I watched this video last night and immediately had to go and watch from the start of your channel (on the Loch Ness video at the mo). I just want to say, how fantastic your videos are. You are true natural at vlogging. Your husband would be very proud of what you're achieving by yourself. The way you always talk about him is so lovely. We get our new van in January, so I'm sitting here with paper and pen jotting down all the places you are going to lol. Im so happy I have found your channel. I hope you're proud of what you've achieved so far and all the happiness your videos are bringing to others. all the best, and hope to see you on our new soon-to-be adventures.
Thanks for such a supportive comment Chris. I'm glad you found the channel and enjoy the content, it's been a steep but enjoyable learning curve and it means a lot to hear that the videos benefit others. I often wonder what Bri would make of it all, and imagine him grinning! Good luck with the new van I bet you can't wait. If I can help with anything just give me a shout! All the best, Sue 😊👍
What a lovely comment Chris. You are so right Sue’s way of vlogging is so natural and she is super entertaining to watch. Off to check your channel out after such nice words 👍
Maybe red kite. Also a tip I picked up. Fold a blanket into a square and stuff one of your cushions with it. It’s there if you need it and a cushion when you don’t. And doesn’t take up any extra room.
Enjoyed the video, the latter segment being in my part of the world. Lots of useful tips on the video and in the comments. Try adding a decent flask to your kit, so you can have a hot drink any time in the night. ATB.
Loved the video! Lovely scenery and great lessons: 1) Keep a water bottle. 2) Don't run out of milk. 3) Get sorted properly for off-grid camping, and 4) Never diss the porridge.
Oh Sue you do make me chuckle. I had a couple of cold nights in the van but then changed to a duvet with a fleecy cover, a game changer! So warm against your skin, been toasty warm since. X
Poor you I felt really guilty just now whilst sitting next to a radiator that was so warm I kept falling asleep and dropping my phone! 😄 You're a person after my own heart - why drive on an A road when there's a perfectly good B road - preferably with grass growing down the middle! I loved driving in Wales and Northern Ireland for that kind of fun! 💕
Hari O Was pleased to hear you say twice, "next time"!!! The Borders have so much to offer but so often are the bridesmaid to the Highlands. And absolutely dinny diss the purrage, wummin! There's a reason it is one of the national foods o' this Bonny Land. YAM xx
I will keep returning for as long as possible! And I do love porridge once it’s in front of me I just never fancy it beforehand if that makes sense haha. Thanks for watching I’m glad you enjoyed my videos of the area you love. Can’t wait to return ❤️ x
The Scottish Borders are amazing. Loved the drone footage of the viaduct. As for the heater well everyday is a school day in the van. We really enjoy watching your travels.
Great video Sue - loved the drone and driving sequences at the start - hope the heater was fixed easily. The hot water bottle backup is a good idea will have to add that to list - also maybe electric blanket off your eco flow maybe … so our heater failed to start and that was when the battery was low turned out the terminals on the battery had come lose and not charging …. I am sure you checked but caught me out
I’ll be honest I haven’t had a chance to sort yet things have been quite hectic. I mention a 12v electric blanket at the end with the tips and it’s definitely a good idea 👍🏻 It’s been recommended to turn the engine over when starting up the heater until it settles down and draws less power than on start up. We live ands learn hehe. Thanks for watching and take care.
