Richard Mackney

Creative Technologist

Campervan

Wales Road Trip

The first camping trip in the campervan this year was to Wales. The route was governed by a visit to some friends that had recently moved out of Belper to Llandrindod Wells and then by us wanting to venture North to take in some sights and places we've always wanted to see. Belper, Derbyshire to Llandrindod Wells, Powys took about three hours on a sunny Sunday morning in early April. Catching … [Read more...] about Wales Road Trip

Portable Folding Solar Panel

Since installing a Biard 100W solar panel on the roof of the campervan, I've experienced the benefits of solar power while away with the family. I've also noticed a few downsides to a permanently fixed installation and the biggest problem came when we needed to park the van in the shade due to the sun's heat or the physical location of the pitch - obviously when in the shade the panel … [Read more...] about Portable Folding Solar Panel

UK Coast Tour

When someone mentions "Coast to Coast" in the UK I usually think of the popular route across the country that starts in the Lake District and ends in Whitby. Our recent campervan road trip version of Coast to Coast followed a slightly peculiar route based on the weather forecast at the time - from Cornwall to North Devon through Derbyshire to Lincolnshire! Here's a few panoramic photos … [Read more...] about UK Coast Tour

Campervan Solar Panel Installation

I've been running a rigid frame 50W solar panel at home for a number of years to provide 12V lighting with the intention of using it on the caravan and then the campervan but I just couldn't bring myself to mount such a big frame on the roof of a moving vehicle. After noticing a deal over at BestEcoShop for a Biard 100W Semi Flexible Solar Panel Kit I thought now would be a good opportunity to … [Read more...] about Campervan Solar Panel Installation

The Electric Campervan

After helping launch the world's first electric campervan at the NEC last October (2014) I finally got the chance to take it out and give it a right good thrashing! Over the last 6 months, Fish Media has been working with a Derby based campervan conversion company - Hillside Leisure - to update their website and create new social media channels and I finally got the opportunity to test … [Read more...] about The Electric Campervan

Motorhome and Caravan Show 2014

It's that time of year again when we nip over to the NEC for The Motorhome and Caravan Show. This year I visited on behalf of a Derby based client, Hillside Leisure who create beautiful bespoke micro campers. After we built them a new Hillside Leisure website where they can upload details of the vans, I've been writing the campervan news blog and have introduced social channels with a large … [Read more...] about Motorhome and Caravan Show 2014

Normandy and Brittany Road Trip

Last year in 2013 we took a road trip in the campervan from the UK to the South of France, it was a pretty epic route of 2,260 miles but it made us realise that travelling in the campervan is a much better experience if we break the route into three hour sections to make the most of exploring as we go. This year we decided to on a Normandy and Brittany trip hugging the northern coast of France … [Read more...] about Normandy and Brittany Road Trip

River Dart Country Park

We've just returned from a three night break at the River Dart Country Park Campsite and managed to go outside of the school holidays as the school had Thursday and Friday as inset days. We went in the campervan with two other families who were in a caravan and a tent (6 adults, 6 kids) - each allocated pitch was one of the biggest I've been on. The place was empty on the Thursday and Friday … [Read more...] about River Dart Country Park

Touring The South Of France

“Living The Dream” … what an amazing phrase. When I first wanted a campervan the dream was to start touring the South of France, hopping from one site to the next, enjoying the views and the local customs. Getting to a point in life where I could actually afford to live the dream meant growing up, forging a career and saving. Part of growing up often means starting a family and this usually means … [Read more...] about Touring The South Of France

North Devon

Wow, last week turned out to be a pretty good week to get away. A trip to North Devon was on the cards - this time in a group of 15! We got down a day early and stayed at a site where we once had a seasonal pitch, Willingcott Caravan Club Site. I wasn't sure about the weather ... Then we cheated, and moved onto Willowfield Lake Cottages for the week - complete with personal hot tub, … [Read more...] about North Devon

The Lakes

This Bank Holiday weekend we took the opportunity to jump in the bus and drive North. After 160 miles we landed in the Lake District and pulled up to Windermere Camping And Caravanning Club Site. We took the Quechua Base Seconds XL living area which literally popped up in seconds and then took a few minutes to peg out six guy ropes. The last time I visited the Lake District it was … [Read more...] about The Lakes

LED lighting for the Campervan

In the caravan I fitted LED bulbs in the existing light units. This saves a massive amount of battery power when you are off grid - meaning you can stay away longer before you need to re-charge. Basically one 15 Watt halogen bulb can be replaced with a 3 Watt LED bulb meaning the battery will last 5 times longer on this bulb. The campervan came with halogen bulbs and no way to illuminate the … [Read more...] about LED lighting for the Campervan

Motorhome & Caravan Show 2012

I've only just realised that the name of the show which displays lots of caravans, motorhomes and other general outdoor type things changed it's name slightly at some point. Since 2008 I've been attending and uploading pictures to this blog from The Caravan and Motorhome Show but now it seems to be called The Motorhome and Caravan Show! Is this a sign of the times? I'm not sure if it's because … [Read more...] about Motorhome & Caravan Show 2012

