A Long Overdue Catch-Up Blog From ManVanNoPlan

A Long Overdue Catch-Up Blog From ManVanNoPlan…
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Welcome to ‘A Long Overdue Catch-Up Blog From ManVanNoPlan. It seems odd to be posting the first blog of 2024 in September, but we have not been abroad this year, until now (we are in Germany as I write this), and medical issues for The Navigator, (more on that in the next blog…) which have held us back to date. That, and I have been really busy working on our Fyne Editions website, which is a long story in itself. Suffice to say, Amazon decided to change the way websites link their products to their listings on Amazon which resulted in over 2,500 of our titles having to be individually re-coded!

So, what have we been up to since our last Blog Post from October last year? A lot as it happens so read on…

To refresh your memory (if you are a subscriber) or, are new to our blogs, back in October on our return from our three month trip through the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia we traded in our beloved Bessie for a much smaller van, ‘Otto, the Auto-Trail.’ An odd name for a motorhome I hear you say. So why Otto?

In 2007 we bought Louis the McLouis.
In 2018 we bought Bessie the Bessacarr.
In 2023 we bought Otto the Auto-Trail.
Spot the pattern?

We had five and a half fantastic years touring with Bessie but we reluctantly decided to trade her in to buy a van more in keeping with how we are touring nowadays. Last year’s three month tour to the Baltic States highlighted the fact that, while Bessie was very comfortable and had tons of storage, it was a bit limiting on where we could go, stay, and park due to its 8.1m length, so, after a lot of careful consideration we decided to reluctantly part company with her and find a new van that would more suit our touring requirements going forward.

Introducing Otto the Auto-Trail…

Otto is 1.3m shorter than Bessie so obviously compromises have been made and probably the most obvious one is that instead of fixed rear single beds over a garage we now have a U shaped lounge and a low under seat storage space which means our bikes will have to be carried externally on a bike rack. There are loads of other differences and after collecting Otto we spent two days at Brownhills in Newark getting used to the new layout and hunkering down as storm Babet swept over the UK.

These two days also gave us the opportunity to test all the systems and make tweaks and adjustments before leaving to head north. There was only one issue with the TV bracket not locking in place for travelling, but fair play to Brownhills they took it into their workshop, fixed it and returned it within the hour.

As everyone will have experienced, Babet dropped an incredible amount of rainwater and we never had the opportunity to sample the delights of Newark or make use of the on-site swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna on this occasion. As a customer of Brownhills we are allowed to stay on site twenty nights a year so we can make use of the facilities in the future.

With the worst of Babet over, we set off on Saturday morning heading first for Homebase for a couple of containers for the garage, B & M for a few things and then Aldi to stock up on some groceries. After all these tasks were accomplished we set off, heading first for Leeds.

Well that was the plan anyway, but almost immediately after leaving Newark we were diverted off the A1 as it was apparently blocked in two places further north with floodwater. The diversion kept moving even with all the extra traffic on what were normal two lane roads, until we reached a town called Ollerton where everything ground to a halt.

Traffic seemed to be coming from all directions adding to the congestion so after about an hour of creeping through Ollerton we managed to get on a road heading for Worksop then the M1 just south of Sheffield and even though there were roadworks on the M1 we kept moving.

As the motorways seemed to be clear of flood water we took the M62 west until we reached Bury where we spent the night at the Caravan and Motorhome Club site at Burr Country Park. There were only three spaces left when we arrived at £ 35.00 a pop. Yes £ 35.00 a night on the 21st of October which to me is a tad over the top at that time of year!

With still a six hour drive ahead of us we were up early, serviced the van and set off for home. As we can’t get up to Oban on the A816 due to a huge landslip we stopped at Lidl in Dumbarton for a ‘big shop’ and were home with some daylight still available to unload the van.

