Innehållsförteckning för June - July 2023 från VWT Lifestyle

To better understand how these rarities came about we need to turn the clock back to 1929, a gloomy era dominated by the Great Depression. A resourceful builder and contractor by trade called Arthur E Fritz reasoned that folks needed to enjoy inexpensive entertainment during these challenging times. He thereby purchased six ponies and created a small arena, allowing children to go for rides. With prices being reasonable, his new business was an instant hit. This led him to brainstorm other ventures, such as selling ice cream and snacks, followed by a few more attractions and rides. They eventually morphed into an amusement park known as Kiddieland, which opened in the mid-1930s. Located in Melrose Park (near Chicago, Illinois), it continued expanding as the economy improved. As you might expect,…

MAY Vanwest Date: 5-7 MayLocation: Taunton RacecourseContact: www.vanwest.co.uk European Barndoor Gathering & Vintage VW Show Date: 20-21 MayLocation: Enschelde, NederlandsContact: www.benpon.nl JUNE Alive & V-Dubbin Festival Date: 8-11 JuneLocation: Haughley Park, SuffolkContact: www.aliveandvdubbin.co.uk Bristol Volksfest Date: 9-11 JuneLocation: Birches Farm, Bristol BS48 3RNContact: www.bristolvolksfest.co.uk Lavenham International Vintage VW Meeting Date: 17-18 JuneLocation: Lavenham, SuffolkContact: www.vintage-volkswagens-lavenham.co.uk The VW Bus Festival Date: 23-25 JuneLocation: Hanover Fairground, GermanyContact: www.vw-bus-festival-2023.com JULY VWt Festival Date: 14-16 JulyLocation: Kent County Showground, DetlingContact: 01959 541444 AUGUST Le Bug Show Date: 19-20 AugLocation: Spa Francorchamps, BelgiumContact: www.vwbugshow.be SEPTEMBER Busfest Date: 8-10 SeptemberLocation: Malvern ShowgroundContact: www.busfest.org Note: please be aware all dates and venues are subject to change so always check the website, contact the organiser or look at social media before setting out. GET IN THERE!…

ROADTRIP SPECIAL VW Campers are compact, that’s part of their beauty. They fit under barriers, sneak into ‘normal’ car parking spaces and unlike motorhome owners, you won’t get dirty looks from locals if you park up in a quiet wooded spot somewhere. The thing is, with limited space inside, you’ll have to make a few sacrifices when it comes to what you take otherwise you’ll run the risk of cluttering up your interior and tripping over yourself. Taking the kitchen sink just isn’t an option with a VW Transporter. So what are the essentials – and what can you happily leave at home? Here’s a few pointers to ensure you’ve got all you need without having to tow a trailer for all the stuff you couldn’t find space for. COOKING…

The beauty of the VW Camper is that no matter who you are or your passion, there’s always a van out there for you. On the rare occasion that ‘special one’ is not forthcoming, all is not lost. You can just go ahead and build your own. If you’re on a tight budget, there are many ways to make it stretch. Buy an older van. Look for something with higher mileage. Pick up some flat-pack CNC-cut furniture online. Transporter forums and eBay are awash with decent kits available for great money and there are always loads of secondhand parts listed to help customise your van. If you have a bigger budget, then the sky really is the limit. Get down to Volkswagen, buy yourself a brand new van and get…

School is a critically important time of life. Aside from the knowledge that the system attempts to impart, your character is unavoidably shaped through interactions with classmates and teachers. Many people have that one teacher who helped them when they struggled, or encouraged them to higher grades. For Dennis Kruis, owner and builder of this outrageously classy Early Bay, his life was heavily influenced by a Primary School teacher. It wasn’t anything she did or said, it’s all down to what she drove. “It was a 1962 ragtop Beetle in Anthracite,” he says, showing a stunning recollection from his six-year-old former self. That level of detail pretty much sets the tone for everything Dennis has built ever since he got his first Beetle – a 1967 Zenith Blue 1300 –…

VW fans in the UK have a few more dates to add to their diaries in 2023 thanks to specialist supplier Heritage Parts Centre announcing they are taking their Heretics meet-ups on the road this year. On top of evening events at Heritage HQ in Shoreham-by-Sea on Thursday 15th June and Thursday 7th September enthusiasts will be able the enjoy a similar smorgasbord of cool cars and campers at a trio of guest locations around the UK too. May’s event is scheduled for the evening of Friday 26th May and will be hosted by Type 2 Detectives in Cambridgeshire. The next will come from The Motorist in Leeds on the evening of Friday 21st July and lastly from The Classic Motor Hub in Cirencester on the morning of Saturday 19th…

