Advice please. Found my perfect new home but think it might be a wonderful opportunity to allow me to explore the UK

[Taketheplunge]

I've been unhappy in my home for many years. Always a lovely diverse community. Not any more. However the properties are very much in demand and sell quickly

Well ...the house prices here are on the rise and houses sell in days. Had a valuation on mine for £175000
I'm mortgage free and have £130,000 savings. Thanks daddy ( lost him 18 months ago ).
Found a beautiful cottage in a little picturesque town. Very working class , but community spirited and little industry in the immediate vicinity, but a whole lot of pubs ( quirky ones) lovely eateries and lots of community activities .
The cottage is absolutely mint in terms of condition and decoration. The house prices in the town are quite low due to it being somewhat of a forgotten satellite town. ...
What I have to say is that irs about as pretty as any inland place can be. There is every amenity you could wish for, several festivals per year
It's literally a stones throw from a host of incredible world famous heritage sites, the scenery and architecture is spectacular.
I'm going to buy this cottage, I've been to see a few, but this is a belter.
My inner child wants to hire it out for say a year to 18 months and explore the uk in a camper ..
The last 5 years for me has been shite

My dad's dying words were go out their and get a life.
I'm anti second homes but would it hurt to let out this place for 12 months and give me the opportunity to explore our beautiful island. I've done my math's. I'd be about £300 a week better off after bills etc

The cottage is valued ar £225,000 BTW. I do have a tiny pension of £259 a month

Join a campervan/caravan club, check that you can find a spot 365 days a year (some sites are closed over winter) and go for it.

Sounds an amazing plan, i get the antipathy to second homes but this is a lovely ‘gap year’.

I'd let it out as a holiday cottage. There are all year round activities and places of interest. A lot of oversea tourists

I'd want to go exploring in my van, so a static park wouldn't be suitable.

Do it. And even if you are anti-second homes, it's not really a second home if you're in a van. It's still you're only bricks and mortar home.

Sounds fantastic. What I would go though is stay there yourself for a month or two and introduce yourself to all the neighbours and explain you’re away for a bit but coming back to stay permanently. It will really help relations if they know you’re not an absent landlord indefinitely. Also see if you can use a local letting agency and cleaners.

Do it. DH died at the age of 56 and the one thing it taught me was that life is too short to look back and regret the things you wanted to but didn't.

That sounds amazing.
You'd be daft not to go for it !
Dooooo iiiiiit !!!!!!!!!

I didn't mean set up on a permanent site, caravan clubs run sites for tourists and holiday makers, book for a night/week/whatever. But not all such sites are open all year, so if you join a club you can see where you can safely park up and at what time of year. Campervans are generally not accepted in lay-byes overnight etc.

Absolutely. I'd want to aquaint myself with the neighbours and local businesses etc. It's really old fashioned, very friendly with a slower pace of life compared to the city I live in. I think it's affordable as the access roads are small and winding, not dissimilar to the Welsh Valley's .

Oh yeah, sorry, you're right. Council's take a dim view of public park ups. With good reason, not all van dwellers are respectful of their surroundings.

I know that there are still a few places in Scotland where there are free parking places for campers.

My inner child wants to hire it out for say a year to 18 months and explore the uk in a camper

Go for it. But go for it with your eyes wide open. There are a lot of blogs, forums and groups by and for campervanners and vanlifers. Read the warts-and-all accounts, and understand the difficulties you'll face. It's fantastic touring (we have an ancient motorhome) but doing so 24/7 for 12-18 months will see the novelty wear off quickly in the UK climate.