Motorhomes

Jelster

Jelster

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Steve
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Anybody here have any experience with motorhomes?

I think what we are looking for may be a bit unique, as we are looking for something not too big as it will only be for my wife & I, but we would like the addition of a built in loo & shower.

We are considering giving up work (the house is now paid for) and travelling around the UK for 12 months, visiting all of the places we never seem to have time to. Thing is, I have a couple of health problems, so I hate using shared shower facilities.
 
For some years my husband and I had considered swapping a caravan for a motorhome - we looked at these ones

https://www.chausson-motorhomes.com

We spent quite some time in France each year , and visited the factory and were very impressed with them. For us , at that time, we needed to be a 2 car household - so adding in a third set of things like Road Fund tax etc etc ended up by ruling it out
 
For the costs and effort involved you might be better travelling around staying at b&b's or hotels, lots of reasonably priced travelodge type places.

Had two van based campers and a small coachbuilt, showers are ok for occasional use, water needs fetching, heating and disposing of.
Living in a motorhome is vastly different from holidaying, maybe read a book written by those who have tried it
 
Rich, I have considered the B&B idea, but it won't work for us. We don't want to be limited to how long we stay in one place, and we want to do self catering. B&B's are damned expensive these days, especially in places where we are likely to want to visit.

When we visited Mull this year we were taken aback about how difficult it was to find a cup of tea, let alone a decent coffee. Besides, we will be spending our time either photographing/watching wildlife, and photographing the scenery. To do that it means early mornings, late evenings and downtime in the middle, which doesn't fit into a B&B lifestyle. The van will be used for around 12-15 months and then sold. It's not going to be a permanent vehicle on the drive.
 
I am sure you are aware that having got to your location you will need to transport yourself from campsite to photography site, tow a smart car too?
Matt
 
Sounds a fantastic idea, go find a big display of them and just see them all, you will find one that just ticks as many boxes as possible.
we looked a while ago but decided in the end to buy a holiday house in greece and we expecially liked the ones with a raised bed at the rear with a little bike garage underneath the bed area
 
Best of luck with your gameplan Steve, but you've not told us whether you've already tried it out by hiring for a holiday? I really, really wanted a motorhome, but the prices have been going up for the past few years and are actually quite scary now for anything less than 10 years old. I had the issue with of needing an every day car as well, so I've taken the decision to go with a car and caravan instead. Less of a neat solution, but it solves the extra car issue and has the advantage that many 2 berth caravans have quite big end washrooms that would suit your showering arrangements.
 
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Depends on what sort of size you are happy with, we have had a couple of autosleeper Topaz, nice small van that you can park anywhere but still has it's own shower/toilet room, I hate sitting on toilet seats that someone else has heated up :) and always have to have my own bog.
 
scraggs said:
Depends on what sort of size you are happy with, we have had a couple of autosleeper Topaz, nice small van that you can park anywhere but still has it's own shower/toilet room, I hate sitting on toilet seats that someone else has heated up :) and always have to have my own bog.
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Like I said, it's only for the two of us. My lad left home 10 years ago, no pets, just me, Mrs J, and the cameras... (Well OK, food, water, clothing...) Will look into the type you mention.
 
I had a Compass Avantegarde 100 for a couple of years, whcih is one of the smallest coachbuilt ones you can get and had toilet and shower. It was nice and not much bigger than a long-wheel-base high-top transit so you could still get it most places. There's a review of a similar one here: https://www.practicalmotorhome.com/reviews/motorhome/30247-compass-avantgarde-100
In the end it wasn't right for us with two small kids so we sold it. It was brilliant fun to drive around though.

As others have asked, have you tried one? The whole packing everything up before you drive, then unpacking when you arrive somewhere can get a bit tiresome. I think I'd prefer the idea of a caravan where you can leave it on the campsite whilst you drive off in the car to have fun (to those photography sites down tiny winding lanes), then come back to the site to you already setup base.
 
TopBanana said:
As others have asked, have you tried one? The whole packing everything up before you drive, then unpacking when you arrive somewhere can get a bit tiresome. I think I'd prefer the idea of a caravan where you can leave it on the campsite whilst you drive off in the car to have fun (to those photography sites down tiny winding lanes), then come back to the site to you already setup base.
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This is us, we've had a couple of motorhomes, both small and large and while I like the freedom, and the ability to pretty much go anywhere (over the alps for example) we ended up going back to the caravan. Whilst it can be a pain to tow, once you have reached your destination, you just set up and then are free to go off whenever you need, leaving your base in situ.
 
