Is this the UK's worst road? (winter van life)
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2024
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Do not go down this road! WOW this was an eventful episode! Me and Tom have found we are a bit stuck in our roles and wanted to mix things up a bit. Iz normally does all the cooking and cleaning and Tom does all the driving and fixing. We want to switch things up so Tom does all the cooking, laundry and cleaning and Iz does the driving, fixing and planning this episode. Unfortunately things don't quite go to plan. Iz's planning style is a little more spontaneous than Tom's and we end up down a VERY scary road that I do not recommend anyone goes down. We later learn it is known as the corkscrew by locals! We really thought our van might not make it down this road and it truly was a heart raising experience that we never want to experience again. We thought it might be the end for La Bamba! Or worse! We move on and try to resolve the issue of our van doors not locking before we head to London. Van door still not locking, we are saved by our friend's parents! Luckily, we still end up on the Scotland's luxury Caledonian Sleeper train from Fort William to London Euston in our very own cabin with room service. It was really fun and we got the best treat at the end in the big smoke; meeting our new niece, beautiful baby Essie!
00:00 Introduction: intense road trips and sleeper trains
00:38 today Iz is taking the wheel
01:49 Findhorn
02:39 Where it all started going wrong
03:51 Do not go on this road!
08:40 We swap roles
13:35 Tom's Pie at Nevis Range campsite
15:32 Sorting our van issues
17:11 The Caledonian Sleeper Train: Fort William to London Euston
20:29 Tom's an uncle!
If you're new here, we're Tom and Iz, a couple who have been living in a van for the last few years. We've explored Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Romania in our little home on wheels, La Bamba. If you missed any of these series you can check them out in our playlists. We most recently got back from a 10 week trip to Nepal (without the van), trekking in the Himalayas. We are now creating our UK WINTER VAN LIFE series and we would love you to join us! We usually upload on a Sunday at 5pm UK time. Our aim for this series is to get out there and explore areas of natural beauty in the UK that neither of us have been to before, getting outside in the elements and making the most of our British winter! We think winter is beautiful and we can't wait to explore a bit closer to home.
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Heya! Well that was an unexpected turn to what was supposed to be a fun swap of roles 😂 thank you soo much for watching, we appreciate you all so much and love taking you along with us on these adventures ✨don’t forget if you wanna try out Surfshark please use our link surfshark.deals/transit - Enter promo code TRANSIT for 83% off and three extra months for free! See ya next week and p.p.s I’m also making shorts now too as bonus content to our weekly vids wahoo go check them out if you haven’t already haha I’m learning how to edit too yay! 😊Iz xx
So glad you are okay!
The fence was closed for a reason ;))) you guys rock '!
Izzy's sense of caution and worry is healthy. Fight or flight instinct keeps you out of danger. Tom balances the equation with his rational mindset and problem solving approach. This is why you are my favourite van life couple. So authentic.
I really felt tense watching you drive on the Loch road.
Tom, it's a wet room........the floor gets wet!🤣🤣
Guys, awesome episode. Loved it 👏👏👏
What’s a load of rubbish lol
Ah Tom, respect to you on how calm and collected you remained when Izzy got frightened and panicked! Not many partners would have been so reassuring. You two make the best team 😊
Apologies, but I laughed my arse off at hairpin bend fiasco. Was in asturias in November, in my Ford transit van also, and had some brutal, sweat-inducing petrifying experiences on crazy steep roads with hairpins. Very unpleasant experience when you don't know where you're going and you end up in a horror show. Good work!
What a delightful couple of people. What a breath of fresh air to the soul.
Wow that was a journey just to find Nessie !! Congrats Tom on your new addition to your family ❤x
Well done Tom for keeping cool on those sketchy hair pin bends and good on ya Izz for getting back behind the wheel after the drama..safe travels
Hi guys. Really good vid tonight. Tom was so understanding of Izzys fear while driving that road. Hope your both ok now. Take care and keep safe .
Travelled that road in both directions many times. Once mentioned the road to a local who was a postie who has taken a 7.5 ton truck up there.
What!!! That’s crazy, I would love to see that.
