St Andrews - Golfing and visiting!

From this map you can see St. Andres is not exactly the largest megalopolis you will encounter. The town is so small Honey and I circumnavigated the town at least 6 times before finding the hostel I was going to stay at (which conveniently was hidden behind a well stocked pub).



Nevertheless we found the St. Andrews Hostel (for young people such as myself) and Honey found a parking spot at the student union across the road (much to their horror).

When in St. Andrews there is really only one thing you should be doing... playing golf and thats exactly what I did on my second day after arriving.

1. Driving range and hit 200 balls.
2. Played the aim and shoot par three course, Balgove (18 holes) .
3. Played 18 Holes of the Strathtyrum course golf (shot 81).

My score would more than likely have been a lot better had I noticed that my driver head was lose... After hitting a number of magnificent fades to slices I realised something was amiss!

In addition to the lose driver head I also discovered the strong Scottish wind and possibly the reason why most Scots players hit low shots.

Driver went to the local doctor for some glue and I went out for supper with some friends and sampled the local brew... The night was ended off with a fantastic Thai at Scotland's top Thai restaurant. I had to laugh though, I ordered gin tau Beer and they kept brining me Ginger Beer! At least it was over half the price!



Above: me in the hostel.



Above: I felt this picture pretty much summed up St. Andrews for me.

Front disks and ball joints - the silencing of honey!

Me and anyone who has driven in Honey where fond of her charm and character. While driving she would squawk and squeak and when coming to a halt she would hummmm.



Her most recent operation was to look at her front disks, Calipers and her ball joints. As it turned out her front disks needed to be replaced and her ball joints where pretty much knackered (not having much experience in vw campervans I failed to check these when I bought her and of course this was not mentioned to me by the dealer).



Above: Old disks and Caliper. Honeys unique hummmmm was caused by the severely degregated disks. We converted the front brakes and disks to a 1972 - 1979 set (Below).



The following is a picture of the ball joints we took out. Take a close look at the center joint - one hard bump and that could very well have popped out causing the front wheel to fall sideways and the vehicle to swerve off the road... Very dangerous and should be on the list of things to check when buying these vehicles.



Below: An easy way to remove the rubber housing of the ball joints is to burn them off!



Synopses: After replacing the ball joints and the brake disks Honey is driving a lot better. While she does not have as much character as she did when I first bought her - I certainly feel a lot safer on the road!

Edinburgh at night

Edinburgh in the summer is a wonderful place. You will find an eclectic bunch of people walking the streets; tourists with maps clutched in hand, local business people suited and booted and looking important, loads of students as you can well imagine, the ubiquitous hobo outside a popular store or a bank machine with his skeletal dogs and not to forget beautiful lasses where ever ye shall look!

Of course if you are out late(ish) you will encounter what I refer to as the Edinburgh yob. I met one the other day as I got off a bus... over sized jeans, hoodie and seemingly unable to pronounce English words or Scottish words for that matter. Instead he expressed him self by lighting the litter in a bin and then chucking another into the road strewing a mess across the street and causing a car to swerve around it dangerously. It was a single occasion however it made me realise that even in this smallish community you will find your problems.

On a night out on George street you are bound to meet youngsters from the university going out and having a good time. I went to Fingers Bar where they have a man playing a few chords on a Piano and belting out popular songs for everyone and all the patrons join him in singing them... There are other clubs/pubs in the area as well and if you have a foreign accent you are bound to attract some interest from the locals.



Pictures: The pictures where taken on my phone and on Princess street.

Graveyards in Edinburgh

Not being in the mood for a walk a friend pretty much dragged me to a secret graveyard site in Edinburgh. Apparently the only way into the site is through a hole in one of the ancient walls - where we found a well trodden path made by those residents in the know.

The first thing to greet me was a bunch of gravestones seemingly tossed to the side of the path. I don't think this was out of disrespect for the dead but merely from age and gravity having their toll on the ancient stones.



