Scottish Islands Explorer - November-December 2016

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 13

I

f you are able to put your hands on the May / June 2015

edition of Scottish Islands Explorer, you will find an article

on Jerba Campervans that advocates the vehicle as a fine

prospective method of ... Scottish islands exploring. Earlier

this year I was invited to drive the converted Volkswagen T

from the company’s production unit near North Berwick.

Simon Poole and his partner, Cath Brookes, own the

going-concern that produces some 60 vehicles a year within

a few hundred yards of Tantallon Castle. So customers drive

away their new acquisitions and soon see the mid-14th

Century semi-ruin as they begin an adventurous phase of

their lives. The bonding of driver and vehicle will involve

the same connections as between the builders and

campervan, ‘teamwork’.

Perfect Compactness

e word ‘conversion’ implies an add-on element, but the

standard of workmanship here elevates the interiors of the

campervans to a perfect compactness, planned by those who

have many years of experience in ‘tents-on-wheels’. ere is

not an aer-thought in design, for all is part of a complete

concept about creating carefree touring.

For the most part, owners will be making their ways to

scenic areas where roads are narrower and inclined to wind

around hills and mountains, dales and vales. is campervan

holds the road effectively and the higher position of the cab

means that a wider sense of vision is there to enjoy.

Cornering, manoeuvring, positioning and parking were soon

mastered by me.

My wish was to see how the relatively static element of

driving safely became the dynamic concept of multiple uses

for holidaying. I need not have worried, for access to

equipment was either of finger-tip control or within-reach.

Drivers and passengers see a daily evolution from refreshment

bar to kitchen / diner and then on to a room for beds before

that vital routine of PUMO - ‘Pack Up Move Off ’.

Space on Board

All the main Scottish islands have roll-on, roll-off ferries.

Skye has two of them and then its main access point, the

Bridge. It is a fine island to start a campervan odyssey with

roads that attract enthusiasts, long coastal stretches,

unrestricted parking with many fine places for overnight

stays, and space on board for the kit needed to climb hills

or relax on beaches.

‘Jerba’ can be used as a variation for Djerba, the island off

south-east Tunisia. It has been traditionally liked with

Homer’s land of the lotus-eaters where the natural

elements of the diet provide narcotic properties. This is a

place associated with ‘peaceful apathy’. However, the drive

to see places in the Jerba Campervan means that the

appropriate word is, indeed, ‘carefree’. It’s yours to experi-

ence and enjoy!

Further Information

Jerba Campervans 01620 890374 jerbacampervans.co.uk

From the Static to the Dynamic

Jack Palfrey took a Jerba Campervan on a test-run