First day in our motorhome

MAY 20, 2024: Today was the day we had long been waiting for – we picked up the motorhome!

JustGo, our motorhome rental company, is located near the Edinburgh airport, west of the city center. In the morning, we had over a two-hour drive from Newcastle to reach there. The sun was out. Traffic moved freely. The scenery was all green and beautiful. Life felt good!

We reached JustGo at 12:30. We emptied the car of our 10 bags (shopping for supplies added to our collection), and we drove to the airport to return the rental car. From there it was a short taxi ride back to JustGo.

We were not the only ones picking up a motorhome and needed to wait for our turn. There were several families with young kids also waiting. Reminded me of our family motorhome trips long ago.

Finally, it was our turn. They went over everything in the rental contract. Then they went over everything outside the motorhome – every small scratch was documented. Then they went over everything inside the motorhome – how to use this, how to use that.

My first impression was not so favorable. This motorhome did not seem to be as comfortable as the one in USA. Much less storage. There was much wasted space that could have been used for putting things away – this inefficiency drove me nuts. In general, this motorhome has a large bedroom, a bathroom and a separate shower off the bedroom, and a much smaller kitchen and dining room area. I wasn’t sure how to fit all our stuff in.

We had reservations at a campground an hour north of Edinburgh, on the Fife Coast. To reach there, I thought we would be driving through empty roads, but it was more one small, cute village after another. Good that we had practiced driving on the left for a few days with a car before driving the motorhome.

We reached the campsite and there were many other campers already there. Mostly retired couples sitting on folding chairs, drinking wine and reading books. I wish we knew how to relax like that. Instead, we had our 10 bags to unpack.

Little by little, we figured out where most everything should go. We also discovered some things that are better in this motorhome. The fridge is huge. The bed is comfortable. There are several USB outlets.

Our campsite for the night was on a ridge overlooking the Fife Coastal Path. This path is a scenic long-distance walking route stretching 117 miles (188 kilometers) along the coastline of Fife. It has stunning views, historical sites, fishing villages and gives you a chance to see dolphins and other wildlife.

After some unpacking, we went for a walk along a short section of the coastal path. To reach the path, we passed a War Memorial. These seem to be everywhere in the UK.

The scenery was stunning.

At one point, there was a large fire in the middle of the walk. Thick black smoke rose from whatever was burning. Some locals were calling the firemen just as we arrived. After a few minutes mesmerized by the flames, we continued with our walk.

Later, when heading back, we returned to the same spot and the firemen were just arriving. They carried pails which they filled with seawater and threw onto the fire. Instead of the black smoke of the fire, now was the thick white steam from evaporated hot water.

We continued onward back to the campground which sits right at the edge of a small village. Wifi was promised. When we returned, Mark began giving his weekly bible lesson remotely. At first all went well, but eventually he asked a question, and no one answered. The connection must have gotten lost along the way. Who knows how long he was speaking to himself.

We continued with the unpacking, Mark kashered the motorhome kitchen, we had dinner and then to bed. Motorhome trip in Scotland has begun.