Where the forests still rustle... - Two SpaceCampers in the Bergisches Land Nature Park

...the mountains rise high, the anvil sounds..."

Why wander far away. Look, the good is so close. We all know these lines. But Corona puts these words into a completely different context. - If, like most people in the past, we couldn't get enough of flying, today we'd rather do without. 

Even though we made this decision before Corona, we seem to be in good company. Camping vacations are more popular than ever before. The number of new caravan registrations rose by no less than 29 % compared to the same month last year. - Campsites are considered overcrowded and wild camping is polarizing. 

But where to go when it's 35° in summer? - We decided to take a trip to the Bergisches Land, my old home and a shady forest. With an area of 2,027 km², the Bergisches Land Nature Park is one of the largest nature parks in North Rhine-Westphalia.

"...Where my cradle stood in the shade of the oak,

there is my home, my Bergisches Land..."

It stretches from the Bergisch city triangle of Wuppertal, Solingen and Remscheid in the north to the River Sieg in the south. In an easterly direction, it borders the Sauerland, in a westerly direction it ends just before the gates of Cologne. But we were particularly interested in the Heckberg Forest, on the border between the Rhine-Sieg district and the Oberberg district. Even if everything seems a little hilly, the route climbs almost 350 meters from Kölle. 

On site, we met up with Kai and his nameless SpaceCamper. That's why I call him Nobody. As described in one of the previous posts, we came across Nobody during our vehicle research. You could say Nobody is the big brother. Because he was the inspiration for the exterior design. 

In the shady forests of the Bergisches Land Nature Park, the outside temperatures were much more pleasant. We were able to get a bit of an outdoor feeling on the gravel roads. - On the way, we came across a brand new Land Rover Defender from Matzker. - What's special about it? - Matzker is not just any Land Rover dealer, but an institution in the Land Rover and off-road scene. In particular, the company founder Amadeus Matzker, who has since passed away, was a minor celebrity. As the pilot of his own rally team, he not only competed in various rallies, thus proving the performance of his vehicles, but also developed the products for his customers on this basis and with his experience. I myself had my Defender modified by Matzker. - Amadeus Matzker died in a tragic car accident in the Mauritanian desert in 2016.

Tragic or simply living to the last what you loved? - Certainly one way of looking at it.

When I look at the new Defender now, I can understand that the classic regular customers need a period of familiarization. After all, the old model was regarded as a timeless, indestructible off-road icon. - After all, it was in office for 68 years "almost" unchanged. Just as much a cult object as a relic from times gone by. But the new one is definitely chic, very, very chic. Or is that noble? Either way, it's real British. And what about the driving characteristics? On the road, it should definitely be superior to the old one. And 500 millimetres of maximum articulation, bank angles of 38 and 40 degrees, 900 millimetres of fording depth, that doesn't sound like a city SUV either. But as I said, tastes differ. I really like the modern yet square style with retro touches.

But it wouldn't be a Defender from Matzker if everything was standard. The vehicle seen today had, among other things, an underride guard, cable winch & Co. The '& Co' was still kept under wraps. The same applies to the price of the extras. This special model will be presented to Matzker customers for the first time at a trade fair next week. A Matzker Erlkönig, so to speak. 

There were a few more impressions on this tour. But we'll tell you about them tomorrow.

PS: The somewhat quirky-sounding tune is an excerpt from the Bergisches Heimatlied. Always popular. Whereby some things are still valid locally that seem to have been forgotten elsewhere. I can still identify well with such words:

"Where the handshake is still considered the most sacred pledge, there is my home, my Bergisches Land."