Oh no, diesel heater not working, poor you, i hope it's an easy fix. I'm like you Sue I just love being in my campervan. Sadly I'm on my own now, so my van is now my best friend. It's been known for me to park up in the local supermarket car park with the heater on and make a cuppa people watching, Sad, maybe, but I just love my van. Hope your heaters fixed now. Take care, Merry Christmas x
I know what you mean Simon. No better place to be than in the van, whatever the weather! Just something calming and free about it. Space to breathe and just ‘be’. Things have been a bit hectic so haven’t sorted yet but will do soon and all will be well. Take care and have a lovely Christmas 😊👍🏻
We always have hot water bottles in Helga. You never know when you might need them 😂 Glad you survived. The area looks right up Slaw’s street. Thanks for sharing Sue x
I'm sure your Bri would be glad to see you out and about in the world of people, having adventures and inspiring other people to do the same. I remember after my friend Desmond died saying to people, 'i understand that he's dead and that I'm never going to see him again but it feels really unfair that I can't still phone him for a chat.' Your Pint for Bri keeps a connection with him and it's lovely. We have to find something that connects us and tributes them don't we? I hope you are warmer now and that Xmas doesn't hold too many fears - I'm escaping it and heading to Spain. Cxx 🙂❤️✈️🌞
I love this comment. Thanks Colin. Little new traditions I know have such as the first drink for Bri matter so much and like you say keep an everlasting connection. Enjoy Spain you deserve a good time. Best wishes and take care xx 🎅🏻❤️
Hello! Thanks For Sharing this Great Video Best wishes for a joyous Christmas filled with love, happiness and prosperity! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2023 Feel The World
Loved your Vlog. Yes two forms of heat are essential try and electrical blanket it’s low power on No1 and takes the chill off also hot water bottle 👌🏻 Definitely upgrade to lithium it’s the best thing I’ve done.
oh you poor wee soul, I feel cold just watching you, you definitely need a hot water bottle in the van.... as David said below we have a few alternatives for heating.. but we do have a duvet cover on the bed... take care Sue xx
Thanks Lindsay many useful tips and suggestions being shared. I want maximum back up with little space taken up in my little van. I’ll be better prepared next time 🥶 😉 xx
I have a little stove top heater that I bought from Go Outdoors, for £7.50. Providing you have ventilation it's perfectly safe. It doesn't rely on any battery power to work either. Great video as normal.xx
Cheers David. Unfortunately I’d no ventilation otherwise my stove could’ve taken the edge odd but I didn’t want to risk it in such a small place. All good learning though 👍🏻
IT may have been a Kestrel. Cannot by sure from the video. Error Code 15 is that "Brrr it is to cold" for Diesel heaters? Probably nothing wrong with the heater. Low battery Voltage I think. Porridge is great for breakfast. Some great tips there at the end, we have three sources of heat; the van heating, a portable gas heater (Needs ventilation) and a further back up of a Trangia burner which we can use for heat and boiling a kettle or heating soup. lithium is still to expensive and is not coming down until cars stop using it and you can not always charge them because of the temp. Decent Lead Acid and Solar is my favourite. Great video, we have driven past those bridges many a time but never actually stopped. Take care stay safe and warm,
Thanks David. Appreciate the advice. Some people tell me lithium others say solar. It’s something I need to educate myself about 🤔 Hope you’re both staying safe and warm up there 😊
Glad you made it through the night. What a beautiful place you’ve been. I have an electric blanket 12 volt. And I have a small space heater. I power them with my Bluetti 500 watts.
Scotland looks amazing. Definitely need to get there one day, sooner rather than later. Thanks for sharing tips you've learnt. Keep the lovely videos coming.
This was a lovely scenic video,Sue. From the camera, to the drone work and music it was beautifully put together. I do though, think I've decided not to try viv-i-van out in arctic conditions until I feel confident in her after all the repairs. I will try your journey in the new year though and see how I go. I hope you get the heater sorted out soon. I tried mine this morning to melt the ice off the windscreen. An hoiur later the outside of the van was still frozen other than the windscreen but inside was warm so I guess nearly killing myself insulating her must have been a good job lol. If you dont post before Christmas, I wish you the best one you can have and hope to see-and speak to you on here and facebook in the new year. All the best and bessy regs-Kenny.
