Scottish Campervans told to stay firmly on Earth
Scottish Campervans were asked to remain in sheltered places during Storm Floris. This followed dangerous winds and overturned vehicles on the A87, a reminder that a scenic route does not come with an aviation licence.
Police Scotland advised motorists not to travel on Bealach na Ba. The guidance was sensible. High winds and exposed roads are not a test of character, nor an invitation for a vehicle with curtains to investigate the upper atmosphere.
Campervan users were told to park somewhere sheltered until conditions eased. That is real safety advice. The jokes belong with the brochures that promise freedom, adventure and a kitchenette, but remain silent on the engineering limits of a two bedroom sail.
The touring holiday pauses for weather
“If your motorhome develops lift, do not deploy the awning as a wing,” said Hamish Gale Forbreakfast, Controller of Recreational Ballistics. “The folding picnic table is not an instrument panel.”
Storm Floris brought conditions serious enough to overturn vehicles. Drivers and emergency services had enough to deal with. Nobody needs a satnav cheerfully recommending the fastest route while the landscape attempts a complete rearrangement.
The vehicle is built for a bed, a kettle and a determined disagreement about reversing. It is not built to become a temporary landmark several feet from the road it intended to use.
One rental brochure still promised an elevated Highland experience. This may have been unfortunate wording. The company has since changed it to a grounded appreciation of scenery.
The windsock requests a day off
Tourists asked when travel could resume. Officials said the answer depended on the weather. This is apparently unsatisfying, perhaps because the atmosphere has not yet installed a customer service desk.
The best plan was simple. Stay sheltered, wait for safer conditions and let the road remain a road. Scotland’s scenery is spectacular enough without viewing it through the passenger window at an unfamiliar angle.
Read the real story: The official Storm Floris travel warning.
