IBW 2019 - Holland - What else could have possibly gone wrong?

[Dave DND]

As we entered the quaint little village of Noordbroek, we saw the sign that meant home for the next few days





We pulled up alongside the IBW HQ and were greeted with the legendary Algemene Buggy Club welcome. The people here are the most friendliest and most welcoming people you could ever wish to meet. They always greet you as though you have been friends forever.  Wow !





As we pulled into the site, things were looking hopeful for a memorable weekend    





The big barn was there, and that meant that we would be having a great party    





This site has excellent toilet and shower facilities, but they had even shipped in some more showers - that was a good sign    





The Diggers were here, and that meant some Off-Road Racing    





The Poo Wagon was here, and that meant some SERIOUS Off-Road Racing    





I had absolutely no idea about this vehicle though, and I was fascinated by it. It was one of the longest vehicles I have ever seen and god only knows how they would have driven it here. I couldn't work out what it would have been in its former life, as a bit too high to have been an airport bus. In my mind it would have made a fabulous chip van and I guess the next few days will tell.





And finally rummaging through the goody bag we were given on the gate, was the all important program of events





We had arrived and hopefully that would now be the last of it, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong? 

[Dave DND]

Well, as it happens, the plot that had been put aside for us was tiny - at a squeeze we might have got half a dozen cars on there and no tents and so we decided to move further up the field where there was a bit more space. Trouble was, that even over there was another occupant that made more noise than Andy Robinson and Big GP sharing a tent and this thing was to be run 24/7.





And this just demonstrates how friendly our hosts really are, because they offered to unplug, move it to the other side of the field and rewire it so that it did not bother us. At last, something had gone well.

The subject of noise and snoring had already come up with the generator, and I was then subjected to the usual barrage of banter and abuse that I get when trying to pitch a tent. I can snore for England and I am mighty proud of it. So instead of getting pushed to the edges of the field like I normally am, this time I decided to have my revenge by pitching the tent smack bang in the middle so that I could then keep everybody awake with equal noise and vibrations.





Not long after the tent was pitched up did I notice an awesome looking car coming over to see us. Now it may not be everybody's cup of tea, but I for one absolutely loved it. It looked so cool, but I also noticed that it had a UK number plate on it.







Who on earth would do something like that? You must be a few sandwiches short of a picnic   





And then the penny dropped. It was Pat Masters and Becky and they had purposely built this car in order to annoy the Germans. Absolute lunatics of the first degree. Take a good look at this photo people because their idiocy is infectious and there is no asylum in the world that can contain them. Do not engage in conversation, and if you see them, just run, run away, run for your life.





We stumbled across Ruben who had found a small hole in the ground and was reluctant to get up to greet us. Judging by the look on his face, he obviously had a lot to get off his mind, and the nearby loo roll now made us wonder if the toilets here were going to be any different to the Osnabruk IBW. 
 





It was time to get some supplies, and we remembered that there was a local Spar shop just down the road. Chad managed to line up 3 Doons together and gets extra points for this being in a foreign land. This was also the first time we had seen Patricks new build. There should have been 4 of them here, but added to our list of "What else could have possibly gone wrong?" we will now add Nigel and Fiona whose 4x4 Doon sadly broke its gearbox on the way to the Ferry and had to make the journey over here in their Freelander instead.





A word of caution if you are in a supermarket with Mark Darby. He is one of those that will put items in your basket whilst you are not looking. I was a little cross to turn around and find a beer crate in my trolley. The reason I was cross was because I had to then lift it out and replace it with another one as Mark had given me one with many bottles missing. Come on Mark, if you are going to do this, at least make it a full crate. The crates here are just over a tenner each, and if you can be bothered, you get 4 euros back on them too if returned.





Finally back to camp. Tent was up. Cold Beer being consumed. We had made it.
Hopefully that would now be the last of it, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong? 

[Dave DND]

We knew that we would be in for a bit of rain that night, but none of us were prepared for what happened next as the storm hit. We experienced the end of the world, we had rain, we had wind, we had Armageddon on a Biblical scale. I am not one to scare easily, but even I was starting to panic a little about our choice of accommodation for the weekend.