Oh cheers Kenny much appreciated. I love winter vanlife so will sort my issues out by new year just been a bit hectic here lately. Glad you enjoyed the video. I take it you have a thermal windscreen cover on your van? Couldn’t live without that 😊👍🏻
@@CamperVanya sadly not at the moment,Sue. I had funds saved up to buy all the gear I needed to kick start the channel-screens, action camera etc but the massive costs of getting her adblue system, egr cooler and ecu replacement took all that. Now, until I can save up again, I'm doing my travels through the eyes of youtube channels like yours. I'll deffo get there next year though. Never give up.Never surrender :) Bessy regs Kenny
Hi Sue. More stunning scenery. Your bird was a falcon of some kind and almost certainly a kestrel. Lovely birds. Well done for surviving such a cold night with such good humor. Hope you get it sorted x
Brilliant Sue. Loved the drone footage and wow you got that flock of birds. Blinking brrrrrr though. You made us shiver. Hope you have a brilliant Christmas xx
Hi guys, thanks for watching. Those birds were fantastic, timed their entrance to perfection! Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. I look forward to seeing where next year takes you 😊 xx
If you're ever in that situation again and have some empty plastic bottles. You can fill them with hot water, wrapped in a thin towel or whatever you have. Make great hot water bottles incase of emergency 😊❤
A favourite road for me is the B729 from just outside Dumfries on the Thornhill road, across via Moniave to Carsphairn. I've had some magical drives along that road.
Nothing worse than being cold. Fluffy socks and a hot water bottle help - as does a dog 😉. I would have been knocking on the pub door asking for sanctuary 😂
Oh wow Firstly that viaduct is awesome and the bridges so beautiful. And such an interesting drive over to Dumfries and Galloway. But oh no, that must have been just so cold🥶🥶🥶. But everything is a learning experience isn’t it. You won’t make that mistake again!! So it’s all good 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Cant advise on anything apart from maybe a four season sleep bag just in case? But such an interesting share again Sue. We loved it. 👍👍👍
Yes sleeping bag quality does play a major part. The difference between lets say an Argos one n one designed to save a life high up in the himalayas is well worth paying for.
I thought mine was a 4 season but need to check. It was all good fun. Certainly felt refreshed and alive the next morning! 😆Absolutely gorgeous area to visit. Glad you enjoyed it 😊👍🏻
Lovely place to explore. Might add to the map, the old villages have a cuteness about them. Might do the pass as well. I still need to get a hot water bottle as a backup, keep forgetting. Keep up the wonderful adventures. Safe Travels x
Oh ty for the shout out. The little butane heater is a good back up too and doesn't take up too much space. The blanket gets warm but not really hot enough unless you use it under the duvet. I've been using in Loui. Xx Yes I heard that it is best to start the engine up b4 putting heater on, which is great if you have access to your cab on a morning, I dont! lol ..also if u do have access to cab Sue you could have put the cab heater on a bit to warm up xx
There were other vans parked so starting the van up in the early hours wasn’t an option unfortunately. One things for sure though, I’ll be prepared for anything next time. 😊👍🏻
Always lessons isn’t there and you are very right, things do go wrong and some great tips as a backup - imagine if you have a backup though you won’t ever have an issue :). I have a 800/1500w fan heater for emergencies (clearly it wouldn’t run for ages but keep the chill off assuming battery is charged of course) - Lovely scenery and area - all the very best, David & Rachel 👍
First year of owning the van and learn something every time we go away. Last weekend woke up to 5 inch of snow in Gloucester. Those porridge are great and get a decent thermal outer cover for your windscreen. Powdered tea and coffee are always kept in the van
Yes powdered milk will be added. I already have an outer thermal cover but only use that on campsites. Anywhere else (wild, off grid, pub) I use interior thermal covers in case there might be a need to leave in the night if for some reason I felt unsafe. I could then do so without having to get out of the van. An important consideration I think, especially as a solo female 👍🏻
Hi, Chelsea and Mike here. Lovely video you have. Very enjoyable. We are dreading the cold the most when we come back to the UK ❄️ we have liked and subscribed to your channel. Chelsea and Mike
Another entertaining video. Some great tips. I don’t know how well we’d cope if the heating went off! The hot water bottle is a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Sue that made me feel so cold ! The area looked nice where you stayed at the highest pub in Scotland and its a shame you had no heatin the van . I always take a hot water bottle when we camp and the instant oats just in case ! Loved the drone footage, the miners cottages were beautiful and you gave good advice at the end :) 👏 ~ Anna
Hi Sue. I visited Wanlockhead area about 30 years ago. The mining museum was very interesting. I remember driving in on the B797 and seeing men stood in Mennock water panning for gold. Thanks for another interesting video. Merry Chistmas & a happy new year to you.
