Full time through winter in search of new life

[BigPaul]

Seems like you have a setup similar to what I had before updating a little.

It’s easy to upgrade, no need to junk anything old, just integrate the new stuff.

Best possible upgrade is batteries, especially if you don’t hook up so much. 200Ah of lithium is about £800 these days. I bought 2 x Renogy 100ah with built in bluetooth. You just download an app and check battery status via your phone.

For summer, next best upgrade is solar. The more the better. You also then need a decent charge controller.

For winter, you need a B2B charger. It’s possible to combine a decent MPPT solar charge controller and decent B2B in one unit.

To keep the old systems, you can use a 50A ideal diode to permit the lithium batteries to discharge via the Elektroblock, maintaining the function of the block and any remote gauges. The diode will not allow the onboard split charge relay to try to charge the lithium’s when engine running, thus protecting the alternator. Also prevents a circular connection from 240V, when powered by invertor, to the lithium batteries.

Connect your invertor to your lithiums, and wire it directly into your distribution board, using a 3 way switch to connect either the EHU input or the invertor (but not both) to the distribution board. Makes it fool proof.

The vehicle lead acid starter battery remains separate, and continues to be charged direct from the alternator. All old systems continue to function exactly as they should. I can send a wiring diagram if you like.

Please do post the wiring diagram

 

[dawsey]

Please do post the wiring diagram

Diagram is in my head, though it would only take a few minutes to scribble something out from memory I suppose. I explained it in more detail a little later in the thread if that helps?. It’s all very straightforward. Have a read and any questions on detail I will be happy to answer.

 

[busby]

I'm not sure that is correct? I read an article in the Express that indicated exactly that, but in fact the newspaper appeared to have got completely the wrong end of the stick (surprise surprise ). It was another chateaux that had featured in the spin-off show - 'Escape to the Chateau DIY' - up for sale, not Dick and Angel's place.

That's not like The Express to get it wrong. BUSBY.

 

[VXman]

Italy perhaps is the only western european country with litter issues even remotely approaching those of UK, however the statement above is untrue. Italys problems are localised to areas of major cities of the south, ie the widelely publicised issues with the mafia contracts in Naples starting in the 90s and lasting 20yrs until about 2014 and Romes issues since it closed its landfill site around the same time.

Northern Italy, though typically italian and chaotic remains clean.

In the last 2 weeks I did a loop of England and I can confirm, having seen it with my own eyes, that the problem of litter lining the streets outside major towns and cities is pretty much universal.

Essay | The Filth and the Fury – England’s Litter Problem by Will Stone - The London Magazine

Will Stone The Filth and the Fury – England’s Litter Problem In spring 2021, the national road network of England lies in a state of unprecedented decay. Most roads of all kinds, major and minor have greatly deteriorated, worn out by an ever-increasing number of vehicles with an...

thelondonmagazine.org

https://sussexbylines.co.uk/is-the-uk-the-litter-lout-of-europe/#:~:text=Litter%2Dloving%20Britons&text=1.3m%20pieces%20of%20rubbish,on%20Britain's%20streets%20every%20year.

I agree - the worst areas are in the south and North is very clean generally. However, I have never seen some of the extended dumping of rubbish on the streets witnessed in Southern Italy in the UK.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

EU countries are mere amateurs compared to Caribbean countries in the litter league

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[dawsey]

Great read up and replies on this post, with most of the problems being “in” the van is comforting being the owner of a 15yr old Hymer myself.
The trick with the Renogy B2B to get 50A when running was on my “to do” list even tho I was pessimistic that it would work.
Nice One
Andy

No problem. We have found that in deepest winter, when it’s dark and cloudy or we near trees, then despite having 600W of solar on the roof we are only seeing about 1 or 2 amps charge even at mid day. If we are not moving, or moving just a short distance, then running the engine or driving (and charging at 25 + 1 A) isn’t enough. I fitted a 40A resettable breaker to isolate the panels, doubles as a fuse and an isolater. Just push the red button, isolate the solar, then within 30seconds the B2B thinks it’s gone dark and and switches to a 50A charge.

In the words of one of my favourite youtubers Allen Millyard - it works perfect!

