From Taunton to Inverness

Hiya folks 

We are Al and Mary and we are picking up our 1st ever Moho (A/S Stanton) in the next few weeks from Highland Campervans. As we live in Taunton, Somerset we aim to make it an adventure over 8 to 10 days afterwards, whilst also losing our campervan virginity. 

We pick up the van with nothing in it so flying in with two sleeping bags, toothbrushes  and clothes. We then aim to spend the next day in Inverness shopping for basics to get us home. 

Any tips on essentials (not including groceries and toiletries) we may need as we have started a list. Pillows, dustpan and brush, plates, bowls and mugs, pots and pans, cutlery, towels, cloths, loo stuff, cleaning stuff, etc. Also best places to go and get stuff in Inverness. Mary says have you any good charity shops there.

We've been looking forward to being part of the moho community for many years lets hope the reality is as good as the dreams. (usually isn't as life seldom works that way)

Ta very muchly for all the forth coming advice in advance.

Best regards Al and Mary

Hi Mary & Al
Welcome to the forum from Bridington , HCV should have some basic  accessories in their wee shop.
There is a large retail park just up the road from Dalcross, Tescos Millets, etc, Inverness town can be abit tight for a coach built van Al, maybe have a wee look on google maps to view the towns layout.
Don't know if the sites are fully open yet, your spoilt for choice up there.
Have a good trip.
Boaby (expats)

Hi Boaby cheers for the info buddy. 
Think we'll go the retail park for foodstuffs etc after we pick the van up. We're staying at the Ardtower site for 2 or 3 days and the pair of us having never driven a moho will be a bit wary of going into town centres at 1st. I drove trucks many years ago in the army but long forgotten. So will probably get bus into town or walk and see what we can find. We'll be looking for the minimal to get home then go to town sorting out how we want it to be afterwards. Reading some of the forums it seems like it can take a lifetime to sort it all out hehehe.

Hi good luck with your adventure.
If it's the 2015 Staton I've seen on their webpage ( not showing as sold though) just ask them to leave everything in it that they added for the glamorous photo shoot  and just buy some food.
Our essential list before travelling is always:
Van keys, tablets, Wallet, phone, IPad WiFi and first evenings meal.

Good luck again and enjoy it.

Cheers and yes I have noted it is still listed.

Will sort the wifi out when we get back 8 or 9 days without won't kill us though I'm guessing lots of sites supply it. Wine and beer the odd good pub on the way and hopefully good weather and bob's your uncle. Bad weather as long as the TV works chuck in a couple of good books a bit of how's your father and we'll get by 

Brycey wrote:Hi Boaby cheers for the info buddy. 
Think we'll go the retail park for foodstuffs etc after we pick the van up. We're staying at the Ardtower site for 2 or 3 days and the pair of us having never driven a moho will be a bit wary of going into town centres at 1st. I drove trucks many years ago in the army but long forgotten. So will probably get bus into town or walk and see what we can find. We'll be looking for the minimal to get home then go to town sorting out how we want it to be afterwards. Reading some of the forums it seems like it can take a lifetime to sort it all out hehehe.

Hi Al
If I remember correctly.    There's a shuttle bus from Tescos in to the bus station ( at least there was several years ago ).
We called into the w/S at HCV some years ago for van repairs and my son sold his MH there last year.  
We found them first class and I think we recommend them years back.
Mind your MIDGE spray.
Boaby

Al,
We are seasoned Motorhomers from north of Inverness and have been a customer of Highland Campervans for over 10 years. Great company.
If you would wish to contact us for advice and help just text or phone 07769535449
Julian and Vee

Boaby I thought May time was a little early for those little * Inappropriate Word *. We walked the West Highland way in June 2010 didn't see any for 5 days then it rained one night and they came out the next day like something out of a horror movie. We used something from Avon back then not sure if they still do it or if it still works. 

Julian and Vee We want to walk the section of the WHW from Kingshouse Hotel to Kinlochleven up Glen Coe on this trip as it was so misty and raining on the walk we never saw a thing in one of Scotlands most scenic parts. Where would be the best place to stay in the van to accomplish this?

Cheers Al

Sorry guys didn't realise rhymes with huggers was an inappropriate word

Inveronions wrote:Al,
We are seasoned Motorhomers from north of Inverness and have been a customer of Highland Campervans for over 10 years. Great company.
If you would wish to contact us for advice and help just text or phone 07769535449
Julian and Vee

Hi Julian & Vee
Welcome to the forum from Bridington.
Boaby

Welcome to the forum and enjoy the little adventure picking up your new van.

For only 8/10 days go very basic ,cutlery plates mugs bowls, tin opener cork screw, small pan, microwave dish if one fitted, phone /tablet charger,  watering can to fill the water tank bucket to empty the waist, electric cable for mains hookup

Enjoy most of all, we all started as newbies

Al
There is a campsite at the Kinghouse. Although we only like to use small sites or wild camp. There is a good larger site called Invercoe which is on the coast and therefore not as “midgy” as inland sites. Great owners. We stay there often, even in the winter as it is open all year.    Wild camping in Glencoe we don’t recommend, it is a nightmare. There is also a site at Glencoe Ski Centre. We know from current experience that these sites are already nearly fully booked for the season.  Don’t recommend wild camping though until more seasons under your belts, “ wheels! The store Go Outdoors has nearly everything you need and there is one in Inverness.
Contact us if you need more info. 
Ju/Vee

we motorcyclists call them " Bastardusflyus " on the Isle of Man , Latin for Midge  and the Dutch believe us !!!

