Do you have a motor home and would you recommend it?

[iwanttobreakfreeeeee]

Just trying to distract ourselves from the current doom and gloom with plans for the future- we’ve always fancied having a motorhome, we rented one for a holiday a while back and both enjoyed it so seriously considering buying one in the next couple of years - for those who’ve had them, do you recommend? Would just be the 2 of us and we like outdoorsy type of holidays- long walks in the countryside then a nice pub dinner to round off the day sort of thing.

What are the attractions for you (apart from the obvious more outside, mobile lifestyle)? Do you imagine being able to pull off the road in some quiet spot and spend the night in rural isolation? If so, forget it!

ime (and I have a campervan) the last 5 years have seen an explosion of motorhomes travelling across the UK, many from the continent. People seems to think that having a 'fully independent' vehicle with toilet, shower etc. means they won't have to fork out for campsites. Please think again. So many UK towns and villages have a nightmare with 20 or 30 vans turning up on a sunny evening, all looking for that elusive secret hideaway. I once witnessed an absolute horror in Whitby where about 40 vans were parked up in the main car park. Where's the fun in that?

Like our cars, motorhomes have been getting bigger and bigger over the years. Rural roads in Cornwall, the Lake District, or Wales, or the Highlands of Scotland, weren't built for this kind of vehicle, and are a nightmare at peak m/h season,

Unlike the continent, we don't have the kind of municipal infrastructure required to cope with the needs of this kind of tourism. There are not enough facilities to for emptying grey water tanks, or for emptying toilets. Some irresponsible owners empty the grey water in car parks, or empty toilet cassettes in public WC. This results in height restriction barriers in many carparks, enforceable fines for overnight parking, closure of public toilets, sometimes aggression from locals.

With the exception of one or two truly secret and remote locations we always book into a campsite. At least that way we get some grass and some lovely sites. Gone are the experiences of twenty years ago when we'd turn up at a remote beach, switch off the engine and relax.

That said, we still absolutely love it. We live a simpler life, we spend more time outdoors, we still feel like we're having an adventure.

Why not get a caravan?
Much cheaper, more room, easier and far cheaper to run and maintain.

When you get to a site you can still use your car to look round the area - with a motor home you have to pack up the whole show just to drive for a pint of milk.

Hi Venus- it’s definitely not because we want to try to avoid campsite fees, we’re aware that “wild camping” isn’t allowed in England and Wales (although have heard that in parts of Scotland it can be done?) - it’s more because we like to travel around and see different things rather than stay in the same place for a whole holiday and like you we just like to be outdoors, but full on camping is just not for me. We also found a weird childlike excitement about having your own house on wheels when we rented one, although am sure the novelty of that might wear off! We’d also be looking at getting a relatively small one given its just the 2 of us- possibly a van conversion- so hopefully not too many manoeuvrability issues, although we managed ok around some pretty narrow country ones in the rental.

Hi pink, I would definitely consider a caravan but dh is totally against it for some reason!

If there's just the two of you I'd recommend a campervan rather than a full-on motorhome. So much easier to drive/park/manoeuvre and still really comfy. Plus it takes up less space on your drive/in storage too.
A decent one will hold its value really well.
We hired a motorhome for a holiday a couple of years ago but still preferred using the campsite WC blocks (unless middle of the night) anyway so the "bathroom" bit of a motorhome doesn't really appeal. You can wash/brush teeth in a campervan sink if you prefer too.

We've got a Romahome - it's the size of an ordinary van so no extra fees on ferry crossings and no problem parking anywhere. We've got an awning that attaches to it, giving us lots of extra space, and, as it is free standing, it keeps our space on the campsite when we are out and about. The van itself contains seating and a table that converts into a double bed, a cooker, a fridge, a toilet (never to be used unless in EXTREME emergency), and lots of storage.

I am not a fan of wild camping, I like access to fresh water, flushing toilets and showers

Hi the joys- I think it’s the middle of the night part that pushes me towards a motorhome to be honest- on several of the campsites we stayed on we were quite a way from the shower blocks and I wasn’t very keen on the idea of having to go down to them at 3am, do you not mind that in the camper van? We never actually used the shower or anything in the motorhome, it was just midnight toilet trips that I preferred it for 😀

No, I had a small one and now have a caravan which I would recommend.

Unless you are planning on proper touring holidays imho motor homes aren’t worth the hassle of having to pack everything up. They’re slow and cumbersome to drive and guzzle fuel. Even with a small one parking is a nightmare. Loads of car parks in tourist places have height restrictions. On street parking pretty much impossible and difficult even in car parks. If You want a diffferent town every night then I’m sure they’re ok but not for staying in one place.

Now got a caravan, yes the journey somewhere is slower than if you weren’t towing, but not that much slower than a motor home. The actual towing is fine. Setting up is quick and easy, I’m legs down, electric on, water filled and tv tuned in in under 20 mins from arrival. If I can tow anyone can. I find it more spacious than my motor home.

You haven’t got an extra road tax, mot, servicing, expensive engine repair costs, etc.

Once you’ve reached your destination you have more freedom to take a normal car out exploring.

If you’re loaded and can afford a massive motor home and tow a smart car behind it then maybe.

And when I say small motor home it was a converted T25 and was still a nightmare with parking.

It was also cramped inside. My caravan is far bigger.

TBH, I rarely get up for a wee in the night and if DH does he just goes behind the van if it's miles to the loo.
Jacob makes a good point too about the fuel bill. The one we hired for our holiday cost a fortune to fill up.
If you're going to Europe then some of their campsites have a great set up where you get your own little shower block on your pitch with a WC, shower & washing up area.
I'd much rather trade an occasional midnight walk to the loo for the hassle of parking a motorhome when you want to tour the local area. We could never just pull over for a nice looking café, or even fit into a supermarket carpark unless there were a few adjacent spaces empty. I found that quite restrictive.
But it's all down to personal preference, isn't it? If you hired a motorhome previously and enjoyed it then at least you know what you're getting.

We have one and I’d highly recommend it, especially as you’ve rented one and enjoyed it. (ime you either love it or just don’t see the appeal at all)
In Ireland there’s quite a strong sense of community among motorhomers and caravan owners and a sort of unwritten code of conduct around leaving no trace and parking considerately. CFs really aren’t appreciated.
Motorhoming in Europe is a different kettle of fish to Ireland and the U.K. Aside from better roads, the facilities are impeccable for a fraction of the cost, and motorhomers are actively welcomed. There’s dedicated parking at tourist attractions and supermarkets and lots of towns and villages have Aires to encourage stop overs. Usually alongside the spotless facilities is a map showing the way to the baker and butcher and details of fetes and markets. The campsites are fabulous too.
We worked out that we could afford to travel through Europe for a month for less that we paid for a two week eurocamp type break.
We have a dc with autism and being able to keep certain parts of the holiday experience unchanging and consistent allows him to explore new places and experiences without getting overwhelmed. It’s a great way to travel with smaller children.
We used to go places every other weekend, often based on something or someplace the dc have learned about in school.
I’m not sure when that kind of travel will be possible again. It seems a bit bizarre to us now that we had planned to visit four different countries this summer.

I’d personally rather a campervan but dh wanted a motorhome and with kids I think it’s definitely worth having a toilet at night.