We decided that a few days somewhere local would be the best way to get to know HAMISH.
At this point, we had only really driven him home to Argyll from Manchester. For me, the driving was not the worrying part. When I was 18, I was an apprentice with a window company named after a mountain — in fact, the king of mountains — and I used to drive vehicles almost as big as HAMISH.
So I was comfortable enough behind the wheel.
The fact that HAMISH had an automatic gearbox helped too.
Going Over the Water
We set off from home in Argyll and headed for the ferry.
Around here, “going over the water” means using Western Ferries, probably the most efficient ferry service in Scotland.
We always buy our ferry tickets in bulk. For a 7–10 metre motorhome, you need two car and passenger tickets, which also include two adults.
One thing we learned early: buy the tickets before boarding. If you buy them on board, it will cost an arm and a leg. The Western Ferries website lists the local outlets on both sides of the crossing where you can buy tickets in advance.
That was lesson one, and we had not even reached the campsite.
Arrival and First Setup
We arrived at the campsite at about 2.00pm and check-in was straightforward.
Once we were on the pitch, we assumed our positions.
Paul did outside things.
Mandy did inside things.
But first, we needed to get level.
Out came the big rufty-tufty Milenco ramps from their bag. We positioned them at the front of the cab and started inching HAMISH forward.
The ramps were having none of it.
Instead of HAMISH climbing up the ramps, the ramps decided to inch away from us.
So we tried putting them behind the wheels and reversing.
Nope. Not working either.
At this point, we noticed that the couple across from us had just arrived and were also getting their ramps out. Naturally, we watched to see how they did it.
Without going into too much detail, we quickly decided that their method was not for us.
So we put the ramps away.
We were not that far off level anyway.
I Googled self-levelling for motorhomes.
The Awning and the Storm Strap Tip
Next up was the awning.
In our case, it was an Omnistor 5200. At this stage, we did not have front or side panels, just the wind-out awning itself.
We figured that out easily enough.
We also discovered that we had a set of storm straps with it. While we were trying to work out how best to use them, the couple on the next pitch gave us a tip we have used ever since.
Before pegging the storm straps down, put a twist in the strap.
That little twist stops the howling noise when the wind is whipping through it.
A simple tip, learned in five seconds, and still used every time.
That is exactly the sort of thing you do not always get from a manual.
The Portable Solar Experiment
It was sunny, so the next thing we tried was charging the EcoFlow River 2 with the portable solar panel.
Waste of time.
We would probably have got more energy from a lighter.
After about 60 minutes, we put the portable solar panel away.
Another lesson learned.
Water, Pumps and Spluttering Taps
At the entrance there was a water filling point with a hose, so we filled up the fresh water tank, which we discovered holds 120 litres.
We switched the water pump on and opened all the taps.
They spluttered for about 20 seconds, then out came the water.
Success.
Mostly.
The bathroom tap kept spluttering and vibrating. We did eventually find a fix, but not until months later. We will come back to that in another post.
For now, water was coming out of the taps, which felt like progress.
Hot Water or Iron Ore?
Next came the boiler.
We found that it had two switches, and each switch had two settings.
Switch one was for gas.
Switch two was for electric.
We opted for electric.
Setting one, at the bottom, was for hot water.
Setting two, at the top, appeared to be for water hot enough to melt iron ore.
We chose carefully.
The Fridge
HAMISH has a compressor fridge, which is electric only and works on 12V.
We had started it the day before we set off, so it was already at a good temperature by the time we arrived on site.
That was one thing we had got right.
Now We’re Cooking With Gas
Next job: gas.
We connected the gas bottle to the pigtail. One thing worth knowing is that you need the correct pigtail because propane and butane are different.
Then we tried the gas on the cooker.
Nothing.
Zilch.
Nada.
After a moment of head-scratching, we remembered that we had not taken the cover off beside the passenger door.
We removed the cover.
Now we were cooking with gas.
Literally.
First Night Food
For our first night, we had brought the meal already prepared.
Marinated tikka lamb chops, Indian jewelled rice and naan bread.
The lamb chops went on the BBQ, and the rice and naan were reheated in the oven.
It was not complicated, but it worked.
And after a day of ferries, ramps, awnings, straps, solar panels, water tanks, pumps, boilers, fridges and gas covers, that was exactly what we needed.
What Day 1 Taught Us
Day 1 was not really about travelling far.
It was about learning how HAMISH worked in real life.
We learned that ramps can have a mind of their own.
We learned that campsite neighbours often know useful things.
We learned that a twisted storm strap is a wonderful little trick.
We learned that portable solar does not always perform as you hope.
We learned that water systems splutter, boilers have settings, and gas does not work if you leave the cover on.
Most importantly, we learned that doing all of this close to home was a very good idea.
If you are new to motorhoming, that would be our first piece of advice: do a short local trip before you try anything ambitious.
Make the beginner mistakes somewhere easy.
Preferably somewhere with nice food waiting at the end of the day.