 

[simon bocock]

Thanks. That is precisely what we plan to do

Choose your general area of search ( for all year round climate ? ) . Check out small town / village Municipal Camp Sites out of season especially ( when shut ) : many Municipals are shutting down as they can’t do the basic management , and more and more are being turned into automated Camping Carpark type set ups . Knock on a few town hall doors and offer to take it over if you see anything you like ( freehold , lease , profit share , whatever ) . As someone else has said , beware of competition from Camping Carpark type sites in your chosen area - they are expanding as fast as Municipals are closing .

 

[steve69]

Funny how threads digress.
More comments about litter than actual travelling.

 

[Minxy]

I've been stopped by police quite a few times over the years with vehicles that were not taxed. Usually because I'd just bought them etc . And I have to say that not once have they implied I wasn't insured.

Insurance does not get out of it that easily . Some may try it of course but even cars without mot are not uninsured.

Assuming you had paid for insurance for the vehicle then you would still be insured but only for third party coverage, hence why they didn't consider you to be uninsured.

 

[dawsey]

Well, a response from the Insurer, of sorts.

General statement, verbally expressed by my broker:
“The underwriter referred to the general ABI terms” paraphrased as below “A gereral condition of UK insurance is that the insured vehicle remains fully compliant with UK law at all times” When pressed, the spoken insinuation of the broker was clearly that any contravention is likely to lead to a reduction in accepted liability and therefore payout in the event of a claim.

When asked for a more specific answer, in writing to the specific question, “Would the vehicle being SORN fully or partly invalidate insurance cover, either in UK or Overseas?” the underwriters declined to provide an answer.

So there we are, about as clear as mud. For us, having now asked a direct question/informed the insurer and been advised as above, I’ve decided to leave the old bus taxed. There’s plenty more stuff to worry about, not least the old Trumatic C boiler which has started playing up. Great timing

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[Minxy]

General statement, verbally expressed by my broker:
“The underwriter referred to the general ABI terms” paraphrased as below “A gereral condition of UK insurance is that the insured vehicle remains fully compliant with UK law at all times” When pressed, the spoken insinuation of the broker was clearly that any contravention is likely to lead to a reduction in accepted liability and therefore payout in the event of a claim.

I suppose it's a bit like the situation where you do something wrong, eg hire a car in your name for your friend to use then get lumbered with the hire bill when your friend said they'd pay but don't. You take them to court as you want your money but the judge kicks it out as you knowingly contravened the hire 'rules' so are in the wrong anyway. Not sure if this only happens in America though.

Certainly not worth the risk with the MH.

 

[steve69]

I suppose it's a bit like the situation where you do something wrong, eg hire a car in your name for your friend to use then get lumbered with the hire bill when your friend said they'd pay but don't. You take them to court as you want your money but the judge kicks it out as you knowingly contravened the hire 'rules' so are in the wrong anyway. Not sure if this only happens in America though.

Certainly not worth the risk with the MH.

Anyone who asks me to lend them a large amount of money is not what i would call a "friend".
Small amounts - the odd tenner maybe ok, but anything over £100 would make me doubt this "friendship".

 

[Garry - June]

If you are happy that you are fully covered then that's okay but I think it could be interesting if you ever needed to make a claim especially since you have stated on here and no doubt elsewhere that you live in it full time.

PS: what happens in leap years?

I would love someone to actually tell me what "Fulltime" means.... to me it means you live in your van and have no other address of residence.... we for example live with our daughter.. but its her house not ours... but on the other hand we do spend time living there, even if it is a few nights per year, so we do not spend 365 days in our van.. so what actually constitutes fulltime.. do they have a set number of days you spend in your van which means you therefore fulltime ... I can think of loads of folk we have met who spend most of the year touring around Europe.. does that mean they are technically fulltiming.

Comfort Insurance for example.. I phoned for a quote.. one of the questions the young girl asked was our address.... so I gave my daughters.... "Do you own the property" i was asked.... no I don't... "Do you pay rent".... no I dont...... "Then in that case Sir you must take out a Fulltimer policy".... But I don't fulltime... we spend time living at my daughters.... Phone went quiet for a short time.... "Sorry as you dont own or rent a property you must take a fulltime policy"....... Ok i replied what if I paid my daughter £10 p/m rent to live with her..... Phone went quiet for a minute..... "To be honest Sir I am not sure but technically would be OK if your daughter could provide proof with say a rent book or something"
I did feel a bit sorry for her to be honest... needless to say we didn't go with Comfort but another well known Insurer who did not ask any questions about owning our own home at all they were happy enough with just a residential address.

