'We Are Sailing... We Are Sailing..'

With the start of summer upon us, lots of our customers are heading off to explore the fantastic range of Scottish islands. We find folk often have a few questions when they're thinking of including islands and ferry crossings in their Big Tree Campervan adventure, so we've put together our 'Top Ten Ferry Tips' to help plan your island adventures:

1. 'CalMac' as they are known across Scotland (or to use their proper name 'Caledonian MacBrayne') are the biggest ferry operator in Scotland.
2. Their website http://www.calmac.co.uk/is great for planning your island hops, especially the really useful Route Map which we've shown above. If you'd prefer to talk to a real person, we've found the folk who run the 'Enquiries and Reservations line (0800 066 5000) are really helpful and enthusiastic.
3. Think creatively about using CalMac routes to plan a really big adventures, eg a ferry from Mallaig to Armadale, then potter through Skye, and even then head off out to Harris on the Uig - Tarbert crossing, before coming back to the mainland at Ullapool.
4. There are lots of useful shorter crossing as well, for example if you want a probabaly much quieter way of getting to/from Mull, then the Lochaline - Fishnish route is great fun, and often much less frequented than the normal Oban to Craignure crosing.
5. Think carefully about the type of tickets you want to buy - if you're going to making lots of crossings, it may be worth buying one of the 'Island Rover' tickets, or even a '6 Journey' ticket - there's loads more information about ticket types on the CalMac website.
6. It's worth making a reservation if you have to travel on a specific crossing in the summer months, especially at weekends ....
7. .... but you should also think a bit creatively about the time of crossing you want/need to take. For example, the we once tried to book on the 9.45am Kennacraig to Port Askaig crossing when planning a whisky tasting adventure on Islay, but that crossing was full.... so we simply got up earlier and had an almost deserted (and very beautiful) early morning crossing at 7.00am!
8. Some crossings are more expensive at peak times (eg the Oban to Mull) becasue you have to have a Full Fare ticket, so again, check out the ferry times with CalMac and think about and earlier or later crossing.
9. Big Tree Campervans are 4.85m long, so they fit into the pricing category of 'Motorhome Under 5m', which is great news as it means they are the same price as a normal car!
10. If you've rented a Big Tree Campervan bike rack, then your campervan will be over the 5m length... but here's a simple idea which we've done several times: book an 'Under 5m' ticket, and when you get to the ferry port, take the bikes off the back, and put them and the bike rack into the campervan for the crossing. Ok, you may have to take the wheels off your bikes, and it will take a few minutes to assemble/re-assemble, but it's worth the ££ savings!

So, we hope these help to plan your island hopping Big Tree Campervan adventure!

How cool is this...Adventure Of The Week!

We're really really proud of this write-up in Adventure Travel magazine! Have a wee read yourselves, and you can see why we think it's so good!

Big Tree Campervan's Big Day!

Ok, so if you've been on a different planet over the past few weeks and months you may be forgiven for not knowing that Sunday 15th May is the famous 'Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia' - the UK's only closed road cycle event, which starts and finishes at Pitlochry, and covers 81 miles of awesome Highland Perthshire scenery. This year, as last, Cycle Highland Perthshire are putting on a whole series of fab events leading up to the Etape, including yoga for cyclists, bike maintenance, the official opening of Bike Trax, the MTB skills area at our pals Highland Safaris ..... and lots lots more. Check out their website for a full programme of events.

The Saturday before the Etape, (14th May) is the Highland Perthshire Cycling Festival BIG Day, and Big Tree Campervans are really proud to part of this fab event! It kicks off at 11.00am in Victoria Park in Aberfeldy, and promises to be a fantastic day: free entry; 'The Clan' (Scotland's amazing stunt cycling team... if you've not seen them before, prepare to be gobsmacked!); turbo challenges; bike obstacle courses; hand biking; bike-powered smoothie-making (honest!); kids cyclo-cross races; bike check-ups; bike powered scaletrix; treasure hunts; unicycling... the list goes on, and with over 3,000 people attending last year, and more expected this year, it promises to be a real fun day out!

