A Last-Minute Night Away, Testing the Electrics

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This one was a last-minute decision. The forecast looked good — a rare thing in Scotland — and when the weather lines up like that, you don’t argue. Bags packed, dog in the back, and off we went.

Testing as I go

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I’ve got into a habit with this build: whenever I finish a chunk of work, I take the van out for a short overnight to put it through its paces. It’s the best way to find the problems. You drive a few miles and listen — is there a squeak coming from the insulation? Are the new wood panels rattling against each other on a rough road? Little things you’d never notice in the driveway suddenly announce themselves once you’re moving.

This time the thing on trial was the electrical set-up, which I’d only just finished wiring in. Leisure battery, solar, the 12 volt lights, the fridge, a few sockets. All good on paper — but paper doesn’t tell you much. I wanted a real night relying on it.

Loch Lomond

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We headed up to Loch Lomond national park. There are parking areas up there set aside for campers — a tenner for the overnight. Honestly, well worth the money. A lovely spot, properly scenic, and a brilliant base for getting out and walking.

And walk we did. Long ones, with Chester — our dog — leading the way and thoroughly enjoying himself. There’s nothing quite like tiring out a happy dog in a place like that.

A wee BBQ and a glass of wine

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Back at the van, we kept it simple. A wee BBQ — nothing fancy, just burgers done properly over the coals, which always taste better outdoors than they’ve any right to. And a few glasses of wine, of course. It would be rude not to.

That’s the bit the build is really for. Not the wiring diagrams or the cut lists — the warm evening, the dog asleep at your feet, the burgers and the wine and the loch in front of you.

Did the electrics hold up?

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They did. The lights sipped power exactly as I’d hoped, the fridge ticked away through the night, and by morning the battery had barely noticed we’d been there. Once the sun was up, the solar started topping it back up again. No squeaks worth mentioning from the panels either — the latest work passed.

A few small things on the list to tidy up, as always. But the van did its job: it kept us comfortable, and let us have a brilliant night away on barely any notice. Exactly what I’m building it for. Can’t ait to do it again.2