On Monday we loaded all the things we had taken out of Bessie and took time to reconfigure everything to the layout and storage available in this van. With that done the van was ready for me to head off on Tuesday morning for a couple of nights away on my own to get to grips with the different settings as The Navigator was back working for the rest of the week (bless).

There are many great ‘wildcamping’ spots in Argyll and the one I was heading to is one of my favourites. It is just off the A83 a couple of miles past the village of Bellochantuy heading towards Campbeltown. It is an official parking place formed by a section of the old road and is on a cliff top setting with views to the islands of Gigha, Jura, Islay, round to Rathlin Island off the coast of Northern Ireland which can also be seen, weather permitting!

This is the spot we have taken our two previous vans to for us to set up and work out where everything went and how all the settings were configured but before I got there there was a bit of drama driving down the hill into Tarbert as an oncoming workers van and Otto ‘kissed’ wing mirrors breaking my indicator on the wing mirror!

I headed to the lay-bye in time to watch the sun set out to sea.

One of features of Otto are the three large windows in the lounge area at the back which gives great views, and I’m sure will see many worthwhile views in the years ahead.

After a brief visit to Campbeltown the next morning, I returned to the park-up and spent the rest of the day getting to grips with the new systems, reading manuals and tuning in the radio, tv and other other things that needed fiddling with. It is a relatively small feature, but one that will be invaluable when abroad, is the ability to change the digital speedometer to read kilometres instead of miles per hour.

Otto was put back into storage for a week or so before we loaded it up for a trip to Northern Ireland for a couple of weeks touring and visiting our family in Belfast. Its a bit of a slog to get to Cairnryan from Argyll and as we were on a 11.30am ferry we set off a day early heading for Girvan via a stop in Glasgow for some shopping and top up with cheaper diesel than back home.

The car park at the harbour in Girvan is another favourite spot for wildcamping as you have a great view out to sea and the imposing Ailsa Craig. This car park gets really busy at the weekend in the summer as there is a good sandy beach and other seaside amenities here, and as it’s only about half an hour on to Cairnryan it makes a good stop off point both for coming and going. The one big change from the last time we stayed here is that the council have introduced a £ 10 overnight parking fee between 6pm and 9am with a three night maximum stay, payable online via an App.

I did mention earlier that the back window would lend itself to great views and the following two pictures show Ailsa Craig (aka Paddy’s Milestone) in the evening and next morning.

As this was the first night of our holiday we treated ourselves to a superb fish supper from the nearby chippy, superb in both quality and value. There were only two other motorhomes beside us overnight and it was a quiet night.

After our 8am alarm and breakfast we headed to Cairnryan where the cheeky chappie on the Stena check-in booth confirmed our name and number of passengers before looking at Otto and asked, “whit’s that, a hoarse box?” in a broad Stranraer accent.

Given Otto is slightly taller than Bessie, it still didn’t merit putting us in the lorry queue, but that’s what he did!

The crossing was smooth and these Stena ships are comfortable so the crossing was a pleasure even though there were bus loads of boisterous Rangers supporters returning to Belfast after their victory over Sparta Prague. Better happy bears after a win than angry bears after a defeat!

We went straight to our first destination, Kinn Marina on Lough Neagh. We had been to this area before for a walk with the family, but in the car, so not with a motorhome but it was a good pick as it was a very well laid out site with excellent facilities.

We hunkered down for the night, cranked the heating up, and binged on Netflix and YouTube videos.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, but cold and frosty so we togged up and had a walk through the marina, and round a bit of the loch. The Navigator had wanted to walk around the lough, not realising that it is the biggest lough/loch/lake in the UK and the size of the Isle of Wight, so needless to say that didn’t happen.

We returned in time for lunch, watching the footie and rugby on Discovery+ before The Navigator took over the TV for Strictly… We then watched a film on Netflix called Hell or High Water with Jeff Bridges, either heavily made-up, or getting old before our eyes, nevertheless it was a good film.

