Why not use your Motorhome
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We like walking and cycling, we choose where to go based on being able to carry out either or both. We're fortunate enough to still being fit enough to do so. So while that is the case, we don't want to go out in the MH once on site. Using it in that way suits us and we have no wish to change it. Should there come a time when things get more difficult, health-wise for example, then it'll be soon enough for a re-think. We don't stay on sites for weeks on end, we tour and stay around 3 or 4 nights, occasionally a week, but not very often.
That, to us, is our freedom. Free to walk and free to cycle.
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I was certainly not asking for ‘details’ but genuinely wondering what it was about the ‘towing’ that prompted the move.
My reading of how persons use a MH is along the lines that InaD posted earlier in that it requires users to be able, and prepared, to walk and/or cycle and that’s why I was curious.
I am of course looking at this from my own personal view point which means that I may not be aware of issues affecting others but, unless I ask, I will remain ignorant of something that could affect me in the future.
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When in the uk and touring we tend to tow my small car on its A frame. We are quite happy just using the mh but if we wish to visit our sons, neither of which live within 300 miles of us, we have to take the car. We stay on cl's as near to them as possible but still need a car to get to their houses, no parking suitable for the mh. If we are not going as far south as they live we tend not to take the car as it won't be needed.
Over the water a different story, mh's are much better catered for and an additional vehicle while nice to have really isn't needed.
When we are out and about in Scotland we tend to just use the mh and bikes, moves between sites are opportunities to explore and visit new places. We tend to only stay 3 or 4 nights and shopping is done on the drives.
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AD, its me that wont tow a caravan but happy to drive mh. OH happy to tow and has been for the last 40 years. We changed to a mh for 2 reasons, the first was because I wont tow and the second was because we wanted to
knowing we were going to be spending up to 6 months abroad we thought we would give it a go so far we have not regretted it.1 -
But that is exactly why it's good to read about the experiences of others and not just read the views of those that have not witnessed first hand the pros and cons. These helpful contributions, warts and all, give at least an insight rather than probably ill conceived opinion and can help those who may feel they are making a leap of faith aware of the advantages and disadvantages. Many, I'm sure, have found this 'journey' positive which ever way their decision went. For the open minded and dare I say it the wise, that's one of the beauties of such social media.
When I see a motorhome towing a small car I think there goes folk who have more than likely got it right for them!
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Thank you to all who have contributed to this thread. The views have been very interesting and hopefully of help to those who may be considering changing to a motorhome and give guidance on what style to choose.--------Cycling and walking is a good way of getting about locally from the campsite but that is not an option for many motorhomers. -----If some motorhome owners refuse to visit any sites or CL's unless there is nearby public transport they are sadly missing out on most of the best sites in the UK. The motorhome is versatile and can visit anywhere that can be accessed by delivery vans so IMO, if you want to visit places previously mentioned, unplug your electric cable, start the engine and go, you have all your own facilities with you.
K
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The point is that you can't follow to that destination in your car and caravan which the motorhome can. We have had some wonderful holidays on remote and tranquil sites where only smaller motorhomes and campervans could go. Yes you could visit in your car but if you wanted to stay over night or a few nights you would need to use a tent or at best a camping pod which on a couple of these sites are available to you.
Our friends with the motorhome and tiny towed car can also uncouple and drive those difficult miles separately. They are then free to use this car at will for the duration of that stay. For them it works very well and opens up more opportunities for overnighting in beautiful, remote places.
Hope this helps the understanding.
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I don't think it's about trying to persuade any one that a Motorhome is better than a caravan ,we have caravaned for nearly 20 years ,but due to my wife's health a change to a Motorhome was better for us , there are pro's and con's for both. AD, enjoy your good health and make the most of it ,do what is right for you at the time ,but who knows what the future holds and how we will all get away with what vehicle that suits us at the time
never say never............
