The further adventures of Doogle

We went to Camping in the Cotswolds a couple of weeks ago, now I’m back down sarf set up at Rookery Farm, Silverstone, for 3 days at the Classic.

Only one major drama with the van, on the M1 near Sheffield, 4 lanes and no hard shoulder, she suddenly cut out dead in lane 3! The traffic was quite slow, and I managed to roll into lane one, and with the hazards on I rolled downhill to the next junction, where I pulled over once off the motorway. Fearing the worst I looked in the engine compartment- after staring at the engine cluelessly I suddenly spotted a loose black wire with a female connector not connected to anything! The negative wire to the coil had vibrated off - I pushed it back on and restarted the van. The easiest roadside fix I’ve ever done, probably.

 

This is where I’d managed to roll to, on a slip road near Sheffield.



That was one of the scariest moments I’ve had in a long time. This morning before I set off back I gently nipped up the rolled sides of the female connector, I never want to go through that again.

I had an uneventful journey back, no dramas, it’s exactly a year since I bought it back from Silverstone after I’d bought her. Last year I came home the long but flat way via the M6, I didn’t fancy Woodhead in a van I didn’t feel confident in. This year I enjoyed Woodhead, all purple heather in the setting sun. I even overtook a beer lorry on the two lane bit going up the hill. As often happens with Dougal, the Woodhead pass was strangely empty in front, although it looked a bit busy in the mirror.

 

We’re setting off for Islay tomorrow, we’re busy packing today, and I’ve been checking tyre pressures, filling the washer bottle and cleaning the inside of the windows so we can see the view. First night is at the Metal Bridge near Carlisle, after a vital cheese stop at Tebay services.

I’ll keep you posted on our progress hopefully here, but if it all goes tits up you might find me in the mech tech thread.

 

We’re here at the Metal Bridge Inn, on the border with Scotland, drinking G&T from our flasks and waiting for the rain to stop, proper holiday weather.

Motorhome parking is free here, if you eat at the pub. A bit noisy next to the motorway, but we brought earplugs, plus Kas is a bit mutton anyway. No hookup, but we can do odd nights with my CPAP machine on the leisure battery if we don’t overdo the fridge.

The only drama was during a shower on the M6, when I noticed that there was no sign of the passenger wiper, which was hanging down the front of the van! I guess the splines can’t be great, but at the next services the sockets came out, tightened up the nut and they are back working again.

 

Not a very peaceful night but we did know it was next to the M6. You need earplugs for this one. Not so much the lorries but when they hit the expansion gaps on the bridge.


The original metal bridge was built by Telford in 1820, replaced in 1916, and later by the M6.
The West Coast main line crosses the Eden a few hundred yards away.

 

We’re in a beer garden in Surprisingly Sunny Troon, near our campsite, with hookup tonight, so the leisure battery is on charge, and the fridge on mains. Tomorrow we are on the ferry to Arran, which we can see across the water. We were talking to a woman walking her dog on Troon seafront about how nice a day it was, she said ‘ it’s usually bloody raining’.

Dougal running fine, nice empty roads along the valleys on the A76.

 

We’re on Arran now, after getting the ferry from Ardrossan. Our campsite at Lochranza is excellent, distillery across the road, hookup, and the first showers we’ve seen since home!


Next to the campsite is a golf course, with wild deer, who knew they could afford the green fees?
Kas was a geology student, and they all learned about Lochranza and Huttons Unconformity. Rather than try and explain it, here’s the signboard, and the real thing which we walked to. We’re just having a post walk whiskey before we have dinner.

 

We met a guy with a late bay on the campsite who can no longer get reverse, I think his front bush is goosed as his gear rod is very sloppy but there is a small belly pan at the front which covers it. He says he’ll get home ok, I told him about the forum.
After raining all night it’s a lovely day today. Had lunch at the distillery with a 12 year malt. Off on the ferry to the Mull of Kyntyre in the morning, then another ferry to Islay.

 

Currently we’re on our second ferry of the day, from Kennacraig on the Mull to Port Erin on Islay. Had loads of people love Dougal today, seen a few take photos. Proper campsite again for the next two nights, then a couple more on a beach.
Any photos here subject to Calmac free wifi

 

looks awesome

 

Seeing these updates of my old beloved bus getting the use it truly deserves makes me dead happy Dave. Loving the pictures

 

Thanks Ryan! Dougal is going fine so far, tomorrow we are driving around Islay and possibly visiting Jura. Tomorrow night we are hoping to wild camp by a beach near Port Ellen.

Today we went on a bus to Bowmore and visited the distillery, where we had a tasting session overlooking the beach, we tried the 12, 15 and 18 year old malts. We also visited the round church, made like that so the devil can’t hide in the corners.

 

We’ve been driving around Islay today, Kas insisted that we went down long bumpy single track roads that worried me but were worth the effort.



We’re now wild camping by the beach at Kilnaughton near Port Ellin, tomorrow we’re off on a bus to taste more whiskey as there are three distillerys nearby. Weather was nice again but the forecast is pants.

 

Just came back from Ardbeg distillery, we walked there via Laphroaig and Lagavulin, so we’re a bit floaty now. Port Ellen fills up every evening with people who’ve visited all three, you can tell who they are as they wobble about, sleep on benches and eat pizza in the park.

Camping on the beach is cool, but we ended up shut in the van avoiding the famous midges.

 

Back wild camping by the beach last night, we stayed in the van as it was pouring down all night. Only us around so I was able to lie awake worrying about getting stuck. Luckily Dougal doesn’t have the power to break traction on wet grass, so we glided off the site without a problem.

We’re now on the ferry back to the Mull of Kintyre, where we can spend the next two nights watching the mist rolling in, and listen out for bagpipes.

Only one wiper now, see Mech Tech.