Flying the Bonk & Co flag!

As she takes a well-earned rest, we decided to catch up with Hollie at home to get the lowdown on her adventure and to find out what lies ahead. First of all, we felt it was only right to work out – once and for all – what made a bright, young student throw caution to the wind and put her faith in the motorists of Europe.

Said Hollie: “When I first heard about the Hitch I thought it was a great idea to actually do something to raise money for Link Community Development. The thought of hitch hiking and meeting people is what made me want to be involved and the fact that I could raise money and help children in Africa at the same time sounded great.”

Hollie’s travelling companions on the road were two friends from Newcastle University, Ed Hiscocks and Harry Wyatt, and she said it was amazing to share the experience with them.

Though excited about the trip, Hollie said she was also very nervous as she had no idea what to expect when the hitchhike got underway. She also admitted she had not really anticipated how hard life on the road might be.

“All told, we were pretty lucky and didn’t have to wait too long at all between lifts. At first I felt a bit nervous but equally excited and after the first few people picked us up I realised it was okay and from then it was all excitement as to where we would end up next!”

“We did come across a few memorable drivers along the way but the majority were extremely nice, talkative and very interested in what we were doing. One driver picked us up in the morning in France and we got along with him so well that he took us to his little village and we had a couple of drinks with him and then he let the three of us camped in the camp site nearby.”

European travel-lust being what it is, a lot of the drivers who stopped to pick up the three pals had been hitchhikers in the past, while many more admitted they have always wanted to try it or to pick up hitchers to see what it was like!

Hollie added: “The drivers were so nice and kind to stop in the first place! We had a whiteboard that we wrote on where we wanted to go and people would stop and say that they weren’t going all the way there but they were heading towards it so could take us quite far which was nice. They were so helpful!”

Wearing her Bonk & Co t-shirt, which we gave to her before she left, Hollie also got a lot of questions about us and our sponsorship of her adventure. And she said she was more than happy to spread the word about her former employers en route – so we have gone continental here at Bonk!

Thankfully the team encountered no major issues on the road and only came up against problems when they arrived in a place with no campsites, which tested their adaptability to the max! Sometimes hunger also raised its head when they didn’t pass a supermarket on the road but they battled on regardless and were never stuck for long.

Recalling the places that had made the biggest impact on her, Hollie added: “The most memorable place we came across en route, which I have been recommending to everyone since I came home, was Arcachon in France.

“It was a gorgeous place on the coast near Bordeaux with a nice beach and campsite. We ended up there because of the lovely driver with who we got along really well, so that was the most memorable place. We were only planning on staying for a few hours but liked it so much that we stayed for two days.”

Blasting preconceptions out of the water were our own indigenous drivers in the UK, where the team encountered a lot of support and friendliness.

Hollie went on: “The friendliest people we met on the road were actually in England but, generally, everyone was friendly. We were surprised about England, though, as we thought it would be extremely difficult to get a lift.

“Once back at home I really appreciated my own bed and the shower! Camping and having to shower in service stations wasn’t the most comfortable thing I have ever had to do! I’m considering taking part in another travel experience called RAG (Raise and Give) which is basically where you have 24 hours to get as far as possible without spending any money. It is probably going to be a lot harder but I think I will enjoy the challenge!”

Hollie is now going into second year at Newcastle University and plans to finish her degree before taking a year out to go travelling.

She added: “Who knows what the future will bring – I may even end up staying somewhere abroad and working there!”

Adventure girl, Hollie

Pioneer Oven Stove

Bonk & Co has been, for many years, Scotland’s largest dealer of Clearview stoves. Based in Shropshire, Clearview’s team cares passionately about the environment and believes trees are the ideal energy source.

This core ‘green’ ethos led them to create stoves that would set new standards and raise the bar in the industry.

Clearview’s owners Jonathan and Helen wanted a simplistic, traditional stove that was highly efficient and offered a great view of the flames behind crystal clear glass. Now, thanks to the ingenuity of their craftsmen, their vision has become a reality.

Now Clearview stoves are widely recognised for their quality, reliability and durability. Each one comes in a variety of colours and sizes, are made from heavy steel and precision welded inside and out for airtight construction, durability and long life.

You can also forget the dark days of tarring and sooting, as Clearview stoves have a hot air wash system that keeps their large, double-glazed windows crystal clear.

The stoves also have independent up and down draft air distribution systems for maximum response and control and the fireboxes are refractory lined for clean combustion.

Below, we take a closer look at three of the Clearview stoves we feel are the best – Pioneer, Pioneer Oven Stove and Vision.

The flat top, traditional looking Pioneer is the highest specification small stove ever built. We love this stove as, for its size and output, it has a great flame picture.

Plus – and here’s the very good news for canny householders –  it will only burn only a kilo of wood an hour, stay in overnight and also boil a kettle!

We feel it looks best on four inch legs but it can also be ordered on two inch legs, six inch legs or a 10 inch plinth, depending on your preferences.

Vision 500

The Pioneer Oven Stove is a fantastic addition to any kitchen, whether on its own or complimenting a cooker, AGA or range. It is ideal for cooking things like casseroles or baking potatoes and its large hotplate is also perfect for boiling a kettle or keeping coffee or teapots warm.

