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Yes! We are away and running on our year long trip. Are we full timing? We prefer to think of it as a very extended holiday. So it’s the two of us plus our Chow Chow with the house in the, hopefully, capable hands of my son
So far we’ve been gone 3 weeks – 1 week in the UK and 2 weeks in Belgium and France where we have drifted from Bruges south west and are now down in the Dordogne area.
The reason I’m writing this is that frankly we really are beginners and, although we’ve owned the van for over a year we actually put in very little “real time” due to other commitments. The fact that, so far, the trip has been a great success is due to help received on this site plus reading all the posts. So this is really addressed to those hesitating on the brink not to the “old timers” who know it all anyway and who might disagree with some of my initial impressions.
As a very general point though, the difference between motorhoming in the UK and France and Belgium (the only places we’ve been so far) is staggering. We took 5 days driving up to the Tunnel staying with friends and relatives and I felt faintly harried whenever we wanted to stop for a coffee. With the notable exceptions of the New Forest and the Canterbury Park and Ride, it’s was all a bit of a nightmare on our route unless you are proceeding from campsite to campsite and that’s not quite what we had in mind when we went into this. We did stop at one nice CL on the way but, believe it or not, I got stuck in the mud (and it hadn’t rained for weeks). No doubt it’s better elsewhere but in the South the roads are always busy and the places to stop are very limited – not my idea of fun. In fact, I felt dog tired as we arrived at Folkstone prior to our trip on the Tunnel
Anyway, in no particular order here are some subject headings covering the various aspects of our travels including the performance of the many extras into which we have poured our money over the last year..
The Van
Our Hymer B584 (circa 2001) has behaved exactly as I would expect a Hymer to do and that’s why we bought it. I shudder sometimes when I read poor old Rapide’s posts re his Swift and don’t know how he puts up with it. Ours is a LHD bought originally from Camperama in Belgium but, of course, there’s after sales care available in all the countries we plan to visit except the UK apparently where Brownhills reign supreme.
At just over 6 metres, many will say that it’s too small for the job but remember we are travelling to visit places, not to stay in campsites 10 kms away or overwintering in Spain.. We’re staying away from motorways wherever possible and doing about 80-100 kms a day on average, travelling through the town centres where we can. These Hymer A classes use every inch of available space and are really quite spacious inside and offer a magnificent view of the countryside as we drive along. A lot of this is due to the overhead bed which is lowered in seconds and is supremely comfortable. In addition, we’ve had the bar table conversion done by Peter Hambilton. For those familiar with the bar version, this enables the table to be lowered thus giving you extra space inside. The fridge is large, the oven and grill are more than adequate and it’s just a question of using a small workspace. The only problem so far is the Gaslow system is playing up and I beginning to think I caused it.
French Aires
As brilliant as everyone said. We’ve stayed at 7 so far and I can’t believe how cheap it is. Some have had services - others not. Some adequate- the rest outstanding in places of outstanding beauty. See below. We’ve stayed away from the motorway aires as advised and never felt insecure even when we been alone as on two occasions. Still, I suppose everyone says that until they’ve been robbed.
Camperstop
Combined with TomTom, or another satnav this is a “must have” for people doing our sort of trip. It’s just so easy. Tap in “find nearest Camperstop” and up comes the distances and page numbers. Check it out in the book and, if you like what you see, press the button and away you go. I’ve also got the French Aires books and maps as well but Camperstop covers them all anyway. The only minor drawback I’ve found is that one or two of the GPS positions are about 150 yards out.
ACSI Campsites
Another “must have” IMHO but you need to buy the software and carry a laptop. Although driving from aire to aire is very pleasurable, I’ve found it surprisingly tiring. Our heads hit the pillow soon after 10p.m. with a great Zonk. So we’ve determined that we need to “chill out” at regular intervals and that’s what we’re doing now at Camping les Pins at Payrac. The great beauty of the system is that you can plot your route selecting facilities required- in my case Wi-Fi. I don’t know if this place is typical but it costs 4 euros an hour and it’s surprising what can be achieved by in a couple of hours. Example – I’m offline typing this into Word. When I go online I’ll just copy it and paste it straight into an MHF post.
Internet Access Generally
Obviously, if you need it full time then follow the advice given elsewhere on this site re Internet Access on the move. Most of us, however, just want to check our emails, see how we’re looking at the bank and check the stock market at regular intervals.
Our biggest successes so far have been Skype and my wireless Ipaq. When we arrived at this site we bought a Wi-Fi pass card, sat down under the pine trees with the laptop and using Skype phoned 7-8 people in under an hour. I’d previously spent £10 with Skype which gave me free calls to UK landlines until July. The Ipaq has also come in to its own for emails. Wander round any French town with the wireless on and you’ll soon pick up an open connection and away you go. Of course, you could do the same with your laptop but expect some funny looks. One example is the Calais Aire. There’s an open access point in front of the Hotel/ Restaurant block at the entrance to the site.
