A bientôt EU

[Amarillo]

How to install it without interfering with the warranty my biggest question.

They bolt onto the roof rails, the cable runs into the van through the tailgate, and then behind the trim to the battery. No warranty issues.

 

[Amarillo]

You might get some money back by extending the life of your batteries as well. We are going solar next year too.
How large is your panel btw?

I have two 100w panels, they bolt between the roof rails. I almost certainly have over capacity, but that will change in the winter months.

 

[Sp0_0k]

the cable runs into the van through the tailgate

They bolt onto the roof rails, the cable runs into the van through the tailgate, and then behind the trim to the battery. No warranty issues.

So only when stationary?

 

[WelshGas]

the cable runs into the van through the tailgate

So only when stationary?

No. Check the Solar Panel threads. The cable can run through the Rubber cable cover into the vehicle or even over the tailgate seal, although prone to water leaks that way. Constantly connected 24/7.

 

[WelshGas]

the cable runs into the van through the tailgate

So only when stationary?

All you need to know + pictures.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/solar-panel-fitting-and-review.13420/

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...5-facelift-waiting-roof-rot-work.10526/page-3

 

[Amarillo]

the cable runs into the van through the tailgate

So only when stationary?

No - fit and forget. The cable runs through the rail gully to the rear - is cabled tied at the very end of the gully, then to the tailgate hinge void. But not quite fit and forget, excess cable for raising the roof should be tucked into the tailgate void after the roof has been lowered. Unintended field tests on the German autobahn suggest that there will be no ill effect if the cable isn't tucked in.

 

[WelshGas]

No - fit and forget. The cable runs through the rail gully to the rear - is cabled tied at the very end of the gully, then to the tailgate hinge void. But not quite fit and forget, excess cable for raising the roof should be tucked into the tailgate void after the roof has been lowered. Unintended field tests on the German autobahn suggest that there will be no ill effect if the cable isn't tucked in.

I don't bother tucking the cable in, just in case it gets caught raising the roof with the tailgate closed. The cable on the roof is secured with stick on cable clips to the edge of the elevating section, then free cable and a loop secured with same clips under the tailgate.

Post 53

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...5-facelift-waiting-roof-rot-work.10526/page-3

 

[Amarillo]

We'd love to cycle down, but not sure how we would manage with a three year old, a two year old and two collies on their mandatory leads.

I'd love to try though.

OK - we have a plan... We all, two boys, two collies, double buggy and Brompton are booked to go up the mountain. Mrs Amarillo and the collies are booked to go back down on a train 75 minutes later. We have a picnic lunch together at the summit station, before I cycle back down on the Brompton with my two boys towed behind in the buggy. Mrs Amarillo goes back down by train alighting at the penultimate station to walk the collies.

 

[Amarillo]

Day 20 - Flam

Everything takes such a long time with children that we find that after a day's driving we need a day to recover before doing anything meaningful.

Our first morning in Flam was spent shopping for groceries - Ben and I cycled to the local supermarket, just 500m from the campsite, but significant as it was Ben's first utility cycling trip on his own bike.

After lunch we took the dogs for a walk along the fjord, and before we knew it, it was time for supper and bed.

We are still preparing nearly all our own meals: in Lubeck we ate schnitzel at the campsite snack bar, and between Copenhagen and Stromstad we had a pizza for lunch, but that is it as far as pre-prepared food goes.

The boys in the playground

Walking the dogs

The view down the fjord

 

[Amarillo]

OK - we have a plan... We all, two boys, two collies, double buggy and Brompton are booked to go up the mountain. Mrs Amarillo and the collies are booked to go back down on a train 75 minutes later. We have a picnic lunch together at the summit station, before I cycle back down on the Brompton with my two boys towed behind in the buggy. Mrs Amarillo goes back down by train alighting at the penultimate station to walk the collies.

We did it.

 

[kave]

Not bad going down there with all that. It’s quite steep in the beginning.

 

[Amarillo]

Not bad going down there with all that. It’s quite steep in the beginning.

In the beginning I thought my fingers would drop off I was squeezing the brakes so hard. I'm a large man - 115 Kg, hauling another 30 Kg of boys plus the weight of the bike, trailer, waterproofs, lunch, the total would be approaching 200 Kg. My big concern was overheating the brakes and blowing the inner tube, so I alternated brakes and paused at each hairpin to cool the rims. Even so, the rear rim became too hot to touch.

