@@robertgoh7420 a beach is like any other public space so legally you can. Some beaches are private and may prohibit it. Also nudist beaches tend to prohibit photography for obvious reasons

Thank you 🙏My D750 is still going strong a year after creating this video and like you, I have no intention of replacing it until it ceases to work. And then, if I can find a decent 2nd hand one, I'll likely buy another as I truly am a fan of this workhorse.

Hey Stuart. I'm sure you won't be surprised, but I left the last campsite after 5 weeks of employment. I have decided that campsite work really is best suited to retired folk who don't want to travel. Being stuck for the entire summer, earning minimum wage whilst taking BS is simply not for me. I'd consider a winter contract possibly but I won't be applying for any further Summer work until I'm retired and done with my own travelling. How are things your side? Where are you now?

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip so, you left the one in Suffolk too? i have left the one in Hampshire and am now just trying to test the lay of the land. maybe we could meet up sometime? BTW, I was offered a job by CCC, ........... in Loch Ness .... promptly declined.

@@stuartwallace7536 yea. Left the suffolk one. Will be in my next update video which i hope to record this weekend. I'm up in Lancashire on a 2 week pet sit, then over to Yorkshire for a 1 week sit then back down to 'base' in North Norfolk around 10th August

You're welcome, glad it provided some value 👍

Did I say it was members only? It’s been a while since I made the video so don’t recall 😊 Members just get discounted prices.

You mean the question in the title? Do you struggle with understanding grammar?

I have opted or a low loading transverse trailer now. Far easier to load on my own. It does have its drawbacks as is a proper b@stard to reverse with 😊

Thanks.Are you happy to share the make and model?

Indeed, but in my case the issues that come with that simply aren't worth it. When you're treated like a child and made to abide by ridiculous policies that the business cannot actually give you a reason for it just does my nut. Having to have the emergency phone overnight at least 3 nights a week and not being paid to be on standby is also in my opinion a p!sstake. By law, people on standby should be paid minimum wage, so make no mistake, these camping companies make far more off your efforts than you gain through the employment

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip Agree, when i add in extra hours including on-call, i worked out that i was being paid circa 8 pounds per hour. However, their argument is that there are plenty of people who want to do the role mainly because of the free accommodation offering and therefore they think they can abuse the system accordingly. I have been in many sites with tyrant owners/managers who simply have no idea how to manage people and attempt to bully their staff because thats the only way they know how to 'manage' people as they have never had any formal training in management. This is the main reason why i have decided to get out and get a pwopa job with pwopa management!

As per the video, my sister is down in Hampshire so I do get down there when I can. When are you in Hampshire till as its unlikely I'll be able to get down there until the 2nd half of September? Would be great to grab a drink! Once my pooch crosses over I too will not be spending the entire year in the UK. I really do not want to spend another winter here but that all depends on how much fight Shaka has left in him.

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip not sure as things will likely change begin July - will keep you updated. but will def organise a beer somewhere.

Yesterday marked 1000 days living in my MH. In those 1000 days I've met many vanlifers, boatlifers, caravaners etc. In my personal experience of all the folks I've met, only 2 or 3 have been at it full time for more than 2 years. My own experience is that it does become easier with time It seems if you can crack 2 years full time you're good to go. Not sure where in the world you are but living on the road in the UK is becoming increasingly more difficult. Especially so if your main reason for undertaking vanlife is to save. More and more height barriers being put up in parkups that have been there for decades. No camping and/or No overnight parking. This is primarily to a minority of users of these park-ups have zero respect and 100% sense of entitlement and are displaying anti-social behaviour from throwing/leaving their litter, emptying chemical toilets on the verge etc. But of course, when measures are then taken to reduce this anti-social behaviour then the community shout 'Foul!' but will take no responsibility for policing their own community. This means more and more people are now seeking out or having to opt for campsites or pay overnight parking fees in those areas that do permit it for a fee. So whilst many start vanlife, a small percentage go on over 2 years, even less over 5 years etc. My motto about my current lifestyle, is that vanlife is for now and the foreseeable future, possibly not forever. Perhaps the video title is a little 'click baity' I don't believe I suggested anywhere in the video that few people are starting van life. Its just a list of reason why people, in large numbers, quit van life in the first 2 - 3 years 😊

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip No worries. I didn't take your commentary badly...and I agree with much of what you said. I also don't think you intentionally left out the "new joiners" aspect - that wasn't the topic of your video, after all. I also don't think that "saving money" is a valid reason for doing van life - considering that most people end up quitting their jobs and just donig temp work on the road, they're not "saving" anything... they've really just stopped spending money on all the things they used to. If they're not putting money away, then they're not saving anything. I'm in the US and van life has gotten a bad rap (not entirely without reason) and it's getting harder and harder to do. Nothing like in your neck of the woods, but getting there. Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful response - it's great to hear your perspective and follow up!

