First trip away.. Normal or the new reality

[Tar Ten]

Good morning everyone..

We have just had an amazing first time 2 Day trip away in our MH. All in all it was about a 250km round trip. We went up the Cairngorms to the lower car park for the first night. Very, very windy but after a couple of bottles of wine I think we were both rocking in motion with the van anyway and didn't notice it much...
From the moment we we hit the road all organised ( or so we thought) it was if all the pressures of everyday life just disappeared and the unknown, uncertainty of what lay ahead revived us both.
It really is amazing what you actually notice about your surroundings when plodding along in your battle bus that even though you thought you knew your surrounding areas , its not until you have the actual time to take in your surroundings that you do..

After waking up ( eventually) and having our first full usage of the MH.. ( Heating on to take off the morning chill.. Not for me of course, im a manly man..grrrrrr)
Coffee, showers, breakfast ... everything working and surprisingly very well...
Once the morning mist had gone and the sun broke through we could once again take in the fantastic views and fresh air... ( Almost burning down the MH.. Info on another thread )

We decided to move to another location further down the road towards Glenlivet where a friend had previously over nighted and said how quiet and out of the way it was.... Arrived at location along many miles of single track roads way up into the hills. It was a recessed area, big enough for around 3/4 MH comfortably. It had a little fenced area at the side with a green rubbish bin and a sign for no outside fires or bbq's due to the surrounding trees and brush etc...

We set up and went out for a nice stroll along the countryside for about an hour or so before returning to get a very late brunch organised...
After about 30mins two guys turn up in different vehicles, park at the entrance and start walking over... I go out to meet them with a friendly smiley hello and notice they have name tags on their clothing identifying the local estate..

We talk for a bit and I assure them there will be no fires or bbq's, we were self contained with toilet facilities etc. We will use their bin but will take our recyclable waste with us.. and again relay that the site will be as it was when we arrived..
They were happy with that and went on their way... However for the rest of the day ,night and following morning it felt like we were being monitored. Cars passing slowly, turning round and passing again on a regular pattern...
This road probably had more traffic on it in 16 hours than it has seen in 3 years...lol

When we left we felt the need to take photo evidence with time and date which kind of dampened the experience...

During the conversation earlier their concerns were from what they had heard or read on local Facebook forums with regards to rubbish, fires, chopping down trees and waste disposal..

In my area alone there are villages which have their own forums and on these forums there are the usual suspects..
Those that complain they don't get enough visitors to keep their local shops from closing down, but then complain when visitors do drop by..
Those that believe its a ' Local shop for local people' and all outsiders should be banished with torches and pitchforks...
There are those that embrace the challenge and offer ways of controlling it and turning the situation into a positive for the community ( These treacherous locals are soon talked down and put in their place I have noticed )

Then there are those who try and cause trouble and use the unrest as a way of becoming a local hero with there proposed vigilanteism when all they are is troublemakers in the first place.

I hope I am wrong but I get the feeling that there may be more instances aggravation from the latter 'those' and soon the only places open for MH and Caravans will be sites as villages and estates start cordoning off and restricting places to park up.

For our first short brief trip we have had an amazing experience mixed with butt clenching dread and a feeling of uncertainty about the future of UK touring.

 

[TinaLes]

Pleased you enjoyed your first trip away in the van, especially in the region you mention.
Wilding for me has become a sleep with one eye open experience, too scared to have too many drinks in case we get moved on, clearing up litter from others as we arrive in case we are accused of dropping it.

As I mentioned on The NC 500 Bubble Burst thread, if the location is on Park4nite app, everyone will know about it, and the problems start. Your favourite little spot could soon have no overnight parking restriction signs, or worse a height restriction.
Many Full time Van lifers have log burners inside their vans, and seem to love outdoor fires, they need to collect as much fallen wood as they can to keep themselves warm, but the ones I have watched, seem on the whole to be responsible types,not starting fires where they shouldn't, and not leaving any traces etc.

Sorry to say that looks to be the future here in the UK, great remote parking spots ruined by litter dropping numpties in all modes of transport, not just campervans, sometimes even the "Locals" have been known to use these places as rubbish tips.
Happy travels, if you find a good spot, dont tell anyone where it is.
LES

 

[DavidG58]

Glad you got away, but

I understood you could only stop away on pre booked sites in Scotland ?

I don’t get why people are near obsessed with leaving rubbish, you were on your way home why not take it back with you

it is not clear what you took to the area that gave them any benefit from your visit Like a lot of remote wild locations I would guess, what can you spend?

not having a pop , but just looking at it from a different angle

 

[Tar Ten]

Hmmmm Thats a very interesting point about what I took to the area...
Thankfully I can answer that suitably..
I live only 28 miles from Glenlivet, and in fact work even closer to Glenlivet on a weekday. So on a daily basis we bring lots of love, hugs and the spending characteristics of 3 teenagers, a well groomed lady of own paid occupation status and myself. We have often travelled round the area for the scenery and to get out on our bikes a little further afield but have only just got a MH to venture further.
On the course of my journey I stopped off at a local shop at Dufftown for some nibbles and had every intention of visiting the coffee shop near my final destination to spend some of my well earned booty, to find it had shut just 20 minutes before we arrived...

Since it is the North of Scotland which is noted for its rolling hills, glens and Lochs and vast expanses of open land, I was just wondering what would happen if all travel / holidays and tourism up here depended on a minimum spend quota..
What do hillwalkers bring to the hills they are walking, trekkers who are trekking, bikers who are biking or even photographers in these wide open remote places...

Maybe we should introduce a minimum spend at location, get your hand stamped or visa access to allow such activities... Maybe even like what some charities offer to allow people on across the world holidays...
Raise so much sponsorship..get a reduced / free holiday to wander the country as a paid up member.

Does every traveller stop off at every village or town on their way from start to end destination to spend an allotted amount before progressing so they are sure to have brought something to the area they are travelling through...?

There are different angles and then there are views from the Dark Side of the moon....

 

[Lanerboy]

It just seems we are really not wanted anywhere due to covid. I undersrand locals concerns but do these locals have the same concerns when they jump on a plane to Spain or where ever.
If you dont like tourists visiting the area then dont live in a tourist place

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