And it got worse, much worse. Those that were in their tents were hanging on to save them blowing away, and many were peering out of their tent flaps watching a semi naked man running around trying to secure things that were flying about. That semi naked man obviously did not want to get his clothes wet and I am just so relieved that Vicky and her razor were in the main building having food, else I would now be a semi naked bald man running about, and I didn't need that extra problem whilst trying to peg down our Buggies. Stephen and Claire's tent pegs were being ejected over the top of their tent as fast as I could catch them and Dave's flag pole was ripped from the ground in seconds. After a very nervous 30 minutes had passed, we emerged from our tent to assess the carnage. We had got off fairly lightly with minimal damage, unlike some others on the other side of the field.





Not quite sure how we survived that one, but hopefully that would now be the last of it, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong? 

[Dave DND]

As the others started to return back from the food hall, one of the organizers was riding around on a bike pretty much barking at people to move their cars from the central lane where they had been parked. This was the Fire Access and must not be blocked. We were a bit taken aback at first, not only because you could have got the entire Dutch Fire Brigade side by side down this taped channel, but more because we had now encountered, for the very first time, a Dutchman than was not grinning like a Cheshire Cat. The Dutch only have 2 moods - Happy and Ecstatic. No worries though, their site, their rules, and all they really needed to do was ask.





I subsequently found out that the organizers were a little on edge as it was only Friday night, they were now over capacity with 600 people on site and they were even considering turning people away. In a Country where you need planning permission to change the colour of your front door, there were strict regulations about camping, and the number of people per plot (which is why they kept adding new taped plots as more people appeared) and they were very fearful of a Council Official Inspection at any time. Now their anxiety made a bit more sense.

I don't know, not been here a day yet and already we have been told off.
Hopefully that would now be the last of it, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong? 

[Dave DND]

As I moved my car out of the way, DC was nowhere to be seen, so Snoopy released his handbrake and with the assistance of a few others started to push the car out of the way. Its the sort of thing any of us would have done to help. They had not moved it more than a few feet when we heard a short "Psssst" noise, no more than someone opening a ring pull on a beer. And then we realized what had happened.





I felt terrible as Dave and Gail returned back to the camp, but I felt completely heartbroken for Snoopy who took it upon himself as his fault for moving Dave's car. It certainly was not his fault, it really was a genuine accident, and could have happened to any one of us, but it would now be the start of showing just how the Buggy Community all rally around when there is a crisis or problem.





At this point Ruben magically appeared and after much discussion and a few phone calls managed to come up with the address of a few local tyre centres that may be able to assist, and after some searching on the net, we even found an online company in Germany that were showing Cooper Cobras in stock. Not knowing if we were going for one tyre or a matched pair, it seemed sensible to remove both wheels so that we could then take them with us in the morning.





Some very serious drinking needed to be done - and quickly as we all had an important job to do 





As you can see, empty Beer crates make great axle stands   





Not much more could be done tonight and to make matters worse, the chip van was shut. So before we settled down to some heavy drinking, we all had a closer look at Dave's tyre and made a few observations.

It was alarming how big a hole that tent peg had made, and we were a bit surprised just how soft those sidewalls were. Closer inspection showed the tyre size to be 265 profile which in all honesty is a little too narrow for a 10" rim, and it was not impossible that the sidewalls had become weakened due to being over stretched. Looking even closer, there is considerable cracking around he tyre rim, and a lot of these cracks have been masked and filled up with tyre polish over the years. This actually looked like a tyre that was ready to blow at any minute, so the fact that it happened whilst stationary and not a high speed jaunt down a Motorway may actually be a blessing in disguise.





Rubens cheerful comments will make me smile forever " I love you guys to bits, but you are such high maintenance "   
Hopefully that would now be the last of it, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong? 

[Dave DND]

It was another rough night, with heavy bouts of rain passing over, but timed just long enough apart for you to get to sleep first before being rudely awakened with the tents being lifted and slammed to the floor with a great sploshing noise.