Not this season. And I certainly would never work for the CCC again and would advise anyone looking for a warden role to avoid them at all costs. Hope you're keeping well?

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip Got any jobs there?

Thank you very much. As I say in the video, I can deal with cold. Its the damn combination of rain AND cold that I really will never come to terms with. And the sheer number of days of rain we have had this winter especially here in the UK

Cheers boet 👍

I’ve endured 26 winters o& the UK. Each one has been more challenging so I’m afraid for me personally there will never be a time that I’m used to it. So will just need to head abroad once that’s an option 😊

For most of the Winter period I have been house/pet sitting so parked up on peoples properties. When I'm not pet sitting I stick to small campsites before I tow a motorcycle on a trailer which means finding parking in city streets isn't really an option. I'm not sure which city your friend parks in but its getting increasingly difficult to enter, let alone park in English cities these days with all the low emission zones going up.

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip Leeds

Not sure I follow?

I’ve not heard of that. I will look into it. Thank you

I think hairstyle is a bit of a stretch 😂 There certainly is hair, but no style at the moment. I need to get to a hair salon. Thank you 🙏

That is absolutely the intention once my pooch crosses the rainbow bridge. As mentioned in the video he is too old (14) to put him through getting all his injections up to date etc. But one he does cross over I won’t spend another winter in the UK.

Thats a very kind offer Jackie, thank you very much 🙏 I've been on the road for 30 months now and this winter is the first time I've really, seriously considered throwing in the towel on this lifestyle, but then I realise how little I've actually explored for my long-term photography project. I'm totally fine during Spring/Summer, its just the Winters that I really cannot deal with anymore. It's clearly not in my DNA to be wet and cold.

also sorry if you mentioned it and I skipped over it, but where are you parked up right now?

I’m going for Moses. I had bloods around this time last year and there were no detected deficiencies. But I’m going to book another blood test and ensure they specifically check vitamin levels as I’m not entirely sure what was checked in the last test. It’s definitely exaggerated by frustrations of being confined to the van. Or attempting losing a wellington boot along a footpath (this has indeed happened to me twice so far in my travels). A walk in Nature should be relaxing (my personal preference) not an extreme sport.

Hi. You typically have a rota of set hours and days off. Well I did on that particular site. But I know quite a few people who work as wardens and they all have set hours and days off which makes it easier to plan your time and days off.

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip I new to this, I'm on small site 105 pitch, have 1 day a week off, and Sunday I'm not expected to do jobs but be around for campers leaving, gas sales etc, I'm only warden on site and just can't find a cut off point in the evening for my time., if I tell owners I'm off site few hours that's fine . What's you thoughts. Great vlogs well done

@@penguinpeter6912 105 pitches is not a small site! A small site is 5 pitches. It is ridiculous that you are the only warden. They are surely taking on more for the Spring/Summer season as there is no way you can manage a site that size on your own in the Summer. I don't know what your renumeration etc is so its difficult for me to really comment on it but seems a little harsh to me. You need to have days off. Are they paying you to be on standby? By law if you are required to be on standby you need to be paid at least minimum wage. There are loads of warden jobs out there so I'm sure you could find a better setup for yourself.

It looks like a lovely town. So much so that is on my list of possible places to look to buy a house.

I’d ask if you’re live been drinking but it’s too early in the day surely? 😂

+ I have a D3500 already so I want a worthy upgrade

The main differences are the fact that the D750 is a full frame camera whilst the 7500 is a cropped sensor. The 750 is 24MP whilst the 7500 is 21MP. If you do video also then the 7500 does 4K video whilst the 750 only does 1080P. I’m sure you whichever you choose to upgrade to will be a worthy upgrade 😊

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip thank you for the response! I’m not planning on filming with my camera at all. Personally I’m leaning more towards the D750, as i think the image quality is better (at least photos from Flickr) It’s also cheaper and I think it’ll be better value for money, as long as it’s goes with a AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm

@@jakeee114 sadly that lens is not full frame compatible. One of the reasons I've not upgraded to mirrorless cameras is because I don't want to have to purchase new lenses as I'm happy with the lenses I now have.

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip oh I never realised that… maybe I’ll have to go with the Nikon D7500 then because of the lense Update: I can do a couple of trade ins at Wex and get a better lense than the one I have already (Get the Nikon 28-200mm f3.5-5.6 lense)

Thank you Tanya 🙏 Merry Christmas to you and yours if you celebrate it.

You must be fun at parties bro. Want to explain where I have made mention of having any ambitions of earning money from KZbin bro?

What is the weight of the GS? Its a heavier bike so you may struggle to find an EasyLifter with the capacity to carry it. I think the max load capacity I have seen is 250kg. In my opinion I wouldn't put a GS on one. Its another reason why I've opted for the low loader trailer as it can take a heavier bike and its my intention to upgrade to an Africa Twin down the road.

