Caravan to Motorhome

[Obiknobi]

Morning All

We have been Caravaning for around 15 years and decided We would like to try Motorhoming so My question is how do you pick Your sites and once there how do you get about ? We've been used always having a Car but I'm wondering if We'll feel a bit marooned without one !

Regards
Obiknobi

 

[TerryReis]

Just in the throws of going through the same procedure. Although we are keeping the caravan as well for times when that is more relevant. I always said I preferred to have a caravan so we have a car when we are there. The thing that changed this for us was eBikes. Now we hardly use the car when at our destination. Looking forward to getting the Motorhome for a different type of break / holiday.

 

[ChrisSue]

Morning All

We have been Caravaning for around 15 years and decided We would like to try Motorhoming so My question is how do you pick Your sites and once there how do you get about ? We've been used always having a Car but I'm wondering if We'll feel a bit marooned without one !

Regards
Obiknobi

We often use ukcampsites. The site does give some sites abroad too. As you scroll down you can see whether it shows public transport nearby. Often a read of the reviews will tell you that it is just outside the gate or wherever

 

[Revolvor]

Morning All

We have been Caravaning for around 15 years and decided We would like to try Motorhoming so My question is how do you pick Your sites and once there how do you get about ? We've been used always having a Car but I'm wondering if We'll feel a bit marooned without one !

Regards
Obiknobi

Hello and welcome.

We have a 6m C-class MH and use it daily when we are away, even if we are at a site for a few days. We can usually get to most places, and don't have too much trouble parking.

 

[Langtoftlad]

I try to choose sites within walking range of places I want to see.
E-bike is out because of the dog
Having a relatively small PVC means there's [usually] not too much packing away, if I want to drive it to an attraction.
I have considered a TOAD but as yet don't feel the need.

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[hja]

If you search on here I am sure you will find lots of info for your question. I am sure someone will identify an appropriate recent thread.
Picking sites - we go where we want to go. Our PVC is 6.4 m long so we will take it of site, and with a bit of planning can park where we want to be. Depends how big your van is. Some people take bikes, gives you lots of scope. You can also identify sites near public transport. Depends how mobile you are, we cant walk very far without a rest and so use folding mobility scooters.
A lot will also depend on where you mainly tour, here or abroad - different availability of sites.
you also tour differently. we recently did a 7 night tour in sw scotland. We stayed 5 different sites, three for one night, two for two nights. As it was the UK we felt the need to book before hand. Visited attractions on the way to places rather than from places. So we visited the lead mining museum and highest village in Scotland on our way between site 4 and site 5. Nice picnic place to pull off to in order to cook a meal. (remember in a van you have all your facilities with you). Then our last site was Moffat, 2 nights. So in that case we looked round Moffat from the site (mobility scooters) and chilled.
It is a totally different way of touring, and we dont regret moving from the caravan to a motorhome.

 

[Kirsten]

Never looked back when we swapped to motorhome. Just different trips out, day trips to Nat trust/ legoland etc with grandkids, longer stays on sites are infrequent as we try to use Aires abroad and or search for sites for short stays. Chose sites with easy cycling if we wanted to have trips out, we are ok with being in middle of nowhere as have a solar panel so can manage on CL s or festivals for 5 plus days. Have been to places we would have never found in uk without the van. Only possible issue has been height barriers for parking but you can find info on net that tells you where you can get in. Lots of Aires springing up in Scotland too . Enjoy

 

[Obiknobi]

Thanks for all the replies,must admit being marooned WAS beginning to play on My mind,now not so much ! Another question while I'm here
If wild camping how long does your power last ?

 

[Geistguy]

Perhaps a little more planning is needed but remember that it is so much easier to leave and return to site if you want or need to. Best of luck.
Battery life depends on many factors, we have a 300ah lithium using only the manufacturers fitted split charger and have just done 10 days touring, we drove a maximum of 80 miles per day and our battery never went below 92% capacity.

 

[Bobbydaisy]

We did the same , caravan to motorhome now to 6m PVC. Like the smaller van as we can get to a lot of places we couldn’t with the big motorhome ( even just nipping down to the shops ) find we can go anywhere as van will go into parking spots a lot easier . We have E-bikes too for a closer to site trip around the local area, ( although this is just when in Europe as we have a golden retriever at home ) . We have a driveaway awning so loads of outdoor space when we want it, but you can’t use the awning in Aires etc , but we usually plan to use campsites mostly and Aires etc to see specific places. With the 6m van it becomes a 2nd car at home as it’s so easy to use, handy for diy projects etc.