Loved every minute of this video! From the windy roads to the sleeper train to the cute uncle Tom at the end. Wet ourselves laughing at the pine nuts and twigs at the start lol
OMG My heart was in my mouth watching that!! Well done for staying calm, Tom.
I really hope this won't be ur last time driving the van, Isabelle! You can do it. You just haven't had to. As a solo female, I experienced all of those scary driving encounters after buying my, rather large, van. The key is practice, knowing where your rig is in context of the road vs soft shoulder, and finally, watch your speed!!!! You have drive slower on these roads than 8n a car because of size and weight. Don't give up, just practice and it'll be good. Just ride that wave, Iz!
She goes: ‘Tom, pls be careful, I love you so much”. Aw❤😂🎉😢😅😊
Hey Tom & Iz. Again, an adventurous time and cool video. Life is for living guys and you both do it eloquently with wit and commitment.
That was some drive. Well done Iz for handling it so well and equally well Tom for your understanding and coolness. Great to see you having some chill out time with your niece too. A bonny wee bairn 😊
It was so nostalgic for me to see the sleeper train berths as my Mum used to take my little brother and I from London to Inverness by sleeper train every year for our 6 weeks school summer holidays. It was always so exciting getting into the cabin where my brother and I “top and tailed” on the upper bunk while mum slept on the lower bunk.
Dad would hire a car and drive up for his 2 weeks holidays at the end of our stay. We stayed with my mum’s sister each year and were free to roam the village she lived in and the surrounding area picking raspberries and generally exploring. Treasured memories. I’ve always wanted to see the updated sleeper, just to see if they coincided with my memories. They do, right down to the little sink in the corner which used to have a wooden flap over it that turned it into a little table when the sink was not in use. Thank you for my sleeper train ride 😀 Jackie.
Isabel, well done! Driving isn't easy, and on some roads it is scary. But getting practice and staying calm will help you always.
Love the starry pyjamas!
Thanks for the dramatic episode.
Well done guys, Izzy good to see you back in the drivers seat after your near miss. Always get back on the horse as they say.
Best wishes. Davidxx
You get to have so many adventures during your adventures! congrats on the gorgeous addition to the family xx
Another great adventure guys and I think that road would have freaked any of us out Izzy ..and welcome to our wonderful world Essie xx :o)
Gratz on the channel started watching some months ago , you guys always put a smile in my face :) ,as some say , you all know the drill , …, keep on trucking , and hunkering down ;) !
Congratulations, Tom, for your wonderful little niece. Great episode, crazy road action, maybe La Bamba needs new wheels? I like how you two take care of eachother. It’s nice to see.
Hair pins are stressful. We are glad you made it 👍🏻 We do remember last time when we got stuck trying to go up and one hair pin was just too tight.
Quite an adventure! Izzy's concern on driving down a mountain road with switch backs and hairpin turns is justified. It's good not to become a physics experiment in your van. Congratulations on your new niece! Blessings.
The best thing Tom did was calm you down. I know you have your natural instincts of panic. definitely the best that Tom took over. Panic driving is never good. And you should be proud of yourself because I know you are building your confidence with driving. These situations help you build confidence with driving. 💙 glad you safe and keep trying you go this 💙 Izzy in the train little everything so cute 🥹 hahah I would have told the arguing couple to pipe down. Your niece is super cute! That’s mostly why I go to London is to visit my nieces and nephew and sister! Have fun
Tom your a cool driver don’t beat yourself up Issy it was scary 😧🥰😍Hope you have a lovely time in
London.What a lovely baby
I think you two are fantastic. You're enjoying yourselves being outdoors. What a great couple. So natural 👍
Loved the video as always but that road was really scary Isobel. You handled it well alongside cool Tom to take over and get you both out safely again. Loved the cool train and Tom
Your little niece is so beautiful congratulations.
Well done, you two are well suited. Tom kept you calm there . That's a road and a half 😳 . Well done, Tom on being a new uncle . 😀 well done for driving on that road 👏 😱
I am in American that reminds me of driving in Ireland. Very sketchy. And it was so sweet to hear her say I love you so much
Tom & Izzy, we came down that awful road with the hairpins back in October last year. Need to put warning signs on that route without delay.