Later I heard a story about the graveyard. Apparently it was/is frequented by those looking for same sex conveniences of passion. And then on the spin side of things it is also frequented by those who disagree with such arrangements and go along to hand out a good bashing or two. Nevertheless I can see why this is such a hot spot as there are plenty of nooks and crannies to vanish into...





Above: Perhaps an opium based facade would consider this to be the stairway to heaven? Of course that all depends on what heaven is to you. For me - it was the tranquility of the place and the seeming isolation from the city with only the dead as my witness.



Above: A ghost or a Skim seen skimming across the path fleeing from the unknown. Note the pale complexion and the horror in her eyes.



So if you are into grave robbing, old stones, overgrowth, moldy stones, gay bashing or simply an alfresco quickie... then this is definitely the place to come and visit.

But of course... I am not going to tell you how to find this tranquil spot!

Panoramas of Edinburgh

While Honey has been getting herself sorted out I have been staying at the local backpackers (Globetrotter.com) in Edinburgh. The following panoramas where created by Peter from Slovakia. He spliced the pics together in photoshop.

Here are some photos of some sites in the city:



Above: 180 degree picture of the market square in Edinburgh.



Above: 4th road bridge Edinburgh



Above: Another panorama of the amazing Edinburgh Sky Line... who could ever blame the Scots for loving this city!

Just chilling out!

I have found a favourite spot on Marine Drive in Edinburgh... Awesome views and sunsets (although late this time of year).

Today a friend and I parked off, made some tea, went for a walk along the beach and then came back to Honey to cook some supper! Hmmm... pasta, crisped bacon and a yummy pasta sauce!!

Master brake cylinder replaced

I am not sure how long master brake cylinders are supposed to last for however after 36 years I guess its okay if Honeys needed to be replaced...



Garry at John Forbes automotive did a great job in changing the brake lines and putting in the new cylinder.

Rear Drums replaced

I use Just Kampers to get my vw parts in the UK. They have a very fast turnaround time and can get your parts to you within a couple of days of ordering (where ever you are in or outside the UK). Fabulous!



Above: parts...

Here are some shots of the rear right drums being replaced by a friend in his home garage.



Below: The other drum replaced:

Taking out Honeys Engine

On lucky Friday the 13th of June, Honey was taken to John Forbes, the local Air Cooled Specialists in Edinburgh www.forbesautomotive.co.uk.

Garry Burgess is Johns senior mechanic and has been working closely with John for over 17 years and is trusted by most of Edinburgh's VW owners and enthusiasts. And I met a lot of them while honey was being serviced. From the likes of ScoobyCampers.com (with over 10 campers entrusted to Garry) and of course all the individual enthusiasts who want their vw's in the best hands (from the latest models to some over 50 years old!).

If you are in the Edinburgh area and looking for help with your VW, I would highly recommend John Forbes and Garry. NOTE: While I was having Honey serviced John was in the process of shutting down shop so contact Garry directly for any VW help: 07834600725.



Above is Honey, her engine and Garry. the problem - leaking engine. A "hidden" o-rings (not all mechanics know about it) and seals where replaced (both of which had seen better days).



Top: Old clutch
Bottom: Clutch pressure plate





Above: Picture of the engine bay. Not bad for a vw van that was built in 1971. The body work is as strong as the day it was built. In this picture you can see the right side CV boot needs to be replaced.

At the top of the picture you can see the petrol tank cover, that came off and a small rubber hose was replaced (this sorted out the fumes that I was smelling in the cab each time I filled up).



Above: Close up of Honey's engine, notice the dark oil in the carb due to excessive retardation.



Above: Oily carb!!



Above: Engine back in, I took the liberty of "borrowing" some old pipes lying around the workshop and connected them to the carb and the air inlet pipe (next to the oil cap). I just felt it would be nice to give the carb the opportunity to have some fresh air rather than air and fumes from the engine compartment.



Above: Engine - no leaks! Yay!!