Peter Cobley, Lancaster University, Isle of Mull, Found Us
Peter Cobley
Peter Cobley
Peter Cobley
Isle of Mull, Peter Cobley
Peter Cobley
Sunday. People. Thoughts. The Web. Social ...
Sunday. People. Thoughts. The Web. Social Media.
Peter Cobley, Isle of Mull, Travelling
Peter Cobley
Finding a Balance.
Finding a Balance.
Peter Cobley, Travelling
Peter Cobley
Lochgilphead. Where’s that?
Lochgilphead. Where’s that?
Peter Cobley, Isle of Mull
Peter Cobley
A Scottish Sojourn.
A Scottish Sojourn.

Minty

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Minty and camper_versions

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As an aside I’d like to mention, well promote camper_versions who kindly supplied and kitted out our VW T6 campervan. “Minty Tours” has seen many adventures.

Brora and “Minty”

Based in historic Darwen, their website is well worth visiting to see the latest campervans for sale, or to give you an idea for getting your own conversion. For us they sourced a long wheel base VW Transporter 6 registered December 2017. We wanted a LWB to give us more room to the rear for storage if we were on a big tour and wanted swimming, running, and cycling gear etc. onboard. We chose a short wheel base fit to give us the required storage to the rear (2 feet horizontal and 5 feet vertical) whilst including cooker, fridge, M1 bed (rock and roll bed), higher bed, leisure battery, and heater.

Crucial to to fit out by camperversion was the advice they gave to us for fell running and other outdoor shenanigans we normally get up to, and our desire to wild camp in Scotland when up there. They recommended a leisure battery and Eberspacher heater. Both have turned out to be vital. We can camp without electrical hook up using the battery, and thus wild camp. The heater is a hidden gem and runs off the diesel tank providing hot and cold air conditioning, vital when getting in from a cold run, such as our running in the Howgills on Saturday just gone when we returned wet and cold.

A friendly and ever so helpful and safety conscious team at camper_versions did a great conversion, all safety compliant, e.g. gas, with 3 year warranty. Highly recommended.

And what does “Minty” (as we called her) give us? It gives us a second home on wheels taking us to places we never thought we’d see or exist…

Beinn a'Bhuird is the eleventh highest mountain in Britain, a vast high plateau in the eastern Cairngorms.


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Life in a "Minty" when locked down.

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It is now September and July saw the last post, in the depth of lockdown. Lockdown? Perhaps gone, apart from localised areas and close to home are Oldham and Kirklees. So what is happening?

Grinning at National Trust Great Langdale campsite after big run

Grinning at National Trust Great Langdale campsite after big run

It has been a trying time for people. Why?

  • Covid 19 - some people have suffered from it, lost loved ones, or seen people suffer.

  • Covid 19 - collateral damage. Widely seen economically with business downturn and uncertainty leading to furloughing of people across to job loses, and the resultant financial trauma and stress.

  • Covid 19 - health. People I suspect, well believe, are suffering mentally from all that is happening. New conditions develop, latent ones re-unleashed. Relationships become strained. Physically people seem to be piling the pounds on, with upset routine upsetting exercise, and over indulgence in alcohol and the like prevalent; also core factors in mental and physical wellbeing.

I have always been a big believer in adversity creating opportunity, but I honestly feel that as we enter Q4 of 2020 we will see more uncertainty to the detriment of opportunity. Why?

  • Furlough money will cease in October, this will compound cash flow issues for firms and it is likely postponed staff decisions will have to be brought to a head. People will be realised via redundancy sadly. People will more likely focus on work especially with children back at school.

  • Trading conditions are not great and it is likely to be a tough retail Q4, which affects many trades including mine for example: advertising.

  • We have a USA election in November which will divide a country and be closely watched by the World. Its implications have a global impact economically, militarily (and thus economically.)

  • Brexit has not been solved or delivered. There is a deadline of 31st December 2020. The implications for economics are huge.

A SOLUTION - A WAY OF LIFE - BEING HAPPY - GIVING

But in light of the above, do we really know what will happen? Are we able to gaze into the future? Should we?

My personal viewpoint to the prior questions is “no”. Life is about living in the moment, the present, enjoying what we have and asking a crucial question of oneself: “what is my problem at this moment?” Not what has happened, it is past, not what may come. I’d strongly suggest reading THE POWER OF NOW by Eckhart Tolle as I learnt a lot from it. Like all books take from it what you need. The important thing is “living in the now”. If you live in the past you regret past actions and upset the now, if you live in the future you make yourself dissatisfied with now.

The same thinking applies to the Covid, USA election, and Brexit (not to mention life generally) situations. Live in the now, taking each hour, second as they come and ask if you must, “what is my problem now?” And if you do not have one, then life is good. Just deal with it as it comes along, not matter what it is. You have precious time on the planet and use it wisely, for you and for others. Remember you receive as you give. And if something does crop up?

R - recognise there is a problem.

A - accept there is a problem.

D - detach from the problem.

A - ask for help if needed.

R - respond to the problem.

RADAR.

With life you do need to consider goals and plans, if you are that way inclined. I would strongly suggest learning about goals and plans via Businessballs - https://www.businessballs.com/. Whilst a business orientated site, it does focus on the person. After all, is your life more important than work? You ought to focus on happiness and giving, and then all else fits into place.

SO WHERE DOES MINTY COME INTO IT?

Get a Minty, and get one from camper_versions of Darwen where we got our VW T6 from. Run away and escape the routine drudgery of life; or hire one. The laboured and cheeky point I make is getting out of the routine you are in. I am by no means suggesting that you go out and buy a campervan or that your life is drudgery. Routine is healthy for giving reason to life and achieving your way through life, but disjointed routine resulting from Covid 19 or never ending routine that is not examined lead to stasis and a lack of change. Breaking routine allows you to examine, but don’t overthink it, where you are with your life and what you want. Are you happy? Is it all about work, career, money? Are you giving back to society?

All of these I pondered when we headed off in August for a month of touring in The Lakes, and Scotland. The point I make is have some “break” time, especially now when you may feel you ought to work hard or take advantage of furlough. Sometimes you cannot see the “wood for the trees” when in a work or non-work routine, or for that matter no routine. I class myself as fortunate to be able to live life, even with its challenges.

Lastly, what do you want from life? Have you tried living on less money and being happy? If you have a roof over your head and food on the table, then how lucky a person are you?




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Excellent service (again) from camper_versions of Darwen

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Back in April we bought our beloved “Minty McMint Face” or “Minty” - a VW T6 LWB campervan conversion from Camper_Versions of Darwen.

Note the new removable rail fitted to utilise the vertical space at the rear.

The T6 is a long wheel base version, sourced by camper_versions and converted by them for Claire and I. To say they are a brilliant firm, lovely to work with, is an underestimation. And we always recomend them to friends and fell runners. You don’t have to start from scratch as we did, there is a excellent selection of “ready” campervans to choose from.

We popped in to Darwen to have a rail fitted at the rear of the van to allow for storage containers to be hung for better utilisation of space. As the team worked we met up with a friend, Justin, for a walk to Darwen Tower.

We came back to see the finished work and were impressed at the quality and the fact the pole can be removed! Once again, excellent work and service. The new storage containers have made a massive difference, and the rail will also allow us to hang clothes, wetsuits and the like.