Mobiles
I took advice from this site and bought a 0044 global SIM card. I can’t say whether it’s absolutely the best but it works fine.
Dogs
Friends and relatives all think we are mad taking Pebbles but she is, after all, part of the family although, I must admit she’s probably not the most suitable breed for this trip. Well, she’s settled in very well particularly as she gets loads of walks. The major problem is what to with her when we want to go sightseeing. Obviously if we’re very close to town we can walk in but, in Auxerre, I came up with an alternative. The aire just below the town was full and we were staying at the Municipal Campsite about 3 kms out. So we took a taxi for about £5.00 each way. Worked very well and I think that’s the way we’ll go in future in a similar situation.
The thing to remember is that, if you have a dog like ours who is liable to go off wandering if she’s not securely tied and, travelling the way we do, you’ll be stopping at a lot of aires. In most cases, she’s tied to the van with a suitable length of rope but where this not safe due to the proximity of passing vehicles we’ve come up with a solution using dowling and rubber end stops. This enables her to see what’s going on and is perfectly secure. (see below)
Nature Pure Water Filter
One of my best buys. We just don’t worry about who has been doing what at the tap before us and the taste is brilliant.
Halfords 10 litre water carrier.
Another best buy. I expected to be using my 25 metre food quality hose a lot but, in reality, it’s only been out once. We’re only travelling about a quarter full normally following advice from this site and I just use it to top up each day.
Snapoff Steering Wheel
Great for security and also for creating that little extra space when the driver’s chair is rotated and you want to get out of the door. (Remember we are LHD)
Solar Screen
I got mine from Silver Screens and, bearing in mind that we are hoping to be travelling in sunny climes, it’s so much better than using the conventional Silver Screen (which I have got just in case) to keep the heat out. Easier to put up, very light and you can leave the window open. The big thing though is you’re not sitting in a stygian gloom as they let the light through – in fact you could, in an emergency, drive with them on.
TV and Satellite Reception
Now here’s a tricky one. I’ve often wished I’d bought the Maxview crank up system or been able to afford an Oyster or a Camos. However, the reality is that we head for the shade at the first opportunity where it wouldn’t work. Where I’m parked right now under the pine trees, the Maxview portable system is about 10 metres away and reception is fine so I was able to watch Liverpool beat Chelsea last tonight – Hooray.. On one aire, I watched a Frenchman moving his van backwoods and forwards for 2 hours to get his fully automatic Alden system working. As you can see, I’m still undecided about the best solution.
Incidentally, I copied a post recently about how to change to the South beam. Tried it as an experiment but no joy with my Pace box. If anyone knows – please tell me.
Air-Conditioning
If you are going south, get it – no argument. Ideally you’ll have cab and habitation but if, like me, you have no cab aircon go for the 12v/240V system. Ours has been a life saver particularly if you’re travelling with a dog and more so as you can leave it running off the battery for half an hour when you’re shopping in the supermarket.
Gaslow
I’ve only filled up twice in my life but here in France it’s plentiful and the adaptor worked fine. Gas seems very cheap and lasts a long time – I’d used about 13 kg in 2 weeks. A good investment if you’re away for a long time. But make sure your regulator doesn’t fall down as mine has. I’m sitting here trying to sort it out with Gaslow in England who have been very helpful.
Prices in France
Not as cheap as I remember with the exception of diesel, wine and beer. If you’re planning on eating out every night at that simple French restaurant and enjoying a bottle of wine, take a lot of money with you.
Safari Room
We actually have the Omnistor Safari Residence, a slightly more robust version. As I struggle with putting it up and taking it down, I curse the day that I didn’t buy a driveaway job. BUT when it’s up, I think this really is the biz. It’s windproof, weatherproof and secure enough for a dog to be left in. So I just don’t know. We’ve decided to use it only when we stop for 3 or more days. We’ve also got a Dutch Windbreak with us but it’s too soon to report on that.
Cobb Barbecue
I had two attempts at cooking on this prior to our departure and it was a bit of a disaster. The charcoal was burnt out before the chicken was cooked. I phoned up the man at Cobb with my problems and he said that the charcoal I was using was cheap and nasty. He recommended Australian Busy Bee. Having searched all over Cornwall, I finally had to buy it from Cobb direct. But he was right. We cooked steaks last night very successfully and it was still red hot 3 hours later. So I would say great product, easy to store but use good charcoal and probably only use in a campsite where you have decent washing up facilities as they’re a little too large for the typical motorhome sink.
