Another sweltering day in the UK, and looking forward to cooler weather, perhaps the next time I’m in Dubai.
A long day in Taunton as we waited for various additions to the van. In general, we are looking to stay away from campsites as much as possible. We’ve budgeted about €3000 for the year, but this is part of the options we are able to reduce. Not sure if we’ve gone about it the right way…
We’ve fitted a 100W solar panel which, in good weather, should provide for all our general needs. For the larger power budget items, such as our bike batteries, we need a bit more, so we’ve also added an extra battery – which required getting rid of our old (brand new!) battery as they need to be a matched pair. We’ve also binned our Swiss gas bottle and replaced this with 2 x refillable Calor gas bottles. In theory we can now refill with gas anywhere in Europe, as well as have enough gas for 2 months in Morocco, or anywhere else that has limited supply options – read ex-Eastern Europe.
For €1918 (OUCH!!) you’d think the results would look a bit more impressive. I mean, you can’t even see the solar panel (I’ve been assured it’s there) and the big bananas at the back look al of 20 quid!
A Little Whinge
The UK, I’m finding, has an occasional understanding of the 21st C and the wonders of internet. Towns promise free WiFi (yes, Taunton, that’s you), as do coffee shops (looking at you, Starbucks), and then spectacularly fail to deliver. I’m feeling this is a national kind of failure obsession. The Brit crowd watching soccer refused to believe (hope yes, believe no) that England could beat Sweden. The country hopes for the 21st C technology on offer, but fails to believe it can deliver. I think it’s sort of that Battle of Hastings kind of thing … lots of hope, but a bit short on the belief. I’m sure that Brexit, and reverting to island status, is sure to improve matters. Watch this space … or not, depending on your connection speed 🙂
Contented-Campers.com 