by one! We returned to a tarte flambee feast in one of the barns followed by a showing of movies of previous Bulli adventures.
Day four (Saturday) we had the great privilege to visit the now closed Karmann museum in Osnabrook, thanks to one of the Bulli Club members. We again travelled in a convoy, picking up some other members at a very nice coffee stop en route. Again we had a photo shoot outside the iconic buildings, though poor Cherry and the little T4 fire bus were underage so couldn’t participate. We were also gifted Karmann pins as a keepsake, a wonderful gesture. We whiled away our time admiring the two rooms of beautiful open topped cars spanning some 80 years, and our Batty (an Eos) would have felt very at home. We all picked our ‘well if they were to give me one..’ cars and shared stories of past rides and dream vehicles. On our return we had more coffee, cake and pickert (it’s mine, all mine I tell you!!), and were joined by even more of the German club. Later the firepit was lit, a bbq was had, and some traditional folk songs sung by us – think a questionable ‘On Ilkley Moor bar Tat’ and the like. What followed was DJ Freidrich’s epic ‘party in the barn’ with much dancing and singing involved, and last men standing – Michelle and Marina in the wee small hours.
And so to Sunday, aka day five, and our last full day at Hof Stock. It was a stormy day, and some folk from both clubs were sadly going home or moving on today. We bid a fond farewell to Rosy, who was leaving with Thomas and Michaela to spend a few nights at their home near Munster. Paul and Annette also departed, with Annette having a plane to catch. Stewart and Linda were heading North, following the good weather. The rest of us hunkered down (sulked), dodged the thunderstorms (except James who has a passion for puddle-jumping… and garlic crackers from Aldi) and prepared to leave the following day.
Monday dawned and with a heavy heart stuffed with good memories, a fridge full of pickert contraband, a selection of good bottles, and a rather precious t-shirt (thanks Mutsch), we departed. I’m rubbish at goodbyes and have a tendency to get a bit ’emosh’ (or however the young ‘uns spell it) but a distant destination beckoned so we set off…
Hopefully the others will share their amazing onward stories, but in our chapter 3 – ‘What Olly did next’
Chapter 3 – What Olly did next
Monday 1st June
When you’re in the centre of such a wonderful country, and you can literally drive for days in almost any direction – how do you choose your path?!?
As a club, we literally scattered to the four winds, but for us (alas) our route was largely dictated by the return ferry we had booked for Friday. This limited our choices and we were determined to make the most of the three full days/ four nights we still had.
We spun the needle and landed on… Amsterdam! Whilst a fair drive away (200 miles), it was a smooth journey – I nearly boo-booed by buying some ‘special’ lolly pops for take home souvenirs at the border – forgetting we were now in The Netherlands… but gave the border guards an Olly toot – which cracked them up. Don’t you just love the positive reactions to our little buses? We spotted a great city-side campsite (Vliegenbos), which we could stay at for two nights, giving us a full day. We chose a cheeky upgrade to a superior pitch (around 55 euros a night) but it was worth it for the extra space, electric etc. There were lots of trees, parakeets (like the London variety), jays – and we even had a visit from a beautiful cat!)
Tuesday morning we ambled to the free ferry, which of course we shared with dozens of cyclists! On arrival at Centraal Station dock we chose to be full-on tourists and boarded a Canal tour boat… and then the heavens opened. The hour long cruise was fascinating – though unfortunately the landmark views were softly pixelated with raindrops and not very photogenic. We landed back and set off to explore, managing to walk over 10 miles! There were ‘interesting’ shops, the wonderful Katten Kabinet museum, prettiness everywhere and, of course, stroopwafels!!! It is a very great city. We eventually took the ferry back over the river and walked back via a very unassuming but totally fabulous gourmet pizzeria on an industrial estate.
On Wednesday we pushed further west to our ultimate pre-ferry stop in Dunkirk. Rather than taking the shortest/ fastest route, we decided to go via the coastal peninsulas and islands before dropping down into Belgium. It was a great journey crossing bridges (such as the mighty 5-kilometre-long Zeeland Bridge – a bit squeaky bum as it was windy), causeways and tunnels (most notable being the Westerscheldetunnel at nearly 7 k long!). We cruised past gorgeous Bruges giving the clock tower a wave, then we were back en France again. The two campsites we looked at were full (turns out there was a ‘Festival of the Sea’ on that weekend) so we headed to the Aire. James and Marina had spent a couple of nights here so we knew it was a safe bet. What a great spot! Big spaces, surrounded by trees, and right near the beach and the Dynamo Museum, though a little walk into the town centre and harbourside – and all for 8 euros a night! A damp walk to Maccy D’s for tea and we were done – how can sitting down whilst travelling be so darn tiring?!?
Thursday, and our last full day of our Ollydays. Despite the changeable weather we dearly wanted to walk ‘the mole’ to remember and pay our respects – suffice to say it was very atmospheric and moving. We followed this appropriately with a ‘can’t be missed’ visit to the enlightening, well put together Operation Dynamo Museum in a former fort/ bastion. In the town we climbed the Saint Eloi Bell Tower (built in the 1440s and with breathtaking views), visited the 19th century Turkish Bath House, explored the harbour lined with ships of the maritime museum, and even took in a brocante – again managing 10 miles of walking. We had the perfect end to our trip when Nick and Lorna joined us at the Aire and we all went for a very nice meal at Wood and Bro. on the seafront – it had to be Moules Marniere for me!
Friday, sniffle, we arose early and took a little coastal drive to the ferry port. In complete contrast to the outward (traumatising) experience, and despite being searched (twice!) we got on the two hour earlier 8am ferry. We rewarded ourselves with a jolly good full English on board. The fabulous tall ship Belem sailed past us as she headed into Dunkirk for the festival, a fitting image to end on.
So, what makes a good holiday? Firstly, this was no holiday! It was a journey, an adventure, an experience. You absolutely need the positives – the people, places, laughter, the good weather, food, beer and for me, a ton of photos etc etc. but…BUT… memories are also made by the challenges, the hiccups, the unexpected. Oh, the stories we have, and the stories we share! Thank you, every single one of you (particularly Noel and Olly – you are my heroes), for this remarkable trip. And to you, dear reader, if you weren’t there – do it next time. As my dear friend Rosy said – ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’, and life is just too damn short.
Written by the fabulous Nicky Shipston