Archev's adventures in the Berlingo

[Susanna]

@Archev - sending kind thoughts your way. I have also felt this way when visiting places that my darling late husband and I had hoped to see together. It can certainly be bittersweet to carry on with plans, and I have frequently shed tears on these occasions. It helps (a bit) that he encouraged me to ‘live life to the full for us both’.

I hope you will feel able to resume your adventures in time, as your descriptions, photographs and humour are such a positive and inspirational experience for me personally, and I will miss reading about your latest excursions.

 

[siteguru]

We've just spent a week (based in a house in Stornoway) travelling around Lewis and Harris ... and we largely got lucky with the weather, as it mostly came either overnight or whilst we were indoors somewhere.

Great places to see, beautiful beaches ... and a proliferation of single track roads with passing places. ERO coped wonderfully.

An unusual "sea bell" at Bosta beach:

Crisp white sand and wonderful views, also at Bosta beach:

"Black houses" and a peat stack at Geranin:

ICE car identifying as an EV because of its VRM, so feeling worthy of blocking an EV charge bay at South Beach car park, Stornoway. (Fortunately I was parked in the other bay for that charger):

Obligatory photo of pooches whilst we had food and drinks at the New Lewis bar in Stornoway:

 

[Rolfe]

Lovely!

 

[Everest]

Lovely!

which image?... you're not missing your Golf are you?

 

[Rolfe]

Hah. My Golf was a GTi. That's an also-ran.

 

[Gomev]

We have an advisory hosepipe ban in NW.

Edited to add "advisory".

We don't, advisory or not.

 

[Everest]

What is an advisory ban? Is that like an advisory price rise from the Water Company?

 

[Archev]

I’m fine
Your kind words are appreciated
My adventures are set to continue
I shall miss the climb up the ladder to my tent in the sky on the MG. It really was comfortable and warm. Packing it up on frosty mornings I’ll gladly give up. Old fingers don’t work well above shoulder height with the diminished blood supply
The new addition to Camp Berlingo looks like it’ll be good. It’s about 2.1 m square and about the same in height. There’s a small inner tent as well so coping with a three apartment Citroen bungalow instead of the wonderful high rise MG will be interesting.

Not too sure about the guy lines - will they glow in the dark ?
My spare wheel is available along with the toolkit but I’m still waiting for the cradle to carry it under the car behind the battery.
I’m looking at the size of the tent in its bag -

I’m thinking here’s another reason for a frunk ?
Packing up a soggy bulky tent to put in a froot or a frunk might be more pleasant than in the car with you ? I also have a roof box as a possible alternative. Either the frunk or the roof box could have a drain fitted to get rid of any lingering rainwater after a wet weather camp and leave the car interior a tiny bit tidier ? (Yeah, I know, my car and tidy are never suitable words for the same sentence.)

 

[securespark]

a three apartment Citroen bungalow

Would that make it a Citroen Berlungalo?

 

[salty]

Would that make it a Citroen Berlungalo?

There you go.

 

[Rolfe]

I have bought the gazebo thing I talked about earlier because it was on special offer in the early spring. I have not yet tried it out at all. It may be a disaster. Six feet square and I think the height is adjustable.

I don't have any car-camping plans right now. I'm going to Glyndebourne in a couple of weeks and I had thought to do it there, even to picking out a spot on the OS map, but my friends in Portslade have invited me to stay with them again even though Gwen has been in hospital and has serious mobility issues.

Later in the summer, hopefully.

 

[securespark]

Sorry to hear that, Rolfe.

 

[Archev]

I have bought the gazebo thing I talked about earlier because it was on special offer in the early spring. I have not yet tried it out at all. It may be a disaster. Six feet square and I think the height is adjustable.

I don't have any car-camping plans right now. I'm going to Glyndebourne in a couple of weeks and I had thought to do it there, even to picking out a spot on the OS map, but my friends in Portslade have invited me to stay with them again even though Gwen has been in hospital and has serious mobility issues.

Later in the summer, hopefully.

Best wishes you all enjoy the opera together.
And good luck deploying the gazebo.

I’m looking forward to being able to stretch in the tailgate awning. Sleeping in the car was OK but it’ll be nicer to get out and stretch to my full height without cramps in my legs. The internal switches for opening the rear window and / or the whole tailgate should be a boon to transition from car to tent and vice versa.
The power bank and induction hob worked great. I charged the bank with the solar panels at home in the garden and at the campsite at Applecross. I get two hours free power from OVO each week and plug in to a house socket. I also charge the car for 7p/kWh anytime so I plugged the bank into the car cigarette lighter socket then too, all just to check that I can take on power for cooking / heating etc as required.