Glad to see you made it safely down the road 👍
Great role reversal. Well done to you both on the mad road.😅👍😊🇮🇪🇬🇧
Another brilliant video guys ❤️❤️🚐🚐 xx
Hi, glad you stopped at Findhorn, ifs quite well known. Issy, you were really tested with those hairpin bends, well done on getting straight back behind the wheel. Congrats on your baby niece. Have a great visit. xx
Do the Ospreys still get in the bay, cate ? Whent up years a go to watch 'em fishing. Great time was had. Brass monkeys, mind.
@@blackbob3358 sadly I don't know 😕 I live in Australia now!
To be fair, I think the farm gate was a clue that you weren't on a proper road.
Well done though, both of you.
Probably best to check with an old fashioned physical map if you want to do anything like that. Digital maps aren't always accurate... where I am, follow the directions and you end up in the river!
The sat nav image of the road 😬😱🤪🤮
Tom was so sweet and patient with you Iz. He really is such a calm soul and calmed down your panicking.
What a journey!
Great instalment guys! Great adventure and you have to share where that road was in Scotland, I totally want to drive down it. 🙂 Role swap was great. You guys should share your meal receipts, they look delish.
We found that road a couple of years ago. I was looking for a new route down the east shore of Loch Ness and I thought that road look interesting. we approached from the north as you did and started to worry as it got rougher and rougher and less like a road and more like a farmtrack. The steep bit through the woods is very steep and those curves are very tight. What was interesting in your account was the difference between a front wheel drive Ducato based Hymer B564 and your rear wheel drive Transit. Bertie (our motorhome) is 6m long so maybe slightly longer and possibly slightly wider (2.2m) and maybe taller (2.8m). Our biggest issue was overhanging trees. I too had to take two bites on one bend, probably where you had the wheel spin, but I had no issue reversing round for the second bite - probably because there was so much weight on the front wheels. Anyway we breathed a huge sigh of relief when we emerged at the bottom although I always wished I had some photos of that road but we were too busy being stressed at the time. Now I have your footage! Interesting to see your take on Findhorn which is our local bit of sea. BTW please do not confuse the Findhorn Foundation (where you went to the cafe) and the Findhorn Village as they are very different.
Friendly advice if you get in to slipery conditions, lower your tire pressure. It works In snow,sand, etc. And yes also In very lowspeed wet tarmac. Also carry some kind of airpump for inflating afterwards. Stay safe and greetings from Finland
Another great video,
Full of adventure and excitement with role change, well done lz,.Congrats Tom 👏 on your new niece,
Wow! Those hairpins down to Inverfarigaig look mental! The road over to Applecross is a walk in the park compared to that! Great channel. Keep the fab videos coming!
Well that was one scary road near Loch Ness, you did very well Tom on those bends. I Google earth places if I’m concerned about access but sometimes you just have to take a chance!! Nice to see you are still on your travels. Enjoy the “Smoke” but better up North in my book👍 Cheers to you both🍷🍷 Mike
Hi guys. If u can lock n unlock the rear doors from the outside. Just disconnect the sliding door outer handle from inside the inner panel. That way no one can get in the rear of the van
You guys did amazing on that hill. Looked ridiculous! Shout out to Iz’s perfect hand placement on the campsite mini tour 🤌😆 Congrats on becoming an Uncle Tom! Xx
Roll reversal, heavy-duty! Glad those hair-pin curves didn't do you in. Lucky break you were able to leave your van in a secure location. Nice excursion to London; hope you enjoyed it ... all the best!
Ah yes, the hairpin bends above Inverfarigaig. I came down there on my pedal bike in a wet autumn, it was so slippy I was unclipped, both feet skimming the road and perched on the top tube. I think there were signs saying No HGV's or caravans at either end, but I also remember noting there weren't that many passing places. Nice area though, bit limited for road cycling but plenty of MTB'ing to be done. Never saw Nessie!
Wow that was a scary drive. Your niece is just gorgeous so well worth the trip to meet her.
