Motorhomes

[Tinytom]

We got our first motorhome 18 yrs ago ...
A hymer b694 ...7.7metres long...it was a lovely comfortable vehicle ...
After 3 years sold the hymer and bought a caravan so we could travel around in our car ....we found we didnt use it much so after 2 years sold it and had our holidays in cottages ....
Three years ago we bought an Autotrail Chieftain 8 metres in length...luxurious inside ..leather interior and a fixed bed ...we soon found it was difficult to get around smaller places and bought a brand new motorhome and a range rover sport .....
Having 5 dogs it wasn't ideal and when our pack died within 15 months and we bought a deerhound pup we decided to sell the caravan and the range rover and bought a Peugeot van with a ramp to accommodate deerhound pup number 2 and went back to cottage holidays ....But ....cottages were becoming so expensive...the last one we stayed in was a converted flint shed was so small and was £1,000 for a week we decided to buy another motorhome but smaller with no fixed bed ....
In may we bought an autotrail cheyenne and it's perfect lots of floor space for our boys ....
We had our first trip in it to Devizes next to the canal by caen locks ....it was lovely and being smaller in length easier to get around ...
We are off in 3 weeks to tour wales ...cant wait

 

[JoanneF]

Enjoy Wales!

We started with rear lounge and over-cab bed models but with ageing in mind, we now have a Burstner with a drop down hydraulic bed. It means the bed is left made up, and at the touch of a button it goes up to the ceiling.

It's the ideal way for us to holiday, because Timber just comes everywhere with us. One of our favourite places is Keswick, it's incredibly dog friendly.

Safety is something we take seriously, before we had a dog we were involved in a collision. A young woman lost control driving towards us and went into a spin, she smacked off our front end then hit the parapet of the bridge we were on. She was going so hard she still knocked the top row of blocks off the parapet. Anyway, our stop was so sudden, everything flew forward, including the fridge which actually broke through its cabinet. So, Timber has a crash tested safety belt. I did a bit of reading and a lot of these crash tested car safety belts are only tested to stop the dog becoming a missile inside the car, they are designed to protect the passengers and not the dog. Kurgo do one that protects the dog too.

 

[Tinytom]

It's so funny because we started off with the hydraulic bed and now have a L shaped end lounge and we sleep in the overcab bed (the coffin)we did find the steep ladder a laugh and have now mastered it ...I am 52 and bob is 67 but luckily are both fit and agile ...when we can longer get up and down we may have to buy another ....
Do you stay in campsites @JoanneF .....it would be nice to recommend where we have stayed

 

[arealhuman]

We have a campervan, it's our first vehicle like this. Previously I did most of my exploring on a motorbike, often venturing into Wales for 8-10 hours at a time (longest single ride into Wales without a stop other than fuel/toilet was 15 hours!). I'm in Devon, so it's a bit of a slog before the exploring starts!

During the pandemic and the prohibition on venturing out, I completely fell out of love with bikes. No idea why, I've been into them since 1988 and always had one, apart from 6 months after my son was born. I traded the bike in for a new car. What does this have to do with motorhomes, I hear you ask? Well, I missed all the exploring, and was keen to take our dog at the time, Jimmy, on adventures with me (and my wife, of course ). So we ended up buying a campervan, only 5m long so we could keep it on our drive. It has a back seat that folds down into a full size double bed, a two burner gas hob, fridge and clean water tank. We have a portaloo which fits in the back and can be used discretely. As it's van sized, it's good for getting about, especially down some of the smaller lanes we have in Devon (and Cornwall), although because of this it now has scratches up the sides where branches and the like have made contact I'd like a bigger motorhome, but I'd have to be able to keep it at home and at the moment the cost is prohibitive (insanely so). I can't stand upright in our van, my wife can - just - and it can be cramped when cooking with the dog inside trying to see what's going on. We're thinking we might get a standalone awning as an extra room which might help, but those are expensive too!

We don't use our van as much as we should really. We've had a couple of local outings, day trips mostly, which have been enjoyable, but I need to plan something further afield. We've stayed away for a couple of nights in Cornwall with Rusty, he seemed happy sleeping away from home.

@Tinytom - Wales, lovely place to visit, I love the scenery. A place I can recommend is Elan Valley, a route around reservoirs to the east of Aberystwyth. It is narrow in places though, scope it out on Google street view first! The scenery is stunning though, a go-to place of mine on the bike (8 hours to the minute on my bike). Recently went up with my wife before we got Rusty, took the longer route home, 10 hours driving for me! You can also get all seasons in one trip up there, so be wary of that, too!

 

[Tinytom]

We are staying near the Elan valley ...we usually spend 2 nights in each site so we can see alot more than staying in a cottage ...

 

[JoanneF]

Do you stay in campsites

Sometimes - we often do that for long weekends. But we actually looked at visiting England and Wales next month (we live in Scotland). But we found that even mixing sites, CLs, pub stops and wilding, the cost was going to be more than going to Europe and using aires. Campsites have got really expensive, even with club membership and age concession discounts, we were quoted £55 for a night! Admittedly that was in the lake district but even so ...

 

[Tinytom]

Campsites went up after lockdown ...we stayed at devizes was £78 for 2 night ..
Going to Brecon beacons no facilities...22 pitches ..grass with electric and awning £14 a night ...
There are some cheaper sites out there ...but they are getting harder to find ..

 

[JoanneF]

Portugal, earlier this year. Every space had its own tap and electricity bollard. A drain ran the length of the area, if you positioned yourself right, you could leave your waste water tank open to drain straight in. Gorgeous views over the Douro River and over to the vineyards.

€3 per night.

Because we are retired we can spend longer so our crossing fees work out better value. I could have a month abroad for the cost of a week here.

 

[Tinytom]

Wished we had facilities like that here .....

 

[JoanneF]

Wished we had facilities like that here .....

There are a few springing up. Have you heard of CampRA? They are the Campaign for Real Aires and they are involved in having aire type stopovers set up all over the UK.

Two little problems though. First, in Europe, if you go to an aire and you don't like the look of it or can't get on, you can find another one within about 10 miles. Here, if you can't get on an aire, there simply aren't enough of them to find an alternative easily. And a lot of campsites have been fully booked over summer so you can't even guarantee getting on one of them as another option.

Second, I think they are overpriced. We stayed on one recently and it was £17.50. Compare that with Europe and it's quite high. There's an aire we like in France, it has well spaced out hardstanding pitches with hedges between them, 16 amps of electricity, WiFi, showers (an extra €1), a barbecue and picnic benches for €7.75.

The most we have paid on an aire in Europe was about €15. But that's unusual.

 

[JoanneF]

@Tinytom

I don't know if you are aware of this, but I just saw this on a motorhome forum, it will affect your trip to Wales.

A default 20mph speed limit starts throughout Wales on September 17th.

So, wherever the default limit was 30 - as defined by lit street lights - will now be 20.

Just to be helpful, and in a move guaranteed to catch you out, the Welsh government are taking down most existing 20 signs. New 20 signs are being erected all over the place, including on A roads but, if you don't see a 20 sign, don't assume it doesn't apply. To further confuse, county councils are able to define sections of road which are exempt from this new law.

 

[Tinytom]

Thanks @JoanneF
We will be leaving the 16th sept but will keep that in mind

 

[RGC]

Thanks @JoanneF
We will be leaving the 16th sept but will keep that in mind

Have sent you a note.