Bristol to the Bosphorus and back
A very interesting trip extensively covered on social media and sponsored our own club. Covering some serious miles in 21 days continuous motor-homing and caravanning.
I would very much appreciate some further technical insight into this venture.
They were supplied with a lot of kit from sponsors, How did they keep within the load margins of the vehicles used?
How were the towcars and vans loaded?
What was the all up weight of the vehicles used and noseweight where appropriate?
Was a support vehicle used to carry any load?
What issues did the road conditions cause?
What items of kit had problems?
Comments
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I was also interested in the technical and other details of the trip (following in part of their footsteps) but found the coverage so fragmented and variable that it was a bit disappointing.
One thing I spotted was that they had at least one "support vehicle" (van?) so the paltry loads that UK vans can carry would be supplemented by this?
It would have been nice to see pictures and details of the vans and their loading as I assume it was a trip designed to show off the capabilities of both types of vehicles and hence generate sales?
Overall, a nice "jolly" for the participants with more focus on the scenery and peripheral things- a bit of a let down considering the cost?
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Hi,
There is a blog that the team put together and there is a section of what kit they took which you can find by clicking here and from there click on further links. There is also a guide to loading your caravan on that link too.
Hope this helps.
Tracy
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Thanks Tracy, I see they checked nose weight. Did they check all up weight of the vans? With motormover, battery, assume a twin cylinder gaslow system, enough clothes and bedding for 21 nights, cutlery and what seems extensive cookware. I struggle to keep within the load margin of my caravan for a trip of a few days. How did they do it?
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Not too much detail on what kit was loaded where though.
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Viatorem
The Club's DG, Nick Lomas has also posted a Blog of the trip in the Story Section here https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-together/your-stories/rowena/bristol-to-bosphorus-challenge/
David
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Thank You David, this gives much more of the nitty gritty details for his time on the trip including, I note, problems at the various borders! I do think it would have been better if everything from all of the contributors would have been in one coherent place rather than being fragmented but i suppose there is always something to be learned? It does give a flavour of problems outside the EU so I think we will restrict ourselves to that area...
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We frequently travel abroad for up to 4 months in one stretch, so we carry all the kit, including spares, that we might need. We also take our breadmaker and a twin tub washer.
Our van is a twin axle with the payload upgraded by 85kg. but we have fitted a mover, Air Con and a Fiamma, plus a few other extra bits. We also have a 2 bottle Gaslow system.
We take 2 changes of bedding, and towels, plus 3 weeks of clothes. Plus all our various prescription items.
All heavy stuff goes in the car (VW Touareg) and the van is within its allowable weight, as checked on a weighbridge, so it is possible to do extended trips, 21 days is nothing!
Older vans,ours is 2008. do seem to have more generous payloads, though I did note that the current Swift TAs can get a good weight upgrade.
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What a load of rubbish, Travelling on good quality roads around Europe, staying on campsites and having a holiday for all of three weeks, is just that, a holiday. I know it is all about selling and publicity, but please.
ADVENTURE: an unusual and exciting or daring experience, or engage in daring or risky activity.
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It doesn't take long for the negativeness to creep in on this forum! Lets face it Bristol to the Bosphorus and back would be outside the comfort zone of many of even our most avid travellers abroad, it certainly would be for me. It also acts as an encouragement for those that may wish to follow in their footsteps but had wondered if it was possible. OK it was a well supported sponsored trip with the backing of a major manufacturer but does that really matter? Which ever way you look at it the trip gets a lot of positive publicity for our hobby and on that score alone someone from the Club management should be encouraged to be involved and the higher profile that person has within the Club the better. I would rather than person be the DG rather than some nominated "Celebrity"!!!
David
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Presumably the DG had someone book his flights (club or first class) his hotel if required (5 star) etc., Were the 6 days taken from his holiday entitlement. Someone picked up the tab for it all so as a club member I think I have the right not to be enamoured.
Met a couple on the site I’m at this morning and they are on their way to Greece.....under the own steam in their own vehicle, not a support group or lackey in sight. That’s what I call and adventure and they are the sort of people I applaud. 👏👏
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Yes Oneput; I tend to agree with the sentiment expressed in your second paragraph. How many of us set off for Southern Europe, Croatia etc with an entourage to help us? OK I have my OH but she does not drive! I wonder if I should ask the Club, Baileys and VW to sponsor my next long trip to say Croatia, or maybe even Greece, in my 2014 Tiguan pulling my 2009 Ranger? I am not that impressed by the challenge the travellers to the Bosphorus set themselves.
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People have gone further without financial support and without a support crew.
Dervla Murphy's book Full Tilt tells how she cycled alone (age 32) from Dublin to India on an old fashioned bike in midwinter. On the way she was attacked by wolves in Yugoslavia, used her pistol to frighten off thieves in Iran and escape from a would be rapist in a police station along the way.
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Did you get HQ to write this for you, some things need to have "negativeness to creep in"
I am 71 years old, my wife had a stroke a number of years back and we are in Croatia for the ninth year. We travel out a different route each year, Vienna one year, Salzburg another etc. Many others are travelling around the far corners of Europe, last year I meet a couple going out to Greece, they travel on their own through Albania on the way. When asked about overnight stays in Albania, they said they stay on sites run by Dutch couples, just normal sites.
Europe is a motorhome/caravaners holiday play area, not a area for challenging adventure, just plan old holiday trips to somewhere different. You can spin it as much as you want.
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Why not add a comment in the Story Section asking that question as I think it would be useful information to have.
David
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DJG
My interpretation of some of the comments made no one else's and I don't know why you would think differently?
I still maintain that to travel from the UK to Turkey is a fairly rare choice of journey for the majority of Club Members. OK there will always be a few intrepid souls that do embake on such journeys but they will be few and far between. To that end the Story of the trip, however funded, would for most people be an unusual trip and one many would not consider making. I am fairly well travelled in Europe having explored most of Germany, Austria and France, a large part of Italy and bits of Switzerland and Spain over the last 30 years. Despite all that I don't think I would venture along the route taken by the DG and his fellow travellers so for me it was an interesting trip and I was pleased to see it documented in the Story Section and illustrated with some photographs.
David
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Thanks DK I have added a comment as suggested; I now await a response. Agree the route was interesting and presented a number of challenges but if your target was the Bosphorus could have gone via Italy, Greece and into Turkey; or Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria (all EU) then into Turkey. I, like some others, have towed to Dubrovnik so was 2/3rd the way there! Just interested in the insurance costs for the last bit of the trip. In the 70's when I was stationed in Cyprus a friend, with his wife and 2 young children, drove to UK, ferry to Greece and up through the former Yugoslavia - now that was an adventure in those days.
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"Which ever way you look at it the trip gets a lot of positive publicity for our hobby and on that score alone someone from the Club management should be encouraged to be involved and the higher profile that person has within the Club the better. I would rather than person be the DG rather than some nominated "Celebrity"!!"
I'm not sure our hobby needs more publicity, David, nor that some high profile person from the club 'should' be encouraged to participate. Bear in mind that the club person is paid by us members as are his expenses. The club's sponsorship, too, will be coming ultimately from us.
As to whether such a trip is outside the comfort zone, that’s subjective. One person's foolhardy escapade is another's normal holiday jaunt and assumptions and generalisations can’t be made.
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