Motor home novice!

[Dee]

We have just come back from Scotland and I can tell you that the NC500 is absolutely crawling with hired Motorhomes and we heard some pretty awful stories while we were up there.
People who didn’t know HOW or WHERE to empty their toilet cassettes, a group of six Motorhomes emptied theirs into a harbour, folk setting light to shrimp nets to make bonfires, using PARKING areas as CAMPING sites and allround inconsiderate and selfish behaviour.
Please join this forum as a full member, and take advantage of the Location App to learn where to spend the night safely and also where to find drinking water and above all MAKE SURE that the Hire Company that you use show you EXACTLY how to empty the toilet cassette…… you will HAVE to empty it every two to three days while you are away.
Apart from that, have a thoroughly good time and lots of fun!

No wonder we get a bad name if people are empting their loo cassettes in harbour. How awful

 

[RoaminRog]

As others have said, learn to drive on single track roads, including reversing to parking spaces. Be considerate, I guess if your on a forum like this, then you are not one of the knuckle-dragging minority that annoy local people with their inconsiderate behaviour and thereby spoil things for the rest of us. Also, take your time and don't be too ambitious first time, we've made that mistake! Scotland is not only far bigger than most people imagine, it accounts for 32% of the UK landmass, the best places are down roads where you are lucky to do 30 mph, let alone 70.
You will also find yourself stopping A LOT to take pictures, so don't be disappointed if you don't get to see everything you planned first time, I'm sure you'll be back. The Kintyre peninsula down to Campbeltown is beautiful, especially if you take the tricky B842 down the east coast and then up the A816 to Oban and on to Glen Coe.
Just take your time and enjoy one of the most beautiful countries on the planet

Sorry but I would not recommend the B842 to anybody in a motorhome, especially a complete novice. We used it to travel South to Cambletown….. never again! I don’t carry enough spare underpants! Campervan maybe, motorhome NO!

 

[Tookey]

No wonder we get a bad name if people are empting their loo cassettes in harbour. How awful

It is horrible and unacceptable, I don't disagree. Oddly though nobody cares about water companies doing it every day, 400,00 times raw sewage was dumped into UK rivers last year.

Just an observation on how strange the public (myself included) are when it comes to chastising individuals but large organisations don't enrage us with their despicable behaviour. You could argue that the campers had an alternative option and water companies don't, but they been aware of their actions for decades so is it any less irresponsible, I don't think so

 

[Scouseafrican]

Watch out for the midgets

Ha ha, I think you mean Midges. Preemptive text can be funny or a real nuisance.

 

[Scouseafrican]

We have just come back from Scotland and I can tell you that the NC500 is absolutely crawling with hired Motorhomes and we heard some pretty awful stories while we were up there.
People who didn’t know HOW or WHERE to empty their toilet cassettes, a group of six Motorhomes emptied theirs into a harbour, folk setting light to shrimp nets to make bonfires, using PARKING areas as CAMPING sites and allround inconsiderate and selfish behaviour.
Please join this forum as a full member, and take advantage of the Location App to learn where to spend the night safely and also where to find drinking water and above all MAKE SURE that the Hire Company that you use show you EXACTLY how to empty the toilet cassette…… you will HAVE to empty it every two to three days while you are away.
Apart from that, have a thoroughly good time and lots of fun!

Just back from Scotland. Here is a link to the blog I wrote about the trip.

Scotland, here we come. (Via The Lakes and The Wall) - Under My Wheels

The west coast of Scotland in our campervan took us to Dunoon, Oban, Crieff this time, but we'll be back to do the whole of Argyll & Bute.

undermywheels.com

 

[Phantom]

Ha ha, I think you mean Midges. Preemptive text can be funny or a real nuisance.

Maybe they just meant dem der little fellas?

 

[trevskoda]

An induction hob is better still , I have that option in my vehicle The 12v kettle will not fry electrics , from personal experience , and when driving the alternator is more than capable of handling the load . Fast boil is not really a requirement for warming baby feed , even though its a few decades since I was last having to do this

So you eat baby food when away.

 

[Thistle]

Sorry but I would not recommend the B842 to anybody in a motorhome, especially a complete novice. We used it to travel South to Cambletown….. never again! I don’t carry enough spare underpants! Campervan maybe, motorhome NO!

I didn’t think it was a bad road at all, Kildonan Dun makes a cracking stop ditto Skipness are you sure you meant the 842?

 

[MikeBBB]

Ask your hire company what provision is made should your van break down, or have some sort of minor accident. I came across a couple two years ago who managed to ditch their hired van on the start of the climb out of Tyndrum. The hire company in Edinburgh weren't in the least bit interested in helping them. They suggested Fiat Assist (it was a Fiat conversion) but didn't even offer to make that contact on their client's behalf.