Lucky save. Instinct kicked in as I had no time to think.

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip credit where credits due !!

I was up in Lancashire a month ago. it wasn't that cold but very wet. I did love it up there though! I haven't yet got the portable solar as at the moment its not needed as I'm generally parked up at people's homes as I provide pet and house sitting services. However, it is still on my wish list of things to acquire and will do so once I set off on more regular travel in Europe especially so if I'm going to do so in Winter. How are you managing without solar? Do you keep moving to charge your leisure battery?

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip I have a total of 440 watts of solar panels on the roof and a split charger system so even with the low sunlight I just about manage without hook up , I’ve just bought a foldable 100 watt panel that I’m going to use to charge a power bank, phone and so on but yes it is a struggle !! Was up in Cumbrian and it went down to -8 one night and everything froze lol 😂

I’ve subscribed so keep in touch!

@@Wanderingwalter wow, 440 watts. Impressive. Are you running a lithium battery setup? (thats my dream setup). Do let me know how you get on with the foldable panel. I have considered putting my panels on a hinge system but that would add more weight to the van and I'm struggling to keep the weight below its rated 3.5t

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip no just 2 regular deep cycle lead acid batteries with an epever controller , I get the foldable one today at some point so will let you know and probably do a vid on it , I was thinking the same lines of a bracket system to angle the panels but to much faff , weight and expense!

I simply don't have any reason to upgrade my D750 at this stage. I do still want to get another as my backup to replace my D5300 though. What's your opinion of the D780?

D780 undoubtedly great but hugely overpriced

​@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip D780 - the best digital SLR camera for amateurs ever made? Only the D850 and D6 can compete with it. However, both of these models are quite specialised and impose certain requirements on the user. D6 - low resolution, weight. Both these models do not have U1/U2 modes. This is, in my opinion, a very big disadvantage.

@@adamur2 and yet you rate them higher than the D750? Many photographers I know have the D750, especially those in event and wedding photography and theres a reason they opt for these work horses. Like everything in life, opinions will differ 👍

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip Photographing weddings is a business, and it is likely that your friends are cutting costs by settling for the minimum sufficient functionality. To generate income from this business. On the other hand, when comparing the D750 and D780 you have more advantages of the D780. The most important for me is the efficient AF on Live View, which I use for example for portraits, shooting in a worm's-eye view (I don't have to lie on a dirty ground). The D750 also allows this, but the AF on the D780 is hybrid and offers face and eye recognition on LV. It's very useful and it just works. Images are very sharp at f1.8. Further advantages are the faster continuous mode (7 vs 6.5 fps, it makes a difference in sports). In LV mode, even faster so. Another advantage is the enlarged buffer (very important). Slightly better sensor - less noise. More AF modes (dynamic area etc.). And others. In the list of advantages of the D750 over the D780 I will put: the presence of a built-in flash and the presence of an IR remote control receiver. So if you are very keen on native CLS triggering, the lack of a built-in flash on the D780 will be a problem. Overall, I think the balance is definitely in favour of the D780 and I recommend this camera.

Did I incorrectly mention TTL in the video? It’s been a while since I published it I honestly don’t recall if I spoke of TTL 😊

Thank you for your experienced comment. Having a ‘why’ or purpose is probably the most important thing when it comes to long term ‘van life’. Unfortunately the vast majority of van life content you see on social media, including here on KZbin are not full time vanlifers. They are people traveling for a set amount of time or being sponsored to travel therefore do not have the financial concerns most Van lifers have. And of course many are simply weekend warriors heading to a new location for a weekend getaway and then presenting themselves as experts in the lifestyle.

Glad that you found it helpful. I really don't want to put anyone off following their dreams or living a life less tied down. I just want to give an honest overview of the lifestyle so that people can make an educated decision about whether the lifestyle is for them or not as it really isn't for everyone.

I’m so sorry I missed your comment! It seems I’m not receiving notifications consistently. The fact I have my own dog definitely means fewer sits are suitable but I have managed to have pretty much back to back sits for over a year. My dog is older though so he sleeps most of the day. So he stays in the van and never enter acts with the pets I’m sitting as he it seems his prey drive has kicked in somewhat in his later years.

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip Thanku for your reply, yes I'm having similar issues with YT. One of my dogs is paralysed, he's 13 but still fiesty lol

I purchased this one as it allows me to control it on my phone and keep an eye on the internal temp etc. amzn.to/40hqn8d

@@GrumpyGitsRoadTrip Thanku

Thank you 🙏

So sorry I missed your comment, I seem to have notification issues in the App I have to assume from your comment that you’ve owned or own one of these work horses yourself?