Saturday 23 January 2016

Fridge Flues Can be Alarming

To say we were thrilled to have survived the night without being poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO) would be an understatement. We were wild camping in the Cabo de Palos area of Spain and had noticed a strange sooty smell in the van but could not determine the cause. We'd kept the windows open overnight as I was worried about the strange aroma. While walking back to the van after a short mooch around town we  heard a high pitched alarm emanating from 'Dickie', our 2008 Hymer 508. Worried that someone had tried to break in while we were on our stroll we dashed back to discover the sound was coming from our CO alarm which, thankfully, we had fitted when we first bought the vehicle a couple of years ago. As the windows and doors were all locked tight the CO had been able to accumulate. The meter was reading 61 which, according to the information on the meter itself, is a fairly dangerous level.

'Dickie' had undergone a habitation check about 6 weeks before so we were stumped as to what could be the cause. Being a weekend we could not do much about it but we emailed our British dealer who gave us the details of a Spanish motorhome mechanic in Almeria for us to contact. Unfortunately they were unable to fit us in for a couple of weeks and we weren't keen to risk it so it was lucky that the following day we met a chap with a similar problem who knew of a local dealer who could help us out straight away. Luckily the weather was good enough for us to keep the windows and skylight open to keep air flowing in the van.
Freeing the flue at Caravanas Lorca

Caravanas Lorca was a couple of hours away but, with a typically laid-back Spanish attitude, the mechanic grabbed a ladder and small chimney sweep-style brush and got to work. 'This is a common problem', the mechanic said, and proceeded to clear a huge pile of soot from the refrigerator flue. A few sweeps and around 40 Euros later we were on our way with a perfectly cleansed flue and perplexed expressions on our faces. How on earth can a habitation check miss such an important detail as a blocked fridge outlet? We decided to investigate.

When we contacted our dealer about this situation they responded:  'Our habitation service complies with industry standard which all reputable Motor Caravan dealers follow'. They were right. According to 'The Approved Workshop' (a joint enterprise between the National Caravan Council, The Caravan Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club which is the benchmark for motorhome and touring caravan servicing) website: Gas appliances will be safety checked but not serviced as part of the basic service; you can ask for this to be carried out (at an extra cost). Please note some appliance manufacturers will not continue any warranty into the second or third year unless the appliance has been serviced annually - check with your appliance manufacturer. Whilst the flues should be routinely checked for correct attachments, and be free from damage and corrosion, the pipe itself is not checked and cleaned unless requested. The vehicle is checked for leakage of gases at the time of service but, as shown by our experience, is no guarantee that in a few weeks' or months' time a leak will not occur and cause CO poisoning.

The sample Annual Motorhome Service Habitation checklist which can be downloaded from the Approved Workshop website (www.approvedworkshops.co.uk) states 'Fridge not serviced unless requested.' Had we been made aware of this at the time of service we would have had it done. According to the Camping and Caravanning Club website, motorhome and caravan owners '...should advise your workshop if you require the appliance to be serviced rather than just checked for function'. I think this needs to be made clear by the dealers when booking in for a habitation check as the consequences of CO poisoning can be very serious indeed.

The gas itself is odourless and colourless so cannot be detected unless you have an alarm. It binds with the haemoglobin in your red blood cells so reduces the amount of oxygen that can be carried in your bloodstream and can cause serious brain injury as the body is starved of oxygen. If you do not have an alarm the symptoms to look out for are: headache, nausea, and general malaise. They then worsen to include confusion, dizziness, shortness of breath and even chest pain. Death is the final symptom. As you can see the early symptoms can be confused with common illnesses like flu, food poisoning or even a hangover. CO Alarms are designed to alarm before there is an immediate life threat so you will be alerted to the danger and be able to remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible. They cost anywhere between £15 and £25 so are not a great expense. We are very happy to have had one and we test it regularly to make sure the batteries are working.


In our situation, the industry standard was followed and our motorhome dealer acted within the regulations when performing 'Dickie's' habitation check. We weren't informed that an extra check on the refrigerator flue was required and we presumed all necessary safety checks were being undertaken. Perhaps it's time for the industry standard to be improved and for all motorhomers to be made aware verbally of the extra checks that could be undertaken to ensure gas appliances are in the safest shape possible. This does cost a little extra (we've been quoted around £25) but is nothing when your health and, indeed, your life can be in danger from 'the silent killer'.

Monday 14 December 2015

Local Loveliness

As Hugo sat atop the ancient stone altar, I contemplated whether I should sacrifice him to the gods of excrement or let him live. He had just rolled in his third fox poo of the morning and I was not relishing the idea of washing him in Dickie's shower cubicle. Sense prevailed and Hugo is still with us despite putting up a bit of a fight as he was cleansed in the waters of our van.