What a great episode....from wilderness to big city in 22 mins and beautiful Essy at the end. Made my day. John OMahony
Aww your niece is adorable
Izzy is a legend !! (thumbs up from me)
Aww your little niece is adorable 🥰
Your niece seems big for only 7 weeks. Cute perfect little human. ❤
You two are awesome!!!
Ooo I'm impressed you can pronounce Ballachulish! That campsite must be new since I was last up there, guess it's part of the ski centre. We used to rough it & abuse the toilets in Morrisons.
We did the sleeper train in 2008.. London to Inverness. Great way to travel but I thought the rooms were a bit bigger 🤔🫢
Those hairpins can turn hairy in a hurry. A few years ago in the Rocky Mountains, I remember spinning slowly on an icy patch toward a very steep slope. Thankfully we stopped before going over the edge. Stay safe.
You were really lost, strucked, trapped... but how was happy end with this lovely baby in Tom's arms😊
Hey Tom, I just got a new nephew too, on January 4th. That last shot of you and your niece was lovely pal.
Tom you did great towards Izzy with attempting to calm and encourage her so you get an "atta boy"
Yay 😁
That's why the gate was there I suppose.always look on the bright side of life.Could have been worse or could it.
I've lived in Scotland for some years now and the gate is usually where the adventures begin!
Congratulations, uncle Thomas.
She is so cute. She is gaping her mouth in astonishment at the sight of uncle Thomas. She is definitely planning something.
To wrap an electrical cord loop it around your cupped hand and your elbow same arm then give it a slight twist into an 8.
Izzy I would strongly recommend that you take a few advanced driving lessons to help build your confidence up panicking will only cause further problems for you.
But you did well only issue was as Tom pointed out speed if you think your brakes are failing use engine braking drop down gears until you slow if when stopped and you don't feel safe releasing the foot or handbrake since you were going downhill put the van in reverse, main thing is drive to the conditions it seems weird to say but read the road you may pass a sign saying national speed limit but on a narrow winding road that would be extremely dangerous
I was lucky when learning to drive many centuries ago (A) a good driving instructor (B) late father Police motorway officer (C) family friend who was a advanced police driving instructor, sadly a lot of new driver's don't have the experience of poor roads and really bad weather conditions.
Stay safe
I've got the popcorn, and am waiting for the lock to be fixed, followed by you trading in for a 4WD. After this and Shetland, you need it...
That road looks like fun, but not in a LWB van 😉 Rest assured I'll be seeking it out next time I'm down that way...
It is probably the steepest and windiest road I have found in Scotland so far and I am always on the lookout for them! I love a challenge. The Applecross Pass is quite fun but it is much wider than this road.
Glad you explained what you'd first spread on those sandwiches. I was worried you were taking recycling very very seriously.
🤣🤣
Well done getting down that extremely dangerous road,Izzy thankfully ye had the cop on to change over duty driver, it was too dangerous pet. What a beautiful finish to the video, Essie,is so beautiful. Long time since I heard that name, my friends Aunts name was Essie, its a beautiful name. Hope ye are having a ball,natural history museum is superb.
Well now congratulations Tom on becoming an uncle and best of Irish ☘️ luck to you both I was very happy to see your video pop up made my day looking forward to the next one 👍🏻🇮🇪☘️
You should have to go through both Glasgow and Birmingham on your way to London, and you should be able to get the correct lock in either city. You may have to change plans.
Great video & so dramatic. But, contrived, if I may say so. Well known Izzy is an advanced motorist & ex-racing driver. She also served with special forces in Afghanistan. Tom’s survival is on a thread. Mess with Iz & Tom is history. 🥺
There are always 2 braking systems under your foot pedal. Brakes don’t just fail.
I remember thinking exactly the same thing the first time I experienced ABS doing its job. It feels exactly like a brake fault. I was driving a borrowed car and I braked on a greasy bit of road. I drove home very carefully barely toughing the brakes until someone explained what had happened.
Hi. Thank you.