 

[L' Hobo]

Anyone who asks me to lend them a large amount of money is not what i would call a "friend".
Small amounts - the odd tenner maybe ok, but anything over £100 would make me doubt this "friendship".

I'm sorry that this is does not apply to the thread but I'm still naive about Forum stuff..... steve69 Your Avatar sign states,
'Visiting Coventry' yet I can still read your posts, (and you can write them) and I, yesterday, had one of my Posts deleted,
does it mean I am also Visiting Coventry' or are you just trying, the easy task, of confusing an old man?

 

[Just smiffy]

I'm sorry that this is does not apply to the thread but I'm still naive about Forum stuff..... steve69 Your Avatar sign states,
'Visiting Coventry' yet I can still read your posts, (and you can write them) and I, yesterday, had one of my Posts deleted,
does it mean I am also Visiting Coventry' or are you just trying, the easy task, of confusing an old man?

He got sent to Coventry after his post….

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[The Rum Runners]

We are relocating to France, we will be buying land, setting up a business. Better I have residence, pay taxes, build pension etc.

Thanks for the positive comments guys.

I got the 1yr visa yesterday. It starts from yesterday (15th) so we will be heading back to France on Wednesday to continue the search. While staying with friends for the last few days (a bed that doesn’t move, luxury!) we’ve serviced our old bus, completed the latest list of little maintenance jobs, cleaned her up and will do a fresh MOT tomorrow as that otherwise runs out within a couple of months. I always SORN if out of UK, but it crosses the line to be flitting round the continent with expired MOT.

After an initial 2 months in France and then 3 weeks wilding in England taking an arc from Kent south of London to Swindon, up through Herefordshire & Shropshire, then Cheshire and Lancashire we’ve noted some real differences in the state of the two countries and how different it is to wild camp.

Dear old blighty seems to be falling off a cliff. Roads are so potholed in places they are borderline dangerous, and the place is disgusting with litter lining the side of practically every road from country lanes to motorways. It now seems the done thing for people to just throw their litter out of their car. In comparison to France, indeed to practically anywhere in western Europe, England looks like one big rubbish dump. Visiting the island from the EU puts one in mind of travelling to some Indian or African slum. I don’t know why, I’d guess a mixture of culture ( too many just don’t care), too light fines and local authorities stopping roadside litter picking maybe? Whatever it is, it is getting worse.

Apologies to my Brexiteer friend who will no doubt be spitting out his Horlicks while spluttering about how we won the war - but from that perspective at the very least, the UK has entered a period of regression. Don’t shoot the messenger, facts are facts.


In my last post I said I’d contrast the full time motorhoming experience between France and UK (well, England), so here goes:

Out of season overnighting (on site/chargeable aire):

France - We didn’t stay on a proper site as most are closed. Chargeable aires, usually found in larger towns and city conurbations are about €8-14 inc free water and service with plastic membership card.

UK - The choice is between things like pub car parks, a handful of specialist overnight car parks or truck stops. Charges vary widely, but are very rarely less than £20 for a camper, with £25 seeming to be the most quoted number. Some pubs might let you stay for free, but you’d have to eat there.

Overnighting (off site):

France - Very easy. Almost all communes have an ‘aire’ designed and built specifically for motorhomes. Failing that, maries, sports stadiums and almost any car park inc supermarkets are fine to overnight in. Nobody moves you on, nobody bothers you. Out in the sticks, we’ve parked overnight on field access tracks dozens of times. As long as you don’t prevent the farmer from getting past in his tractor, and don’t leave any rubbish, all you ever get is a cheery wave.

UK - In general, it is difficult to find somewhere quiet and safe. Most car parks have height restrictions, almost all public spaces have height restrictions and very clear and aggressive ‘no overnight’ signs. Park in the ‘wrong’ place and you can expect a knock on the door.

