Reflections on my trip to Nairn
This was a significant trip on a few levels. It was the first trip I'd made since the 'lockdown', it was the first trip since downsizing from the Troll, and it was the first time I'd used a Puck on a CL!
It was a 3 night trip. I had originally planned 4 nights, but I had ordered a new awning for the Puck and it was being delivered incredibly quickly and a 27kg box is not the sort of parcel you can expect a neighbour to look after.
On the final morning, I repeated one of my favourite walks. This is the beach walk on the Carse of Delnies along the shore to the spit of land at Whiteness Head. A foggy walk, but cooler, thankfully, and very quiet. In fact I was probably walking for over 3 hrs, stopping for a ham piece at the Bothy, and only saw one other person in the distance.
It is a great walk, in fact this entire area offers some of the best dog walking I've come across in any area of Scotland. My favourites are this walk to Whiteness, Delnies Woods, the walk from Howford Bridge to Cawdor, and the walk from Howford Bridge into Nairn. All excellent, long walks with long off the lead stages for the dogs.
Was the downsizing from the Troll a sensible move? Without a doubt it was. The Troll offers incredible luxury and comfort in a small package and had all the 'bells & whistles' onboard, but one thing it cannot match the Puck on is the towing experience. Towing a Puck is an absolute delight, and even though I've owned one before, the ease of towing, the absence of mirrors and stabilisers, and the ability to pull in anywhere en route is great, especially with dogs. The Puck is tiny, but to be realistic, the seating area is larger than the Troll, the floor space isn't much different, there's more food prep area, and it is just plain cozier! The only thing I really missed was the onboard toilet and the ease of obtaining hot water.
However, to my surprise, the new Porta Potti I pitched in the toilet tent has exactly the same size and depth of toilet bowl and seat, the only difference (apart from being in a tent!) is the manual versus the electric flush.
Being a CL, there was no toilet or shower block. There was simply drinking water, bins, toilet emptying, and electric hook up. The Puck involved a bit more work in putting up the toilet tent, unpacking the shower and washing stuff, but nothing too hard and adds to the whole camping experience.
And comfort? We were very settled in the evenings. Plenty room for me, the dogs, a TV, the Mac, and the radio. In fact, I also fabricated a smaller table, more like the Troll sized version. The Puck table is too big, it is enormous.
So, a very successful trip. Very pleased with my decision to 'downsize' and I think I've proven to myself that I can tour (and enjoy it) every bit as well as I did in the Troll. Most importantly, the Puck is fully equipped for a CL. Now that I have the inflatable awning, the toilet tent is no longer required with all 'ablutions' now being effectively indoors!
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