On the 15th June the BerghaVan headed off to the scenic island of Arran. This island off the west coast of Scotland is often described as Scotland in miniature and is accessible via the iconic CalMac ferry from Ardrossan so the van enjoyed its first ever ferry journey.
The Berghaus team of John McCormick and John Miller from the UK sales team were taking on the challenge of cycling around the island on the first day (89km), followed by an ascent of Goat Fell, the highest point on the island ( 879m) on the following day .This latest challenge we set was to raise money for the St Andrews Hospice near Glasgow and test the BerghaVan and Berghaus kit in the Scottish climate.
The BerghaVan and the Berghaus kit performed to the level of the finely engineered products that they are, the performance of our UK sales “athletes” was not to the same level, however they got the job done. The first day saw the classic Scottish weather pattern of sunshine, wind showers, downpours and then sunshine again, the new Active Shell Rapide jacket and Active baselayers came into their own and kept the team cool and dry throughout the day.
At night the BerghaVan provided versatile, comfortable accommodation and attracted a following amongst the fellow campers on the site. The added bonus was the shelter the van offered from attacks by the ferocious Scottish Midge, a local predator with a fully justified fearful reputation.
The second day saw the van and our gear cope with the worst of the weather could throw at us, the downpour started at 5am and did not let up until we left the island. Despite poor visibility we completed the trek and got back to the safe refuge of the van to dry out and head for home.
A thoroughly tired team would like to thank VW and Berghaus for the loan of the van, if you wish to make a donation to this truly worthwhile cause please contact Beverley Avis at bavis@berghaus.com.
I’d love have this van sadly its out of my reach would excellent for geocaching and walks etc