Morning had broken and we headed down for a continental breakfast, but it was clear that the stormy night had taken its toll on the site





Previous visitors to this site will tell you that everything here is immaculately clean and tidy, yet this morning there were branches and debris everywhere





The inside of the barn looked as though someone had raided Ikea   





Part of the inclusive meal deal package is a Continental style breakfast consisting of cereals, bread, jams, a selection of meats, cheese and eggs that are so fresh that it is near impossible to peel the shells off them. I saw someone spreading strawberry jam on a piece of bread before adding a slice of ham and cheese, and so I tried it myself. Before you pass any comments, I suggest you also try it yourself first as it tasted that good, I went back and had the same again.





Now if that combination seemed strange to you, the Dutch also think we are equally wierd by having semi skimmed milk in our coffee instead of the goopy yoghurty lumps that they try and pass off as cream.





Chad had now broken out the T-Shirts in various sizes, and the Ladies ones had a V on the packet to signify the type of neckline that they had. Claire was in hysterics though and was boasting about how hers said "V-Large"





There was a cold drink available too, but it was not quite what I expected. I couldn`t work out what it was, and it was passed around the table with many having a sniff and a sip with equal confusion. It turned out to be Strawberry Juice, and if you have never tried it, don`t bother.





As we headed back to the tents, it was clear that we were not the only group having a few problems that weekend 





Time to make some phone calls about a non standard tyre on a Bank Holiday Weekend, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong? 

[Dave DND]

Whilst we are waiting for the shops to open, I shall show you a few cars that have caught my eye on the way back to the tent













Scott was wishing he had a tow bar and was wondering what this caravan for sale would look like behind his Buggy





Don't worry mate, I'm sure you will find another souvenir from Holland to take home with you   









This Dakar belongs to Andre, who has been a BBI member for a long time now, and it was great to finally meet him and put a face to a name 











Very tidy orange Buggy and nicely trimmed inside   

[Dave DND]

Glenn and Fraser had finally emerged from their enormous Turkish Boudoir, but no sign of the Belly Dancers





Ruben was back at the tent and it turns out that the tyre specialist nearby did not have anything suitable, and because it was a sidewall split they didn't want to repair it either which wasn't really surprising. Our backup option was the online supplier that had Cooper Cobras at the right size for 115 euros each, but for whatever reason couldn't get them to us nor allow us to collect. As Dave was using Porsche stud rims, trying to find a set of wheels on site was problematic also until Ruben came up with an off the wall solution. He had found on the interweb, a full set of Porsche Boxster wheels with tyres for a really silly price. In fact the price was so silly that I expressed an interest myself that if Dave didn't want them, then I would have them myself as could easily double my money back home with them. They were only 100Km away and a plan was hatched. Dave would buy them and use them, and I would have them from him when he had finished. Ruben came to the rescue yet again by generously offering the use of his van to go and collect them.

Payback for Ruben, our Pancake obsessed addict had already been planned, and this seemed a good time to pay him for the van rental.





It may not be Pannenkoeken, but it was instead many many many packets of Aunt Bessies Yorkshire Pudding and Pancake mix 





Ruben seemed very happy as he now had enough for a light snack before lunch 





And with that over with, Dave and Snoopy jumped into Rubens van and went off for an adventure. In Holland, the cars are insured irrespective of the driver which does make a lot more sense than over here where the drivers are insured and not the cars.

Hopefully that would now be the last of it, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong? 

[Dave DND]

I know its a Buggy Weekend, buts its really nice to see so many Beetles here - In the UK they have all but disappeared

















We have all seen these short Bugs before, but why the radiator?   












And finally, quite a nice little pick up

[Dave DND]

Withe breakfast now over, the sky turned off yet again and any thing that was light went dark, and then came the wind





The howling of the wind was so loud, it even woke Mark up - and that really takes some doing 





But to be fair, this time it was his own car making all the noise





However, we had more important things to deal with as Glenn's tent had just dramatically changed shape





The force of the wind had now bent the pole in half and Fraser was doing all he could to keep the tent up





After a while, Dave Mayer relieved Fraser, whilst Fraser went to . . erm . . relieve himself





The wind was now getting more and more intense, some say gusting around 65 mph





And between them, Dave and Fraser were really battling against it.