Only way I might do it again would be with an A class like a Hymer, drop down bed and water/waste stored in onboard tanks.
Also had caravans and trailer tents which were fun at the time, but my camping days are over, just too much hassle.
Still members of the C and C Club, in fact just renewed the membership and cards say 30th year, its all changed rather a lot in that time

We tend to stay in hotels or b & b's now and visit one part of the country for a few days, Europe the same except go by Eurostar and connecting trains.

Another factor to consider is height bars restricting access to many places, one of our van campers had an elevating roof which was very handy.

Nearly forgot had a boat too, only a 4 berth 23ft Norman, good fun, but again hassle with maintenance, water, waste, gas, batteries etc etc

Can't stress enough that you need to hire one for a week or two and see if its for you.
 
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TopBanana said:
I had a Compass Avantegarde 100 for a couple of years, whcih is one of the smallest coachbuilt ones you can get and had toilet and shower. It was nice and not much bigger than a long-wheel-base high-top transit so you could still get it most places. There's a review of a similar one here: https://www.practicalmotorhome.com/reviews/motorhome/30247-compass-avantgarde-100
In the end it wasn't right for us with two small kids so we sold it. It was brilliant fun to drive around though.

As others have asked, have you tried one? The whole packing everything up before you drive, then unpacking when you arrive somewhere can get a bit tiresome. I think I'd prefer the idea of a caravan where you can leave it on the campsite whilst you drive off in the car to have fun (to those photography sites down tiny winding lanes), then come back to the site to you already setup base.
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Can recommend the Eriba Touring range of caravans. Have owned four in the past - superb and different. Low profile for towing and not unlike a motorhome inside!
 
Just sold our VW California after 3 years.Just not using it enough.
Whatever you choose will be a compromise. A camper van sounds the most versatile for you but no shower or (usually) toilet.
There is lots and lots of choice out there. Try motorhomefun forum, it will give you a flavour of motorhome life and also has
van info.

Thinking of a caravan next as we do like to stay on a decent site and explore locally.
 
My wife and I gave up on the whole motorhome thing. We had an Eldis Autoquest which is basically a fiat van done out.

The costs were more than we expected and if you couldn't stay in the exact place you wanted, you had to drive the blasted thing around.
That's no fun on Narrow Cornish or Scottish roads.

I know you ruled it out but we go B+B but, for us, it actually worked out cheaper in the long run.
 
Thanks all for your responses.

Mrs J has had "another idea"...

The whole point of this was to go to all the places we have talked about going. My idea was to be fairly free to move (or stay) in an area without having to make reservations (We spent 6 days this year on Mull, never saw an Eagle in flight, the day we came home the weather cleared up... I didn't want to be constrained by bookings etc. It was going to be a 12 month adventure, generating content for a blog and a possible book later.

We are now looking at 2 months in the spring, a couple of weeks in the summer, and a month in the autumn, that way we can catch landscapes & migration periods. Will try and sort out some self catering sites, try and get a discount for 3 weeks at a time, and make that a base to do some adventures. This also means I get to keep my beloved car, so I think I'm coming round to the idea.....

Will probably rent a camper van or two while we do this though...
 
My friends have just done this, went to Danbury, got a second hand van T5 or T6. Basically Danbury found them a nearly new van and converted it to their specific needs, although they also have others for sale that are ready.
Quite a neat job, heater, two beds, pop up roof, build in loo and kitchen
http://www.danburymotorcaravans.com/
 
Jelster said:
Thanks all for your responses.

Mrs J has had "another idea"...

The whole point of this was to go to all the places we have talked about going. My idea was to be fairly free to move (or stay) in an area without having to make reservations (We spent 6 days this year on Mull, never saw an Eagle in flight, the day we came home the weather cleared up... I didn't want to be constrained by bookings etc. It was going to be a 12 month adventure, generating content for a blog and a possible book later.

We are now looking at 2 months in the spring, a couple of weeks in the summer, and a month in the autumn, that way we can catch landscapes & migration periods. Will try and sort out some self catering sites, try and get a discount for 3 weeks at a time, and make that a base to do some adventures. This also means I get to keep my beloved car, so I think I'm coming round to the idea.....

Will probably rent a camper van or two while we do this though...
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That sounds like a much nicer annd no doubt economical way to go about things, hope you have a great time and look forward to seeing a few photos
 
Bought a large Motorhome 4 yrs ago, haven't regretted it. Spend quite a number of weekends away in it.

Loo: Fine - it has a Thetford chemical toilet and is easy to use.

Shower: Less satisfactory - uses your water quickly. Fills your waste water tank quickly. We use it for emergencies only and usually use the site facilities which are usually good.
 
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