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OH and I have been talking about hiring a defender camper in Scotland for a while now, so I've done a bit of research into the options. I've done a small amount of off-roading in the past, but does it make sense having a capable off-roader in Scotland? In my mind I've got visions of us driving down tracks to remote camping spots and really seeing the wild side of scotland (or wilder than the usual tourist camper routes!) but will we end up just on-road driving all of the time?
Flexible on location but north west scotland would be our first choice. By the looks of it there are quite a few companies doing it but most don't say much about recommended routes- I'm not looking for anything knarly, just something that makes it worth hiring a LR.
but does it make sense having a capable off-roader in Scotland
In a word no.
Because we don't have green lanes.
I can think of about 4 places you would benifit from this.
See on nc500 pages folk with this dream who don't understand the capibilities of hired defenders thinking they are Chinook helicopters getting them stuck in places they really shouldn't be and wrecking the area they shouldn't be in.
Be as well hiring a camper van it's about as sensible.
Basically, you can't take a vehicle off-road in Scotland without the landowners permission (there are a very few exceptions).
+1 "no".
If you've not the landowners explicit permission, you can't drive 'off-road'. On a positive note we can walk/ride pretty much ANYWHERE 🙂
Also, check the hire insurance. You may find that it doesn't cover off road.
I don't think I'd take a defender even if it was legal to take it off road.
cool, seems like an obvious no then. Maybe elsewhere in the UK would be better, but it's a fine line between roads and technical off-road so it's unlikely to be as good as it sounds. A few hire companies do mention that some gentle off-roading is fine, but that 'they will know if we have been where we shouldn't'.
Time to re consider I think...
I wouldn't be hiring one just now, everywhere I might want to stop off for 'wild' camping is mobbed anyway.
If you're going to stay in campsites, as above there's not much point in hiring a Defender over a proper camper van. Even the biggest Defender-based camper is a pretty poor place to spend time vs a van.
No point even having a standard Defender in the UK unless you need them for work, the amount of places you can legally off-road isn't worth the hassles of ownership. Sitting in a rooftent for a wet and windy week is miserable.
Speaking as the ex owner of an overlanding Howling moon equipped 110.
A Defender camper is classic Insta-beard bragging over substance.
I am struggling to think of many places you can just drive 2-tons of steel off-road, find some suitable camp spot and arrive without a (rightly) upset landowner going off on one because of a) vehicle and b) camping is mostly illegal so needs to be done subtly....
Most green lanes in England are not wide enough for stopping without blocking, and the few 'open for 4x4 driving' areas I can think of near where I used to live are likely to have a group of lads surrounding your camper on the expectation of a show....
A Defender camper is classic Insta-beard bragging over substance.
That made me laugh.
I always wanted a land rover 110 and dreamed about making it into a campervan with a popped roof. Then I test drove one for about ten minutes 13 years ago and bought a vw t5 instead.
They look great but at 6ft3 it's not a nice place to be. Amazing just how much space is taken up by the engine and just how little space is left.
They look great but
at 6ft3it’s not a nice place to be.
Ftfy. Hateful things.
A Defender camper is classic Insta-beard bragging over substance.
Haha, sounds about right! I think they are really only useful if you are in the outback somewhere, and even then something else would be better than a defender.
Maybe I should be spending the money on converting our T4 instead!
I should probably start a new topic but I'd be interested to see what options there are for removable beds etc for a van- I'd like to be able to put a folding bed in the van but I wouldn't want to sacrifice the load carrying capacity the rest of the time.
You won't be doing this in a T5 (I have both a defender and a 4motion T5)
I know we have been in quarantine for a while so I've not been to the west coast for a couple years but I'm certain it doesn't look like that.
I know we have been in quarantine for a while so I’ve not been to the west coast for a couple years but I’m certain it doesn’t look like that.
Global warning innit
I know we have been in quarantine for a while so I’ve not been to the west coast for a couple years but I’m certain it doesn’t look like that.
Certainly dried out a bit since I was last there...
Well it is almost 30 years since I was last up in Assynt. IS it different now?
I love the idea that Scotland is just a big wild moorland that you can drive about on for free, where does this stuff come from?
I'd suggest driving one first before committing to a couple of weeks trapped in a defender, they are great for driving through mud but that's about it.
As the Australian on 4wd 24-7 YouTube says
If you want to go out into the Bush, take a land rover, but if you want to come back, take a Toyota.
It always puts a smile on my face when he says it.
And if anyone on here watches it, just how good are the trailor tents they have. Makes me wonder if it could replace a campervan.
We hired a couple and took them to the Lakes for the weekend, for my Mums 60th birthday. Fun experience, slept like s***, absolute pain getting in and out of the roof tent. Now own a T6!
You could hire the rugged off road camper, drive it on a tarmac road to a rugged car park and perhaps find a rock to drive a wheel on to, and then get out of your 4x4 and walk in to the wilderness?
If you want to go out into the Bush, take a land rover, but if you want to come back, take a Toyota.
Does he also talk about putting shrimp on the Barby , drink fosters and other such nonsense clichés ?
You can do it - these guys live in theirs full time.
On a 130 with pop top, wide body, detachable camper.
However it's more Uzbekistan and Japan, more often by the side of a road or campsite than out in the wopwops.
https://youtube.com/c/GrizzlyNbearOverland
Are you sure he's Aussie he's not cooking it on a burning land rover carcass
You don't need a land rover, you need one of these.
Ah, another Thomas Heaton follower.
"You don’t need a land rover, you need one of these."
that is only a top-heavy Mitsubishi Shogun (which is a proper ladder chassis Hi?Lo offroad vehicle).