Introducing Van Stories from Scotland

On the anniversary of moving to Scotland, we're trying something new

All you need?

About a year ago exactly we relocated to the west coast of Scotland and I can report that we have absolutely zero regret. It’s been a crazy year with some highs and lows, and in a strange way those combined highs and lows have brought us to this new life experiment. On 28 February we left the cottage we raved about last year and started living and working full time from our tiny camper van.

The highs

Living in Scotland is a dream come true: it’s a beautiful place, the people are extremely friendly, I have a lifetime of adventures on my doorstep, and there’s a world of opportunity for mountain leaders (oh yeah, April 1st was the one year anniversary of passing my ML award! - another high!). The real high though is sharing it all with Mark and Lucky. This move was a huge leap of faith for us all, but it obviously happened at the right time in our lives. Despite the challenges, we’ve been able to roll with it. And yeah, there’s been some pretty major challenges! But we’ve stayed a team.

Van spot in Glen Etive - spot the sleepy terrier!

The lows

I won’t get into all of the lows! (Particularly the lack of good restaurants and cafes on the west coast of Scotland - though this could prove fruitful as a business opportunity, you never know!) The major low of the year was our so-called dream cottage which ended up being a disaster. Almost immediately after moving in, the problems started. Lack of running water. A broken septic tank. Mice infestation. Electrical faults. But the worst part of the ordeal was our landlord and agent who really let us down. Rather than helping they accused us of causing all the problems, threatening us with eviction, and interrogating our intentions with the property. I’ve never encountered anything so ridiculous and bizarre. There we were wanting to focus on building our new life together, and this major low quality stress kept rearing its head on an almost daily basis. It was untenable, and something had to change.

So we changed it

For the last year I’ve had occasion to drive past a little turn off with a sign that said “Modern Offices with Parking For Let” (with parking!). I was always curious about them, as they were in a rural location, and I always liked the idea of having an office away from my main living space. So one morning in February I woke up in the midst of yet another house crisis and we thought, “screw it, let’s rent an office and live in the van”. We called the offices and they showed us around. It was great! Spacious, warm, lots of windows, and a small shared kitchen. Also, affordable! We signed the lease within a few days and on February 28th, most of our stuff went into storage, some into the office, and the rest in the van.

Lucky approved: Van night in Argyll

Call it van life with a twist

I know there are a lot of people out there living it up full time in their vans, painting the image of the idyllic #vanlife dream. This isn’t us. And I do believe this office + van is one of our greatest ever life hacks! Just over a month into this and already the experiment has been fun, fascinating, sometimes challenging, and forever thought provoking.

Van living breakfast out the back of the van - what do you do if it rains? More on that in a future post!

So I’ve decided to write about it

We’re not living it up in a massive diesel-guzzling van. We’ve got a tiny Ford Transit Connect … and we’re making it work! I’ll be making van stories a new part of this Substack newsletter… some topics I have in mind:

• the merits of a tiny camper… for you, society, and the planet! … (2)

• how to effectively combine work with van life like a serious pro …

• how to build passive income to support a new lifestyle …

• awesome van recipe and why every van needs a nonstick wok …

• conversion tips - if I can do it, anyone can!

• reviews - firepit’s, awnings, and more

• van hacks - how to stay warm, space saving ideas, and more

I hope you’ll subscribe and follow the journey. (Read on for 25% off an extra-special paid subscription.)

Van life game changers: a reliable no impact woodturner

Just a heads up, I’ll be putting some of the really juicy content behind a paywall in hopes of generating some income to support this experiment, our content, and a few other exciting projects in the works - more on that later! Plus some other cool paid content…

• Giveaways! We’ve got a load of gently used premium outdoor gear that didn’t quite pass the test so we thought rather than selling it on eBay or Facebook, we’ll be giving it away. Some of this stuff cost a pretty penny and are from brands you may know and love (Rab, Mountain Equipment, just to name a couple). Also, I don’t anticipate the paid subscriber base to be very huge so if you get in early you’ll have a good chance of winning.

• Extra cool content - recipes, in depth travel reports, printables, and whatever else we come up with

• Community features. Access to chats and more.

• Podcast?! You never know!

I love a deal, so here’s a Van Life Special if you’d like to get in early with a paid description:

Thanks as ever for your support and good vibes. 🥰 🚐

Sneak preview… see photo below, any guesses what this could be?