New member - solo traveller (mostly)

[ambulancekidd]

 

[Reallyretired]

Hi
Great intro and nice van.

 

[Stonemags76]

Hi! Well done for getting out on your own! My husband isn’t too keen either, but does do two longish trips to France & Spain each year. I’ve been away with friends, but you have just spurred me on to get away more often! As you say, the more you drive it, the easier it gets! We have a Warwick Duo at 5.9 metres, but it seems huge to me! The best thing I got for the van was a hand brake extender, as I’m a short ar*e!

 

[SarahBattyll]

Sarah, What a fantastic introduction and what a great looking van. You were very lucky to find someone who was willing to let you borrow their motorhome for two months - especially with your dogs.
Along with others on this site, I'll look forward to reading of your adventures in the Big Rig.
BTW, if you haven't already, I suggest you get some solar panels on the roof and enjoy the delights of wildcamping.
Congratulations and welcome to Motorhome Fun.

Thank you that’s great advice is next on my list

 

[SarahBattyll]

Welcome aboard, love your "can do" attitude, I was reading about the foot under clutch and thinking "surely she has a bunny cord" well yes you did bunny and cable ties should be the first spares in the tool kit well possibly second to duct tape.

I’d add string to the essential list - never go anywhere without string !

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[SarahBattyll]

What a great introduction!

It reminded me of so many incidents I had with various vehicles over the years.

I drove two hours to Brighton in the depths of winter in a 2CV after the roof had blown off on the motorway almost exactly half way into my journey. Tied the remainder on with string and carried on.

I also drove a 2CV through the Gorges du Verdon at night with a failed alternator. Every time you braked, the headlights dimmed a little bit more. The game then became driving as fast as you dared (the battery was being drained by the headlights so time was limited) without braking.

Throttle cable on my motorbike snapped so I clamped the frayed end in a pair of mole grips and used those as the throttle to get me 3 miles home.

I even once bodged a damaged cable for the navigation lights on a narrowboat using the metal containers from a Chinese takeaway!

Keep going until you absolutely can't!

Welcome to the Fun - I'm looking forward to more stories of your adventures

Ooo I loved hearing those stories - fantastic

 

[SarahBattyll]

Hi! Well done for getting out on your own! My husband isn’t too keen either, but does do two longish trips to France & Spain each year. I’ve been away with friends, but you have just spurred me on to get away more often! As you say, the more you drive it, the easier it gets! We have a Warwick Duo at 5.9 metres, but it seems huge to me! The best thing I got for the van was a hand brake extender, as I’m a short ar*e!

What a great idea a handbrake extender! Being a solo traveler has led to soooo many interesting conversations and with complete strangers on sites, I met some great people go for it

 

[fishplug]

Ooo I loved hearing those stories - fantastic

There's a bit more to each of them of course...

The Brighton trip was when my brother had just moved there. Mum had given me a box of his things to take to him.

Heading down the motorway I had some imbecile tailgating me. There's not much you can do in a 2CV.

Keeping a regular eye on my rear view mirror, I suddenly become aware of the steel cross member that holds the roof in place starting to flex and then there's an almighty snap and bang as the member fails, and the roof becomes a sail briefly before ripping itself almost free and then 8ft of canvas roof starts flopping around behind you, lapping on the bonnet and windscreen of the imbecile 7ft behind you.

All I saw in the mirrors were two vertical columns of white smoke from the tires of the car behind me. I'll never forget it.

What was left of the roof got lashed down to complete the journey. Heaters in 2CVs are pretty good so my waist down was OK, however my frozen fingers had to be prised off the steering wheel when I arrived.

My brother asked what was in the box. I had no idea. It was just stuff mum had asked me to take. Turns out it was hats and scarves and gloves and...

The Gorges du Verdon trip was going reasonably well until we reached a tunnel section. We couldn't risk stopping in it and there was too much traffic to make it through safely so we ended up spending a very cold night by the entrance before hitching a lift to a garage where a replacement battery was bought, and another lift back to fit it.

There have been many other such adventures over the years - but all have come from 'having a go' and getting out and doing things.

I've yet to regret any of them.

That includes being in Western Sahara when the Paris Dakar rally had gone through scrutineering and then got cancelled due to Al Quaeda threats.

Some competitors wanted to continue even if unofficially but the terrorists said they would kill anyone on sight that looked like they were competing in the Dakar.

Well, I know my bike didn't look like a Dakar bike, but did the terrorists have this same level of comprehension?

My travelling companion was on a BMW 650 Dakar, which had the word Dakar splashed all over the tank in large letters.

Well, it did until we covered it in gaffer tape....

I could go on, but you've clearly got the same spark of adventure in you and a bright future of getting into (and out of) situations.