Mitsubishi Vantech JB500 Delica camper

  All Trip Maps This is not complete but covers Scotland.

 October 2020 - More Ferries I do have a soft spot for ferries.  There is something romantic and thrilling about taking Daisy, and my wife, on a ferry.  So this trip started out as an excuse to tick a few more ferry routes from my bucket list.  Here is this and some other maps - https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=11cV9hc_zSA_jXq98jYL7SUGLqIpLAWfS&usp=sharing On this trip I delegated photography and now there are not enough photos to show how pretty this part of Scotland really is. The trip across from B to C on the map has great views of Bute.  Something like this: On the way to Arisaig, about G on the map, we found Castle Tioram on a tidal island. Here is a view from the Bealach Na Ba viewpoint on the way into Applecross.   Shame there are no more photos, apart from a garden we found near Applecross.

This tour took place in a heatwave - perfect weather for two weeks.  Easyjet wasn't taking us abroad, so I opted for an Islands tour. Day 1 was a drive to Ardrossan and over to Arran.   Stayed at Middletons campsite and did a few long walks around the island. After two days I took the ferry from Lochranza and down the Mull of Kintyre to Machrahanish.  Weather was hot and the beach was deserted. The golf course goes on for ages and was a great walk.  After a few days I drove to Oban and took the ferry to Barra. Dolphins everywhere. Arrived 6pm on Barra and drove 15 mins to Wavecrest campsite.  Fantastic views, great flowers in the grass. From Barra I headed up to Stornoway. There were a few places to wild camp but at the time there was a bit of press coverage that too much wild camping was upsetting the locals with litter. My hopscotch ferry ticket was 10.30 to Eriskay and 16.00 to Leven...

My daughter and I spend a few days at the Rosemarkie campsite on the Black Isle just north of Inverness.  It is called the Black Isle because the snow doesn't lie due to some effect of the ocean currents. We did a few walks, visited the local cafe cum bar and I watched the Dolphins. Inverness has a great wetland nature reserve and the weather was kind to us. Some restaurants were open, but a lot of places were firmly closed.

2020 - Jan to July I went to Inverness on business 14th February.  The night before I arrived late and stayed at the Ardtower site on the city's outskirts.  Nowhere else was open. After business I want to Fort George.   I was surprised that there is still a military presence, probably as a base for training in the remote areas.   Rather than race home I thought I'd take the scenic route to Braemar via the ski resort at Lecht and the Cairngorms.  It was pretty easy going until the snow started falling at the summit by the ski station and the wind whipped up.  It was already dark and for a moment I had a few doubts.   But not a problem for Daisy and I stayed one night in Braemar.   it was the Covid spring and I didn't get out until July.

Habitation Wiring Diagram Daisy's habitation wiring is essentially four largely separate circuits. The simplest is a transformer located on the bulkhead behind the battery and connected to the hook-up 240v. Charge is supplied to the battery via a diode which ensures there is no loss of charge across the transformer when the hook up supply is not connected. The transformer has its own built-in fuse. The second circuit comprises a lead from the vehicle ignition (A14) which closes a relay (R1) to complete a circuit between the vehicle and leisure battery when the ignition is on. This lets the alternator charge the leisure battery when in motion. More modern vehicles have technology to reduce the alternator current if the vehicle battery is fully charged so that fuel is saved. This then needs a more sophisticated circuit. Daisy does not need this complexity. Diode D1 has been added because otherwise the starter motor circuit takes power from both batteries. This can be...

Removing stuff I took out a few things to find a water leak.  These are my notes. To remove the hob: Gas off Remove drawer under hob Loosen four corner screws holding the hob in place.  Use a minature socket set. Push the retainers away from the work surface. Unscrew the hex nut at the back of the hob where the gas comes in. Lift out the hob To remove the sink Remove the hob. Remove the screw in the sink waste. Follow 3 and 4 above.  Note that the back right screw is a bugger to reach and loosen. Lift the sink out, noting that there are metal brackets on each side which need to be folded back. Undo the bolt holding the earth strap in place. To remove the fridge Remove the sink. Remove the knobs Remove the two screws holding the facia in place Run a knife around the fridge to remove sealant. On the sink side of the fridge there are two screws near the vertical shelf.  You removed the sink to get access to these.  Remove them...

Introduction Daisy is very simple, which makes her very easy to use and fix. I have broken this manual into four sections: Basic use Routine chores like changing the gas cylinder or topping up the water Troubleshooting Basic Use This section covers everything you will need for a weekend, assuming that everything has been topped up or emptied (see Routine Chores). Driving Daisy is easy to drive but note: Daisy has two-wheel drive (usually the best), four-wheel drive (handy in snow or mud) and low ratio (extreme conditions or pulling something). Do not use low ratio on tarmac because it can cause damage. The indicator is on the right. The sat-nav as a rear view camera which is not automatic and not great at night. Turn off the gas at the cylinder before driving as a safety measure. The fridge can be turned on when driving. Parking Up There is a spirit level and a pair of ramps (stored n the gas cupboard) to get Daisy level. The orange hook-up lead connects to a socket unde...

I had the opportunity to talk to school kids about how their social media activity might help or hurt their careers.  I stayed overnight in daisy.  S joined me on Saturday.  The autumn colours were spectacular. It was a bit chilly so I added warm curtains, fixed the heater and put some insulation in place.

This is a link to a map of all the camp sites I have stayed at: Campsites

Summer Adventures 2019 DubFest 14-19 June The weather forecast was an amber warning of heavy rain, and we debated whether it was worth going.  But in the event is was fairly sunny.  Don't have any pictures though. Jazz and Art in the Neuk of Fife - 28-29 June We stayed at Silverdykes and used the new awning for the first time because the camp site does not allow freestanding tents.  It was open studio weekend, so dozens of local artists were selling work from their home studios. Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven - 10-12 July Short mid-week trip.  Arbroath has a working harbour and more fish and chip shops than anywhere else I know.  It also has embroidered street lights and bicycle stands! After staying in Arbroath I headed north to Montrose.  The high street is a little sad today with mostly pound shops and charity stores, but there are some lovely buildings and the view coming in reminded me of the painting of Delft after ...

The seating and luton bed in Daisy are just plywood boards with foam and tired covering.  Now I have a sewing machine, how hard can it be to re-upholster? I decided the two most used base seats needed fresh foam, but at £25 per seat I was not keen to replace all 7. 

Trip to Ireland - May 2019 After my daughter's Higher Exams we took some time to travel to Ireland.  This was the first time we had used Daisy with one person sleeping in the overhead space and the other on the bed made up from the table area.  It worked very well - not over-crowded and we slept fine. Day 1 - Home to Maybole I am not sure of there is much of a village here - it is a dot on the map about 7km east of Turnberry on Scotland's east coast.  But where is a lovely and secluded campsite called the Walled Garden.  Very peaceful, with walks along the wooded riverbank and, usefully for us, not too far from the ferry port. Day 2 - Maybole to Belfast The ferry from Cairnryan departs at 11am.  So we left the campsite at 9am and expected to be far too early. But the road to the coast was closed and we had to take a back road detour.  But we made it in time to join the ferry with a lot of motorbikes.  On the ferry we decided to stay at ...