But what was most odd was that nearly everyone else I encountered on a bike looked like some enemy of Darth Vader: plastic coated polystyrene hat, sunglasses, glowing green jacket, gloved hands, hydration pack and protein bars. Apart from the gloves there was nothing they had that I wanted. A hat would have overheated my head, a jacket would have overheated my body, if I needed hydration, there were ample waterfalls, and protein from a cheese sandwich (or just opening my mouth and sucking in the abundance of flies).

 

[GillianC]

In the beginning I thought my fingers would drop off I was squeezing the brakes so hard. I'm a large man - 115 Kg, hauling another 30 Kg of boys plus the weight of the bike, trailer, waterproofs, lunch, the total would be approaching 200 Kg. My big concern was overheating the brakes and blowing the inner tube, so I alternated brakes and paused at each hairpin to cool the rims. Even so, the rear rim became too hot to touch.

But what was most odd was that nearly everyone else I encountered on a bike looked like some enemy of Darth Vader: plastic coated polystyrene hat, sunglasses, glowing green jacket, gloved hands, hydration pack and protein bars. Apart from the gloves there was nothing they had that I wanted. A hat would have overheated my head, a jacket would have overheated my body, if I needed hydration, there were ample waterfalls, and protein from a cheese sandwich (or just opening my mouth and sucking in the abundance of flies).

You are one brave man! Bet you were pleased to be down safely.

 

[Amarillo]

Day 21 - Flam

Three weeks and we've only just begun!

We had our most adventurous day yet, we took the Flam railway 2800 feet up the local mountain, had lunch, then Clare went down with the dogs, partway by train, and Tom cycled down towing the boys in the trailer.

The village was swamped with cruise liner tourists today. A massive ship had docked overnight.

Tomorrow Bergen, staying in someone's Airbnb accommodation.

 

[kave]

You are a hero getting down with all that on that bicycle.
Be sure you wont miss the viewpoint. Its only a 20 min drive from Flåm.

 

[Hotel California]

You are a hero getting down with all that on that bicycle.
Be sure you wont miss the viewpoint. Its only a 20 min drive from Flåm.

Been there , done that ....we stayed overnight down below at the ferry harbor.
@WelshGas also been there just a few weeks ago...

 

[Amarillo]

You are one brave man!

If only that were true. The enemies of Darth Vader were hurtling down the mountain as if they were pursued by the dark forces of Mordor. I was tiptoeing down.

 

[GillianC]

If only that were true. The enemies of Darth Vader were hurtling down the mountain as if they were pursued by the dark forces of Mordor. I was tiptoeing down.

Ah but you had a very precious cargo!

 

[El Greco]

The force was with you!

 

[Amarillo]

Day 22 - Flam to Bergen

One of the things that makes packing up so difficult is that Clare and I have different jobs to do, but we can't work together because we have two feral boys and two hyperactive border collies to care for. One of us has to manage the boys and dogs, preferably far away from the other, while the other does their part of packing - then we swap over. The whole process is made much harder when it is hissing down with rain, and this is the situation we found ourselves in on Monday morning. Striking camp in hissing rain.

We left Flam after lunch at 12.30 and were glad to be moving on after the wonderful time we had on the mountain the previous day.

It was another great drive, keeping off the main roads wherever possible, with tunnels and high mountain passes with snow filled gullies.

We arrived at our Airbnb accommodation soon after 5pm and found it perfect for our needs. Thoughts turned to our bellies and we decided on a rare meal out. We all shared a large pizza which cost 169 NOK.

Then it was off to the supermarket. Rena 1000 seems to be the leading chain in both Norway and Sweden, and the shops provide mini trolleys for children. Ben and Jack love this, they grab a trolley each, go on a supermarket sweep along the biscuit and sweet aisles and then flee for the exit. The game is made even more fun by having to dodge two highly harassed parents arguing over which brand of nappy to buy. Result: 1 child in meltdown after having trolley taken away and two parents squabbling over whose fault it is that the boys have turned feral.

