Open ended storage question …..

[CustomBuild]

We are expecting to fly into and out of Heathrow a couple of times per year and will need year round storage for a 7m MH. The challenge at this point is trying to work out how and where we might store the MH once we get it to the UK which should be this summer.

I suspect that storage will be lower cost the further north we go although we would want to balance any savings with the cost of getting to storage and back to the airport. One option that comes to mind is a one way car rental two times per trip, another option would be to take a train although there would probably still be a distance between any station and storage which would then require a taxi/Uber or some other ride service.

Another thought is to store the MH in Europe if that might offer any advantages over the UK and fly in and out of Paris, Hannover, Munich or some other major airport. Unless we come up with some new information though, the MH is going to be UK registered and storing it in the UK would seem to make the most sense for us.

So basically I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions for the ideal solution? We have a lot of flexibility and would like to keep things simple, convenient and on the lowest budget possible.

 

[Nanniemate]

Depends on how far your willing to travel

WALES is far cheaper than around Heathrow and has direct links train bus

But it's a few hours away.

 

[Gromett]

If it were me, I would be looking at places that are on the east coast rail line into Kings Cross London.
Out of peak hours train travel may prove cost effective?

For instance after a quick look it seems you can get a one way ticket if you book in advance for around £20 one way from Newark to London Kings Cross. The Picadilly line takes you straight from Heathrow to Kings Cross.

I only looked at Newark as I know that area. You could probably find somewhere closer to London but as you say the further south you go the more you will pay and also availability may be limited.

But it really depends on your plans. Are you planning on touring the UK mainly? If so somewhere in the middle of the country would be better as you can then travel anywhere fairly easily.
The east coast line stations all tend to be near the A1 for travel north and south. From Newark you can hit the A46 going east/west.

From the A1 you can get easily to the A14 and down to the east side of the M25 to get to the channel tunnel.

Further South of Newark on the east coast line is Grantham and Peterborough. Both of these are also on the A1 as well as the East Coast line and are further south. However, you don't have easy access to the A46 and other major roads that Newark is easy to link to.

Just my random thoughts. Hope you find a good solution.

 

[hja]

I agree with what grommet said. But your bigger problem might be be finding secure storage. I gather there is a shortage and you are not going to be in a position to regualarly visit so you will need really secure storage.

 

[Landy Andy]

Where do you see yourself spending the most time travelling in it?

I can’t see any point in flying into Heathrow, travelling to Wales, to then drive across to the tunnel to tour Europe. I’d keep it in Europe, and ideally somewhere warmer than UK.

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[Brains]

It depends on three things.

1) In what country is your motorhome registered ?
As you will need to store it in that country, as all European countries have a limit on the number of days a 'foreign' vehicle can remain in the country. The vehicle also needs to be taxed and insured and MoT'ed every year, and to do that you need to be in the correct country.

2) The UK is an island. Leaving the UK has the added (considerable) cost of the ferry/tunnel every time.
Therefore, if you can leave it on the mainland, you will save quite a bit of money each time. But see issue one above.

3) Where can you consistently get the cheapest flights to Europe ?
If London is much the same as say Paris or Madrid, then it widens the option, but still see number 1 above.

Once you have decided on the airport, then look at the rail transport to that airport and look for storage options along the line.
The further out from the airport, the cheaper the storage gets.
The idea storage place is either right next to a station, or, close to a decent sized town, with a very frequent train to the airport, where they have taxi's waiting at the station.

I've no idea what the storage situation is like, but if you use Heathrow as the airport, then rail line from Reading to Bristol would be a good place to start.
Looking at storage in towns such as Guildford, Newbury, Basingstoke, Swindon, Oxford, Woking is where I'd concentrate.
But it may also be worth looking around Ashford (or Maidstone or Rochester) in Kent, as it's on HS1, and with the new Elizabeth line maybe the fastest and easiest to get to, and puts you within 20 miles of the channel port/tunnel

Map here

Forget the car rental idea,
It cost considerably more, and then what do you do with the car ? As it would have to be returned to the rental office.
Most of Europe has perfectly good public transport, especially from airports!.

 

[Brains]

One worth looking at is
Woodcroft Storage Park
On the M25 between Romford/Shenfield/Upminster
A short taxi ride from all three stations

The main advantage for you, is Romford and Shenfield are on the Elizabeth Line, which means direct to Heathrow.
On a good day you could do plane seat to van seat in a couple of hours and no changes.

They do not appear to have a web site, but they have a phone number of 08006891527

 

[CustomBuild]

First, a very big and sincere thanks to all of you for your comments and suggestions.

Nanniemate, Wales might be an idea, I’ll check on the train and bus links.

Gromett, Newark could be worth me checking out, as you said easy to get to and good for heading to the tunnel etc. For many years I switched trains in Newark on my way into Rutland.

Hja, totally agree with the need for an extra secure location. Unrelated, Lincolnshire is my home county.

Landy Andy, we’re hoping for 3 months in the EU and 1 month in the UK on each tour. Not sure how it will really work out and only time will tell.

Brains, I’m planning on UK registration because I can’t see any other realistic way to do it, especially being a Brit with no connections in the EU. Over the years I’ve found LHR to be our best option, direct out of SFO, so I’m kind of drawn to the old familiar territory. I’ll take a look at the Elizabeth Line, never heard of it before.

If only I had a crystal ball, I could see now what I will know in a couple of years in hindsight.

Thanks again, and as they say in Texas, Ya’ll have a good one.

 

[MichaelT]

Try these, there is a station in the village with trains to Heathrow with one change at Stratford on Elizabethline. Very secure.

Guardian Secure Storage | Caravan, Motorhome Secured Storage in Colchester, Essex

Give yourself peace of mind knowing your touring caravan or motorhome is securely stored, providing extra space on your driveway and not leaving a message to criminals that you are away on holiday! We take great pride in the service we offer and are very proud of our high security caravan...

www.guardiansecurestorage.co.uk

 

[CustomBuild]

Try these, there is a station in the village with trains to Heathrow with one change at Stratford on Elizabethline. Very secure.

Guardian Secure Storage | Caravan, Motorhome Secured Storage in Colchester, Essex

Give yourself peace of mind knowing your touring caravan or motorhome is securely stored, providing extra space on your driveway and not leaving a message to criminals that you are away on holiday! We take great pride in the service we offer and are very proud of our high security caravan...

www.guardiansecurestorage.co.uk

Looks interesting, thanks.

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[MichaelT]

Looks interesting, thanks.

We used to use it for 10 years till we moved. Train over the road.