We woke on Sunday morning to heavy rain so rather than move on today we decided to book in for another night and have a lazy day.

As we were now in November and it was decidedly chilly, we used the site’s electricity to keep the heating on at a peep and keep comfortable. The horrible weather outside was mostly heavy rain and was the forerunner for another named storm, this time it was Debi. The weather forecasters at the Met Office could have saved a fortune on their computers to predict these storms by simply asking us when we are next taking our motorhome out and about as we do seem to be out in most of them!

Sunday night through to Monday was spent listening to the rain battering down and the wind gathering pace but we lived to tell the tale. Monday morning consisted of gale force winds with the occasional bout of very heavy rain. We had intended going up to the North Coast today but thought better of it as it was simply not a good idea in these extreme gusts.

The site had been three quarters full, mostly with caravans and they began to leave as the morning progressed and we joined them just before noon. We had been charged £ 20 as a deposit for the barrier and toilet block key fob and when The Navigator went to return the fob a swan was standing outside the office door with a menacing look about it!

Our first stop was into nearby Lurgan to what turned out to be a large Lidl with easy parking before returning to the marina to park up and have lunch as we were in no real hurry today.

Although there is a dual carriageway nearby which is busy during the day, it was quiet enough to allow us a good night’s sleep.

Our original plan in coming to Northern Ireland was to turn right from the ferry and follow the Antrim coastal road and stay at a few places I had chosen but the recent weather had put paid to those plans as the A2 was blocked near Glenarm due to a landslide which is how we ended up at Kinn Marina as a hasty Plan B.

Now that named storm Debi had blown over we were determined to head for the North Coast, so after the Belfast rush hour was over we headed to Portrush which is only an hour and a half away. We have been to Portrush a few times before but the attraction this time was that the local Causeway and Glens Council had created a designated motorhome ‘Aire’ right in the centre of the town, which at £ 12 for 24 hours was good value. The usual motorhome services are provided although there are no electric hook-ups, but there was a hedge which would later shelter us from yet more gale force winds.

We arrived just before noon and managed to dump most of the waste water before a heavy passing shower came on.

We had lunch and after it stopped raining we set off, suitably togged up for a walk. Based on a scale of 1 – 10 and looking at The Navigator below, how raw do you think the weather was?

After surviving another blustery night, we headed off for a run down the coast as far as Ballycastle where we had to cut inland due to the landslip a few miles further on from there.

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We had a great family get together at Christmas and with Eilidh who is five now and Callie, three, it was fun to see them enjoy the festive period through innocent eyes.

2024 dawned with much anticipation on the near and far horizon. You will know by now that in recent years we have tried to get away onto the continent for two three month holidays, March, April, May and September, October, November but the first three month trip would not happen for various reasons, the first and most important, was the imminent arrival of our third grandchild, and after an “eventful” birth, Freya, was welcomed into the family on the 3rd of February.

Emma needed a few days in hospital to recover, but we headed down to Leeds to stay for a week to let The Navigator do what grannies do in these circumstances, cook, clean, make a fuss and offer almost forty year old big-baby-birthing experiences! Freya has a striking similarity to Adam but also has the characteristics of this grandfather, in that she likes to be fed and left to sleep!

On the Thusday we popped out for a bit of shopping and ended up buying a new car! Our Citreon C3 Picasso has been a reliable and trustworthy runaround for us for almost twelve years, but those qualities were beginning to struggle year on year at MOT time so we found the perfect replacement in another Citroen.

This meant another trip down to Leeds once the car was prepared and the paperwork sorted out with the DVLA over the transfer of our number plate.

That was February as good as over and Otto had not turned a wheel for two months but would have to wait a few more weeks as, like last year, I was heading off to explore a bit more of the Far East for just over three weeks while The Navigator was jetting off on her own adventures, spending a week in Belfast before flying on to Leeds and taking the train back to Scotland.

