Planning for Next Year...Tour of Scotland

[Troy]

^ That's got a lot of headroom!

I have been tasked with finding a good hard shell roof tent, Mrs Troy likes the Ikamper Skycamp 2.0 as well as the Condor XL. I prefer a good hotel with decent restaurant and a good selection of whiskies in the bar. However, the latter is only an option at the end of the tour or in the event Scotland is about to sink under the weight of a huge snow storm.

I'll probably take her to one of the big camping stores in Holland so she can get a good idea of how good the tents are.

[Joe 90]

I'll probably take her to one of the big camping stores in Holland so she can get a good idea of how good the tents are.

I recommend buying one of those self inflating black out tents from Argos in the UK.

Not the cheapest at several hundred pounds but total ease and quality.

The Brucie bonus is if you're not satisfied with your purchase, you have a 30 day no quibble money back guarantee.

How longs your trip?

;-)

[cyrille]

Only supplements I'll be taking is a decent breakfast and mug of tea before I start off. I might take some oatmeal biscuits and a flask of whisky as emergency rations for when I take a breather on the way up.

Perfectly adequate preparation for anyone who isn't a limp-wristed drama queen.

[Joe 90]

Perfectly adequate preparation for anyone who isn't a limp-wristed drama queen.

I'm sure the membership would be enthralled with your mountain climbing anecdotes.

[Troy]

Still waiting for the papers to arrive for the Discovery so I can get the insurance and plates. A tad frustrating as the Jag has a slow leak in the coolant system. I topped it up with a bit of distilled water and checked the oil to make sure coolant wasn't leaking into the engine, certainly don't want to risk any long journeys. Luckily the mushroom season is only just starting so we can wait another week or two before having to hike around in the Austrian mountains. The UK PCR test requirements are still nothing more than money making scams so they'll have to fix that before we plan any trips there. (Sorry, Dad)

I threw away three pairs of worn out walking shoes this week and bought a pair of Salomon Outline GTX summer hiking shoes. Actually, we went to a Salomon retailer and tried on almost every men's walking shoe they had. The problem was that the Salomon quick lacing system just isn't for me, It doesn't allow the laces to loosen up enough to get my foot into the shoe comfortably and after struggling like hell to get them on I can never seem to tighten them up properly. I prefer simple lace systems and there were plenty in this category to chose from, however, my feet are a little on the wide side and Salomon shoes tend to be a little on the narrow side causing further problems. Anyway, the ones I chose were a reasonable compromise and kept the wife happy, as she hates me wearing old fashioned leather boots (which I prefer). These are just for the rest of the summer and autumn so I can see how they wear before choosing something for the winter. On the plus side the shoes are very light and comfortable and have good inners to protect my heels and toe pads. I spent the afternoon in them and did a quick 5-mile walk on the roads at 29C and they were okay but I am not sure how long the soles will last.

I shall miss the Jag when I change to the Discovery, she's been a great old lady with barely a problem over the years. We had to change the cable in the boot early on as it was shorting in the tight turn as the boot opened and closed. The other problems were just wear and tear, battery and alternator after 14 years and now the coolant leak but still sailed though the TÜV (MOT every 2 years in Germany). I am still wandering whether to keep her for the winter to save putting miles on the Discovery, at least until the end of the year. It'll be sad to let her go to spend her life in the East EU or Turkey.

To be honest I've been feeling quite depressed recently, we should have been back to Thailand twice already by now and we still can't plan when to go. I can't even plan for Mrs Troy to go first and check on the house because the domestic flights have stopped. I doubt she can go before November and I shall stay in Germany because I don't want to risk being stuck in Thailand again. I haven't done any photography since my Croatia trip in May, its been all work and little play since.

A nice trip to the highlands next year will be something worth looking forward to, a pity I can't take some of the Thai family to help with the food gathering and outdoor cooking.

[cyrille]

I can't even plan for Mrs Troy to go first and check on the house because the domestic flights have stopped

Domestic flights have not stopped, Troy.

Yes, they've been severely curtailed but your wife will be able to get to where she wants to go as I did.

After serving out quarantine, obvs.

ThaiLion Air seem to have the most flights at the moment.

[Troy]

^ still debating when the wife should head back to Thailand. I won't be going as I don't want to get stuck again.

Picked up the Discovery today, it's nice to drive and lots of newer features than the Jag. However, the quality doesn't quite match, lots of gadgets and cubby holes but missing the luxury feel. The engine responds well though and the wife loves the higher seating position.

Of course, being a landrover it has to have reliability issues and day 1, on the way home, we had to make a U and head back to the garage...the air con was chucking out hot air to me and cold to the wife...they'd reversed the driver's temp control. An hour's delay but car felt much better afterwards.

Loads and loads of room...who needs a tent, you can live in the back if needed.