 

[Amarillo]

Day 23 - Bergen

Our dogs are generally well behaved, but with whatever activity we choose, we need to consider their welfare. Leaving them locked in the car for long periods of time is not acceptable. Before we departed on our trip we decided that up to two hours is fine and two to four hours in exceptional circumstances. We have brought with us metal ventilation plates that shut into the front windows to provide a draft through the car when the dogs are left for an extended period. The problem with cities is that they are not particularly friendly places for visiting dogs, and our chosen activity in Bergen was to visit Vilvite, an interactive science activity centre. Fortunately it was opposite a park.

We left the dogs in the car while we all had fun in the centre, brought the dogs out for a walk at lunchtime and all had a picnic together, and then returned to the centre for more fun after lunch.

The centre was absolutely brilliant, with dozens of science based activities for children and adults. I had a go on a bicycle that I cycled upside down in a loop. Ben and Jack both got soaked in water based activities.

Spaghetti bolognese for dinner, then I took the dogs for a walk in the hills above the city, where I let them run free - illegal throughout Norway between 1 April and 20 August.

 

[Amarillo]

Day 24 - Bergen to Orsta

Immediately after breakfast Ben and I took the dogs for a walk in the hill above Bergen just a few minutes walk from the guest house where we were staying. There was a mother camping with her two young children next to a lake, nearby was a well-stocked supply of firewood, a free utility for campers, presumably to deter them from damaging other trees.

We set off in bright sunshine at 9.30 for Trondheim via the Atlantic Ocean Highway, not knowing how far we would get or where we would stay. The boys are pretty good in the car, but it is they who determine the time we spend driving. The dogs are exceptionally good.

We had two significant emails en route. The first was to me from sesam sesam, a car park charging company. I had emailed them the previous day to tell them that I couldn't pay the parking fee for our visit to Vilvite. Apparently their cameras had misread my number plate, they had now corrected this and I could pay now. I tried again and failed. Tough luck sesam sesam, you won't get my money now!

The second significant message was to Clare from a former neighbour of hers now living in Trondheim. She and her family are away from home on a years' sabbatical and are in Paris, but would we like to stay in their home in Trondheim? What an amazingly generous offer and one we would be mad not to accept.

We had three fairly short ferry crossings today. Fjords can stretch for many tens of miles inland, going around at least doubles the distance, being glacial they are very deep, so tunnelling is not a viable option, and a bridge would need a single span, and not a reasonable choice for the traffic levels. As Jack's favourite book says: "we can't go over it, we can't go under it, we gotta go through it." It does slow the journey somewhat, but does produce several natural breaks.

We found a nice spot for a picnic by a river, and here too the Scandinavians have thought of everything - at one end of the picnic bench was a raised seat, just right for a 2 and 3 year old to sit level with their parents. Unfortunately, Jack leant back on his backless seat and thumped head first onto a concrete slab. Nothing that a hug and a cuddle couldn't fix, but a worrying moment.

Adaptive cruise control really is perfect for this type of driving. I simply set the maximum speed at 80kph, the separation distance to maximum so as not to harass the driver ahead, and the van's radar tracks the leading vehicle leaving a sensible speed dependent gap. All I need to do is steer.

After our third ferry crossing at about 3 the boys were starting to get a bit moany so we decided now was the time to stop. We'd already decided not to camp if at all possible, so were looking for chalets. We soon found the perfect place: a four bed chalet, with cooking facilities but no bathroom for 400 NOK, at the head of a Fjord, surrounded by snow capped mountains. We ate the remains of yesterday's spaghetti bolognese, then took the dogs for a walk by the Fjord, watched the sun drop behind the mountains and went to bed.

 

[Amarillo]

Day 25 - Orsta to Ljøsøya

After a lovely shower in a brand new block, and a quick walk with the dogs, we were on the road to The Atlantic Highway in brilliant sunshine. The road is a series of causeways and bridges linking rocks and islands a few miles out into the Atlantic Ocean. Very very touristy, but spectacular to match, with great views to the mainland's mountains.

Soon after coming off the main section we started to look for somewhere to camp, and found a small site right on the coast. The area reminds me a little of the Summer Isles on the NW coast of Scotland. Clare and Jack slept in a small two bed log cabin, Ben and I in the roof tent. This saves us from having to unpack to make up the lower bed.

 

[hirsty]

Great pic Tom - you've got something obscuring the lens top left though in the last couple

 

[Amarillo]

Great pic Tom - you've got something obscuring the lens top left though in the last couple

My Snugg phone cover is wearing out and I keep forgetting to slide the phone out of the cover.