 

[Gomev]

I’m fine
Your kind words are appreciated
My adventures are set to continue
I shall miss the climb up the ladder to my tent in the sky on the MG. It really was comfortable and warm. Packing it up on frosty mornings I’ll gladly give up. Old fingers don’t work well above shoulder height with the diminished blood supply
The new addition to Camp Berlingo looks like it’ll be good. It’s about 2.1 m square and about the same in height. There’s a small inner tent as well so coping with a three apartment Citroen bungalow instead of the wonderful high rise MG will be interesting.
View attachment 37189
Not too sure about the guy lines - will they glow in the dark ?
My spare wheel is available along with the toolkit but I’m still waiting for the cradle to carry it under the car behind the battery.
I’m looking at the size of the tent in its bag -View attachment 37190
I’m thinking here’s another reason for a frunk ?
Packing up a soggy bulky tent to put in a froot or a frunk might be more pleasant than in the car with you ? I also have a roof box as a possible alternative. Either the frunk or the roof box could have a drain fitted to get rid of any lingering rainwater after a wet weather camp and leave the car interior a tiny bit tidier ? (Yeah, I know, my car and tidy are never suitable words for the same sentence.)

As you have the power bank have you considered a small infrared heater panel for those cooler evenings in the extension? You can get small 180 or 300 Watt ones that wouldn't drain too much power. Benefit of these is they heat you and not the surrounding air.

 

[Archev]

As you have the power bank have you considered a small infrared heater panel for those cooler evenings in the extension? You can get small 180 or 300 Watt ones that wouldn't drain too much power. Benefit of these is they heat you and not the surrounding air.

Yes they are superb. I have three in the house and generally now use them instead of the wet radiator heating system. They only heat me as you say and it’s a comfortable sort of heat once you get used to it.
And yes I’m looking into getting a smaller one for the car / tent. I have a wee quartz type unit which I’ve taken on the last few trips but haven’t needed it yet.
Siting an electric heater needs attention. The panel type I’ve thought about mounting on the car ceiling and possibly on the tailgate somehow such that when shut it’ll heat me in the car and when open heat me in the awning as a ceiling mounted heater.
On the Berlingo the tailgate is fairly huge and acts as a grand shelter from the rain when open. So I’m thinking that with it open into the tent and a panel on it I could be heated there too ??

 

[T1 Terry]

An electric throw rug is another low power use option, over your lap or on the bedding, keep warm and let the air sort itself out

T1 Terry

 

[Rolfe]

I can stretch to my full length in the car itself, with some space to spare, but anyone over or even approaching six feet is going to find it difficult.

 

[Archev]

An electric throw rug is another low power use option, over your lap or on the bedding, keep warm and let the air sort itself out

T1 Terry

My battery heated gillet worked well like that spread over me in my sleeping bag in the roof tent on my MG5 one frosty morning in Glen Nevis - worked a treat. The wee rechargeable pocket power bank kept me warm from about 2:00 am until around 7:30am.
So the worry is - if I charge the car with grid power which of course could come from anywhere. Then I charge the Vtoman power bank from the car as I drive to wherever and subsequently charge the pocket power bank from the Vtoman - will I need to chop as much firewood to fuel the campfire to keep the midges at bay

 

[T1 Terry]

I can stretch to my full length in the car itself, with some space to spare, but anyone over or even approaching six feet is going to find it difficult.

I'm just on 6ft now, shrunk a bit as I aged, I could sleep diagonally in the Gen2 Prius, but I haven't tried it yet in the MG4.
The Winnie motorhome has a queen size bed, but the cheeky buggers shortened the mattress to make better walking space at the foot of the bed .... so my feet hang out the end Wasn't a problem while it was summer, but winter is officially here now and the feet sure know when the 0°C hits at 5am ..... I've adjusted the electric blanket so the last of the coils are at the end of the mattress, drag the frozen feet back onto the leccy blanket and defrost them ..... seems to work much better than putting them in the middle of the wife's back but she tends to sleep in a lot now rather than turning the air con on to heat the place ready for me to get up .......

T1 Terry

 

[Archev]

I can stretch to my full length in the car itself, with some space to spare, but anyone over or even approaching six feet is going to find it difficult.

I contemplated ordering the longer version of the Citroen but needn’t have worried. The standard version is plenty long enough. My folding / sliding bed worked well. Still some fettling required but basically OK and comfortable. When folded into the boot area the pillow support slides out to act as a shelf to support the induction hob for cooking while standing under the huge tailgate.
As usual I took too much stuff - a selection of shoes and boots, assorted jackets and jerseys, spare clothes sufficient for the average arctic expedition plus enough food but still ate out (the baked tattie with spicy veg at the Naked Man cafe in Settle was excellent but my goodness the service was slow)
All told much refinement is required