Glenn was clearly not happy as this was a brand new tent with a pole that was clearly not up to the job. He was going to have a good few words with the supplier when we got back, but not before he had taken some elocution lessons from Kath. She had quite an outburst with an NEC official a while back and used some words that even we had never heard of - Glenn was now taking notes.





Dave Mayer had been scouring the site looking for a Pole we could use (Found plenty of Germans, No Polish) and came back with the next best thing. A nice lady who would take Glenn to the nearby camping shop to see what they had. Unsurprisingly, the camping shop didn't have anything suitable, but there was a place nearby that sold scaffold poles - Remember that this is their bank holiday weekend!





Flags then broke out a junior hacksaw, and chopped the poles into equal lengths to make stowage easier afterwards.





And the BBI Erection Committee then did all it could to get it up





But . . . I had to wonder if the wind blew the tent down, or was it Dave's Buggy revving up to seek revenge ? 





How much more can this trip throw at us?
Hopefully that would now be the last of it, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong? 

[Dave DND]

I did start to wonder what others were using to get themselves through the weather













And strangely enough, our tents didn't seem quite that bad. This would certainly get me through the weather though, and with that it was time to find some nutrition.

[Dave DND]

Lunch consisted of a giant meatball.
Forgive me for not showing a photo of the ball itself, but some things once seen cannot be unseen   





And then back to the far end of the field again where DC and Snoopy had returned after being stuck in traffic for a few hours.
Happy Campers 





Whilst the sun is briefly out again, I`ll show you some of the other cars here









































And finally one that had Oojamaflip written all over it   

[Dave DND]

Some of our tribe ventured into town, and those that were left behind were quite glad of the shelter as the weather was on the turn yet again





Refuge was then taken inside Chad's inflatable Club GB HQ - after all, that's where the beers were





Now Dave DC (as usually seen on TV) was a bit miffed at this point. He had seen a film crew coming over and went to open the door for them expecting an interview in front of the camera only to find they walked right past him and into the drunken tent to interview the one person that they really shouldn't have done.





If English is not your first language, then if you point a camera and a Microphone at a drunken man that happens to be Scottish, it goes without saying that the answer to any question asked is going to be given in his bestest Scottish accent, and you you probably are not going to understand him. Much uproar followed, and everything that Allan did or said from that point onwards had to be translated. We didn`t give him a hard time about it at all now did we.





Believe it or not, that is the second time we would appear on the News this weekend. 

[Dave DND]

And for our International friends now looking in, a little selection of UK cars as requested 

[Dave DND]

Back at the campsite there was a hive of activity - time to look at the wheels that turned up earlier





But not before Kath could show off her new Cloggs - Lisa however, was just wishing that she could stand on one leg like that





Even Dave had a matching pair too and reckoned that they were actually quite comfortable





Thats a pretty good souvenir to take home 





Now this may just look like an out of shape tent, but the campers across from us were really struggling with this one. The force of the wind at the moment has ripped out the pegs on one side, split the material and is now folding the carbon poles flat to make this shape.





Claire and Stephen were repeatedly seen crouching around their tent pegs for most of the weekend





Nothing to do with the weather, it was those strange pants that Claire had made - They were chaffing a bit 





Not far from where we were, some grass track oval racing was now taking place





It has been a long standing joke that Ruben only drives a van and does not actually own a Buggy. But he keeps managing to borrow this one that goes very fast and has been tuned within an inch of its life. He was going to have a little burst around the track and an unsuspecting Fynn jumped in for the ride.





Moments later, a very shell shocked Fynn returned, covered in . .  well . .  erm . . Yes, hes was covered in it





I don`t think he was expecting Rubens car so have been so fast, and may have had a little accident judging by the state of this





How was Ruben going to explain this mess to the Hire Company ?





Ruben had some Carlos Fandango thoughts going through his head and wondered if anyone would miss these





Hopefully that would now be the last of it, I mean, what else could possibly go wrong?