Enjoy your trip. Do make sure you fully understand what you can - and can't - do in terms of where you can park up overnight. You've already been given great advice on single track roads, passing places, reversing, allow overtaking, 3 pin plugs, appropriate black waste disposal etc etc. I recommend having good midge nets / jackets - and nothing works to keep them away completely. Avoid anything DEET based - it's nasty stuff.

 

[barge1914]

It is horrible and unacceptable, I don't disagree. Oddly though nobody cares about water companies doing it every day, 400,00 times raw sewage was dumped into UK rivers last year.

Just an observation on how strange the public (myself included) are when it comes to chastising individuals but large organisations don't enrage us with their despicable behaviour. You could argue that the campers had an alternative option and water companies don't, but they been aware of their actions for decades so is it any less irresponsible, I don't think so

And where do you think all those boats in the harbour empty their nasties…through a hole in the bottom…and not a word spoken. But for the benefit of public perception we don’t want motorhomers to be seen doing iit.

 

[barge1914]

I didn’t think it was a bad road at all, Kildonan Dun makes a cracking stop ditto Skipness are you sure you meant the 842?

We found the B842 to be a grand wee road in our 6m A-Class. The B8042 was more ‘interesting’ in the Chinese proverb sense. But also pleasurable. And that all in February.

 

[MikeBBB]

And where do you think all those boats in the harbour empty their nasties…through a hole in the bottom…and not a word spoken. But for the benefit of public perception we don’t want motorhomers to be seen doing iit.

Hmmm - I think you'll find that discharging straight to sea is strictly off limits in a harbour or marina. At sea is an entirely different matter, and the ocean is more than capable of dealing with the discharge from small craft. It'll often be macerated anyway. Which is a bit different from dumping the contents of a toilet cassette. And "a group of six Motorhomes emptied theirs into a harbour" just is not on. Mind you, neither is it acceptable for the water coys to discharge, as they sometimes do.

 

[trevskoda]

And where do you think all those boats in the harbour empty their nasties…through a hole in the bottom…and not a word spoken. But for the benefit of public perception we don’t want motorhomers to be seen doing iit.

You are not allowed to do that unless well out to sea, inland boats must have holding tanks or cassettes.

 

[Robmac]

You are not allowed to do that unless well out to sea, inland boats must have holding tanks or cassettes.

You are allowed to on our local river (Great Ouse) Trev.

Not that I do, I have a cassette on my boat.

 

[davep10000]

I hope it doesnt happen now, but guess where trains used to discharge!!
A farmer we know used to buy old railway concrete sleepers.
Now he cant buy them until they have been steam cleaned!!

 

[Dee]

It is horrible and unacceptable, I don't disagree. Oddly though nobody cares about water companies doing it every day, 400,00 times raw sewage was dumped into UK rivers last year.

Just an observation on how strange the public (myself included) are when it comes to chastising individuals but large organisations don't enrage us with their despicable behaviour. You could argue that the campers had an alternative option and water companies don't, but they been aware of their actions for decades so is it any less irresponsible, I don't think so

Yes Tookey, am I am aware of water companies and have signed petitions against this but sadly big companies always seem to get away with doing bad things. Motor home owners usually have a choice and best not to upset the general public as we get enough bad publicity these days

 

[barge1914]

Hmmm - I think you'll find that discharging straight to sea is strictly off limits in a harbour or marina. At sea is an entirely different matter, and the ocean is more than capable of dealing with the discharge from small craft. It'll often be macerated anyway. Which is a bit different from dumping the contents of a toilet cassette. And "a group of six Motorhomes emptied theirs into a harbour" just is not on. Mind you, neither is it acceptable for the water coys to discharge, as they sometimes do.

We’ll I hope someone took photos and passed to the appropriate authorities, who already have adequate powers to deal with the offending minority. Too often people just moan in vague terms to their councils and ask for all motorhomes to be banned.

 

[Harrytherid]

I see that midges are mentioned. If you get into a serious midge area they can be hell. First time I was attacked I thought my head had caught fire. Workers in NT gardens wear very fine mesh net headgear and coats. Bee and mosquito ones will not work, the midges will go right through. Lots of Scottish shops sell them for not too much money. Get one each. I don't know about the baby.

 

[RoaminRog]

I didn’t think it was a bad road at all, Kildonan Dun makes a cracking stop ditto Skipness are you sure you meant the 842?

No mistake, we met an artic coming towards us on an uphill bend. Could have been very nasty.

 

[glinny]

I have just spent several weeks in Orkney and Shetland and came back along the north coast of Scotland, down to Stoer lighthouse then across to Inverness. I can confirm that the NC500 very busy and you need to grab overnight spots by late afternoon. Off the NC500 there is more space.
All the campsites were full.