Laptop
If you can, take it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be writing this or maintaining my digital photo library as we travel around. Security wise, I have one of those cable locks which is bolted to a fixing at one end and to the computer in a cupboard at the other and this is what we use when we leave the van. Our trip would not be possible without my Dell laptop but I appreciate that not everyone has the need for regular contact. I suggest that if you buy one for this purpose get the bigger battery pack. You’ll need it.
Bio-Magic
Having read all the rave reports about this product, I invested in about 3 months supply. I’m a little ambivalent towards it now. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong but it’s not as odour free as I hoped. Yes, before you ask, I did get rid of all those nasty chemical residues by washing through many times. I do have a theory about the problem which is (look away now if you don’t like this sort of talk) that we are using ordinary toilet paper and a lot of it lies above the surface and that’s where the odour is coming from. As I understand it, Biomagic only works if the waste is submerged. I tried taking out the cassette and swirling it around and that seemed to improve it. Comments please and further questions. Can I buy Biomagic on the Continent, can I have a SOG unit fitted over here?
Giant Electric Bike
Now this one really is a winner. It was bought for practical reasons as there have been many occasions we want to nip down to the local Boulangerie to buy a baguette or purchase milk at the local shop. Fitted with panniers, it’s ideal for this purpose and I only wish that I could have afforded two of them. I have yet to find a hill that defeats me and, if you want the exercise, just switch it off and use it as a normal bike. It’s a bit of a heave onto the bike carrier but well worth it.
Nationwide Debit Card
Everyone said get one, so we did and have had no problem in getting money. The situation in France re. money sort of does my head in. I think, but I’m ready to be corrected, that you can use credit cards in many places but not chip and pin debit cards which you can only use to obtain money from machines. Anyway we’re running on cash in the main.
Power Generally
We have 2 leisure batteries and a 120 watt solar panel and frankly we only use hook up when I need the hair trimmer or charge up my electric bike. I have got a small 100 watt inverter which is used for charging the camera, mobile, Ipaq, and torch. Like so many, I was always under the impression that the hook-up charged the engine battery but Peter Hambilton put me right on this and fitted a Battery Master. This means that I can use the cigar lighter socket without worrying about it draining my engine battery. I also have a Waeco Battery Conditioner wired into the engine battery. A very useful side benefit of having the Waeco Aircon is the new cables from the engine compartment are big, and I mean big. So the charge current is increased. Frankly, we stop for two days with no hook-up, start the engine and within 15 minutes we’re virtually topped up again.
Other Matters
Until we were just about to leave, the thought of keys had never crossed our minds. But it’s more complicated than you think. Take a set of keys with you into town, lose them and then how do get back in – or do you take both sets. We have a safe that requires two identical keys to open so we have one key with each set. Lose one set of keys, then it’s a locksmith before you can get to your passports. See what I mean. Anyway, our system is to take one set with us, leaving the other set in the safe. In addition, there is a full set of copies in a hidden place in the van, but not an ignition key. And, just in case, there are copies of the two keys required to enter the van hidden in separate places outside ( No! I won’t say where). Likewise with our credit cards. It’s no good having the same cards for Mr. and Mrs.. Have one set stolen and it’s then a call to Sentinel and “Hey Ho”, all your cards are blocked. So we’ve split them up so, if one lot goes, we only have to report that set to Sentinel and we will not be penniless.
Conclusion
It’s been tiring so far, mainly due to the last hectic 3 weeks before we departed, but well worth it and as most of the extras I bought came from recommendations on this site it’s all your fault if they are no good. A year seems a very long time away but we’re all starting to chill out now and we’ve stopped at this campsite for a week to get our breath back
An excellent report, thank you very much. I am sure it will be of much interest and help to those who are about to, or are thinking of embarking on a similar venture. Enjoy the rest of your trip, stay safe and keep us posted when possible.
What an absolutely superb report, thanks very much indead, you've brightened up my afternoon. it's glorious outside and I'm stuck inside an aircraft hangar........grrrrrrrrreat!
Excellent report, with good objective reviews of all your stuff.
I'm sure you've come across this site , but in case you haven't, it worked for me in changing to the south beam. Though having temporarily hired a 1.3m diish, this runs on the north beam right down here near Tarifa in deep south Spain!
I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip, & admire your capacity for travel. Your pace would be too frenetic for us!
here here to all previous comments. What a fantastic report, very cogent and well explained. One for me to print out and keep, methinks, just against the day when I might be able to take a little time off.
Great report Ian, making me jealous here!
one question - how are you getting on with the language?
______________________________________________________________ Still sat here in front of the computer - it may be in the office, or on the laptop if I manage to get away from the office.
As far as I know, the only motorhoming Oxford United supporter in Bognor.
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