Time to check the basement for camping gear. Nearly all campsites are booked this weekend but we might squeeze a booking.

[malmomike77]

Lake District -> Loch Lomond

a shout out to the solway aviation museum nr Carlisle, £6 and you get to climb around in a Vulcan.

http://www.solway-aviation-museum.co.uk

[Troy]

Step 2, checking out the camping gear, quickly followed the arrival of the Discovery. Mrs Troy was keen to find mushrooms in the black forest having seen a youtube video of the area around Schluchsee. Given such short notice and it still being holiday season the best I could find was a campsite close to Titisee, just to the north. We planned to set off early on Saturday morning and stay Saturday/Sunday night returning on Monday. The weather forecast for the area was 22/12 with 0% chance of rain on Saturday and 2% chance on Sunday.

A map of the area to give you an idea where we were going...



Setting off early with wife meant 9am, which is a bit late for me, however, we didn't need to get to the campsite until 3pm and it's only a 5 hour drive, including a good break. Lovely sunny day so I chose to go the southern route down to Lindau and along Lake Constance. It really was a lovely day until we stopped just short of Titisee to pick up some fresh meat, fruit and veg. We were about 20Km away when the heavens opened and we found ourselves in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. No worries, wife just laughed about it, and carried on laughing when we arrived at the camp site with it still raining cats & dogs. The weather forecast at the camp site was still saying 0% chance of rain despite the thunder and lightning all around but it wasn't long until it all cleared up, the sun came out, and we were able to set up camp.



The tent was simple to setup and easily accommodates a double air bed in the 5-person sleeping area (I guess they mean 2 adults + 3 children but even that would be a squeeze). I do like the hanging sleep area with it's own sewn-in groundsheet on top of the main tent groundsheet though. It makes it possible to erect the tent in the rain, which I thought we were going to have to when we arrived.

Time to get the camping gaz stove out and cook a well earned steak...



That went down a treat with a bit of salad and a glass or two of red....

Once the sun went down the clouds disappeared and it quickly turned a little on the cool side and the mist started to rise...



I'm not sure how cold it was on the Saturday night, probably hit single figures but felt a lot colder and I was thankful the wife brought a couple of warm blankets to go over the sleeping bags. It was certainly cold enough in the morning to have a decent cooked breakfast...



That went down well with a couple of fried eggs, several rounds of bread & butter, and a hot mug of tea.

The good news about the local weather here is that chanterelle mushrooms love the rain and need a lot of moisture to grow. We were able to take the Discovery out to places that I would be worried taking the Jag...



...and after a few hours hunting around we managed to collect enough to make the journey worthwhile.



We got back to the lake mid-afternoon, in time for another thunderstorm, but it only lasted an hour or so and then the sun returned. We were down by the lake to see the end of the rainbow light up the town of Titisee...






To be honest, I was dreading the idea of camping out at my age but it ended up being quite a decent trip and a good start for our planned trip to Scotland. Quite a few lessons learned about what to bring with us next time and what to leave behind. I didn't realise how much I liked the sound of rain when tucked up inside a tent...

[malmomike77]

^ looks good, the disco seems a little low on the arches? You need some of these trips to practice stripping off and sharing body heat for what is in store in Scotland next year.

[Troy]

^ We stopped for a spot of lunch, it's at access height.

[malmomike77]

^ ah, they've moved on since i last piloted one in 2009

[Joe 90]

Nice pics Troy, how's the Discovery holding up.
I've heard horror stories about Landrovers.
Even owned one myself 6 years ago, never again.

[MarilynMonroe]

Nice pics, Troy. Looks like beautiful scenery. How was the tent?
Just to tell you that I took a tour of the Scottish Highlands in a minivan starting in Edinburgh back in 2005.
I took a train from London up to Edinburgh and then a day trip up to the highlands.
It rained pretty much everyday, but the scenery was amazing. We stopped in Glencoe to try to glimpse the Loch ness monster .
Loch Lomond national park is gorgeous... I just wish the weather was better. I hope things work out and you get to see this beautiful part of the world.
I hope to go back soon as well and do more hiking including up Ben Nevis. All the best.

[MarilynMonroe]

Maybe another option for you if you don't want to drive etc.. you can book day tours or multi day tours.
This is similar to the one I did.
Loch Ness, Highlands, Glencoe Small-Group Tour from Edinburgh 2021

[malmomike77]

^ Troy has bought a Landrover and him and his good lady are planning to use it and camping to make their tour independent if i read it right... they don't have to stick to a rigid itinerary.

[MarilynMonroe]

^I understand that, but things can change in a year. Just putting out some ideas if not for him, then for others perhaps.

[panama hat]

things can change in a year. Just putting out some ideas if not for him, then for others perhaps.

Yup, why not.