Hector the Hero

Description of Beds: One fixed standard double, one cabin bed underneath accessed by a cubby hole, and a convertible RIB seat bed sized 108cm. Hector can technically sleep 5, 2 in the standard double (135cm by 190cm) there is also a RIB Altair 86cm wide which doubles as a seat, folds out to a sofa and then to a bed 180cm by 86cm. and cabin bed underneath the fixed bed, 68.5cm wide by 167 (both my husband and I both under 170cm have slept in here on occasions but I wouldn't say it would be suitable for a tall adult!) Description of Seating: There are 5 belted seats all with headrests (inc driver), 3 in the cab ( double and single ) which are all on swivel bases to turn and create the living space. and 2 on the RIB seat which has 2 Isofix points. Once seats are turned this would provide 5 seats in a social setting. Description of Electrical Setup: 12v electrics system including 2 no. 110Ah leisure batteries, split charger, fuse box, cable and 2 no 12V outlets. 240 v electrics system inc hook-up, RCD consumer unit, battery charger and 2 no 240V outlet sockets, 120W solar panel inc controller, cable and glands. All are supplied and fitted by Roaming homes, Inverness. From experience, I would say Hector can happily live off-grid for at least 5 days. We have used the van in the winter with the heating on overnight (gas) and it will last easily 3 nights, in fact, we have only ever had to fill the gas up once! As the leisure batteries can be charged from the van/solar this has never run low either! About the area: Hector lives in Ardgay, which is a small village on the A836, 12 miles from the A9/NC 500 at Tain. We are 43 miles/ 58 mins to Inverness Airport. We have a small village train station just over the road from us. Hector lives a the end of a very quiet little lane and has ducks, chickens and 2 Mini shetland ponies to keep him company at our house. We are fairly rural (I guess that's down to opinion!) but our nearest fuel points are Dornoch on the A9 north or Tain to the south which also has Asda, Tesco and Lidl. The nearest gas is the Gleaner at the Struie/Bonar bridge exit of A9. Parking: There is ample driveway, and we are happy to host any customers' vehicles who wish to pick them up by car. Also, be happy to meet at Ardgay village train station where a handover can take place. The local taxi company is Ronnie's Taxi, Ardgay 01863766422/0777818208, a local man who I'm sure would be happy to let us pass a child car seat cover etc if needed on airport runs. Cooking Equipment: What cooking equipment is included? set of 3 camping pots and pans, cutlery set for 4, kettle for the stove, 2x roasting trays, grill tray, 4xdinner plates, 4x bowls, 4 x small plates, 2x plastic wine glasses, 4 x tin camping mugs, chopping board, french coffee press, washing up bowl, oven gloves, tea towel, cooking utensils, e.g. wooden spoon, tin opener, sharp knife, tongs, Water and Sanitation: Currently Hector has a sink for washing. We have a truma to heat the water, although I would recommend just filling the kettle up on the hob (mainly as I have used the van in winter so prefer to prioritize the heating!) Hector has a porta potti cocooned in a beautiful Harris tweed box which doubles as a stool/seat that slides off. Nestled in the living space between the rib seats and the oven, you can have a wonderful view whilst using in situ, however, the potty can be moved and needs to be for use at night if the RIB bed is made up. A 12L jerry can is provided for drinking water, there is an 80L underslung water tank, which supplies the swivel dual tap for the sink. Both taps for filling and drainage are clearly marked under the van. Audio Equipment: There is a pioneer DAB radio in the driving cab with Bluetooth. Type of Heating: Hector has a Truma to provide hot water and heating, with vents placed around the van to ensure even heat distribution. Conversion Story: ‘Hector started life as a DPD van (evident if you view him from above as evidence remains of the red sticker!). During the first lockdown, our neighbour converted a sprinter to use as his son does motor cross and was constantly knocking at the door to borrow Scott's tools, which gave me the idea that Scott could do one for us! After a lengthy and complicated search given covid restrictions, we finally found our van and the conversion began. Planning it as a family van meant certain aspects were decided for us, e.g. removing the bulkhead to allow for extra seats so it took a while to get our layout as we wanted it. Scott is extremely meticulous in his approach to life in general, and you could practically hear him rolling his eyes at me when I asked for the herringbone ceiling!! We wanted a van to reflect our love for Scotland, and adventures. Our son Murtagh loves the outdoors and is never happier than in mud/sand/side of a loch and vanlife suits him down to a tee!