We wouldn’t have been able to buy Doris without the help of a very special lady known only (well, to those in the know anyway) as The Gags. The Gags is a lady of sparkling banter, mischievous wit and not inconsiderable seniority, whose enthusiasm for our hair-brained idea to buy a camper van was both refreshing and encouraging. While we can never thank her enough for that, we thought it would be a good start to invite her to share in the VW fun, and so off we set to pick her up in Doris for a day-trip to Loch Lomond.

All in all, a lovely day out with the family and, most importantly, the patron of Doris.

At 84, we were slightly concerned that The Gags would struggle just to get into the van, and it had been suggested that we wait until reinforcements arrived at her house before commencing the mission. But this lady wasn’t for stopping and nimbly jumped up onto the back seat with the grace and ease of a much younger lady. Safely strapped in, we trundled off down the road to Balloch Country Park, with the rest of the family following close behind.

We were keen to show off our new-found cooking abilities so we settled The Gags down with not only some salmon sandwiches but a bowl of hot soup. While we appreciate that heating up Covent Garden soup isn’t a major culinary achievement, when you’ve done it on a two ring gas hob in the back of what is essentially a car it takes on a whole new meaning!

Fed and watered, we headed to Loch Lomond Shores for a browse around the shops. One of us was rather taken with a straw boater hat he had found (perhaps on the sale shelf?), which was hummed and hawed over for some considerable time and then quickly purchased as soon as it received The Gags Seal of Approval™. Still, some you win, some you lose…

All in all, a lovely day out with the family and, most importantly, the patron of Doris.