Of course, Big Tree Campervans will be there as well, and you'll be able to look around one of our campervans, check out the fab 'MaxxRaxx bike racks we use, plus enter a great free draw to win a free 3 Day Big Tree Campervan hire!

The bike theme continues after the fun in Victora Park, with Mark Beaumont's Perthshire book launch of 'The Man Who Cycled America' at 6.00pm in the Breadalbane Community Campus, then yopu can round things off with a Pasta & Cycling Film Night 6.00pm - 8.45pm

So, Saturday 14th promises to be a great day.... and if you're warming up for the Etape on Sunday, or just fancy a great day out with a real focus on fun and bikes, then we'll see you at the BIG Day!

Big Tree Goes Ape!

For some strange reason, it's not often that we get across to the Trossachs in our campervan, but we changed all that over the past couple of days. It can get pretty busy around there in the high summer or at Bank Holidays, mainly because of its proximity to Glasgow and the central belt.... but hey, it is a very very beautiful part of Scotland!

We decided to pop over there when it wouldn't be so busy, and as far as our kids were concerned, the main reason for going was to pay a visit to 'Go Ape', one of the fantastic tree-top adventure parks which are opening up all over the UK. Our kids are both over 10 years old now (the minimum age is 10, and also kids must be over 1.4m tall).

There are currently 3 in Scotland at Crathes Castle near Aberdeen, Beecraigs near Edinburgh, and of course Aberfoyle in the Trossachs. We'd spoken to Tom the centre manager beforehand and booked ourselves in for a 3.00pm session. It's very hard to describe exactly what it's like in words, but imagine: a fun and involving safety briefing; kitted out with harnesses and pulleys; a 420m zip-wire to get to the main area; then spending 3 hours swinging through the trees on high wires, tricky walkways, bridges, more zip wires, wooden slatted tunnels, tarzan swings and puzzling ladders... finishing off with another 420m+ zip wire to finish. See how many obstacles you can do 'no-handed'... see how many you therefore fall off! All very very very good fun!!!

We'd definitely recommend the Trossachs to anyone on a Big Tree

Campervan adventure, and we did come away with a few gem spots to camp wild in this lovely part of Scotland.

We'd very very definitely recommend the GoApe experience to anyone, especially if you're up for a laugh, fancy a bit of real excitement, and want to get the adrenalin pumping!

Prize Draw Winners!!

We has a truly amazing time at the outdoor Pursuits Show in Edinburgh - two days of non-stop blethering about Big Tree Campervans! It was great to see so many people at the show, and good to see so much interest in the fab outdoors - as well as of course Big Tree Campervans.

So, we had three lucky winners in our prize draw: Sylvian from Edinburgh and Alison & Steven from Edinburgh won the runner's up prizes of 20% discount off a Big Tree Campervan adventure and (wait for it... drum roll.....) Janeanne from Edinburgh won the first prize of a fab 3-day Big Tree Campervan hire! Congratulations to all the winners, and many many thanks to everyone who entered....

Come and see Big Tree Campervans in Edinburgh!

If you fancy getting to know more about Big Tree Campervans, meeting Simon & Sarah, nosing around one of our fab Big Tree Campervans, and finding out why Big Tree Campervans are perfect for loads of outdoor 'stuff' - then you'll be able to see us this coming weekend at the Outdoor Pursuits Scotland 2011 Show.

This exciting event is at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd April and there's plenty to do, see, take part in, and just browse around - all to do with the fantastic outdoors of course! It promises to be a great day out for anyone who's passionate about the outdoors, and there's loads of things to do for all ages. You'll find Big Tree Campervans in the Camping & Walking Zone (stand C21), so come along and say hello.

