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newbie seeking advice

2K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  Pudsey_Bear 
#1 ·
Hello

my name is Paul and I am a total newbie on this site looking for guidance and advice
At the moment I don’t even own a MH but I intend to buy one and became a member of this site to ask the people in the know and who have owned and spent time in MH’s for help in my choice of purchase

As a lover of history of these isles especially, castles, historical buildings, sites and ruins fascinate me and I have ambitions to spend 12 months initially travelling around beautiful Britain and visiting and blogging my travels and the sites I come across

I will be travelling mainly on my own so the motorhome i require has to very reliable & only needs to be a 2-3 berth at the least but with enough space to feel comfortable and not cramped as I will living in it full time
The MH needs to be homely and I’ll definitely need a shower as I like to be active and I intend to park up and cycle a lot and also as I will be spending winter in the MH, warmth will be a priority too!!

I like the idea of a low profile van and to keep below 6m in length also with a budget of approx £20k and hope I am not asking for too much :wink2::grin2:

I look forward to your replies and suggestions

Thank you in advance

Paul
 
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#2 ·
Hi and Welcome Paul. That was my budget when I got our first van over eleven years ago and I still have it. I didnt spend it all on the van though. We fitted a scooter and rack, satellite TV Dome and refillable gas (Gaslow) cylinders. Since then we added solar panels.

I think the best thing to do is start seeing a few vans and decided on the layout you like. Some prefer fixed beds some prefer rear lounges. Personally I prefer the rear lounge front dinette layout as it offers more living space but you need to try both. Our van is 7.5 metres long and a six berth and I wouldnt want anything smaller for long term touring. I would like a PVC type van but Ive never been able to figure out how it would work for us as we carry a lot of stuff which brings me on to Payload. Choose a van that has a generous payload which is how much weight you can carry before its over its legal limit.
 
#10 ·
We full timed for 3 years in a Hymer B544. They have a drop down bed which was a "must have" for us. It is always made up ready for falling into :) We were two adults and two dogs. She took us all over Europe and we never wished she was any bigger.
Think about how much room you actually take up. You are either sitting or standing in the van or you are outside! Our main criteria was to be able to stand up straight, sit down to eat and a comfy bed. The Hymer fitted all those criteria. We could park it in a supermarket car park as long as there was a grass verge or similar for the slight hangover at the back. The heating was amazing! Shower was pretty good too :)
We found that we off loaded a lot of "stuff" as we went along but everyone is different.
 
#14 ·
Some more sage advice there Barry and another tip for the list

Does the length of MH make much difference if travelling on a ferry cost wise?

thanks mate!!
No, totally insignificant in the great scheme of things when long terming. I would consider getting across to Mainland Europe though, especially France, Germany and Italy as its just so much easier for motorhomes and many great free places to stay
 
#15 ·
Welcome to the forum Paul!

When my husband and I were full-timing we'd a 7.3m van with permanent single beds, suited us admirably. The beds were great as, with my husband's condition, he needed to go to bed NOW, not in half an hour, so I just looked for the next suitable layby and as soon as I parked he was in bed!

Some time after I became solo I downsized to 6.2m, still with a permanent bed above the garage (plus a dropdown at the front for visitors). We'd many years of caravanning with the family, making the beds up every night n I wasn't keen to go back to that. I know many folk say it's no problem but it's something I prefer not to do. Depends on yourself. Keep in mind that when the bedclothes are not on the bed they need somewhere elso to be stored.

I did seriously consider a PVC when downsizing but although the designs were very clever regarding storage, I felt it was a step too far. I also felt the insulation in a PVC wouldn't be as good as a coachbuilt or A-class. And I didn't want to be the one annoying the life out of the neighbours opening and closing that big side door!!

I'm very happy with my Exsis-I 504 as a solo van tho I wouldn't want to share the space for too long.

Regarding your type of touring, I'm a member of the National Trust (and also English Heritage) and when I'm not on the continent I do my best to bankrupt these organisations conducting my own version of the Elizabethan tour!
 
#17 ·
Hi Paul and welcome to MHF, I might suggest and Autocruise Wentworth, this though is a front lounge but comes with a really good kitchen and bathroom, another might be the Bessacarr E745, again a front lounge with good kitchen and bathroom but more storage, both within the £20k.

@patp We're members of NTS and have only managed to stay in one car park which was attached to house or garden, the managers always say no when we've asked, to do with the security we're told, has there been a change of attitude as it's about two years since we last asked, we do of course stay in remote car parks RSPB are also ones we have used in the past.
 
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#19 ·
Hi Paul and welcome to MHF, I might suggest and Autocruise Wentworth, this though is a front lounge but comes with a really good kitchen and bathroom, another might be the Bessacarr E745, again a front lounge with good kitchen and bathroom but more storage, both within the £20k.

@patp We're members of NTS and have only managed to stay in one car park which was attached to house or garden, the managers always say no when we've asked, to do with the security we're told, has there been a change of attitude as it's about two years since we last asked, we do of course stay in remote car parks RSPB are also ones we have used in the past.
I did say "it is free to park" not free to stay overnight. Just helps, when you are visiting an area, to know of a quiet place to spend the day before looking for an overnight site.
 
#20 ·
Yes but all NT members know they can park for free if they have the NT sticker in the screen so I naturally took it to mean overnight, we have parked in numerous remote NT car parks with no problems though.
 
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