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In the last 12 months we have visited (amongst other places), Lyon and Strasbourg. No way you can take a Motorhome to cities like that because, even if you could find a car park it would probably be as far from the city centre as the site you are staying at.
Agree that for visiting “attractions” then by all means take the vehicle but the only time we take ours off site is to visit a French supermarket.
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The motorhome is versatile and can visit anywhere that can be accessed by delivery vans so IMO, if you want to visit places previously mentioned, unplug your electric cable, start the engine and go, you have all your own facilities with you.
This is only true IF the MH is the size of the delivery van and many are not and to pretend otherwise is at best misleading.
If I was to consider a MH then the size and its impact on my ability to visit places would be part of the consideration and for many MH owners the size of their MH is a restriction.
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whilst theres no getting away from things like height barriers, Brits definitely have a different (more conservative) approach to driving and parking their MHs than continentals...
generally, a continental's view is that he has a MH and is perfectly entitled to drive and park it wherever is legal, not worrying too much about narrow streets in town/city centres...a MH is for driving.
a german family in a bery large MH parked near us at Lychett Manor took the van out every day....i was talking to them later and they went to Wareham, Swanage and Bournemouth....they had no preconceptions of any parking 'problems' and just did what they do at home when touring, use the van.
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Hi BB, I am sure that the attitude of the user will have an impact on what they are prepared to try but once they do try their options are increasingly restricted the larger the van is.
We have two sets of friends that have a MH that we holiday with and one couple use their 8m van far more than we do and have a scooter that they tow on a trailer but the other couple with a 8m van dont have any thing other than shanks pony and hardly use their van.
This couple fell in love with MHs after exporting one to NZ and touring in it for almost 9 months but, while it was perfect for that, they now want to go somewhere and stay rather than tour and they are finding the MH less suited to that.
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That’s why it’s important to make the right choices in size and whether a MH or cvan fits the bill.
Many people get it wrong or their needs change as they go along. It’s quite common.
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BB, I'm impressed by your German family. On the occasions I've driven rather than walked along the river, I struggle to find parking for a car in Wareham.
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CY, yes not easy in Wareham, hence us using their THS site at the rugby ground which is open for weeks on end in the summer.
it was their attitude i was reporting on, based on what they do with MH in Germany....im sure there trip here might not have been strees free, but at least they were 'out there' doing it....
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i was wondering if your friends were once caravanners?
we often hear tales of caravanners who buy MHs thinking its 'caravanning' without the towing/pitching/barrels issues....
well, TW (and many others) happily report theyve left those things behind but they have moved from caravanning to motorhoming, not from 'caravanning' to 'caravanning with a motorhome'.
there are many caravanners who dont see a difference between the two, possibly thinking MHers are being 'snobby' when they describe it thus, but its patently obvious (from tales of your friends and others) that the move from one to another isnt just a straight vehicle swap.
we had no pervious experience of caravanning, and thinking back im so glad as we might have ended up in a caravan and missed out on the way we tour, which would be a right pain in a caravan....
when i see the myriad posts about folk desparate to find continental campsites open at silly times of the night or 'out of season' when travelling abroad, im so glad we just dont have this hassle, we just pull in wherever, theres an aire wherever we go....
BTW, your large Audi (Q5/7?) cant be the easiest vehicle to drive around Cornwall....and this is another thing that would annoy, having a massive towcar that either gets used all the time (and is a pain everywhere except the motorway) or doesnt get used (as you have another vehicle) except for towing a massive caravan.
no, caravanning not for us, too many compromises
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Bolero Boy, you make some very good points but as usual you tend to be selective in your comparisons -
I would suggest that a large MH is more limiting anywhere in this country than a large caravan, downsize both to a small model and the comparisons are fairer.
I totally agree that travelling/ touring on the Continent is easier with a MH but for those who wish to stay in an area for a decent length of time the caravan may come into its own.