Finding fresh water:

France - super easy. All aires have an often free tap. If there’s a charge to use, it’s usually €2. In 2 months we never needed to use our own onboard systems to produce water.

UK - The only real option is to find an independent garage and ask if you can use their tap/hose in return for buying some fuel. As these types of operations decline ever further, it just gets harder. In desperation, in the last few days I asked some Albanians if I could use their hose in one of the hand car washes - I could see this wasn’t the first time they’d been asked, the jokers demanded £15 for 100ltr I of course politely told them to go poke it and finally found a kind old gent in a garden centre who was willing to let us use his tap. It’s hassle though, and just gets harder. Within 1 week we are finding that it will likely be easier to use our own water-making systems that bother trying to find a tap.

Waste water:

France - Super easy, water service points are literally everywhere, all well signposted. Tap always also available unless it’s frozen or been switched off to prevent frost damage. Then you use the public toilet, all of which still have… a tap.

UK - Grey waste has to be be road side near a road drain or to a verge, as there is just nowhere to properly get rid of it. Thankfully it doesn’t do harm to the environment. For black waste, you have to find a (open, if you can) public toilet. Many public loos appear to have been converted to those auto water dispenser systems, so a water refill isn’t possible. It seems to us that most don’t bother with this hassle, making the few places where you can wild camp in some sort of peace look and smell like refugee camps.

Laundry
France - Again, super easy. Every supermarket has large and small commercial machines and a commercial dryer. Always available, Park next to it, load, have a coffee, done.

UK - You have to first find the nearest council estate, drive to the centre and locate the small parade of shops where the laundrette will be. Then queue, or pay for a ‘service wash’. Always keeping one eye on the van as the natives regard the great alien beast and it’s contents with great interest…

Attitude

France - You are welcome pretty much everywhere, being seen as potentially speeding money and contributing to the local economy, even just by buying a baguette from the boulanger.

UK - You are generally treated like any other ‘traveller’ - and sadly, due to the near-complete absence of facilities, many wild camping in UK behave as such. The rubbish and filth that accumulates anywhere people wildcamp in UK isn’t pretty.
Taking a fresh look at the UK from the perspective of living full time in a camper, the UK does now come across as being a bit intolerant and unwelcoming and generally has minimal consideration for travelling motorhomers beyond the network of private CC club sites.

I never used to get such a depressing feeling when coming back to UK from the continent in a camper, or when wilding here

Will update for those interested when we’ve made some progress with the search.

 

[dawsey]

Well, it’s been a hard few weeks of business hunting since arriving back in France. We have swung in a similar arc through Brittany, Loire, Charente and Dorgogne. Now in Correze.

The best camp sites are Naturiste. Always in beautiful scenery, private and lots of space.

We’ve identified two we are seriously considering. One here in Correze, one plum in the Dordogne, Périgord Noir. Both capable of being set up as we want, half glamping, half a posh aire, or campsite for MoHo.

Man it’s beautiful in these parts. Not even been that cold either, drops to zero at night, but easy 15C in the day, and when the van is in full sun on a bright day it heats up to 23C.

So far our old bus has held up well, the old Truma C boiler has started making an odd noise when heating water only but it still seems to be working. All my previous repairs seem to be holding up.

 

[YukonJac]

Hello Dawsey -
Much enjoyed your post, and very informative! I've been working in France as a private chef/cook/château gardienne etc for the last couple of years. I'm Canadian born, lived/worked in the UK for a couple of decades, but I'm very lucky to have a French passport through ancestry. The B word compelled me to bolt to the continent where I bought a B584 (which has been far less trouble than yours by the sound of it!), which I live in FT at the moment. Dealing with 'living' in France in a van, has been alternately delightful (the ease and reasonable cost of park-ups), and pure hell (bureaucracy!) particularly on a strict budget.
I'm going back and forth about returning to the UK to base myself where work is much, much easier to find since the B word, and simply coming back to France/Europe like in the old days...in my down time. Dunno. Life is infinitely more complicated for free hearts these days.
Good luck to you and your wife, and will look forward to updates!