It took us a while to work out how things work on our van so I recommend you get the sellers to take you through all the basics before you drive away - don't just let them demonstrate, watch them then do it yourself as this is how you learn. By the basics I mean how to fill the water tanks, how to drain the dirty water (grey waste) tank, how to remove and empty the toilet cassette, how to turn the gas on/off, etc. Also get a walk through of the electrical control panel, plus how the heater, hot water, cooker, fridge, etc. all work. 

Make sure you have enough bottled gas on board for the journey and also water in the tanks too. 

I recommend you pick a site for your first night that isn't too far from where you pick the van up so you don't have a long drive on the first day.  

Everyone has their own lists of things to take in their motorhome and we are inveterate list-makers and have several lists: things to keep in the van (e.g., pots and pans), things to take to the van (e.g., food), and a list of things to check before leaving a campsite (known as the pre-flight check-list). Happy to send you copies if it would help.

Hi Slow-Lane

Cheers for the advice we're planning on staying in Inverness for the 1st 3 days after pick up. 
Apparently with covid rules they are not allowed to take you through how everything works at the mo. But they are going to send a video of how everything works before we go up and we will download a copy onto one of our phones. Started doing a list already but will prob take a few trips to work out what is and what isn't essential. 

I think my biggest problem will be her indoors as I'm tidy and she isn't hehehe. 

This may seem a stupid question but can you drink water from the tap when the tank has been filled from the mains. Or will bacteria accumulate in the tank?

Cheers Al

Not a stupid question at all. Most folk will keep drinking water in a separate container, we keep a couple of bottles in the fridge topped up from the site taps. We use the water from our tank for washing/teeth brushing straight from the tank and cooking/ coffee and tea drinking after it's been boiled. You will find many threads on sanitising your water tank, we've never done it

We do the same, except that we use the bottled water when brushing our teeth too!

We have always drunk the tank water . . . . for the last 49 years.
And we are still here.
Mind you, if you are in Tesco and see a 5 litre bottle of water for 19p you may as well buy it and use it. I wouldn't be a slave to bottled water. Every time you get home and don't use the van for a week, drain it and pump the bubbles out as well. I am a retired plumber and in training we learned that if water sits still for three months then bugs begin to grow in it. But do bear in mind that all our tap water has chlorine in it which kills bugs. I wouldn't lay awake at night worrying that I have drunk the tank water.
Mind you, if you see black bits in the tap water then that's a sign that your water pump washers are breaking up. They aren't poisonous but it does mean it's time to remove the pump and fit a refurbishment kit. That is, if it is a Shurflo pump. If it's a Whale submersible pump all you can do is leave it in the tank and buy a Shurflo one and install that. Don't waste your money on another Whale submersible pump, they are - let us say - not very good. Whale do make some pumps properly, but not the ones that are fitted to caravans and motorhomes.

We're just ultra-paranoid. We've travelled quite a bit across the Middle East, Pakistan, India, etc. and in many places it isn't a good idea to drink the local tap water so over the years we've got into the habit of using bottled water.

Ha Ha yes indeedey. No one in their right mind would drink 'tap' water from those countries. I worked in Nigeria for 6 months, and you wouldn't wash your car with the water they have to drink. We were instructed in no uncertain terms to get the waiter or shopkeeper to bring the bottle of water and listen to the 'snap' when they crack open the top.
However in western europe I have no hesitation drinking tap water.

We drink the tap water in western Europe too, but our 'van is fifteen years old; I haven't cleaned the fresh water tank since we bought it and I know the previous owner didn't either, so GOK what's in there, hence our practice of using bottled water.

Slow-Lane wrote:We drink the tap water in western Europe too, but our 'van is fifteen years old; I haven't cleaned the fresh water tank since we bought it and I know the previous owner didn't either, so GOK what's in there, hence our practice of using bottled water.

Have you seen the film "Alien" 

Highland spring still water for us,Maisie wouldn't drink anything else, tap water here is as hard as hell and tastes of chalky chlorine.
However we drink tap water from sites around the U.K
Boaby

Askit wrote:

Slow-Lane wrote:We drink the tap water in western Europe too, but our 'van is fifteen years old; I haven't cleaned the fresh water tank since we bought it and I know the previous owner didn't either, so GOK what's in there, hence our practice of using bottled water.

Have you seen the film "Alien" 

They made that film in Slow-Lane's motorhome. . . . .

Fresh water tanks: they should have a very big screw top opening which is specifically designed for you to get your hands up to your elbows in, with suitable cleaning materials  . . . . . . unless they are an AutoSleeper under-floor tank. They probably still do have the very big screw top, but you would have to remove the tank. And then of course they are black - which is logical to stop green growths but it has the disadvantage that you can't see if it is clean or dirty. You can of course just bung in a dose of tank cleaning stuff and drive around a bit to slosh it about.

My nephew Mark works at Highland Campers. He’s on the servicing side but also get a chance to test out new models. If you speak to him tell him his Uncle is planning on doing the North East 250 later this year!

I’ve travelled independently for many years and discovered the only thing that’s essential is your wallet. There’s almost nothing you can’t buy when you discover you haven’t got it. As for the water yes, I drink from the tank, but I wouldn’t until I had cleaned it once on getting it. After that there’s as many tank cleaning opinions as there are vans.  I bet you have a great time; enjoy.