Meet The Bus

Let me introduce "The Bus" - I don't usually name my cars, sometimes we go out in the "Mini" and we used to have the "Honda", but now we have "The Bus". After touring with the caravan for five years we decided to change - mainly due to the painfully slow journeys covering hundreds of miles at 50mph. Taking the Honda and a tent to France this year was a bit of a test to see if the family could … [Read more...] about Meet The Bus

Road Trip around France

A couple of years ago I took our touring caravan across the ferry for a trip around France but due to the fact that towing a caravan from Derby to Poole takes so long (220 miles at 50 miles an hour) we decided to stay only 15 miles from Cherbourg in Normandy. This year we decided to leave the caravan and hop further by having short stops in a tent - It sounds easy, but with two small children to … [Read more...] about Road Trip around France

UK Caravan Sites

Here are links to the sites we've visited in the last few years, some we've visited more than once and are planning on returning again this year. If you are planning on touring this year, have a browse through the links as they give you a good idea of the quality of the site. View Caravan sites we've visited in a larger map   Carsington MAY 2008 Hawthorn Farm MAY 2008 … [Read more...] about UK Caravan Sites

The Really NOT Very Mobile Solar Project

The caravan has been put away for the winter so I decided to try and use my 50W solar panel for something at home. First thoughts were based around a test project to see if a 50W panel could be used to keep all my tech charged during winter in the UK. But then my thoughts turned to my current electricity usage and I started thinking what would be the best use of the Sun's power on a daily … [Read more...] about The Really NOT Very Mobile Solar Project

Motorhome & Caravan Show 2011

The show this year is running from today until Sunday (11-16 Oct) at the NEC Birmingham. We went on our annual pilgrimage today and as usual, here are a few shots taken and uploaded direct from the iPhone. The show is THE place to go to see the full range of caravans and motorhomes available in the UK and gives you a chance to look inside at all the layout and design options. Technology also … [Read more...] about Motorhome & Caravan Show 2011

INOV8 12v Battery Charger

In the quest to run everything from 12v I needed the ability to recharge my camera batteries as well as other general purpose AA batteries. I found this product called INOV8 Universal li-ion Battery Charger on play.com for £11.99 delivered. It comes with a 12v car adapter and can be used to charge any lithium-ion battery including 3.6V,3.7V,7.2V & 7.4V and also AA/AAA & NICD/NIMH. It's … [Read more...] about INOV8 12v Battery Charger

Twin USB and Twin 12v Adapter

This is a car twin 12v cigarette lighter power adapter supplied by Cables and Leads from Derby. When I'm away in the caravan I struggle with the limited 12v power sockets. This device will provide two USB sockets at 500mA and two further 12v cigarette lighter sockets which can be used with extra 12v to 5v USB converters such as the Powertraveller Motormonkey I'm considering hard-wiring this … [Read more...] about Twin USB and Twin 12v Adapter

Powermonkey eXtreme – Mobile Power Review

When I first saw the Powermonkey eXtreme listed in the 'coming soon' section of the Powertraveller website I got a little excited. I had previously seen they had a larger battery called the Startmonkey200 and thought this could be a backup power consideration for campers but I somehow thought they must be developing a dedicated mobile high power solution; they were. The Powermonkey eXtreme is a … [Read more...] about Powermonkey eXtreme – Mobile Power Review

Off-Grid Power Research

Once again I'm investigating ways of generating electricity off-grid (not necessarily green power). Part of the emphasis will be on mobility, this doesn't mean it will fit in my pocket, but certainly could be used for living in a caravan, boat, tent or nuclear bunker ;) The main point is to create electricity from a generator - how you power the generator is what I'm investigating. I'll update … [Read more...] about Off-Grid Power Research

On Tour with Social Hiking

Recently I've had a few conversations with Phil Sorrell (@DaylightGambler) about his geo-blogging site called Social Hiking (in alpha) and we've been discussing ways in which it could be used outside of hiking and for geo-event-blogging type of shizzle (see my post on The Social Media Portal). He's amazingly pro-active and has already added extra geo-tagging services like Gowalla. I think it's … [Read more...] about On Tour with Social Hiking

Caravan & Motorhome Show 2010

This post will update throughout the day with live images :) As usual, it was an amazing show. This year it even had a CAMRA Ale bar! I took the opportunity to sample a few ales as I was not driving and also try out a couple of electric bikes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBDux-dApfw   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJjRwChFEWE     You might also like … [Read more...] about Caravan & Motorhome Show 2010

My Essential Travel Tech

My essential travel tech gets lighter each year, mainly because tech gets upgraded, gets smaller and some gadgets have enough multi-functions to replace other separate items. Power has always been the key and each time I've replaced an item I've tried to ensure that it can be charged from either USB or AA batteries to reduce what needs to be carried When traveling I once thought that I needed the … [Read more...] about My Essential Travel Tech