Hi Graham. Thanks for watching. I bet that was an interesting sight. I’d love to pan for gold! Certainly a place to return to. Have a wonderful Christmas yourself and all the best for 2023 🎅🏻 😊🙏🏻
Leaderfoot looked beautiful. Gorgeous viaduct. Nice shot of the 3 bridges. You certainly took the scenic route! Wanlockhead looked interesting. Great pub stopover. Ooh chilly. Hope your heater gets fixed ok think I’d have run the engine for a little bit. Our heater sometimes errors out if we are using LPG. Usually at night then we have to reset it🤣 hot Water bottle is an excellent idea👍 we have an electric fleece too Draws 150 watts. Runs on a power bank and has auto cut out after 1,2 or 3 hours so you don’t flatten the power bank. They cost around £50. Machine washable too. 😊
Great that you can enjoy the van life in all weathers shame the heater not working that night but now you have your back up battery that shouldn’t happen again. Also very brave sending the drone under the viaduct great views though 😊
What beautiful scenery and those roads, minus the flooded bits. We have recently had a couple of nights without the heating on at night, not a nice experience in minus temperatures…..It won’t be too cold 🥶 Safe travels 😊
I was very naive with that comment haha. Much as frosty nights are fun in the van with heating, no heating and too cold to stay asleep really isn’t is it. Take care 🥶🥶
Hi We have been camping in a tent in Scotland at minus 7 and did not get cold. You need three things an insulated base to lie on, the compressed sleeping bag and many mattresses do not work well, camping mats and many self inflating mattresses do. Ours has an R value of 11, you want at least 5. The second is a close fitting high insulation base layer such as a merino wool top and trousers. These keep the heat close to the body having puffy thick layers distribute the heat too far from you, many outdoor layers only keep you warm if active. The final item is a proper 4 season sleeping bag, preferably down or a high tech equivalent. Look at its comfort rating temperature which needs to be into the minus three or lower. A silk liner will also add a few degrees of additional protection. The heat needs to be locked close to the body. An advantage of all of these is their nature also means you are not too hot on moderate days. They are not cheap but they will all last for twenty years or so. A budget of around £500 £250 sleeping bag, £150 mat, £100 merino base layer/pyjamas, £50 silk liner. As a minimum.
Thanks so much Stephen for the great advice. I’m by no means a softie but was so ill-prepared that night. You have to invest in good quality and that never comes cheap but is worth it in the long run 👍🏻
@@CamperVanya Hi you are very welcome, I was so sorry to hear how you ended up in this situation but I am sure your Brian ( I hope I have the right name) would have wanted you to find a way to enjoy life again. I have recently lost my Baby sister, My best friend and his wife in very short order, I have some idea how grief can hurt so deeply. I have just retired and my wife retired a few years ago. In October we picked up our California and we will be travelling soon. We are in a similar starting area to you in North Manchester so have easy access to the Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, Wales and the Lake District. For winter gear we use Thermarest mattresses, Rab down sleeping bags, smart wool merino thermal wear and sea to summit silk liners. Our winter camping has been mainly for Astronomy. I hope the New Year gives you an ever easing heart and lots of new adventures to bathe your soul. Be kind to yourself.
