The Scottish Trip - The End

I didn't get a great night's sleep for various reasons and, as I was awake at 6, I got moving very early. I left site a bit after 7, very quietly. The A68 is definitely a better drive in daylight but it wasn't too long until dawn. I'd really like to visit the Borders again but I don't think a long trip there is on for a few years unless I rearrange things. After that it was just a slog back down the A1. It was very misty at the start, and damp much of the way, so not very pleasant.

This trip was a bit of an experiment in terms of going away in winter and also in terms of the distance travelled. I managed fine in terms of the conditions, a thicker sleeping bag than usual and the fan heater were sufficient to keep me warm and cosy. The downside though was the much shorter days, especially being in the north. I really wanted to be on the sites in daylight which, with the long drives, meant there wasn't a lot of time for visiting. Today's 6+ hours was definitely too long a drive without a decent stop. It would have been less if I'd travelled further yesterday but that wouldn't have left time for a worthwhile visit to Stirling Castle (and even then I didn't really get a chance to walk round the town).

Dai isn't the greatest vehicle on motorways, being really a city van, that's fixable of course by buying a new 'van. That's on the cards for next year or, more likely, the year after. I will bear driveability in mind with the replacement (at the moment that looks like being a Citroen Berlingo).

To conclude I doubt I'll go so far from home in winter again, at least not until I've retired and have a lot more time. For now I've got to give Dai a really good wash and sort out the water pump. I may have a night away in January but that won't be too far away.

The Scottish Trip - Another Castle

I didn't blog yesterday as I was in a hotel and in any case it would be boring (eat, drink, talk, repeat).

Having seen Stirling Castle from afar a couple of years back I decided it justified a visit. It wasn't quite on the way back from Perth but was a reasonable detour. I'm really glad I did go, it's quite spectacular in places. One of my first calls was to the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders regimental museum. The regiment only moved out of the castle in the late 1960s having had a long connection with it.

I don't generally go for the guided tours but this one was free and the timing worked out. There's only one thing that makes a good guided tour and that's a good guide, this one was excellent. He knew his history (he claims to watch BBC 4) and could put it across in an interesting and enthusiastic way.

The cafe had less to recommend it, £4 for a slice of cake is steep and it wasn't great. One thing that did impress me was that all the staff throughout were friendly, even if the were just walking through one of the courtyards they'd say, "Good morning!"

It was under 2 hours from Stirling to Melrose. The caravan site is right on the edge of the town, but quiet enough. It's fairly empty this time of year so I've pitched handy for the toilet block and water! It's got me a bit on the way to home, but it's still 5-6 hours so I'll be away reasonably early.

First job if I'm back early enough and weather permitting will be to give the 'van a good wash! It's absolutely filthy sheet the last few days of damp weather. I also need to look at removing the water pump to see if I can find what's wrong. I may have a night away in January so I can't leave it too long to sort.

The Scottish Trip - Eeek!

I wasn't quite as early away from site as I'd planned but it really didn't matter. It was straight back on the A1 past some familiar places to Berwick. I'd have liked to spend more time in Northumberland but I'm heading that way next year.

Berwick itself is a lovely town, spoilt only by the weather. You can tell it's in the north, even little old ladies were walking around without anoraks or umbrellas.

The A1 north was closed for some reason so I followed the SatNav, I think it was a public road it took me along, but at one point it became a muddy track. If you're going to close a major road at least make sure the diversion is well signposted.

People who know me very very well will know that I don't to heights, at all. I was getting fairly uncomfortable on the approach to the current Forth Road Bridge. In the end the traffic was steady anyway and I did get the chance to see the progress on the new crossing*.

From there it was a reasonable run up to the hotel in Perth. The food isn't great, after all who'd want a Black Pudding Stack with Crispy Bacon and a Poached Egg as a starter? :) I may have a voice left tomorrow after all the talking tonight but it was a lovely evening with friends old and new.

*You can look up the details but it's the longest 3 tower cable stayed bridge with cross over cables in the spans.

Whatever,, it's impressive!

Water, Water, Everywhere...

After yesterday's trip blog I hit what is, I think, the first real failure in 3 seasons using Dai. I turned the tap on and immediately the supply fuse blew. I'll check when I'm home but I suspect the pump has failed. Not a major issue, more a nuisance, I'm on full facility sites for the two nights away so I can manage.

One of the downsides of campervan conversions is that they tend to have slightly quirky electrics. Dai is even worse as there are my alterations involved. Had I been starting from scratch I'd have ensured there was a separate switch and fuse for the water pump, as it is there isn't so the lights went out as well.

Easy enough temporary fix, I just switched over to the engine battery whilst I replaced the blown fuse, but I'm glad I made provision to do that. When I get home I'll check things out, see if I've got a spare pump (I may have) and get another pack of spare fuses.

This has made me think about the electrical setup on the next campervan though. If, as is possible, I get a conversion done to suit I'll have to check out how the wiring is done and consider changes.

The Scottish Trip - It'll be Nice when it's Finished!

The Scottish Trip - It'll be Nice when it's Finished!

Although this isn't entirely a camping weekend I've turned a trip to Perth (the Scottish one) into a road trip with a couple of nights in Dai on the way to and from the hotel. I'd decided Durham would make a reasonable break point on the journey up so looked at the map for a suitable stop on the way. I've never been to Pontefract, it's got a castle, so I thought, "Why not?"

Unfortunately the castle is undergoing a multi-million pound restoration at the moment so much of it is inaccessible. Genuinely, it'll be fantastic when done and the new visitor centre, in a restored Arts and Crafts building, will be a huge improvement. As it is though it was a bit of a disappointment.

I had a stroll round the town centre and picked up a few bits of fresh food for lunch/dinner (the latter in the end) before rejoining the A1. I was thinking of calling in at Ripon but with deteriorating weather (it had gone from a bit drizzly to torrential) I didn't bother. I stopped at Scotch Corner for lunch as I was a bit early then got on site.

The Durham Grange CC site is an ideal stop over, being only a couple of hundred yards off the A1M. That does also mean it's noisy. It's also very handy for visiting the City as there's a park and ride in easy walking distance.

Having got pitched, which now takes all of 5 minutes, I sat down with my usual beer (a tradition I've kept on from when I had the folding camper, but that took a lot more effort to get sorted) thinking I'd just relax. Miraculously the rain stopped a few minutes later and the sun came out so I decided to explore. There's only one way to go on foot, that's out of the site, across both carriageways of the A690 and across two slip roads, not for the faint hearted. The view from the bridge over the A1M, shown above, is one that makes a lot of people realise they're nearly home! Penshaw Monument is certainly an icon from my childhood and probably that of many others.

With the sun setting, the temperature dropping and the traffic getting busier I decided it was time to brave the road crossings again, get back to the campervan and finish my beer. I don't need a very early start in the morning as it's a bit under 4 hours to Perth but I'll probably stop somewhere on the way.