Lady owner drivers

[Penygy-ow]

I am a divorced lady and at the moment I own a park home. Its under offer a the moment, but I won't get enough from my sale to buy another one. I live in Oxfordshire but want to move back to my home County of Cornwall. I have 2 options, one is to rent a house, or buy a motor home, which would be my only residence. I would like to hear from any lady owners on their own, just to see how they manage, especially during the winter months. Do they go abroad or stay in the UK? I am in a bit of a quandary at the moment, and not really sure what would be the best option for me.

 

[Brains]

I don't know your age or job/pension situation but ....
As a ex-pat Cornishman, with a few relatives still remaining west of the Tamar I understand the issue.

As you know, rent in Cornwall is not cheap.
Cornwall has the most expensive housing compared to average local wages in he entire UK.
(Even more expensive than central London/relative to local wages)

Which means, unless you have a regular highly paid job you are in effect trying to move to the most expensive place in the country.
Would you move to Monaco or Geneva or St Tropez ?
If not, due to cost, then unless you can accommodate yourself for free, or below market prices, you are looking in the wrong place.

Renting long term in Cornwall is difficult, properties go in minutes.
My niece and partner, after living in a caravan for a year, (working in a Cornish campsite) are going to move to Norfolk, as it's easier to find somewhere to live.
They are looking at emigrating to Australia.

My sister has been living in her van for just over a year, it's fine in the summer, but a real struggle in the winter, she owns the land (near Tintagel) she is parked on.
She is hoping to move into a house for the winter in the next few weeks, as another winter of cold and damp will not be 'fun'.

Do you have any friends or relatives in Cornwall that own a farm ?
I think your best bet would be to rent or long term lease a small bit of land,
Buy a 2nd hand mobile home, (or a decent German winterised caravan) and get it sited and call yourself an agricultural labourer.
Farms have the right to install mobile homes for seasonal workers.
They usually can only be occupied for 6, 9 or 11 months of the year, but if you have a motorhome and can head off in the summer then that would not be an issue.

Living full time in a motorhome is possible, but it takes real commitment and if you are intending on remaining fairly static (as in based in a single county for months at a time) then you need a place to stay.

 

[maz]

I am a divorced lady and at the moment I own a park home. Its under offer a the moment, but I won't get enough from my sale to buy another one. I live in Oxfordshire but want to move back to my home County of Cornwall. I have 2 options, one is to rent a house, or buy a motor home, which would be my only residence. I would like to hear from any lady owners on their own, just to see how they manage, especially during the winter months. Do they go abroad or stay in the UK? I am in a bit of a quandary at the moment, and not really sure what would be the best option for me.

Hi and welcome to the Fun!


I no longer fulltime but I did so for 11 years, the first few as a solo female. For those years I stayed in the UK and in the winter months I would stay on a CMC site with 16A hook-up included in the price, usually Ferry Meadows in Peterborough. My vans have all had combination gas and electric heating, and when on hook-up would use only electric and the vans were always lovely and warm. I would point out that all my vans have been German-made - with full winterisation. Back when I started fulltiming (in 2011), the winter rate for one person at Ferry Meadows was around £8 per night. I'm afraid those sorts of prices are long gone, and unmetered electric pitches are probably on their way out too.

If you have to rely on gas for winter heating in the UK you will get through a lot. Calor exchange bottles are a very expensive way of buying gas. The alternative Gaslow-type systems make it cheaper to buy the gas, but you do have the cost of initial installation. Also in winter you may well find that you are having to make trips out just to refill with gas, so the proximity of LPG filling stations to a site is something to consider.

If you do decide to go for a motorhome, I would suggest an older second-hand German-made one.

Good luck!