To tempt you to pop over and see us, we're bringing loads of the famous Big Tree Campervan Flapjack for a tasty wee nibble, plus (the really exciting bit!), we've got a free to enter prize draw where you can win a fantastic 3 day Big Tree Campervan Adventure! You can find out loads more about Outdoor Pursuits Scotland Show 2011 at their website

So, see you at the weekend in Edinburgh!

'Camping Wild' - Some Common Sense Guidance

At this time of year, when lots of the great campsites in Scotland are still closed for the winter, we get loads of enquiries from folk who are not sure where they can 'camp wild' with a Big Tree Campervan. A campervan trip is a great way to explore the vast, rich and varied natural beauty of Scotland, and whilst there are a few sites which stay open all year round (check out the Scottish Camping website which you can access through our Links Page) there are also lots of fantastic opportunities to "camp wild" with your Big Tree Campervan - you'll never find an approved list of all these places, as that would direct too many folk to the same spot and ruin it very quickly.

So, with the February half terms almost upon us, it's timely to remind folk about the great advice we give our Big Tree Campervan customers when they ask the question: "Where can I wild camp?"

We teamed up with a few other campervan rental companies, and also folk such as Scottish Natural Heritage and Visit Scotland to produce these simple, commonsense guidelines about camping wild with campervans in Scotland.

If you follow these guidelines, you'll hopefully enjoy "camping wild" on your Big Tree Campervan trip, and help support a sustainable way of experiencing Scotland. That way, we'll all be able enjoy the freedom of of camping wild for many years to come.

Access Rights

Scotland is rightly proud of its access rights; however when you're looking for places to 'camp wild' in a campervan or motorhome, it is important to bear in mind the following key points:

• Scottish access rights and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code don't apply to motor vehicles.
• The Road Traffic Act 1988 states that you can drive a vehicle up to 15 yards off a public road for the purposes of parking, but this does not confer any right to park the vehicle. Most un-metalled roads, unfenced land and beaches are private property, and you don't have the right to park unless it's authorised by the landowner by verbal agreement or signage.
• In practice, informal off-road parking takes place in many parts of rural Scotland, often in well-established places, without causing undue concern.
• Some communities (eg Calgary Bay on Mull, and the whole island of Tiree) have established their own guidance for campervans and the use of designated overnight parking spaces... if you're in such a place, follow the guidance!

Common Sense Guidance - Do:

• Use common sense and think whether the spot you have found is suitable for a vehicle.
• Think about the cumulative effect of camping in the 'fantastic secret place which I'm sure no-one else has ever been'... it is very likely that others will use the same spot, not just you!
• Take great care to avoid the fragile ground/sensitive habitats, (eg wild flowers rich machair on the Western Isles) - never drive down to beaches or onto grass verges as it destroys the habitat.
• Avoid over-crowding. If another vehicle is parked in a secluded spot, try not to park right next to them and find your own spot elsewhere.
• Use only biodegradable detergents and drain kitchen waste water tanks in campsites at designated areas. If it has to be emptied in the wild, keep away from watercourses and be aware that animals will be attracted to the scent.
• Carry a trowel to bury any human waste and urinate well away from open water, rivers and burns. Toilet paper should be bagged and taken away with you - not buried (animals dig it up).
• Do a full 'litter-pick' before you leave, taking all your rubbish, and any you found there already, and disposing of it properly when you're back in 'civilisation.'
• Support a sustainable tourism industry - buy groceries in local shops.

Common Sense Guidance - Don't:

• Park in areas where signs state 'No overnight parking'
• Park overnight within sight of people's houses, even in car park bays.
• Block access tracks to estates and fields.
• Light BBQs or fires unless it is safe to do so, and you can supervise it properly. They should be fully extinguished when finished and no evidence left behind.
• Empty any chemical toilet waste anywhere other than at a designated chemical waste area. The majority of campsites have facilities for emptying a cassette toilet. Most public toilets are not suitable places to empty chemical toilet, as it upsets the sewage treatment process.

At Big Tree Campervans we're really proud of the fact that supporting a sustainable and fun way of experiencing Scotland is at the heart of what we do.