@@stephenrussell6074 I’m so sorry to hear of your own recent losses. That’s a lot in a short time which can’t be easy. I’m glad you and your wife are getting out in your new Cali. We had planned on doing similar so enjoy every well earned second of it 👍🏻 Thanks for your very kind wishes they’ve warmed my heart 😊 Best wishes for a wonderful year of travels! Take care.
you are a wonderful woman and you make great vids. gutted you lost your lovely husband. feel for you enormously. lost my first wife of 36 years 2005 3 months after i got prostate cancer. i am still here and remarried 6 years ago. life goes on. all the very very best ok
Cheers Alan, thanks for leaving a comment. It’s always good to know who’s watching and that the videos are useful. Best of luck with your van life I’m sure you’re going to love it! 👍🏻🚐
Haha. Yes wouldn’t be without the thermal cover. I use external on campsites and internal anywhere else in case I need to drive off in the night I can then do so without getting out of the van. Happy travels! 😊🚐
As I tell my scouts, learn to drink tea or coffee, black or white, with or without sugar & you will never be short of a brew! Also keep the sachets of hot chocolate for a treat / emergency. If all else fails just hot water ! Take care and stay safe x
I’m about to improve on my leisure batteries for the same reason (diesel heater). I woke to thick frost in the inside of all of my windows. Reminded me of being a child in a poor single glazed council house in the 70’s. I survived then and (as you may have guessed lol) survived a frozen night in my van too. How hardcore are we 😂
We are Nik! I was the same in the 70s. No central heating, double glazing or cavity wall insulation. Just blankets and hot water bottles. That probably helped me through this night! 😆
You looked frozen a hot water bottle would have been the answer right enough! You cant beat porridge to heat you up though! Glad you enjoyed the Scottish Borders👍Graeme
Fantastic drone footage, glad your safe and well and still enjoying your freedom ! Have an amazing Xmas 🤶, we packed ours up and are in France currently. Red kite for sure - they have so many up in D and G
Helloooo lovely Sue, just watched this together on the big screen, what a great way to end your Scottish border series! That cheeky little stow away 🐝 Wow that viaduct was lovely and you was very daring with those awesome drone shots. Glad that Inn that was 65 miles away down that scenic but very narrow road, was open when you got there 🤭 -1 is cold but we have just had a week from hell in Scarbados where it hit -9 😳 you looked like you was wearing your sleeping bag that coat looks lovely and toastie! I did laugh when you got distracted telling us how you got distracted as a child 😂 l’d love to think Bri has RU-vid in heaven so he can look over you and see your adventures. Stay awesome my lovely & Merry Christmas 🎄
Oh what a lovely thought Bri watching RU-vid up there. I’m sure he’ll be loving your channel too he did enjoy his walks with his mates. Sorry you’ve been frozen at home at least mine was just a night. Hope ur sorted now. I rang ahead for the pub hehe. Best wishes for a lovely Christmas & New Year ❤🎉 x
I enjoyed your video again as always....wow what beautiful parts are in between say very beautiful nature too. Bad about your heater then it is indeed very cold at night, but you survived again 😊.... I can only say Respect to you how you do all this alone and take my hat off for you Sue 🙏🙏🙏 On to the next video can't wait 😁😁😁😁😁 So to end with your expression ...Onwordddddd 😊👍
Although I now live in a motorhome for many years I used to tour about in a sports car and camp in a tent even in winter so I have a sleeping bag rated to -15c and even in subzero conditions I suffered more from being to hot in it rather than cold. Of course I don't need it now but have it with me because you never know and I can be certain it will never go wrong
A good back up off grid, in an emergency to get you over a cold night, if the diesel heater isn't working, and packs up small, is an electric underblanket. They only use up to 70 watts on full output. You could use one powered by your ecoflow or if you have just liesure batteries, from a cheap portable, plug in 12 volt to 240 volt, 300 watts inverter. From Halfords they are £36.99. If you have 2 x 100 amp hour batteries, that equates to 1200 watt hours in total, taking both the batteries to half from full, enough for your fridge ( 50 watts ) and blanket ( 70 watts ) overnight for ten hours without anything else on. Then charge from your alternator and or solar panel, the next day. A fan heater, would empty an ecoflow delta 2 in a few hours, not enough to get you over the full night. I think that the best solution though, is to use your ecoflow delta 2 for the electric blanket and leave the liesure batteries to just power the fridge and the rest of the van. I love porridge but unfortunately I am allergic to oats, you can't win them all.
