When you purchased your MH what was the first trip you went on and your memories of that first adventure? I'm picking up my MH next week and I'm thinking my first trip will be a short weekend break away to get a feel for the van and it's workings etc. I've never owned a MH before so it will be a very big learning curve but thankfully there are plenty of forums like this and YouTube videos for any potential troubleshooting and guidance. I'm based in the North West of England and not too far from Wales so that is looking like my first destination.
Where was your first journey
- Thread starter Daytona73
- Start date
Our first night was a motocross meeting in Hampshire. Went well, no major issues thankfully and it was nice dry meeting too which helped. 
. First trip abroad later that year (2013) was to Bastogne to watch a motocross Grand Prix. Bit of a theme going on there
. First trip abroad later that year (2013) was to Bastogne to watch a motocross Grand Prix. Bit of a theme going on there
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Market Rasen racecourse, simply because my parents lived just 400 yards down the road. Just in case the apocalypse might happen.
The next day my parents (caravans and motorhomes from the 70s) came to visit , sat in the van my dad said "its not very level, is it son"
A week later some some leveling wedges were bought, fifteen years later, still buying more crap.
The next day my parents (caravans and motorhomes from the 70s) came to visit , sat in the van my dad said "its not very level, is it son"
A week later some some leveling wedges were bought, fifteen years later, still buying more crap.
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- May 13, 2016
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- Nine years in theory, a newby in practice!!!
While on the Old Oaks site near Glastonbury on our first ever trip, we took the van into Wells to visit the street market and the Bishops Palace. Having read the motorhome parking booklet which came with the MMM magazine, we decided to use the Union St car park. There wasn't any purpose made MH spaces so we parked in a space with the vans tail end in an adjoining space.
I went to the P&D machine and read the instructions, it stated that if any of your wheels are over the line you will receive a fine, so I duly bought two tickets and placed them on the dash and jumped out and locked the van. I went to the front of the van to make sure that the tickets were visible only to discover that one had disappeared.
After much searching we came to the conclusion that it had fallen through a gap in the dash,
so off I went to buy another ticket. With both tickets in place I turned to walk away and spotted a 'parking attendant' with his back to me looking all over a cars windscreen ready to give the car a 'ticket'.
I went over to him and said," Excuse me, our motorhome is parked across two spaces, but I've bought two tickets. I'm just checking that it's OK?"
He then started to point vigorously at the writing on his hat. It said in large letters, SALVATION ARMY!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought I was going to die either with laughing or embarrassment
I think I made his day
I went to the P&D machine and read the instructions, it stated that if any of your wheels are over the line you will receive a fine, so I duly bought two tickets and placed them on the dash and jumped out and locked the van. I went to the front of the van to make sure that the tickets were visible only to discover that one had disappeared.
After much searching we came to the conclusion that it had fallen through a gap in the dash,
so off I went to buy another ticket. With both tickets in place I turned to walk away and spotted a 'parking attendant' with his back to me looking all over a cars windscreen ready to give the car a 'ticket'.I went over to him and said," Excuse me, our motorhome is parked across two spaces, but I've bought two tickets. I'm just checking that it's OK?"
He then started to point vigorously at the writing on his hat. It said in large letters, SALVATION ARMY!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought I was going to die either with laughing or embarrassment
I think I made his day
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- Oct 22, 2023
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July 2024. Went to Worcestershire, about 30 miles from home. We did one night on EHU and a second off grid just to try everything out.
We had to go straight to the nearest pet-shop as we'd forgotten the dog lead. Our first experience of maneuvering round a retail-centre car-park. Definitely a blue job that was as OH put the dog in with just his harness & no lead.
We had to go straight to the nearest pet-shop as we'd forgotten the dog lead. Our first experience of maneuvering round a retail-centre car-park. Definitely a blue job that was as OH put the dog in with just his harness & no lead.
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We got ours in mid Dec ‘14, and the next day went to camp near Brightlingsea, freezing cold, hard frost
No idea how anything worked, we had forgotten everything the sales bloke had told us
Still got the same ‘van, we know a bit more about it now
No idea how anything worked, we had forgotten everything the sales bloke had told us
Still got the same ‘van, we know a bit more about it now
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Nanniemate
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- Oct 1, 2019
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- Still dropping clangers and making it up as I go along
Could have been worse lead and no dogWe did the same thing once, went to take the dog out and no lead
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Back home to Wiltshire from the dealer in Yorkshire with a couple of stopovers in Sherwood Forest and the Cotswolds. The first trip from home was the Forum Rally at Norden Farm in Dorset. A Forum Rally is an excellent introduction if you are new to motorhoming.