We are normally somewhere in Europe at this time of year but, due to family commitments, we have decided to make the most of what the UK has to offer and do some small trips in the local area. West Cornwall beckoned and we spent a night at Gurnards Head, a lovely pub with great food, just near Zennor. Graham has a book coming out early next year so we combined our trip with a drop off of the final proofs to his book's publishers, Troy Books, who are located near Penzance.



If you eat in the restaurant you can park your van overnight and there is a fabulous, if somewhat muddy and foxy, coast walk just minutes away. This is where we discovered the remnants of an ancient chapel with only its altar remaining. The rocky cliffs lead down to stunning beaches, only accessible by dangling precariously from a rope by the look of things. As tempting as it was to fling ourselves down for a walk on the sand, we desisted and stuck to the coast path.


The rain started so we headed off to the Ayr Campsite in St Ives. We've stayed there several times before as it's superbly located within walking distance of the town and it has great views over the sea. We had to do the touristy thing and ate fish and chips in view of the ever-present seagulls by the main beach. The rain came in so we spent the rest of the afternoon in Dickie just enjoying being away from home and pretending we were in France or Spain.


The murmurations of the starlings on Bodmin Moor were calling so we finished off our Cornish odyssey with a trip out to Roughtor near Camelford. The birds did not disappoint and millions of them came in to nest around 430pm, entertaining all who had come to watch. We can't get away too far this winter but it's great to think there is so much to see and do so close to home.

Tuesday 27 October 2015

The Return

Ardnamurchan
Mr Fluffy's outbursts of 'You're acting like a 12 year old', 'you're being daft', and even 'you need a psychiatrist!' are not helpful. All this because I refused to drive Dickie over the Severn Bridge. Last time I almost had a full blown panic attack so did not want this happening again.
 
I know I'm a total wimp and don't feel confident driving our large Dickie so I suggested we look at a few van conversions on the way home. We popped in to Highbridge Motorhomes near Bristol and had a look. Our first Dickie was a transit Duetto which we loved but, after looking at the vans yesterday, we realised that once you've had a Hymer it's difficult to go back to a smaller van. The build quality and space available are perfect for us and the only reason we would change is my mental block on driving it.

So I bit the bullet and did actually drive from Wells to Boscastle, even doing the seven point turn required to park on our front driveway. Perhaps I don't need a psychiatrist after all.

Friday 23 October 2015

A Winding Road Through Some Fluff and a Phallus

Lindisfarne boaty cabins
As we head slowly back to Cornwall we’ve agreed that we will definitely be travelling back to Scotland in Dickie again. After the Outer Hebrides and a night stop at a gorgeous beach in Ardmair, just outside Ullapool, we drove across to Braemar. The forests around there are similar to how it would have looked just after the Ice Age with thousands of birch trees and juniper bushes interspersed with heath land. We were lucky enough to be caught in a mini-gale and were rained upon by a flurry of tiny birch leaves which freaked Hugo out totally.
Ardmair
The Autumn Leaves

We’re now heading down through Yorkshire having spent a couple of nights wildcamping in Northumberland. We were a little disconcerted to come out of the Elk’s Head pub in Whitfield the other night to the sight of a chap whipping his shotgun out of his car boot. Luckily we’d been informed there was a hunt on the next day or we’d have picturing ourselves on the next episode of Crimestoppers. Lindisfarne was a surprise as we were expecting a calm spiritual vibe but we actually found a penis made of rocks at the base of the castle - who'd have thought!
Lindisfarne Phallus - no I did not make this

Crossing the sea to Lindisfarne in Dickie

Lindisfarne Castle

Stone statues on the beach

It looks like we’re following the route of the Yorkshire Tour de France as there are many yellow bikes along the way. Last night was a stopover at The Swan Pub in Addingham which, Graham informs me, did a great pint of beer. Unfortunately it was not serving food so we ate at the very popular Craven Heifer which, although not very cheap, served very good food with great service.
Mr Fluffy gets a bit more fluff than he bargained for


Having driven through the slightly less bucolic outskirts of Bradford (along the excitingly named Godwin Road) we were pleased to arrive in the spa town of Buxton. The campsite is within walking distance to the town through a lovely wood. It looks like snow out there so we’re hunkered down in Dickie awaiting a turn in the weather. 
The Lovely Godwin Road
Tomorrow Dovedale - if the weather holds out.

