Try Before You Buy Free Trial (Part 3)

Try Before You Buy (Part 3)
 
This story will only make sense (I hope) if you read “Try Before You Buy Free Trial (Part’s 1 & 2)”.
 
Part 3 of this story starts as we head out away from the SwiftGo base in Stockport, onto the conveniently located M60 towards our first stop in Shrewsbury. Now I should say here that I am not going to say exactly which sites we stopped at, as this is a review of Try Before You Buy and the Motorhome experience. Suffice to say we did a round robin trip taking in Shrewsbury, Brecon Beacons, Cheltenham, Telford and Whitchurch.
 
Right at the outset we had decided we would not only be trying the Motorhome but also using it as we hope to use a Motorhome, should we eventually go on to buy one a few years down the road. Having done the 2 weeks here and 3 weeks there around the UK in a Caravan, we now wanted to look at much longer trips with short hops and short stays around mainland Europe. With that in mind and our preference for sites with WC and shower facilities rather than ‘wild camping’, we booked 5 sites, with 3 one night stops and 2 two night stops.
 
As we headed for our first 1 night stop, the first thing that was obvious were the noise levels inside the Motorhome. Clearly, being used to a caravan all the rattling pots, pans and cupboards etc were a few metres behind us in a separate box. We were therefore unprepared for the sudden realisation that in a Motorhome you are sharing the same box with all these noises and it came as a shock.
 
(Learning Point 1)
Pack the Motorhome better to reduce noise levels.
 
Something we had prepared for however was the new setup for carrying our two miniature schnauzers. Whilst caravanning, they would travel in a secure cage built permanently into our towing vehicle, in the Motorhome that was not an option. Before picking up the Motorhome we had therefore been on line and ordered 2 dog harnesses complete with retaining straps that secured the dogs to the seats in the rear of the Motorhome via the existing seatbelt buckles. The addition of their usual throws on the seats, meant they soon settled into the new travel arrangements despite the noise.
 
On arrival at our first site, for a 2 night stay we filled the on board tank and went on to our pitch. The pitch was flat and level and there was very little front to rear difference in the ride height of the Motorhome so we saw no reason to use the ramps provided, later stops would require them.
 
Once on the pitch we plugged in the electric hookup and then we saw the massive positive of a Motorhome over a caravan. There were no tables, chairs, water barrels, waste pipes, awnings or any other paraphernalia blocking the habitation area that had to be unloaded on arrival. In fact we only had 1 large storage box in the habitation area, containing all the doggy ‘stuff’. For none dog owners reading this it is much like taking children on holiday with you. Rain coats x 2, heavy warm coats x 2, food for morning, noon and evening for 2 dogs for 7 days, water additive x 1, chew sticks x 14, dog first aid kit and medication box, dog towels x 4, dog throws x 4, favourite toys x 4, dog brush x 1, dog treats, poo bags 100… I could go on but you get the idea JThis box was carried in the habitation area because it wouldn’t fit in the ‘locker’ at the rear of this particular Motorhome. We subsequently met other Motorhome users on site who had much larger rear lockers, so large they are often referred to as a garage. The trade off to get a large ‘garage’ is that the beds tend to sit higher inside the habitation area, but we could see that for the able bodied this was a small price with big rewards. Having completely clear floor space inside the Motorhome means you can stop en-route to make a cup of tea and a meal without clambering over things. Once on site you can plug in the EHU and your set for the night unless you choose to embrace some outdoor living.
 
(Learning Point 2)
Buy a Motorhome with a large ‘garage’ to keep the habitation area clear.
 
Once the EHU was plugged in and the dog box put outside, I then set about trying to remember what we had been told on handover about the electrics, heating and TV. Obviously there were manuals and a quick setup guide in the hire Motorhome, but being a man this wasn’t really the way forward. Thankfully the controls were much the same as you find in any modern caravan so prior experience and some trial and error all services were up and running, but this would have happened much quicker had I read the manual.
 
(Learning Point 3)
Make sure you take the Manuals for all onboard services, even if you think you know how they work.
 
