This morning dawned through a thick grey cloud of drizzle. No one got up early and Aimi and I lazed around in the warmth of the van, surrounded by duvets and a wriggling Kayto vying for affection. It was a really lovely way to wake up and I felt thoroughly contented with my lot.
Into The Lake
Leaving aside the unending battle of the location of the North-South* division line; The Lake District is a REALLY LONG way away from the south of what most people describe as our “tiny island”. So far, in fact, that we decided to make an overnight stop after 3 hours of driving last night, and there was still over 2 hours to go to reach our destination.
Legitimising The Van – Boxes Pt.1
For a long while now (has it really been 2 years…!!!) I have been converting my Van to a Campervan. Most of the important parts are there but it’s still technically a Van, whether or not I’ve spent a night in it. In my eyes, any vehicle you’re happy to sleep in, could be called a campervan but I understand what when it comes to the DVLA registration of a vehicle they need to set certain standards.
Laminate Laying
So today is the day I admit defeat. When I first got the van and started this conversion, I thought carpet would keep it warm underfoot and keep it quiet on the road. Whilst this was true, I did not foresee another, more practical issue… Continue reading Laminate Laying
Camping Becomes Campervanning
One of the main parts of a campervan is the cooking equipment and how much more civilised it is than camping. I’ve managed with the hyper lightweight kit for the last 10 years and quite enjoyed the experience of folding all the little bits of aluminium up into a tiny container and storing them away in my hiking bag or motorbike panniers. These trips fell under the “make do” attitude to travel the only objective was to be out there doing it. Now, a little older, wiser and richer I’d graduated to a campervan and needed to upgrade my cooking equipment to follow. I’m not talking about a full gas range cooker and oven, but something that doesn’t take 20 minutes to assemble before being able to cook would be a nice change.
Little Progress
I have made several advances over the last few weeks. None of them dramatic but all important and all that have taken much more time then you would think. Its surprising how much time needs to be spent just looking and thinking about a problem before it can be solved.
Dried Up Waterfalls
I’ve not really planned walks before that I haven’t already done. Last week in Snowdon I took people up Ranger Path, but I’d done it before. Normally people planned stuff and asked me to come along which is great but meant I hadn’t had the chance. This time, it was just me and Steve so I planned my ideal walk.
Monster Drive
Unlike normal people, Stephen is different. He doesn’t often get weekends off work due to his rota. Obviously this sucks, and any weekends he does get off work, get booked up about 6 months in advance. Couple that with how busy I am at weekends and up to this point having had a normal 9-5 job, and it can be about 3-6 months between us seeing each other. We have been best friends since secondary school so this is not a problem, but I do really wish we could hang out in the evenings, something that is just not possible when living over 100 miles apart.
Snowdon… Again
Today was a monster! One of the major objectives of this holiday was to go up Snowdon with Aimi. She had never done it before. I could have taken her the easy route but where’s the fun in that?
Lazy Day Moving Rocks
Everyone rose late today on purpose.
Apart from Angus, Mr Moore, Tom and his mate Matt. Those guys are machines and want to walk and climb everything. The climb and walking yesterday had been tough on my knees, so today Laura took us to a spot nearby with a cool dark waterfall and little river to relax beside.