Sunday 18 October 2015

Sail Away to Stornaway

Near Marbhig
“It’s always good to have someone at each end.” The men holding the doors for me on the upper and lower decks both visibly reddened and chortled at the unintended double entendre. Scampering off with Mr Fluffy’s tray of smoked duck salad, I wondered how I can often manage to sound a teeny bit filthy without intending to.
The Fluffster and Hugo sat on the upper deck of the Stornaway - Ullapool ferry trying not to get seasick; hence my servant status. Luckily it was the calmest sailing Graham has had. The last time he did this crossing it was the 80s and he spent the majority of the trip draped over a toilet empty the contents of his stomach as the ferry was flung around by gigantic waves.
One of our favorite Callanish stones

We’ve had amazing weather and we were lucky enough to park overnight at the Standing Stones of Callanish (with permission I might add). I’ve been wanting to get to Callanish for years so it was fantastic to be able to spend more than a few hours there. There are three separate sites within easy walking distance of the visitors’ centre, through rather muddy fields, but the slush is worth it. Next day we headed up to the northernmost point of Lewis to the Point of Ness where, every August, the local men head out to one of the islands to hunt gannets which are a delicacy in the area. The beach there is strikingly beautiful and it’s easy to see how it could get more than a little hairy in bad weather.
And another favorite

There is an area called the South Lochs which is a bit of a hidden gem according to the tourist literature. It is certainly extremely lovely and surprisingly free of tourists. The very helpful woman in the Ravenspoint Visitors’ Centre (An interesting museum and shop) suggested a gorgeous spot to overnight in Dickie. It was by a small loch near the village of Marbhig and to say it was idyllic would be an understatement. There were rarely any cars passing and all we could hear was the gentle lapping of the water and a few birds tweeting their happiness at living in such a fabulous place. There are sea eagles around there but we didn’t manage to see any unfortunately.
Callanish II stone

Near Ullapool there is a bay at a village called Ardmair which is also amazing. We parked here on our way to Lewis and on the night we returned as it was so lovely. We will definitely be back to this area of Scotland. The people are friendly and the scenery is to die for. I think next time we’ll head down to Harris and pick up a tweed or two.
An ancient Black Village

And now we are back to reality sitting in a caravan park near Inverness having just done all our washing, filled and emptied every Dickie receptacle as needed, and hoovered the seeming kilos of Hugo’s fur off the furniture. Wildcamping is great but it’s nice to get to a washing machine occasionally.
More Callanish Stones


Tomorrow we head to Findhorn and the east. Looking forward to what happens next.

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Stunning Scotland

I think Scotland is the most beautiful place I have ever been - with the one exception of Norway which is marginally more breathtaking due to the icy blue of the fjords.
Castlerigg stone circle

We've made our way up from Lancaster to stay in a very pleasant campsite in Balloch on the shores of Loch Lomond. It's a great spot to get a first taste of the lochs and, despite the rain, we had a stunning walk along the lochside and got a spot of Chinese takeaway from 5 minutes up the road. That's the last campsite we stayed in and since then we've wildcamped up through the stone circles of the valley around Kilmartin, and the beaches of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Here are a few pictures to show the fabulousness of the areas we've visited.
Rock art on way to Kilmartin
Standing Stones near Kilmartin

The boys get in on the stoney act

Temple Wood burial chamber

Close up of Temple Wood
We had a particularly fabulous meal at The Whitehouse in Lochaline following a walk along the loch to an ancient castle.
One of our many seaside views

Hugo enjoying the silica sand of Lochaline


Wednesday 7 October 2015

Tongues, Buns, and Lovely Lochs


When did I suddenly start wearing old lady's shoes? Well in the last 3 weeks actually. On a shopping day with my friend Jill we searched through dozens of loafers until I found a pair for about £25. 'Result!' I thought, until a few days later I saw an eighty year old woman wearing exactly the same pair. Worse was to come as I need to wear innersoles to make them fit. 'What have you done to your feet?' Graham chortled as he pointed to my offending appendages. I had inadvertently slipped my delicate tootsie underneath the innersole so it was poking out the top of the loafer like a dirty brown tongue. Very attractive indeed.  

And my buttocks have not been spared the aging process as I became a parody of the elderly Patsy in Ab Fab when my 'No VPL' undies swiveled their way to my ankles after a tense walk home from dinner in Wells. I felt they were a little loose, not due to my svelte snake hips I might add, but more due to the slippery fabric and lack of elastic. The walk back to Dickie involved repeated hitchings-up of the aforementioned undergarment until I got sick of it and merely grabbed the front section and let my buttocks swing, unencumbered by fabric, down the back of my thighs. As I stepped into Dickie I finally gave up and the undies fell to the floor in a a Patsy-esque heap. Much chortling ensued as Hugo grabbed them and whizzed around the van with them hanging from his mouth.


All this on the start of our trip to Scotland. Merriment should be the order of the day if it continues like this. After stopping off in Lancaster to visit friends Kath and Dave, who managed to cook us a great Thai meal followed by dairy free crumble while building an extension to their house, we've made our way up to the shores of Loch Lomond. The sun is shining and Graham is desperately trying to get the satellite to work so I can watch the final of Bake Off. Fingers crossed we'll get to see some British buns tonight - not like the ones dangling freely under my frock I hasten to add.

A Soggy Return

It wasn’t the welcome home we expected - torrential rain, flooding, and giant potholes in pretty much every road we drove on today. Ugh! The...