Wild Wild West…

After about 5 months of being sedentary, it was high time to get back on the road (and resurrect this blog at the same time)… But what did we do during 5 months?… We weren’t really busy skiing (or maybe on grass, perhaps, since this winter will have broken records in terms of lack of snow). No, we took advantage of these few months to make some small improvements, one or two repairs, and a rather substantial modification to Marvin which will allow us to “walk the talk”, as the English say, even more than until now. To be quite honest, we also spent a lot of time looking for ferries and requesting quotes, but that’s for the longer term, and we’ll talk about it in due course…

Modifications, repairs and improvements…

Let’s start with the repairs (the list will be shorter). In its 2025 version, Marvin is now equipped with a beautiful, brand new parquet floor (that’s what happens when you don’t plan to be able to easily access the cables and pipes, if needed). We also had to review the rear trunk drawer unit a little which, at the end of our 2024 adventure, had expanded a little and no longer opened correctly. And on the repair side, not much more…

For the improvements, the list is a little longer… First, with the excuse of changing the flooring, we took the opportunity to “raise” Marvin’s table a little or, at least, readjust the height of the table with that of the seats for more ergonomics and, hopefully, comfort in use…

And having to put in a new floor, we also took the opportunity to create some additional storage (under the said floor) and fit out one or two cupboards, to take advantage of some corners that were previously lost. We also added a windshield on the side of the hob, which should allow us to cook while keeping the door open (which was impossible until now, in high winds).

Another improvement, which won’t really change our lives, that one: we finally connected Marvin’s 220V charger which, for an unknown reason, had remained disconnected since its installation (the two cables which go from the charger to the battery had never been connected, and we realized this the day when, in Slovakia, we wanted to test whether everything worked well if, by chance, one day, we connected to 220V…).

On the cabin side, the “infotainment system” has been updated and improved. That sounds great, doesn’t it?!… Basically, we replaced Marvin’s GPS with an iPad mini, which we will use both as a GPS, as a car radio and as a… connected system comparable to that found in any modern vehicle…

But the biggest improvement, and the one that should really change a lot of things for our next adventures, is that from now on, Marvin will be an even more eco-friendly and… hydrogen-enriched truck! No, we haven’t changed the diesel engine for a hydrogen one (if only…). In fact, to make it short (and simple, since mechanics isn’t really our strong suit…), we have installed a system that produces hydrogen from water and a small amount of electricity (i.e. an electrolysis process). This hydrogen (di-hydrogen or HH, to be precise), is then sent to the engine’s air intake system to “enrich” the air-diesel mixture. This enriched mixture, much more explosive thanks to hydrogen, allows for a more complete combustion during each engine cycle, which results in fuel savings, but also and above all, in a reduction of up to 70% of all emissions produced by the engine (depending on the type of emission)!… According to a test carried out by Eurofins (independent laboratory group associated with the European Union), all types of polluting emissions (CO₂, CO, NOx, PM) are reduced: from 19% for NOx (nitrogen oxides) up to 77% for fine particles (PM).

Results of the Ecofins study on hydrogen injection into an internal combustion engine in terms of emissions (orange: without hydrogen, blue: with hydrogen, delta: variation)

The result is that with this system, Marvin is not yet a truck running 100% on hydrogen or producing fuel from water, but a “combustion assisted” truck with hydrogen, which will still use diesel (but less) and above all, which will produce much less polluting emissions. If we add to this the other anti-emission systems already present (AdBlue, ESR, particle filters, etc.), we arrive at a largely acceptable environmental compromise, while waiting for the appearance of zero-emission trucks. And in addition, with this system, we will even produce oxygen (+14%), which will allow everyone to breathe better. What more could we ask for!?… 😜

On the road again…

So after all that, how could we resist the call of nature?… It’s high time to leave to test and take advantage of all these 2025 novelties!… But where, in this vast world, are we going to set our wheels down?… What will be our next adventure?…

“Go West!” were singing the Pet Shop Boys in 2003, and after our “Cape to Cape” last year and our return along the eastern border of Europe, it did indeed seem logical to “close the loop” and explore the western border, this time, or at least part of it…

It is also (largely) in the country of the Pet Shop Boys that we will spend the next few months. But before arriving at the very north of the late Her Majesty the Queen’s country, we will begin our adventure in Ireland, on the Atlantic coast and its now famous “Wild Atlantic Way”, after boarding a ferry in Bilbao to reach the Emerald Isle. Another ferry will then take us to Scotland, where we will continue our journey north, passing the Hebrides islands and then following the NC500 road, before going back down the East coast and crossing the great national parks of Scotland (Cairngorms) and England (Northumberland, Lake District, Yorkshire-Dales, Peak District and South Downs). A final ferry (or maybe a train, who knows?…) will take us back to the continent, and we will continue our descent south, passing the cliffs of Étretat, Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel, Brittany and the Arcachon basin, among others…

In short, an adventure with the scents of seaweed and ocean spray, where we should come across some whales and many gray seals, gannets and other puffins (in addition to eating good seafood), and where we will have the opportunity to check how wild is the Wild Atlantic Way really, or if this qualifier only applies to the weather there (an opportunity to test Marvin’s waterproofness… 🤔)!… The details of our route (roughly… there will probably be some changes) are available in the video below:

Follow us on this adventure which will take us from the Irish cliffs to the great heather moors and the lands of whiskey (yes, with an “e”, since we are in Scotland), and from the lakes of Connemara (like in a certain song…) to the Scottish lochs (including, of course, the most famous of them, Loch Ness and its famous monster).

Will we come across the Hound of the Baskervilles? Will we see Nessy? Will we find a four-leaf clover or a Leprechaun and will we survive the experience of Irish pubs and driving on the left? You will find out by following this blog over the next few months… One thing is certain, we will not leave Scotland without having visited our heritage lands (those which give us the title of Lords) and (perhaps) before having tried to play the bagpipes, in a kilt, at the end of a cliff overlooking the ocean!… See you in mid-March for the start of the adventure!…

S, B & M