Equipped with a multi-fuel grate for easy lighting and rapid response, it also boasts a rotary grate for easy riddling and its refractory lining promotes super clean combustion.

Vision was the first multi-fuel stove approved for burning wood and

Clearview Pioneer 400

Authorised fuels in UK smoke controlled areas.

Bought with or without a canopy, it comes with legs ranging in size from 50mm to 100mm or, depending very much on your own personal preferences, can be placed on one of two different sized log stores.

The place is looking fantastic, though, which is largely down to good old fashioned elbow grease and the old Dolby artistic eye!

The premises in Abbeyhill are proving the ideal space from which to showcase some of our top stoves and accessories.

The showroom displays five live displays from Harrie Leenders, Clearview and Charnwood, which provides a really warm welcome for those coming through the doors – and for the Bonk team when the cold Scottish winds blow!

Each of our five live wood burning stoves features materials from Strathearn Stone and Timber, a family firm with which we enjoy close working relations.

At the heart of the showroom is a large inglenook style fireplace featuring a rustic wooden beam and a comfy sofa from which our customers can enjoy the sight of the flames and heat from the working Clearview Vision.

A lot of our existing customers who have bought from us in Inverness have been popping in to show their support, which we very much appreciate.

It is also great to see some new faces from Edinburgh and the Lothians coming into the showroom to see what we’re all about.

We have worked very hard to create the homely feel our customers are seeking and this has been done by using pastel paints and wallpapers.

Each area has been specifically designed to reflect the style of individual manufacturers, from the traditional feel of manufacturers Charnwood, Clearview and Morso  to the more contemporary style of Harrie Leenders, Jotul and Scan .

With all the effort we have put into creating our new showroom we would be delighted to welcome new and existing customers through the doors to enjoy the world of stoves with the Bonk team.

We look forward to seeing you!

Sign of the Times

As we recently mentioned, our friend Hollie Chambers embarked on a charity hitchhike to Morocco with team mates Harry and Ed.

We caught up with our intrepid student, who completed work experience at Bonk Edinburgh earlier this year, as she prepared to leave British soil. Guess where our story picks up? Yes, that’s right, with the three of them sunbathing in a traffic jam on the M11! Who said excitement was dead?

Hollie took five to email the team, adding: “Ed, Harry and I are currently lying in the middle of the M11 soaking up the sun whilst everything is at a standstill. Still wearing my lovely Bonk t-shirt on and people are still asking me what the name is all about, so I am more than happy to tell them all about you guys! Not exactly glamorous but that’s life on the road! We’re all pretty excited about touching down on French soil – but at this rate we’ll be lucky to be there in a week!

We’ll catch up with Hollie again once she, Ed and Harry are across the Channel and spreading the Bonk & Co word on the Continent.

The adventure begins

Some say she’s mad, others applaud her gritty determination, but here at Bonk we’re rooting 100 per cent

for student Hollie Chambers as she heads off on a charity hitchhike to Morocco.
Hollie (18), who completed some work experience at the Bonk Edinburgh showroom in April, has joined forces with team mates Ed Hiscocks and Harry Wyatt to complete the challenge in support of Link Community Development.

Decked out in her distinctive Bonk & Co t-shirt, the Newcastle University student said: “I can’t wait to get started on the Hitch as, not only will it be an experience to remember, it also aims to raise funds for a great cause. Let’s just hope there are loads of generous drivers willing to give us a lift along the way!”

The Hitch is Link Community Development’s largest fundraising event and the biggest organised hitch-hike in the UK. Since it began in 1992, almost 7,000 Hitchers have safely and successfully completed the challenge, raising more than £3 million for charity.

Link Community Development works at all levels of the education system to identify and remove the obstacles to quality education. The charity currently operates international programmes in rural districts of Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, South Africa, and Uganda, and there is demand for us to extend its work to other countries.

Watch this space, as we will be following Hollie, Ed and Harry’s adventures on the open road over the coming weeks.

Andrew on the Bonk & Co stand

We made our debut appearance at this year’s Ideal Home Show Scotland at the SECC in Glasgow on May 27th.

Bonk Edinburgh’s manager Alex joined Clearview’s James Garnett at the company’s stand, where there was a large selection of Clearview’s range of cast iron wood burning and multifuel stoves on show.

Bonk has never really gone in for shows in the past but we felt, with the expansion of the company into Edinburgh and the Lothians, now was the right time to take things to another level.

Clearview, however, has had a presence at the Ideal Home Show in London for several years, so it was great to be able to join the team and make our own mark as the show returns to Scotland.
We’re also delighted to say Clearview’s Pioneer Oven Stove took pride of place in Prince Charles’ Natural House, which is the first ‘royal’ house to feature at the show since 1935.

It is a fantastic looking low carbon house that represents The Prince of Wales’ answer to eco-living. Not only is it made from natural and recycled materials, its carbon emissions are just as low as some high tech alternatives, according to Prince Charles’ Foundation for the Built Environment. So where better to showcase one of our top selling and energy efficient stoves

Ideal Home Show Scotland begins today (Friday 27th May) and ends on Monday and unites more than 400 exhibitors with an ideal mix of brand names, international and Scotland-based retailers.