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[Langtoftlad]

2x lead acid 100Ah batteries, 1x 120w solar just back from 7 days off grid no problem

BTW, you'll notice you have used your 5 free posts and will have to now subscribe [the best £20 you'll ever spend as regards motorhoming, and touring]

 

[DDJC]

2x lead acid 100Ah batteries, 1x 120w solar just back from 7 days off grid no problem

BTW, you'll notice you have used your 5 free posts and will have to now subscribe [the best £20 you'll ever spend as regards motorhoming, and touring]

Hear hear.

We also moved from caravan to motorhome and we tried towing a small car (Toad), first on an A Frame, but then on a trailer in Europe.

However, in most of Europe especially France, a toad is unnecessary. There are motorhome parks everywhere, even in the centre of some touristy towns. Add in the aires where you can stop overnight, and then the municipal and private sites, and you won't need a Toad. There are several apps that can tell you where motorhome parking is available and some even let you book it. We now just use the 2.3 multijet that came with our bus to get about.

One 100w battery, a 150w solar panel and a 2000w inverter (that I have only used once) and we do just fine if the weather is half decent. On site and in aires, we hook up, but we could do a couple of nights without EHU.

 

[enark]

Bikes mean you’ve got a range of whatever your cycling ability allows. E-bikes now probably help greatly?

tow cars are an option that many take

MH allows for more flexible visits and longer tours, ie one night stop overs etc, also easy to divert via supermarkets etc.

power options when off grid are pb batteries with solar and or generator charging? Or upgrade to LI batteries which are much more efficient, lighter on the chassis, but heavier on the wallet. Now down to maybe £500 a battery?

Brit stops is one such app worth looking at, loads more though.

CAMC/CACC have many sites, but pretty pricey at the Mo. But great facilities usually.

enjoy

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[the1andonly]

We have an off grid capability not 5 days but April to October. only 100Ah Li but oversolared at 550W. Just had 17 days away using 12V as required and using washing machine and charging 2 e-bikes battery, never noticed it bellow 90% (it was sunny). We also took the toad so even took the bikes out to some specific trails not local.
There are dozens of ways of playing at this motor homing lark, as long as what you do is right for you do it.

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[Soycd]

For us motorhome is a no brainier. Had one caravan in the early 90s and would never go back again. Too much faffing around and very time consuming to set up. Had 3 small kids at time and the move to motorhome was fantastic. Have gone from a buerstner 747 to a PVC with many stops along the way. I think motorhomes allow that versatility to change with your needs. We’ve never felt isolated but then 95% of our time away is in Europe where there are plenty of options for sites. Half the fun is cycling around, or getting a local bus, taxi etc. also if we don’t like a site/stelplatz/sosta etc we just move on, ready to go in 30 mins or less. We don’t do much off grid but new van (when it arrives!) will have a panel. Last thing, if we are travelling and get tired we can just pull over and have a kip for 30 mins. I know you could do that with a caravan but random parking is not always possible. I always hit the bed for 30 mins on the tunnel!

 

[Shrimp]

If you have bikes a MoHo is not a problem.
Make sure you food shop before you stop-specially big items-you can always get smaller bits on the bikes.
Walking is better for your bones than cycling.

 

[TheAleMan]

Reverse the rig. Tow a small car behind the motorhome like what we do.

 

[Carolyn and Kev]

I think the OP has now used up his/her free questions?

Kev

 

[Lenny HB]

Changed from being tuggers 15 years ago, never looked back.
Main charges we have made using a Motorhome is we hardly ever stop for more than one or two nights, rarely use sites. Apart from the the odd rally we don't bother with the UK, too Motorhome unfriendly and it's cheaper to pop across to France. Also we don't bother with EHU.

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[VXman]

If wild camping how long does your power last ?

Depends on how many batteries you have, what power the batteries are, if you have solar panels, how many solar panels you have, what's the power of them, how much electric will you use? So many questions!

 

[autorouter]

Over the years I've tried all the solutions to this, including bikes, bikes with child seats, four bikes, a 125 scooter, and our current setup of one 125 scooter and one 100 scooter. Not tried E-bikes, which I'd go for if we didn't both have bike licences. We tend to stay in one place for 3 or 4 days, exploring the area on the scooters, up to 50km away. Then move on to the next stop.

 

[martin2603]

Thanks for all the replies,must admit being marooned WAS beginning to play on My mind,now not so much ! Another question while I'm here
If wild camping how long does your power last ?

 

[martin2603]

Totally agree with Lenny, UK is just not MH friendly, and way too expensive . As I write this we are on a CCP Aire in Lyon’s le Foret. Very quaint and pretty Normandy Village . Monet’s Garden tomorrow free parking overnight. Then some vineyards in the France Passion scheme, heading towards the Dordogne. Any forward booking. No!