Advice Please from 7.5m or longer MH owners
After much thought and searching for a MH with an internal layout that suits us ( we spent a full day at NEC this year ) we have found a MH that we think will work for us but having never owned a MH but caravnning for over 20 years I thought I would seek some thoughts from you guys.
We are looking at a Rapido A Class 7.49m and 2.35m wide.
We plan to use this in UK and Ireland for weekends etc but also in southern France / Spain for perhaps 3-4 months in winter and a month in June each year.
We are used to towing an 8m twin axle caravan with a long tow car and have done so in France previously.
So my question is will we experience any difficulty with this length of MH in Europe. Naturally we are used to ditching the caravan in a site and using our tow car for sightseeing. That will change as the MH will need to be our transport. To get the layout we want this is the length we need in a MH so its no use saying we should go smaller as it wont suit us.
Anyone in a MH this length who would care to offer advice re Europe??
Comments
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As an owner of a 10 metre motorhome my experience in France is that you will have no problem, be accommodated without issue and welcomed. I believe from others with similar vehicles that Spain is also not a problem regarding length.
The UK naturally cannot be relied upon to be so accommodating although many sites state a maximum length of 9 metres. If in doubt we always call the site direct to ensure they understand our needs. We tow a car on a trailer and our maximum length on the road is 15 metres. You will soon learn who your favorite welcoming sites are.
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I have an 8 meter long motorhome and usually find height and width more of a problem than length. Many Continental sites have a love of trees for shade which I don't like, they always seem to be in the way and if you value your nerves, narrow roads are to be avoided if possible. Not much different to towing a caravan really. It is generally much easier to park a motorhome on the Continent to visit places. The only time I miss not having a car is if staying on one site for a long time. There is then always the option to hire one and public transport is usually good and cheap. The only time I tow a car is in the UK and that depends on where I am going and what my plans are.
peedee
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We changed over to an 8m Motorhome last year, and with some trepidation took it abroad for two months earlier this year. We needn’t have worried. Travelled via the Chunnel and enjoyed using a mixture of Aires and Sites. Tended to aim for Aires that advertised as being suitable for large units and found there to be plenty available. We avoided Toll motorways(apart from Portugal where the main roads are dreadful) as due to being over 3.5 tonne our speed was limited so we couldn’t make the progress a smaller vehicle would make. Therefore it made more sense to use the National routes and enjoy the scenery. Invest in a good map, there are plenty of Apps you can use on your phone, we used to compare reviews from different sites. We didn’t pre-book, just showed up. Occasionally we were unlucky and had to move on, but it wasn’t hard. We also met lots of people enroute who were happy to share their advice. At times we wish the van was smaller (usually in supermarket car parks) but like you the layout works for us. We don’t tow a car and tend to do a big shop on our way to places, topping up with fresh provisions in local towns and villages. Good Luck and Enjoy it.
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For the last 3yrs we have owned a 8.8mtr Motorhome and we also tow a Toyota Aygo on an a-frame and have never experienced any problems at all in the UK .We don’t do abroad so can’t comment but I believe it’s much the same over there.The 10yrs prior to our Arto we owned American RV,s the longest of which 37ft and we towed the car and never had a problem.
My advice to you is if you have found the Motorhome to suite you then go for it you will be fine .Enjoy your travels.
Brian & Jo
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whilst some still tow on an A- Frame in France, other European countries are far hotter at picking up this illegal practice.
yes, in the uk, you'll probably be fine, but in Spain.....no....
you can use a trailer, but this brings a who.e raft of others PITAs...space on the pitch, positioning the trailer etc, etc....
if you don't have them (and you cycle) have a look at a decent pair of long range electric bikes, perfect for pootling around the Spanish countryside. add a couple of panniers and even the odd shopping trip is easy.....
weve done (together) almost 25,000 km on ours...wouldn't be without them.
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I also use a 7.5m Rapido and often tow a trailer with car, (AYGO), and frankly find much less problems abroad than in the UK where I find pitches can be a bit smaller, but fundamentally have never had a problem with the size on site. I would tend to avoid using a large motorhome when visiting towns/villages though, mainly due to the parking issues. As mentioned above the biggest issue I've had is the width, in my case when using supermarket filling stations, although the one I had problems in would be too narrow for any coachbuilt or A class motorhome.
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I suppose we are all different in how we arrange our travels and what one does might not suit another. We have a motorhome of similar length, although a bit wider. We tend to work on the basis of staying in places where we can walk or use public transport. Usually pretty easy to achieve in Europe and surprising also in the UK. If you prefer out of the way campsites then perhaps not such a good plan! Once parked up we always leave the motorhome on site as we shop locally or en route. We do have a couple of folding electric bikes if we fancy a trip which is a bit far to walk. You can of course tow a small car but that will add some inconvenience to your journeys. A-Frames are not really legal anywhere but the UK and France seem to be more relaxed about their use. Spain seems to be the main problem country from reports I have seen online. In other countries you might be stopped and allowed to continue or asked the uncouple and continue. If you use a trailer which is legal to use you have the problem of storing it on the pitch when you arrive or having enough space on an Aire.
David
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Our Broadway is 6.3m so we don’t qualify but all I can say is that it is manageable but we would like something less than 6m so may look at PVCs next time. Large motorhomes are fine on French sites and most roads, less so on Italian sites where many places that we have stayed would be a struggle. You also find that the larger the vehicle the more limited places you can stop. There are large supermarkets in France where you can park almost anything but some smaller ones get quite tight.
The other point to make is that a 7.5m Motorhome is a darned sight easier to manoeuvre than a towed caravan so I wouldn’t worry too much.
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Hi S2SAP,
We have an 8m Kontiki, had it just over 2 years. Like you we were caravanners for a long time and chose the 8m model because it suited us. Great storage. We took a lot of stick about the length whilst we were awaiting delivery. Since then we have done over 15,000 miles, mainly in France and Spain and a little in the UK and have had few issues. Occasionally things get tight on camp sites but nothing serious or that stopped us doing what we wanted. When we had the caravan we also had two big dogs so were used to restrictions with visiting places and shopping, but we made it work for us. Now we dont have the dogs, but like BB, we bought a couple of e-bikes. Like David, for us it is a mix of shopping en-route, bikes, buses or walking and we get by. We have not had any issues on ferries or the tunnel.
You didnt mention your weight. If you are over 3.5t you will experience some restrictions, especially in France and Spain, mainly in small towns and villages.
We have recently looked at smaller vans, thinking ahead, but will probably stick with what we have for some time because it works for us.
Go for it and enjoy.
BillC
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Hello S2SAP
We have an 8m Autotrail but looked very closely at the Rapido - it's a lovely van. Like everyone else who has replied we have found the size is not a problem. Some pitches in Spain can be a bit tight and the overhead trees for shade can be a problem but, as always, if you take it carefully you should not have a problem. Haven't had any problem on sites in France. We also have two folding e-bikes which fit in the rear locker and they are just brilliant for getting about locally. We actually moved from a 7.5m van with a bike rack to an 8m van with extra locker space and found it made access to the bikes easier and gave additional internal space.
Have fun
Gerry
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