EATING OUT Need to know: Easy Refried Beans Quesadilla ■ Prep Time: 10 mins ■ Cook Time: 5 mins ■ Total Time: 15 mins ■ Servings: 2 Ingredients ■ 2 large flour tortillas (wraps) ■ 4 heaped tbsp refried beans (find this in cans or pouches, we like the Gran Luchito brand which comes in an orange pouch) ■ 4 tbsp grated Cheddar cheese ■ 1 small red onion, thinly sliced ■ 1 beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced ■ 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped ■ Hot sauce or sriracha (optional) ABOUT ME Jane Sarchet is a food writer, blogger and YouTuber living on a small farm on the south Cornish coast. She and her partner, Jonny, own two self-built T4s, a Beetle and are currently converting a LT35 for some…

ROADTRIP SPECIAL The beauty of a campervan is that you can pull over wherever you want, make up a bed and stay until you're ready to hit the road again. That's the idea. However, in reality there's lots of grey areas when it comes to where you can and can’t sleep overnight in your van so here’s a quick insight. WILD CAMPING? Generally speaking, because all land belongs to someone, unless you get permission first, you'll be breaking the law if you try and ‘wild’ camp. Typically, when it comes to lay-bys, the landowner is the local authority and you could be subject to a fine if you stop overnight. Don’t be confused by the fact that ‘wild’ camping is legal in Scotland; that rule doesn’t apply to motorised vehicles,…

My favourite way of crossing to Europe has always been Harwich to Hoek, and for our 2022 roadtrip we chose the night sailing. We arrived at the port at 8.30pm, were loaded an hour later and were ready to set sail by 23:00. We checked out the restaurant just to get a drink but before we knew it we were ordering fish and chips followed by Dutch apple pie which was delicious. Well, we were on holiday after all! After disembarking the next morning we headed inland towards Gouda. Staying off the motorway gives you the chance to explore so we decided to meander our way to Rotterdam with its many bridges and waterways as it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. Lined up on the river bank are some…

There aren’t many new van launches that have caused as much of a stir as the ID.Buzz. The latest addition to Volkswagen’s electric ‘ID’ line-up is a long-awaited reinterpretation of the T1 Transporter. A car with the same visual impact as the concept that unveiled on a Californian beach way back in 2017, now available at your local dealership. It was bound to happen eventually. Volkswagen revived the Beetle way back in 1997, then again in 2011, but both had the compromise of stretching a rear-engine body shape over a front-engine platform borrowed from the Golf. By comparison, the ID.Buzz feels quite authentic; its toaster-like silhouette sits on a flat floor with an air-cooled motor at the rear wheels, just like the T1 Transporter, except this one runs on battery…

CORGI DIET COKE TYPE 2 Put it on your dash or your bedside table, this 1:43 scale model Split Screen Bus is more cool than a frozen cucumber and wonderfully detailed with its oversized Coke bottle on the roof and lots of other nice touches. Even if you don’t like a Coke, you need to buy it. £36.99 corgi.co.uk HUAWEI WATCH BUDS How cool is this, a smart watch with a hinged face that opens to reveal a couple of Bluetooth earphones. Other features include a leather strap and sensors to measure heart rate, an accelerometer and a gyroscope, with Huawei’s Harmony OS 3.0 able to track over 80 different exercises and activities. £450 consumer.huawei.com FINISTERRE RAINBIRD JACKET Raincoats are good at keeping the downpours out, but an impermeable layer…

Driving on the wrong side of the road, tolls, confusing roadsigns... it’s easy to feel a little intimidated at the prospect of touring abroad. In reality, though, it’s all pretty simple and taking your camper overseas will instantly open up a whole new world of adventure. The quickest and most convenient way to get to Europe is by Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais; it only takes 35 minutes. You don’t even have to get out of your Bus which could prove a big plus if you’re travelling with young kids and can’t face the hassle of unpacking prams and other paraphernalia. The ferry takes longer but is likely to be cheaper and if you want to build a boat trip into your holiday, and grab some food to avoid having…

BUS EVENTS 18-19 March 2023 SPONSORED BY: Whatever corner of the earth you’re on, mention The VolksWorld Show to a VW enthusiast and you’ll be greeted by a knowing look and nod of approval. It’s been going since the ’80s, attracts the crème de la crème of air-cooled VWs from all over the globe and, well, is generally accepted as one of the best VW shows on the planet. So you can imagine my sense of nervous anticipation having booked a ferry ticket to travel over to the event in my ’84 Westfalia from where I live in Brittany. Sadly, the sense of adventure didn’t last long; due to strike action the said crossing was cancelled so I had to make other travel arrangements and use a more modern mode…

If you have just bought a Camper you could be forgiven for asking why you would possibly need a ‘tent’ as well? In truth, there’s a couple of good reasons why you could benefit from buying a drive-away awning. Firstly, it increases your available space. If you get an inner tent as well, you’ll instantly add to the number of people you can accommodate overnight. For families, that might mean you sleeping on the rock and roll bed in the Van, and the kids spending their nights under canvas. If you don’t have a sleeping compartment, you can use the awning to erect a camp table or kitchen area so you can prepare food and sit down together, making your camping experience more sociable. Especially if the weather gets a…