Last year when I flew from Glasgow to Manila the journey took its toll on me, as two back to back long haul flights are pretty tiring, especially if you can’t sleep on an aeroplane. This year, the cunning plan was to spend a night in Dubai, and carry on the next day fully relaxed and refreshed. What could possibly go wrong I hear you all ask!

It all started so well. I managed to resist the temptation to hop on the flight to Iceland and the Emirates flight was perfect and I managed to exit Terminal 3 at Dubai airport, which must be one of the wonders of the modern world, and be in bed at the Premier Inn before 3am which was all to plan so far. I checked out at 11am and took the free hotel shuttle bus back into the, not so state of the art Terminal 1 where I had breakfast and put my case in storage for the day.

A very hot day was in prospect given I had just flown from a chilly, drizzly Scotland but there is hot and there is Middle East edge of the desert hot, and no amount to sitting on a Mediterranean beach in the past quite prepares you for it. The airport terminal and the metro are, of course, air conditioned, but when you get off at the wrong station and decide to walk to where you think you want to be with no air conditioning now and in the full glare of the midday sun in sandals you haven’t worn in a year, you should by now see where this is going…

I had no interest in seeing the two most notable landmarks, the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab as there was a heat haze and any pictures would not have been worth the effort taking them. Instead I decided to concentrate on the older, more traditional part of Dubai, which I eventually did, at great cost, not financial I hasten to add, but medically.

I mentioned earlier that I got off the metro at the wrong station and I compounded this by then walking in totally the wrong direction on feet that were quickly registering their displeasure. By early afternoon I was both back on track and wilting but was finding Dubai fascinating and remarkaby inexpensive to eat and drink, in the neighbourhood I was in anyway, (don’t ask).

A nibble here and there sustained me as I headed to the world famous gold souk to see if I could splurge some nectar points on a golden nugget for The Navigator’s impending significant birthday, but nectar points are not a currency this Arab nation was familiar with, so it was not to be. These pictures show what she missed out on though…

As well as the gold souk, there are many different ones but the really eye catching souk was the spices which were on display in many different colours.

By walking on through the souks and crossing a road you arrive at Dubai Creek where a fleet of small wooden boats whisk you over to the other side for the princely sum of one dirham, which is 20p at the time of writing. There is an interesting market there and lots of riverside cafes to have a refreshing drink and take in the views of the creek. The one purchase I made was some Arab coffee with camel milk which The Navigator later enjoyed.

By now my feet had completely given up and were crying out for me to find a taxi back to the airport, but as I had lashed out on a £ 4 metro day ticket I was going to get my full use of it. On the way to the nearest metro station I had a meal sitting outside at a Turkish restaurant for all of £ 3 including a soft drink. So much for needing to be a millionaire to enjoy Dubai!

Sometimes in life however it works out better if you don’t take the cheapest option and my flight on to Manila was about to prove that very point. You pay for what you get in this life and flying Emirates proves the point. The comfort and service,, even in cattle class is superb but as I was booking this trip over the festive period I noticed that Cebu Pacific, the Ryanair of the Philippines had a sale and their price for flying between Dubai and Manila was almost half the price of Emirates, so what is a cost conscious Scotsman to do?

Unfortunately I chose the cheaper option and instantly regretted it as soon as I sat in my seat. The legroom was reduced and there was no entertainment options on the back of the seat in front of me. Hey Ho!

It was to prove a long flight, but more of that in the next blog as I bring you up to date with my travels in the Philippines and Hong Kong as well as our Scottish adventures in Otto and The Navigator’s health issues over the summer.

Spoiler Alert – all’s well that ends well…

COMING SOON ON THE NEXT BLOG…

The next blog will be another catch up blog to bring you completely up to date and then we will be off on Otto’s first European adventure to a part of the continent we’ve never been to before which should be interesting!

Stay tuned, and if you are not already SUBSCRIBED sign up to be notified of the new blogs when they go online.

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