 

[dawsey]

For the 1st time in France, we couldn’t find an aire or even a public loo with a working tap. Maybe it’s because we are in a department with a little bit of altitude and slightly lower winter night time temps, but here we can’t find a tap. So the system, utilising the EHU cable, the inverter, the water fill hose a lift pump and a domestic RO system and some extra piping has been pressed into use. It’s fully powered by the solar panels and lithiums and fully refilled our 120ltr tank overnight

 

[Minxy]

For the 1st time in France, we couldn’t find an aire or even a public loo with a working tap. Maybe it’s because we are in a department with a little bit of altitude and slightly lower winter night time temps, but here we can’t find a tap. So the system, utilising the EHU cable, the inverter, the water fill hose a lift pump and a domestic RO system and some extra piping has been pressed into use. It’s fully powered by the solar panels and lithiums and fully refilled our 120ltr tank overnight

Just watch out for the frogs ...

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[steve69]

For the 1st time in France, we couldn’t find an aire or even a public loo with a working tap.

Same here but some rest area toilets did have a working tap but not one you could fit a hose on. I ended up filling a 2 l plastic milk bottle with water and decanting it several times into my larger water carrier.

 

[dawsey]

For the 1st time in France, we couldn’t find an aire or even a public loo with a working tap.

Same here but some rest area toilets did have a working tap but not one you could fit a hose on. I ended up filling a 2 l plastic milk bottle with water and decanting it several times into my larger water carrier.

If you can’t get a hose on you haven’t got enough attachments

 

[steve69]

If you can’t get a hose on you haven’t got enough attachments

The 2-litre milk bottle was my attachment. Just not a very good one.

 

[dawsey]

I’ve posted an update as a new thread, this one getting too long

 

[dawsey]

Well, after exactly six months and 5 days, well over 10,000km driven up down and around France, we have identified two sites we want to buy. We have already put in a final offer verbally on one, and it looks like it will be accepted. The vendor is just having his arguements about fees with his agent, after we made it clear we would not pay a 6% estate agency fee on top of the final offer, which was 96% of the asking price. We didn’t engage the agent, who did not act for us, did not speak any english and did not even lead the viewings and negotiations, it was all done direct with the vendors who even speak some english where the agent speaks none. The vendors acknowledge this and are trying to get the insane 80,000 estate agent fee they have committed to reduced for the simple reason that the agent did no work beyond the passing the contact details to us. Even the photos in the advert were cut and paste direct from the campsite website!

Being a Brit, I really dislike that odd French thing of property sellers signing up to an estate agent to act for them at 5-8% commission and then, very often, expecting the buyer to pay the bill!

That 8Ha site is in Vienne, not really well located, a bit industrial, a bit too close to TGV (can hear it at night) and requiring huge investment etc but it is a very interesting opportunity. While endlessly waiting to get to this point, we continued searching. As luck would have it, we found another really interesting site, a bit less money and a bit less turnover, but a properly beautiful location in the south of France, on a river. It’s near Montpelier. Still needs investment, but not as much as the other. 10Hectares, 40 old statics and 100 pitches all under mature trees. We on the site now and it’s really lovely. Genuine sale, owners have had it 40years and the husband has recently passed. The lady can’t run it in her own.

We going through all the numbers and looking at the house, cafe, big deep old pool today. The only negative is it being on the river, possible flood risk. The agent and the owner says that it hasn’t flooded in donkeys years as rivers in the South of France all carry much less water these days. Some of the hook up points are even on top of the river bank. We continue digging to establish facts. Plan to see the mairie etc.

Lovely lovely place though. Famous for gold panning.

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[Jimbohorlicks]

Best of luck whichever one you choose.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

For the 1st time in France, we couldn’t find an aire or even a public loo with a working tap.

Same here but some rest area toilets did have a working tap but not one you could fit a hose on. I ended up filling a 2 l plastic milk bottle with water and decanting it several times into my larger water carrier.

Get yourself one of the flexible rubber tap push on attachments , they generally fit any tap.

 

[pampam]

Isnt it funny how the hands of fate always point you in the right direction?
If you choose to look ‍♀

 

[Maudy]

Another step closer to your dream .
Well over 10000km closer to be exact .

You certainly deserve all the luck in the world and I hope everything goes smoothly for you both from this moment in.

 

[Emmit]

How does that work as my wife only seems to have one mood

I know what you're having for tea.

Cold shoulder and hot tongue. Enjoy?

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