6.5W Folding Solar charger MMP4

This week I've been testing a portable folding solar panel. It's called the "6.5W Folding Solar charger MMP4" it costs £110 and was provided on loan from @Select_Solar I'm trying to find a lightweight panel that can easily be carried and would provide a decent enough current to charge the Kensington USB battery (http://j.mp/df3uGI)This panel actually outputs 12 volts and the operating current is … [Read more...] about 6.5W Folding Solar charger MMP4

Three MiFi Mobile WiFi

I've had my eye on a Three Mobile WiFi unit for a while, I managed to blag  one of the original Three units from @Documentally which used my USB dongle but wasn't battery powered. @ThreeMobileBuzz contacted me via twitter and asked if I would like to trial the new unit - luckily I was destined for two weeks in the caravan, so a perfect opportunity presented itself.The unpacking in the pic above … [Read more...] about Three MiFi Mobile WiFi

Energizer Rechargeable Solar Flip

    As mentioned in the video above, this is an AA or AAA battery charger from Energizer. It comes with an AC adaptor but also a solar panel to recharge your batteries. The pack also includes 2 x 2000mAh rechargeable Energizer batteries and feels quite solid with a rubberised finish. It claims to be weather resistant, so the solar panel can be left outside on a table … [Read more...] about Energizer Rechargeable Solar Flip

Caravan & Motorhome Show 2009

As you may of noticed from a few live uploads earlier, we went to the Caravan and Motorhome Show at the NEC today. Here are a load of iPhone snaps of the kit on show ... the most expensive motorhome we saw today was £187k ... Crazy machines! You might also like ... Motorhome & Caravan Show 2012 Motorhome & Caravan Show 2011 Caravan & Motorhome Show 2010 Caravan … [Read more...] about Caravan & Motorhome Show 2009

Roaming into France

Bonsoir ... I'm in France and wanted to jot down a few of my experiences with roaming data and costs. As we sailed out on the ferry leaving Poole Harbour, the first thing I noticed was how far the O2 signal stretched. It seemed I could still twitpic at no extra cost (on the iPhone data bolt on) quite a long way away from land. The second thing worth noting was that when the signal did die, … [Read more...] about Roaming into France

Touring Caravan Kit

So at the start of 2009 I've been thinking about last year and the touring Caravan we bought in March 2008. We have been thinking about where we might go in 2009 and what extra kit we might need. When I first got 'the van' I was totally unprepared for the onslaught of kit required and also surprised at what kit does not come standard when shelling out for a van. For example you wouldn't dream … [Read more...] about Touring Caravan Kit

Solar Power Trickle Charger for £30

So here is an idea I had to get cheapish solar power via a trickle charger. I bought a portable Jump starter from Maplin for £19.99 and a 12V 1.5W solar panel for only £9.99 to keep it topped up with power. Total cost £29.98! I removed the tyre air compressor from the back and replaced it with a perspex plate and removed the jump leads. The Starter has a 12volt 17Ah/20HR battery as can be … [Read more...] about Solar Power Trickle Charger for £30

The Mobile Internet

There is a lot of noise at the moment about netbooks and netbooks with built in 3G. A lot of mobile phone providers are giving away netbooks with bundles of mobile phones or mobile internet USB dongles It's all looking good and things are moving ahead quite fast at the moment in the world of mobile internet. The problem I am finding is the misuse of advertising in terms of data speeds from the … [Read more...] about The Mobile Internet

Caravan & Motorhome Show 2008

People on my facebook account have asked what the hell was going on at the weekend with all the live postings of caravans and motorhomes! ... well, we went to the NEC in Birmingham for the Caravan & Motorhome Show - it was pretty good with a lot of nice new stuff for the kids to jump around and 'clamber' over. It's also a good chance to catch up on new mobile technology ... which let's face … [Read more...] about Caravan & Motorhome Show 2008

Hillhead Holiday Park Caravan Club Site

We had Hillhead Caravan Site pre-booked for months and was really looking forward to spending two weeks there – I’m glad to say we were not disappointed! After the 250mile trip we arrived at the site and found the entry layout to be very clearly marked with two lanes for arrivals and one lane for site traffic, all with key code barriers. The reception was extremely helpful and we mentioned we … [Read more...] about Hillhead Holiday Park Caravan Club Site

Hawthorn Farm Caravan Club Site

We had a week here in May 2008 and I really liked the site. Initial booking and reception was very friendly. Pitches are half hard standing and half grass - we selected grass. We had two options for Water, waste and bins from our pitch. The wardens were driving around regularly in their tractor and very friendly . I got the impression they are very strict and enforce all the rules (as they … [Read more...] about Hawthorn Farm Caravan Club Site

Blackwall Plantation Caravan Club Site

First impression of the site was how nice it was to be surrounded by pine trees. Most of the site is hard standing, but we wanted grass - it was roasting hot and it seemed no-one else wanted grass! we got a great spot in front of the under 5 play area - not so great if you don't have kids and don’t like to hear then playing! – We could sit outside the van and watch them. We did not need levelling … [Read more...] about Blackwall Plantation Caravan Club Site