We love your vlogs. You have a lovely sense of humour, bit of the Alan Bennett style, that is humour not looks! Have you ever thought about writing a travel diary, sure it would make great reading 😍
Another brilliant instalment on the Scottish Borders, your certainly getting across the appeal of these places. Some exceptional drone footage throughout the video although your flying through the viaduct was a very skilled bit of manoeuvring. Some of those scenic off A roads looked a little hairy, I wasn’t seeing many passing places. Your van with the failed heater looked as cold as our apartment for the last 9 days. Thank goodness the weather has returned to normal today. The last thing we need in a heating crisis is extended snow, ice and sub sub zero temperatures! Some great tips at keeping warm at the end! Can just picture that little lead mining village in its hey day with the mine going and the miners going in and out of the pub maybe having raucous scuffles with biker gangs that were passing through, thats my imagination going now, guess you wasn’t the only one that would drift off at school! ❤ 🚐
Another thought to add to all the useful tips: keep some small portions of UHT milk in the van for such occasions when you run out of normal milk. Can't be doing with no tea in the morning! 😆
Sorry I had to laugh. Been there, got the t shirt. Freezing your knackers off in the van allows you membership of an exclusive club 😂😂. My top tip Sue is invest in a 4 season down bag by Rab sheer heaven. Pub looked good. Thanks for sharing your pain❤
It was a great place to visit and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the heating issue. I’m immensely proud to have become a member of the group haha! 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Awe you poor thing there is nothing worse than been cold a water bottle may have helped you sleep better. Lovely scenery tho Sue and I hope you enjoyed your burger & beer. 🍺. Didn't reckon much too your travelling companion he was definitely buzzing 😂. Anyway on that note I will buzz of great video look forward too some more. Take care. Jane x
Nightmare when your diesel heater chooses not to work. If it makes you feel better, we camped in -19°c in Colorado. Now that was cold. Even with our diesel heater 🥶
I usually love a frosty night too & all year round camping. Diesel heaters are sooo toasty (when working!). I missed having Bri to snuggle up to. He’d have laughed if he’d seen me! As for the birds it was a moment of pure magic 😍
Hi Sue! Loved the elegant viaduct, and the village looked really nice👍 Bad luck with the heater going wonky! I usually take my 4 season down bag that I use for tent wild camping, at this time of year. I think the bird was a kestrel👍 All the best & season's greetings👍😊
Hi Des hope you’re well. The heater thing caught me off guard right when it was really needed but we live and learn! Take care and best wishes for Christmas and New Year 😊
If your leisure battery is lead acid, I'd suggest that upgrade to a lifep04 battery as that will last you for years. Definitely worth the initial cost. A sleeping bag for arctic conditions is absolutely great for winter weather. A usb throw is also very handy......assuming that you've the battery power of course. Cannot understand though if you were so cold, why didn't you start up the engine to warm yourself up?
Yes lithium is looking probable at the moment. Unfortunately I couldn’t just keep starting the engine up throughout the night as there was another van parked up nearby and that would’ve soon annoyed them.
What size and type is your leisure battery? And if you were driving from leaderfoot to leadhills, your split charge relay should have topped the leisure battery up. Your leisure battery should never have been at 11.7v if the split charge relay was working correctly. I'd have the split charge relay looked at to see if it's providing the correct voltage (about 14v) to the leisure battery as the engine is running.
Hi it’s weird. When I’ve driven since it has shown 14v but it didn’t hold the charge here as it should and used to do. It’s a 110ah AGM leisure battery.
@@CamperVanya First thing I'd check is the ground wire on the split charge relay, make sure it's securely connected and that it has a good ground connection to the van itself.
Ok if awake in the early evening but when sleeping I would avoid any naked flame inside the van. You just never know. One things for sure I’ll be better prepared next time! Thanks for watching and commenting 😊👍🏻
Lovely video Sue. Good to see that it's not just me who talks back to the satnav..😆 Sorry to see that you had issues with the diesel heater. Hope you get it sorted soon. Cheers ☺️