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We went 45 minutes away in freezing weather to Rutland Camping and Caravanning. We'd bought a 10 year old Hymer B544 from an elderly couple who didn't give us much of a handover. We filled the water tank 3 times before we discovered the freeze drop valve. Next morning we woke up it was 4 degrees inside the van-the gas had run out overnight. We were still hooked though!
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Lenny HB
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- Oct 18, 2007
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Ours was 2008 couple of days in the New Forest, then booked a ferry for the next week and headed to the Baltic, didn't make it. Turned right at Belgium and ended up in Slovenia.
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Our first trip was in a Sherpa ambulance conversation.
We went to Spain the day after I put the fixt bed in just a little test drive we only set of to go to cleethorps
WB
We went to Spain the day after I put the fixt bed in just a little test drive we only set of to go to cleethorps
WB
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We were a bit different to most and went the 1500 miles to Murcia to collect all our things to use with the new van like pots, pans & bikes etc from where we previously lived.
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Our best man lent his mk2 transit coachbuilt for our honeymoon can't remember exactly where we stopped but we went from Northampton to York upto Edinburgh back down the other side to Bristol via llandudno that was October 87 when the bad winds turned Sevenoaks to 1oak the van the best man friendship and the marriage are aĺl now distant memories
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Bailey58
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Our first few in 2011 were very unadventurous, 60 miles to Lincoln then Peterborough and Newark showgrounds for bits and pieces, Yarmouth and Chester before heading west and north in 2012 for Derby and Yorks Dales and Durham and Gibside. France, Germany and Switzerland the following year.
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- Jan 12, 2020
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We were as green as grass. We bought a 14 year old Burstner to travel in Europe. Our very first trip was a 3 month, 4k mile, outing to France , Spain and Portugal. Almost everything that could go wrong did, leaking window, turbo actuator stuck, sticky gear change etc, etc. It was the most thrilling of trips. You never forget your first!!!
PS: We still have the Burstner 7 years and 70k miles later. What a time we’ve had.
PS: We still have the Burstner 7 years and 70k miles later. What a time we’ve had.
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In 1968 we bought a 2nd hand Austin J4 Dormobile with popup roof and a week later drove from Leeds to holiday in Scotland and were nearly blown away on Isle of Skye.
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1st stay, 3 days at Laneside Camp Site,Hope Valley,Derbyshire,approx 10 miles from home
2nd stay. 4 weeks Many sites on the way to Sorrento,Italy.It was on this trip we started our snagging list which kept on growing
Moral = Keep local if possible for a few trips,if want longer take a good tool kit including gaffer tape and .......email address of Agents to let off steam!!!!
2nd stay. 4 weeks Many sites on the way to Sorrento,Italy.It was on this trip we started our snagging list which kept on growing
Moral = Keep local if possible for a few trips,if want longer take a good tool kit including gaffer tape and .......email address of Agents to let off steam!!!!
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Don't let this out you off........
We collected our brand new van from Abacus in January 2024, had the hand over in the afternoon and had booked two nights at morn hill, Winchester site to try everything out. We left the dealership in the worst rain I can remember driving in. The fiat dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree due to the rain affecting the sensors - panic now ! I managed to knock the automatic gear stick into manual and couldn't work out why the van was not changing through the gears - more panic ! Getting used to driving the van in terrible weather, navigating to the nearest supermarket for food etc and then driving to the campsite in the dark was a stressful journey I will not forget. We had not owned a camper before , we had hired one the year before but that's nothing like driving your own £80k van out of the dealership - even more panic !
But that was last year - we clocked up 100 nights away in the van to December 2024 including 6 weeks in Europe.
We really like the van and continue to enjoy our time away .
Ps we don't panic as much now
All the best for when you get your motorhome.
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After 3 weeks of putting hand controls and other bits on the new van around 2.5k worth we headed for the Norfolk broads for a week, came back on a Sunday and the cops turned up on the Monday and took the van away… it was sold to us from stolen,
That was that….
