Lexus LS, "good in its day"

[Spacewagon52]

I would like to do the NC500 around Scotland in my LS 400, take a few days doing it slowly! 

[Malc]

............... hey, we're proposing doing another tour of Scotland this end August/early September for two weeks.  We did this in 2012 and travelled 2800 miles in 15 days,  home and back ( Kent ) and had a fantastic tour....  mixed weather, a few midges and brilliant B&Bs along the way including a couple of YHA stops ........... BRILLIANT

First overnight in Yorkshire then into Scotland, up the west coast, along the top and back down and around and our final overnight in Northumberland near Lindisfarne.

The Ls400 is the best Grand Touring car ever. Can't wait for the day to approach, just stuff all we need in the boot and off we go, another adventure.

Malc

[Spacewagon52]

2 minutes ago, Malc said:

............... hey, we're proposing doing another tour of Scotland this end August/early September for two weeks.  We did this in 2012 and travelled 2800 miles in 15 days,  home and back ( Kent ) and had a fantastic tour....  mixed weather, a few midges and brilliant B&Bs along the way including a couple of YHA stops ........... BRILLIANT

First overnight in Yorkshire then into Scotland, up the west coast, along the top and back down and around and our final overnight in Northumberland near Lindisfarne.

The Ls400 is the best Grand Touring car ever. Can't wait for the day to approach, just stuff all we need in the boot and off we go, another adventure.

Malc

That sounds fantastic! Will try and sell the kids on eBay and then we will be off!

[Malc]

can't you leave the kids somewhere ?  like a cattery or kennels maybe

Malc

[The-Acre]

5 hours ago, mikeyv said:

Just got back from two weeks of visiting family.

East Sussex to South Wales, towed caravan from storage facility to site, ran around Newport for a week, then towed van back to storage and travelled up to North Yorkshire for second week.

Again travelled round visiting Yorkie in laws, then did the 300 mile trip back home to Eastbourne.

My 18 year old LS was, as ever, an absolute pleasure to drive.

I don't normally bother with mpg calculations, but i set the trip this time, and the car managed 27mpg overall, on LPG@ around 50p/litre, with the boot and back seat full of luggage.

They really are fantastic cars.

 

Did you have an additional transmission cooler fitted for towing?  Maybe not so common here but a lot of American cars have them, even on the big V8's. Your caravan looks like the size of a small village!

[Chris Skelton]

My old Ser 4 had an additional cooler.

[mikeyv]

5 hours ago, The-Acre said:

Did you have an additional transmission cooler fitted for towing?  Maybe not so common here but a lot of American cars have them, even on the big V8's. Your caravan looks like the size of a small village!

No, I didn't, but I certainly would if I intended towing for more than a few miles.

If I'm towing the caravan long distance, I use my Peugeot Boxer based campervan to pull it.

The LS is only used for garden trailer duties and storage facility to caravan site and return, which is only around five miles each way.

[royoftherovers]

9 hours ago, runsgrateasanut said:

2016 - 2017?  possibly! 

Have crossed the Milleau Bridge 4 times and still am most impressed.

 

Regards

John

[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, mikeyv said:

No, I didn't, but I certainly would if I intended towing for more than a few miles.

If I'm towing the caravan long distance, I use my Peugeot Boxer based campervan to pull it.

The LS is only used for garden trailer duties and storage facility to caravan site and return, which is only around five miles each way.

That makes a long rig to tow then?

[mikeyv]

3 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

That makes a long rig to tow then?

Yep, but it's great to have the caravan as a base and the camper to travel round every day.

This was us at Tredegar house caravan club site, in Newport, before I fitted the bar to the LS.

 

 

[Verbout]

9 hours ago, Spacewagon52 said:

I would like to do the NC500 around Scotland in my LS 400, take a few days doing it slowly! 

I'm all booked into b&b's for the tour this September.

[dendonc]

17 hours ago, Malc said:

a few midges

A 'few'............lol, you did not learn your numbers when you were at school then did you?

[Malc]

I only ever sometimes pre-book the first night somewhere, the rest, well, I hate being subjected/pressured to meet a target at the end of the day, having to get somewhere. The adventure starts and from experience, wherever I go, wherever in the world,  there's ALWAYS  somewhere good or ok to stay, wherever I land for the evening !

The world is full of B & Bs or places to rest one's head at the end of a long day's adventuring, that to me is part of the adventure, starting the day and being able to adjust one's very loose itinerary en route 

............. and the sodding midges, well, going end August / early September I like to think there's a few less around by then ...  what's their life cycle ?

Malc

[The-Acre]

11 hours ago, mikeyv said:

Yep, but it's great to have the caravan as a base and the camper to travel round every day.

This was us at Tredegar house caravan club site, in Newport, before I fitted the bar to the LS.

 

 

That's impressive, where's the buffet car though? I can't see it in the photo!

[mikeyv]

Should have gone to specsavers, it's the white one.

 

[The-Acre]

21 minutes ago, mikeyv said:

Should have gone to specsavers, it's the white one.

 

Of course it is. My mistake, I actually went to Vision Express, and now I'm paying the price!

[ambermarine]

Malc

Having spent the last 15 years in Argyll in a rural area I have in depth knowledge on Midges ;The females are the only biters they will not appear in bright sunlight and cannot cope with winds above 5 knots, they are most active  around dusk especially in wooded areas.

There life cycle is 24 hours and they start retreating around mid September.

[Malc]

OMG  then I'll hunt the bright sunlight and be in places above 5knots wind speed ........  but that's usually rain and a gale isn't it ?

go to bed really early and avoid the woods    I've stood on a loch bank nowhere near trees and windy but dull and had to flee the swarms a'biting 

Thanks for the advice ... mid September is good but I thought maybe then is  the on-set of a good Scottish winter ?

Malc

[Farqui]

May is when we often head up there as the weather is usually pleasant and its just before the midge season.

For anyone heading up there, please put some scenery, car pic's online for us to enjoy.

[Spacewagon52]

Photos of the midge bites do you mean?

[Farqui]

Haha. Nah scenery, cars that sort of thing..

[Malc]

well, I can almost guarantee i won't see another Ls400  

Malc 

[Spacewagon52]

10 minutes ago, Malc said:

well, I can almost guarantee i won't see another Ls400  

Malc 

You NEVER know!

[plastic orange]

Very busy in north of Scotland just now due to the popularity of the NC500. Accommodation may not be easy to find unless pre booked. Smidge is what's recommended as protection from midgies.

 

Pete

[ambermarine]

7 hours ago, Malc said:

OMG  then I'll hunt the bright sunlight and be in places above 5knots wind speed ........  but that's usually rain and a gale isn't it ?

go to bed really early and avoid the woods    I've stood on a loch bank nowhere near trees and windy but dull and had to flee the swarms a'biting 

Thanks for the advice ... mid September is good but I thought maybe then is  the on-set of a good Scottish winter ?

Malc

I think those insects on the beach could have been sandflies or midges that shipped in on the Waverly