For our first night away in Bodhi, we decided to play it safe and stay close to home. Our first ever night away in Hans was in Dunbar, around 2 hours away (what were we thinking?!) but this time we decided to take advantage of our location and spend a night by Loch Lomond. Loch Lomond, and other areas of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, have previously been blighted by inconsiderate visitors and campers who have left rubbish and mess behind. As a result, large areas of the loch side are now in a Camping Management Zone, which basically means you need to buy a permit and stay in a designated area. It takes away from the spontaneity of wild camping but sadly the situation was getting ridiculous, with makeshift camps appearing in lay-bys on the A82 and human waste being left by the loch side. I have to say, as far as we're concerned, the new system is a bonus. You can search for available 'pitch' on the national park website, choose which one you want, put in your details, pay your £3 a night fee and that's you. You can turn up, safe in the knowledge that a space is there for you and there's no danger of being asked to move on by the wardens. Find out more about camping in the national park here. So, with our spot at Firkin Point secured, we drove 20 minutes up the A82 and we were there. A decent flat area with space for 3 motorhomes, we were quickly pitched up and went for a walk to explore the loch side. Back in Bodhi, we tried (and failed) to start the heating. Turns out we were just being too cautious with it and not pressing the ignition button in hard enough. But it wasn't cold so we managed just find. The fridge was another matter. We thought it wouldn't light but it turned out it was lighting just fine, it was the ignition switch that was faulty and not turning off as it should. On further investigation, the fridge also appears to be producing CO in large enough quantities to set of the alarm. That't not something we can fix ourselves so we'll leave that one to the professionals! Despite the teething problems, we had a lovely, peaceful first night in Bodhi. Breakfast time was a revelation, being able to get up and get a coffee without having to make the dinette first was bliss. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with our Bodhi bus! Read more of our travels in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. |
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