So came the day of Ali’s first trip – I christened the van Ali, for those NOT of a certain age, after the children’s entertainer of the 70’s, it just seemed the obvious choice – Ali Bongo!
We were loaded up, sleeping bags, blanket, warm clothes, food and cider for the driver. We headed off south toward Ayr, on the dual carriageway, taking things very easy. After all, this was the first actual trip out in the van. I had filled up at our local filling station, overfilled, in fact, and had a sneaking suspicion there was a leak from the fuel filler pipe, but I chose to keep that non-vital information from Lorraine, and off we set. I gingerly took the van up to 50mph. So far, so good, although the temperature guage was heading quite high, it did stop and hold steady, about 3/4’s of the way up. Traffic was light enough, being a Sunday lunchtime, and we got round Ayr on the bypass easily enough. The cheap stereo fitted wasn’t working, and I had tried to investigate, but found it to be blowing fuses straight away, so had left it disconnected. It wasn’t needed anyway, I was quite content to listen out for any noises, rattles, clunks or whines. There weren’t any, other than the knocking over the bumps from the front suspension, all was well.
I headed now off towards Dalmellington, on the road towards Castle Douglas, and the traffic got even lighter. There were a few long hills to climb, and the guage did rise a bit, although Ali pulled well. I drove gently, and tried to work the auto box, staying in top gear as much as possible. Through the villages we went, stopping in Carsphairn at the toilets, a quick check under the bonnet, feel of the wheel hubs, and off we went again, heading into the Galloway Forest Park, past Loch Doon, to the other Dalry, where I swung off to the right on the road to Newton Stewart right through the Park. There are a few spots either side of the road here, and my plan was to scout a spot, then head to Newton Stewart for a wander, and a chippy, before heading back to our place later on. I found a great spot, near the old Talnotry Campsite – lack of funding, I presume, has closed this Forestry Commission campsite, a real shame – and headed to town.
All went well, the chippy was superb, and we ate sitting next to the river in the autumn sunshine. We headed back up the road around 6:30, pulled in to our chosen spot, and popped the roof up. There is a little drop-down DVD player in the back of the van, and I had provided a few DVDs for entertainment, so we sat, I chugged away at my ciders, munched on crisps, and passed a few pleasant hours. The road was quiet, and we could barely be seen by passing cars, you would have needed to look hard for us, as the trees screened us well. As dusk fell, I decided to make up the bed, while Lorraine popped out for a smoke. This is so easy, slide a, lever over under the front edge of the seat, and the front part pulls forward, hingeing the middle section flat, forming a generous 4 foot wide bed of thick memory foam. This is the single best part of our van, such a comfortable bed, and we are so lucky that the previous owners had decided to do this, rather than have a side conversion fitted, which leaves a very narrow bed for two. Spread out the sleeping bags, toss the pillows up the back, spread the fleece blanket over – ready for bed! It was getting cooler now too, so seemed an ideal time to get into the sleeping bags. Curtains closed, blinds down, and the window covers fitted over front and side of the cab area, sorted.
We slept pretty well, for a first night, although we woke early. It was crisp, but not too cold. I decided to show Lorraine I was well prepared, and popping open the tailgate, got out my stove, kettle and cups, tea, coffee, powdered milk, and pastries. We stood at the back of the van and had our first “wild” breakfast! Lovely!
The whole thing was about trying out the bed, and the van, and so far, a resounding success. We packed away the bed, restored the back seat, and after a second cuppa, headed back homewards, quite chuffed with the whole experience. Ali Bongo ran well on the return leg, and as we were reluctant for the trip to be over, we stopped at Carsphairn again for a bit, then headed past Saltcoats, to the North Shore beyond Ardrossan, to admire the views over the Clyde to Arran, over another cuppa. This was the life!
So, the campervan thing had huge potential. We had been comfortable travelling, snug and warm sleeping, and the whole trip was less than 24 hours, but felt like a whole weekend getaway. What a great experience it had been , and I determined to start fine tuning and improving the whole experience, and Ali Bongo, from now on. Although we were heading towards winter soon, there was plenty of time to get a few trips away in the van. I was already thinking of places we could go, and perhaps a campsite would be nice too. maybe, we could try a two night trip next time….
Ali Bongo's adventures 