SUNDOWNER

Want to chase the sunset on the longest day of the year? You'll need a 4x4, somewhere to sleep and a strong plan B

- OLLIE MARRIAGE

LET ME TAKE YOU BACK.

June 21, 2022. The longest day of the year. Sunnier, more illuminated times. And you join me at the stunning curve of Kylesku Bridge in northwest Scotland. It's very early, grey and lightly blustery, with dampness drifting through the air. The smells are heathery and fresh, the sounds are seabirds. I deliberately parked last night so I'd wake up with a view over the mighty sea lochs and when I did it was utterly captivating. To lift a blind and see such majesty doesn't half make you question your priorities in life. There's no one else here. I wasn't aware of a car passing in the night, and none will pass for another half an hour while I walk around nursing a hot cup of tea.

I hate caravans. They're so dull and ordinary. There they go holding up traffic, dawdling about, being ugly, being tedious, being beige, driving me mad. And then there's the Bruder EXP-6. God I want one.

Fickle me. But I'm not alone, am I? It's Australian (but of course), designed for outback endurance by a firm with a background in military equipment. You're not surprised are you? It has cabin pressurisation, up to 650mm of ground clearance, 600W of solar panels, and 33-inch tyres, is mostly bulletproof and thanks to eight shock absorbers and four three-tonne support airbags, can be dropped off a cliff and emerge unscathed. The same does not apply to the contents. Land Rover probably claims as much for the Defender, but if I had to be the contents in one of them and dropped from a great height, it would be the one with a king-size double bed. The mattress is a doozy.