The Barefoot Chef

Camper Calling is one of the few occasions that I manage to meet up with Alan Hayward, my watercooled oppo from our sister magazine; VW Bus.

- DAVE RICHARDS

We normally discuss things in the weeks leading up and essentially, take the opportunity to do something daft... Then one of us spotted an almost complete hovercraft project for sale on e-bay; 99p start & no reserve!

Over the course of a lengthy telephone conversation, we reached the following conclusions:

1, Homemade hovercraft haven’t been banned from the lake at Camper Calling - yet. We’d be able to razz about like those kids in ‘Hoverbug’, the Children’s Film Foundation’s 1969 masterpiece. Although we were obliged to concede that the possibility/probability of the pair of us breaking down & sinking mid-lake, might conceivably try the organizer’s patience.

2, We were however confident that our unique, combined skillset, which consists essentially of a big box of self-tapping screws & a hammer between us, should see project hovercraft quite literally up & running over the course of a weekend. A Briggs & Stratton engine was included in the sale. How difficult could it possibly be?

3, And best of all, we calculated that we ought to be able to buy it for about forty quid.