27th August 2025
Welcome to the ScotCampers fortnightly blog.
A busy couple of weeks! Summarised by, more hirers, van preparation, reviews and roadtrips.
It was lovely to welcome Lionel and his partner to Scotland last week. Lovely couple from Switzerland. I picked them up at a local rail station and they enjoyed (!) a jarring ride to pick up the campervan in my 22 year old landrover! They had no fixed plan so it was great to work with them to plan out a great route for them. I haven’t heard from them in a few days but I do know they took my early recommendation to walk up the Lost Valley in Glencoe – aside from midges (which are fierce this year), sounded like they had a blast. They’re due back tomorrow so will catch their news then.
The second van has consumed a lot of my time, as expected, over the last couple of weeks. Gas has now been fitted correctly and it’s certified for hire now. There are still a few jobs I want to do ahead of the first hire as it’s not quite up to standard – yet. Expect to have it on the road in a couple of weeks.
It was great to receive another 5* review from Wing-Mee last week: “We really enjoyed our roadtrip (including our 12 years old teenager) for two weeks to North of Scotland (NC500), including crossing Orkney. The campervan definitely met our expectations in simplicity of use, size, comfort and a good price -quality ratio. The best part was to be able to sit together with the three of us in front and enjoy the beautiful scenery. We had good communication with Alan (swift responses via social media), we received thorough instructions of the van during pick up and we really appreciated the flexibility in changes of the rental (due to Storm Floris). We had a great holiday and would recommend others to rent the camper van for a new adventure!”
When I read the above and deal with hirers, I really do think I have the best job in the world. I’m dealing either with people excited about adventures ahead of them, or weather beaten smilers, back from a wander!
Roadtrip: I’m a member of a hillwalking club through my old employer and last weekend saw 20 of us congregate in Torridon (north west of Inverness) for a weekend of catching up and walking. Friday was an early start from me at 0500, having only rolled back into the house with the boys at midnight after seeing AC/DC in Edinburgh. Anyway, the 450 mile round trip felt like a great opportunity to try out the new van – Stormcrow. Behaved impeccably and here’s a view down towards Loch Maree in the north west:
I stayed in the Youth Hostel and thank goodness as think the midges were the worst I’d encountered in 20 years….. I ended up ticking off another six Munros and the stand out for me was Beinn Eighe with it’s absolutely stunning triple buttresses on the descent. Was great to have the company of my brother in law, Mark and old chum Sarah from the club.
After six hills and a four hour drive back, fair to say I slept! Planning four tops a month for the remainder of the year, which will see me at my halfway point. The vans are spot on for hillwalking as you have room to get changed after a long day – and make a cuppa!
Hopefully next time, I’ll be updating you on the marketing of Stormcrow (would be great to get a couple of hires in ’25). Until next time however, remember, not all those who wander are lost.