That was that….
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I bought mine in Sept 2021. Unfortunately, my dog fell ill and I could not go away immediately. I lost her in October and due to work etc was unable to get time off. A new pup in December and I did not want to go with her in my new van until I had her house-trained. It was not until May 2022 and a trip up to Gairloch that I got away. This was the destination because someone was advertising some bits and pieces for a motorhome that I wanted and so made a wee holiday of it. It was far enough but not too far that I could not get home within a few hours if something disastrous happened.
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- May 10, 2020
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And mine ! Though it’s a bit further than 20 miles for me.Lyndon Top, only 20 miles from home... just in case.
...and
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I took the bull by the horns and booked the Dover - Calais ferry crossing. After some thought I decided I didn't want to be on the ferry because of a bad experience 30 years before so I then booked the Chanel Tunnel. We ended up staying at an Aire in Gravellines, which was free at the time. It was a weekend which gave me the bug to travel to France, and beyond, for many years. Nowadays my go to place is Arnhem in Holland.
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From North of Limoges to Cahors in a 1980s Pilote. We ran into torrential rain near Cahors and discovered that the floor of the van leaked and then went on to discover that it is a really bad idea to try and find an Aire for the first time when it is dark, wet and everyone else is heading home from work.
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First off enjoy
First trip for us was llangorse lake which was fun trying to work out how things worked but we got there if in doubt ask somebody will usaully step up to give you a hand best part is cracking open a couple of beers usually for us it was with the folk that helped us out and talking about there van lives dont worry just get out there and enjoy take care
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1986: VW 'Hippy Wagon'
I was touring with multiple bands, so behind the stage at festivals and in the car park of various gigs up and down the country.
In 1989 we drove it to Austria and back, the only cars we could overtake were the Trabants from those escaping East German via Hungary just before the wall came down.
I was touring with multiple bands, so behind the stage at festivals and in the car park of various gigs up and down the country.
In 1989 we drove it to Austria and back, the only cars we could overtake were the Trabants from those escaping East German via Hungary just before the wall came down.
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2020: First night out in the Motorhome.
We bought it in December 2019, the dealer in the Midlands agreed to store it over the winter for free.
We picked it up in March 2020.
We drove straight to VanBitz in Taunton and spent the 1st and second nights at Cornish Farm Campsite next door, whilst VanBitz filled the Solar, Gaslow, Alarm etc.
As it turned out, I think we were their last customers for many months.
That week was the most stressful of our lives.
Driving back we got the call to say that my father-in-law had died.
Next day the Pandemic Lock Down was declared.
We were at the Fathers house when my Brother-in-law had a major stroke (he died months later)
My company called, and in effect made me redundant (as my job could not be done in an empty office)
My ISP went bankrupt, so with very little notice we had to get a new domain set up and the email addresses we had for our business and personally of over 25 years had to be changed.
And then we got the call from my Mothers Doctor who said if there was a way of getting down to Cornwall, we needed to go now.
(My Mother finally died in May)
We organised three funerals back to back in the middle of Lockdown
The motorhome literally saved us, as it meant we could travel between the houses and did not need to be with other people.
I spent solid 5 weeks in the motorhome.
We bought it in December 2019, the dealer in the Midlands agreed to store it over the winter for free.
We picked it up in March 2020.
We drove straight to VanBitz in Taunton and spent the 1st and second nights at Cornish Farm Campsite next door, whilst VanBitz filled the Solar, Gaslow, Alarm etc.
As it turned out, I think we were their last customers for many months.
That week was the most stressful of our lives.
Driving back we got the call to say that my father-in-law had died.
Next day the Pandemic Lock Down was declared.
We were at the Fathers house when my Brother-in-law had a major stroke (he died months later)
My company called, and in effect made me redundant (as my job could not be done in an empty office)
My ISP went bankrupt, so with very little notice we had to get a new domain set up and the email addresses we had for our business and personally of over 25 years had to be changed.
And then we got the call from my Mothers Doctor who said if there was a way of getting down to Cornwall, we needed to go now.
(My Mother finally died in May)
We organised three funerals back to back in the middle of Lockdown
The motorhome literally saved us, as it meant we could travel between the houses and did not need to be with other people.
I spent solid 5 weeks in the motorhome.
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