Been watching you guys for a while you’re vids are great that trip to Nepal was brilliant you give me the insight to what I’ve always wanted to do what both did you give me the confidence to make the trek so thanks to the both of you brilliant channel am off to Nepal shortly yippee 🥳 🎉😊
You're a good team 👏👏👏 Was Labamba's clutch a bit smelly after that hairpin road ?!😬
😯- "It's very fancy... you get checked in by a nice host before you get on..."
🫤- "...someone checks your ticket."🤷🏻♂️
🤣🤣🤣
(The sleeper train is something I'd always wondered about taking one day, but I literally wouldn't fit in that cabin on the train!!! )
You're niece is very cute, Tom!
8 minutes in...Ez's best quote ever.😂😂😂
You have come down to Inverfarigaig on Loch Ness via a narrow road locally called the "Corkscrew" so called of course because of its hairpin bends, as you discovered. I drove it years ago in a fairly large car and it was 'interesting'. There are other easier local options available......
We did the nc500 last year, had this scenario a lot. Some of those roads are just old concrete military roads and no fun. Plus 25% inclines. Well done tho
Welcome to the world little Essie. It’s a strange place that’s run by lunatics. If you can learn to be skeptical of the official stories, question everything, and just BE who you want to be, you should have a great ride. Oh, and avoid anything they tell you is ‘safe and effective’. 🧐😎😜🙈
Peace and Love
You are just so amasing and funny, Love your videos😄😍
Phew! That road... Lovely niece.
Izzy so dramatic 😂😂😂👍
Enjoyed the video guys. Out of curiousity went and found the road on Google maps. Street view shows a sign saying no caravans or HGVs but maybe it wasn't visible or had been removed when you got onto the road?
I always ignore those signs as they do not apply to us - a motorhome is not a caravan, Ours is 3.5T so not an HGV either.
❤your video makes me want to go into the woods and wander. thanks for sharing.❤
🥰
Whereabouts is that windy road exactly ? Is it off of the south side road ? I reeeeeally wanna take my van down ( or up ) it 😂
Loving the dexies midnight runners vibe 👍
😂
Very good again, zest for life apparent.
Where did you get 'new' potatoes in the middle of February?
Carry a couple of strips of carpet, so if you are In that situation again where the wheels are spinning trying to reverse or going forward and stick carpet under wheels...... carpet will get you out of mud aswell
Ooo, never heard of this before! Thanks for the tip!
@@LostInTransit You are welcome... just to add ... if your brakes fail in future control your speed with gears ... get it down into 2nd or even 1st to drive safely without brakes...
I normally can't stand van life videos, but yours are absolutely brilliant, it's more like watching a travel documentary, really well presented with a wonderful spirit from both of you.... I watched the Evora one the other day, I went there myself quite a while back when i was in Portugal...stay safe... and i may see you on the road
That corkscrew road may give me nightmares 😰
wow wot a road but well done getting down it
You ain't so lucky the broken parts on the doorlock is the exact same as for the right side door, only with a different console attached to it? Or that you could see how the lock ought to look by checking the new part and adjust the broken one so that it looks the same only mirrored?
she is such a beatiful human being!
If your going down hill for a long time or down lots of hills within a short time you can't use your brakes constantly. You need to be using your engine for braking as over using the brakes will boil the brake fluid and your brakes will fail. Just slow down at the top and put your van into 2nd gear and keep it in second. The engine will rev but will also not allow you to go past a particular speed. Don't use the accelerator pedal and only use the brakes if you need to and not all the time.
Once while on a hike in the woods in Canada I came across a bunch of Teddy bears nailed to a post! It must have been a Teddy Bear Picnic gone wrong. Very disturbing.
That would have freaked me right out!
We used to have different roles until my husband took Ill last year and couldn’t drive. I had to drive our van with him getting us lost with his pants navigation. Glad I did not have to do that road. Would have beaten me too.😅
My husband usually does our long drives because his navigation skills are hopeless.
Cant believe you were in Findhorn. So close!
.....LiT makes mental note never to go near Findhorn again in case DK sees their van.....🙂
haha 6mins in. You got down fine.
Well done the pair of you. You're a goo cook Tom. Hidden talents ?
beautiful!