If we lived close to the south coast, we would probably buy a MH where we could nip over to France for short breaks in addition to our annual trek, however we don't and do not want to restrict our touring in the rest of the UK. We will soon be off for a shortish break ( for an ET or a week) but we would not like to be limited by the proximity of bus time tables/ walkability/ cycling etc when the weather and conditions will probably be inclement.
If or when our health deteriorates we may reconsider our options
( ET is an abbreviation for 5 nights
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We have done both and if still going "over there" we may again think about getting a motor caravan, but have found that as we now only stay and use mostly cc sites in the uk a towed outfit gives us more space and far better accesability,with the car than any (apart from a small PVC)motor caravan can afford as noted in the past with our M/caravans,and our friends who come in our car when we are on site together
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Grant, i only speak from my own experiences....i dont caravan, i have never caravanned, i dont want to caravan.
if our when our health deteriorates we may consider our options (ie be forced into a car despite not wanting to be)....
the 'health' argument can be used both ways...
TW (and others) have moved to smaller MHs as they find the 'caravanning tasks' more of a strain/hassle.
we have our health now as MHers, yet if i couldnt walk or cycle, it might mean having to have an even smaller vehicle to get about.
this might mean towing a car, moving to a caravan and car or an even smaller MH.
So, i can see the logic of moving to a MH or to a caravan 'for health reasons' depending on your position....it definitelly cuts both ways.
if 'ET' is a definition for 5 nights (
) how do you define a 'decent length of time'?we have stayed on continental sites for many a 'DLOT' but have never once ever considered that we were 'at any disadvantage' without having a car.
longer excursions were taken by organised trip (many over there) or by train (again, far better/cheaper than here) while 20mile radius trips are easy on the ebikes.
now, in the UK, I'll Grant(
) you, the powers that be try ever so hard to make life in MH more tricky, but shorter stays, combined with more local exploration and building in NT/EH visits between sites can still make visits worthwhile.however, i dont know of any area weve visited in the uk that would hold our attention long enough to require a car....if the places of interest are that far away, we'll find a site/cl wherever those interests are.
ISTM, that its too easy to jump in a car, use it for short trips, become dependant on it and then believe that its the only way to get about.
simply not true.
ok, weve got wet on the bikes from time to time (and when out for a walk too (well it is england)) but thats part of the fun, isnt it.
at home, we walk or cycle pretty much every day, and to feel we had to hop in a car every time we wanted to go somewhere wouldnt feel right.
so, IMHO, most of the continental touring we do is even easier in a MH than it is with a caravan, but our stays in the uk are not designed to sit in one place and drive out and back day after day.....we'd soon get bored with that.
our long term continental breaks do (sometimes, eventually) centre around one place, once weve 'arrived' (that often takes weeks), but the thing going for it then, that relieves the potential boredom of a UK DLOT stay, is the level of facilities on most sites and, of course, the weather.....so sitting outside doing nothing is regular valid option, not so easy here.
so, as i said, speaking from my own experience, we dont feel 'disadvantaged', thanks.
...and as TW has pointed out many times, the size of a MH (and where and how often its used there) will have a great bearing on how it suits its owners.
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Untrue Husky, that's why I have no need to comment, but some Motorhomers seem to have a need to
Plus I'm not interested in these petty differences of opinion, in the end we all get the same enjoyment out of it.
Just remember the OP posted this knowing how it would expand.
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"I am still fit but have already ditched the labour intensive practices, we use minimal amounts of water and I top up up our reservoir 5/8 litres at a time , got rid of the conventional awning and wouldn't leave home without a motor mover. Set up as we are now if I couldn't cope with caravanning I probably couldn't drive either."
That's you, David, but we're not all the same as we each have different difficulties we encounter unless we're very lucky.
The intelligent thing is to recognise a problem and find a work around.
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Nope, I’m not trying to justify my decisions but trying to enlighten those who can’t see beyond their own ways.
I do wonder why I bother sometimes.
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