Northerly navigation

Stunning sunset over Morecambe Bay

Spring is sprung With spring finally here, it was time to leave the south behind and make my way back up to the Outer Hebrides again. Heading northwards again, I wanted to stop over at Morcombe again. There’s something special that I love about the aesthetics and architecture of classic English seaside towns It’s a … Read more

Eriskay to Berneray drive time

beachfront sunset at Berneray

Brilliant Barra Woke up to the promise of what should be beautiful sunny morning on Barra. Always a nice way to start the day on a road trip. Having delayed my initial ferry trip back so I could see the coolest little airport in action, I thought I would make my way back to the … Read more

Road trip fun in the sun

a special moment at a special place to me

Let’s go road trip! Even if it’s just for a few days, a mini road trip seemed like a great idea. Weather was ideal. I’d already been to our local beach a few times for a dip. Water was a great temp for cooling off in the heat. However, no point having a camper if … Read more

Galley Hill to Rock A Nore

sunset air-cooled cruise to Rock A Nore beach

Air-cooled hangout At the end of a long, hot day, I remembered a few local air-cooled drivers were having another catch-up at Galley Hill in Bexhill. Always good to have something to look forward to. Any excuse to have a drive out in the summer sun, windows down, music on. Happy times! Galley Hill gathering … Read more

Meandering on the Isle of Mull

making the most of the sunshine on Lochbuie

Memory making on Mull.

Initially, we’d thought Lochbuie might be a one-night stopover for us on the way to other places on the Island of Mull. However, we both fell in love with the area as soon as we arrived.

at home in the Lochbuie landscape
at home in the Lochbuie landscape

Initially, we were thinking of going to the small Island of Iona next, but being the Easter holidays, thought that it might be pretty busy then. So more than happy to be staying here over the Easter weekend, plus a few days afterwards too!

Surrounded by beauty

Lochbuie is a wonderful place to just unwind and relax. Interesting places to walk to and see nearby, or just a very chilled area to relax and simply be. Just what the doctor ordered!

a wonderful view to wake up to
a wonderful view to wake up to

Then, of course, there are the views. It’s hard not to be inspired when you wake up with views like this all around you. That and all the surrounding wildlife too of course!

Lochbuie landscape
Lochbuie landscape

From micro to macro, there was always something interesting to see or experience. It’s a place that makes you just want to explore more.

the remains of Moy Castle at Lochbuie
the remains of Moy Castle at Lochbuie

Island inspiration

Often it’s inspiring to see a ‘new and different horizon’ on each day on a road trip. It can equally be important to make the most of any special places you might find along the way. To us, this place was very special, and we loved spending a few days in the area.

Mingling with some Lochbuie locals
Mingling with some Lochbuie locals

It’s important to take time out to make memories. Experience more of what a place has to offer. We felt that we did that here in Lochbuie… and then some!

exploring Lochbuie
exploring Lochbuie

The lack of facilities and remoteness is maybe not for everyone, but it was great for us! Having the solar panel set up and some great weather, we were all good! Plus of course, there was the Old Post Office for any additional food supplies too.

Marvellous Mull

We got to see the birth of a baby lamb, fish jumping in the sea. A tiny chapel all to ourselves on Easter. Getting woken by the sound of passing sheep in the morning. Even saw an otter pop above the water to say ‘hello’.

Highland cattle grabbing a bite to eat
Highland cattle grabbing a bite to eat

Cows on the beach, rocks on the shoreline that made perfect chairs. Night-time fires, a castle ruin and some delicious food cooked on our little Trangia stove. This has been a brilliant start to our road trip!

natures designer rock chair
natures designer rock chair

Heading to the Island of Iona

The Isle of Iona was a nearby island that we wanted to visit. With its historical Christian heritage, Easter would have been a very busy time there. Having enjoyed a quiet Easter at Lochbuie, we decided to hit the road again and make our way across the Island to catch a ferry to Iona. Hopefully, it should be less busy now, so a better time to visit?

making the most of the sunshine on Lochbuie
making the most of the sunshine on Lochbuie

Although sad to move on and leave our time at Lochbuie, it was great to be back on the road again. The weather remained glorious and the views on the road fantastic. Living the road trip dream! 🙂

living the road trip dream
living the road trip dream

Looking forward to our next road trip destination of Iona, although we won’t be able to take our camper on the island itself! Time for a change…

 

Isle of Mull’s raw and rugged beauty

shorefront camping… here will do nicely

Lochbuie experience Being able to catch the earlier ferry to Mull was a real win. Not only did we witness a beautiful sunset, but be we also still had some late evening sunshine to drive in when we arrived. A big help when driving on the unfamiliar ‘interesting’ winding single track roads to our destination … Read more

Scotland by land and by sea

great sunset as we approach the Isle of Mull

Spoilt for choice OK, so we have a clear blue sky and a full tank of fuel. Where shall we go explore today on our road trip of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland? After a great stopover in Lochmaben, it was time to push on. The first thing we quickly realised was not just … Read more

sorry, I didn’t get the memo…

have you got your FREE vdubxs 2018 calendar up on the wall yet?

Got your calendar? So who’s got their FREE 2018 vdubxs Calendar up on the wall then? Hopefully, someone out there liked it? It would be cool to find out where they’ve ended up in the world? Why not post up some pics of your calendar on the vdubxs Facebook page or even share them onto the new vdubxs Instagram account? 🙂 have … Read more

camper gets transformed with funky typographic art interior

golden hour on a warm summer’s evening by the sea

Art interior OK, so phase one complete in that the panels are actually made. Happy days! Phase two is to now transfer over the original fixing holes and start getting the panels screwed onto the inside of the bus. Time to get the Anthony Burrill letterpress poster inspired interior panels fixed into place… I appreciate … Read more

typography inspired table design

playing around with layout compositions of various Anthony Burrill’s letterpress posters…

Table making So with the Westfalia inspired rear overhead locker sorted, it was time to crack on with my idea for a table for the interior. Getting a table sorted for the bus will really help make it feel like a proper camper! 🙂 Original letterpress posters I had already created the basic shape for … Read more

if at first you don’t succeed…

things can’t get started without a cup of tea first

Interior design updates When making my first template, I had overlooked the rear roof support an not allowed for the thickness of the plywood itself. Having now taken the missing additional dimensions, it was time to move on and apply the lessons learnt to the v1 plywood template. Having marked up the new layout dimensions, … Read more

man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure…

The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure…

I thought this was a great quote from Jon Krakauer  from his book ‘Into the Wild’ In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car … Read more