Tag: Motorhome

Woke pretty early on the 5th. It had been pretty cold overnight. I’d left the heater on and the combination of that and my new sleeping bag (good down to -2C) meant that I was comfortable. Got up around 7am and got ready for the main event of the holiday, the climb of the Pap of Glencoe and Sgorr Nam Fiannaidh. I had a path from Walkhighlands and could see it from the site. The site had a fantastically simple but effective idea. They kept forms in the office so you could tell them where you were going and when you’d be back so if anything did happen, they could call the necessary services. So left the form and walked into Glencoe village to the start of the climb. At first the going was steep but not too bad but then the scree started. I reached the base of the dome of the Pap without too much difficulty.

However, at this point the path that looked clear vanished in the loose rocks. As a novice hill walker, I was concerned about climbing this and, tail between my legs, headed down. It would have been somewhat embarrassing to have mountain rescue called out on my first proper Munroe. As I headed down I met someone following the same route. I hope he had better luck than me. The other plan for the day was Sgorr. I found the path leading up and again it was scree city. But onwards and upwards I went and made it to the plateau at at the top. A quick check with map and compass and I achieved the summit to find someone had nicked the trig point. But there was a small shelter built of stones from the hill so I took off my pack and spent an enjoyable few minutes taking photos and generally enjoying the view. It was well worth the climb.

Time marched on and the temperature must have been around 0 at the top so down I went. Here’s where it all goes horribly wrong. What navigation skills I have deserted me and I picked the wrong path off the summit. This led to a scree filled gully (Clachaig Gully) that appeared to be the way down. I was lulled into a false sense of security by a couple going down the path ahead. They obviously had more experience than me as I ended up crawling off the hill on my backside. After 40mins of bowel looseningly bad scree I was at the bottom and miles from where I started.

But there was a hotel ahead of me and I got a seat and several nods of respect for the way I came down. The hotel is the Clachaig Inn which is famous for its “No hawkers or Campbells sign”.

A glass of orange juice and a bottle of water later I headed back to the van and a hot shower. Dinner was cooked and Dr Who was watched.

Everything we do is a learning process and here’s what I learned.

• I need experience on smaller hills before tackling the Munroes.
• I need to learn and practice navigation skills. The book on navigation I have states that most problems on the hills start with navigation errors.

But I survived and lived to tell the tale and got some lovely photos into the bargain. But some learning needs to happen.

Took a half day Friday from work for the first weekend away in the season. I’ve been wanting to try this idea of taking a half day holiday to get a full weekend away.

So loaded the van and headed off. First stop was for fuel. And here it went a little off the rails. I managed to splash myself with diesel. Trousers and shoes covered. Luckily the petrol station was close to home so back for a quick change and then a restart.

I had a reasonably clear idea of the route to the campsite and thus the sat nav and I had a difference of opinion at a couple of points during the journey. I won and got to Glencoe in about 3 hours. The trip was pretty uneventful apart from the usual set of suicidal drivers and bikers. Some spectacularly bad overtaking manoeuvres were witnessed but reaching the A82 brought forth some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve ever seen. It truly heals the soul to see such wild beauty. The A82 passes to the south of Rannoch Moor which is something I’ve wanted to see for a while.

Signed in and pitched up. The first test of the holiday was to get the awning up. This was less hassle than anticipated and in about an hour after arriving I was starting to cook dinner.

Dinner was potatoes and chicken, with the chicken cooked in the Omnia oven. I’ve said it before but this is a fantastic device that lets you oven cook on a hob. And dinner was extra tasty in the fantastic surroundings of the campsite.

The campsite itself is easily up to the best of Camping And Caravan Club standards. Lots of hot water in the dish washing area and loos and everything was spotless.

The temperature dropped with the setting sun so the oil filled radiator was put on and set to take the chill off the air. Early bed as I wanted to get an early start on the main endeavour for the weekend, the Pap of Glencoe.

Been having a few problems with Harmony’s ignition recently. I’d turn the key and the lights on the dashboard would either come on very dim or not at all. Turning the key back and forth would sort the problem, with the lights coming on and the engine turning over (and catching) when the key is turned to start.

During the habitation check, some investigation was done. There were a couple of possibilities. The first was a relay was sticking somewhere. I’ve not been able too find a wiring diagram so I wasn’t sure about that. The second option was that the ignition switch was going. Some fiddling with the existing switch suggested that this was a good place to start.

So, in the spirit of self reliance, I ordered up the part from Arnold Clark. A swift purchase of some screwdrivers later, I got the cowling apart and replaced the switch.

And now everything seems to be all right. I’m not terribly mechanically minded, normally checking the oil level and the tyre pressure is what I do but it feels pretty good to have done even a small repair. There doesn’t seem to be a Haynes manual for the Boxer which is a pity but I’ll keep working on those little fixes.

Something I should order is a set of spare bulbs and fuses. And carry a small toolkit in the van.