For this first part of our adventure we had packed the basic food, drink and toiletry items to get us through the first day and night. This is because one of the fundamental differences between a caravan and a Motorhome is that it is not always possible to get to the local shops in tiny villages with a Motorhome. Whereas once the caravan is setup on site you can pop to the shops in the tow car with little restriction.
 
(Learning Point 4)
When booking sites or planning overnight stops on Aire’s , make sure you know where the large out of town supermarkets are, so you can call in and stock up before arriving on site. Alternatively, choose locations where local amenities are within short walking distance.
 
After an evening of dog walking, tv/radio etc we eventually retired for the evening. Utilising the fixed rear double island bed that was a standard feature in the hired Motorhome, we initially thought this was on our list of must have features as it was a setup we were happy with in our caravan. However, like many Motorhomes and Caravans for that matter the double bed mattress and sub frame, push up towards the headboard to provide greater access during the day and pull down for night use. It was only when we pulled the mattress and sub frame out for sleeping on that we found the bottom corner rested up against a small shelf making exit for that 2am wee impossible without clambering over the mattress. For us that seemed to defeat the object of an island bed?
 
(Learning Point 5)
When you think you have found that ideal Motorhome layout by viewing them in a showroom, make sure you put things like beds, captains chairs and tables into the position they will be used rather than the position they are in for viewing.
 
A good night sleep behind us, we woke refreshed, enjoyed an onboard breakfast and used the site facilities for ablutions. Prior to departure we then spent about 30 minutes packing and padding things that we believed were causing the rattles and noises experienced the previous day. We then made our way to the Motorhome point found on most sites where we emptied the onboard grey water tank directly into the drain provided. I will not dwell on this next point in case your about to have your tea, suffice to say the onboard toilet had only been used for the odd wee, so the levels were extremely low and we decided it would be fine to travel with it that way. A judgement call that was subsequently proved to be correct. If however the levels are ‘greater’ you may want to consider emptying it before you travel. Once under way, we realised that the noise levels inside the Motorhome were considerably reduced from the previous day. Repeating and expanding this packing routine virtually eliminated noise inside the Motorhome as the week went on.
 
(Learning Point 6)
Think about what could rattle and bang about inside the Motorhome and think of creative packing solutions to prevent it.
 
There is no point in boring you to tears with day 2, day 3 etc, etc, which is basically a variation on the first day experiences. I will now just skip to some other key points that we learned during our 1 week hire period.
 
(Learning Point 7)
If you park a 7.4m long Motorhome in a pay and display car park, first look for Motorhome specific parking bays. If you must park across 2 parking bays, ‘most’ car parks will accept payment for 1 bay so long as all 4 wheels are within one parking bay, despite the overhang covering another. If you cant get all 4 wheels in one bay, pay for 2.
 
(Learning Point 8)
If you hire a Motorhome the Height, Width and Length are usually on a label visible to the driver, if you buy your own, find out these dimensions and put your own label in. Its amazing how you suddenly start noticing bridge heights and road width restriction signs when you start driving such a large vehicle and you really don’t want to be guessing.
In Conclusion.
For us, the decision to change from a Caravan to a Motorhome was helped considerably by actually using a hired Motorhome for a week. It is not just a different layout, it is a completely different touring experience with pro’s and con’s. For us the former far outweigh the latter but you really need to experience the difference to make your own decision.
 
As it happens and more by luck than judgement, we found there no less than 3 good size Motorhome dealers with a short distance of some of our overnight stays on this trip so we visited them all. On the final day of our trip, armed with the knowledge and experience of our trip we returned to one of those dealers and ordered a brand new Motorhome.. The adventures continue >>>
 
If you decide that the Caravan and Motorhome Club sponsored Try Before You Buy scheme is something you are now considering, then please follow this link to the Try Before You Buy page:
 
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/guide-to-buying-hiring-vehicles/try-before-you-buy-hire/motorhome-hire-before-you-buy/

 
If you book try before you buy through the caravan and motorhome club rather than directly with Swift Go, as non-members you will get access to our 2700 stunning UK Club sites during your hire period and members save 15% and get a free collision damage waiver when they hire.