Administrator Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 How did you get into motorhoming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 When I was about 20 (1964) I 'converted' an old ex GPO Morris Minor van ( dark green with rubber front wings and a curious gate handle type of thingy for a door opener!) into a sort of mobile passion wagon - with a 'built in' Primus and tiny sink on one side wall - oh yes - and the all important bucket. There wasn't a lot of room - but I were more agile then and knew no better - and I've been at it ever since - and motor caravanning too! In them days you could park almost anywhere with a bit of discretion and no body ever objected as long as you left only tyre prints and took away only memories (and your rubbish!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 We were experiencing the most horrid weather possible whilst trialling our new tent in Keswick. The wind was howling and the rain was lashing down, it was awful but we stuck it out for our alloted 3 nights. This was 1999, we'd previously had a happy mixture of visiting the exotic East and the colourful Caribbean plus the usual Greek Isles, this all interspersed with tent camping, usually around The Yorkshire Dales. I digress, on our last night in Keswick, we were dodging the showers on our way out for a meal and passed a field full of motorhomes, if my memory serves me right, there was a lot of Romahomes, perhaps a rally or owners club? Anyway, I commented on how cosy they looked, dry, well lit and certainly more comfy than our tent. I returned to work on the Monday after the weekend and struck up a conversation with a colleague who owned a VW Westfalia. It was a ridiculous coincidence as he explained he was sadly having to sell the VW as his wife had become a bit disenchanted with the lifestyle the van offered. Less than a week later the VW was sat in front of our house and we've never looked back. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josie gibblebucket Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 My parents always had vw campervans when we were kids, I even learned to drive in one, so I suppose you could say I was weaned on it. Trouble is its taken all these years to be able to get a van of my own. It may be old and well used, but I'd hate to be without it now!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaleg Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I fell in love with a fiat amigo at Bingley hall Birmingham, as I'm over six foot tall, the love affair would never have lasted. They say, that were all the same size lying down (not in a fiat amigo you aint) Our first van was a elderly vw wesfalia continental reg, WTC 467L it's unlikley its still on the road. Never looked back. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyAndy Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Went on a Keycamps holiday to see what driving in France was like, we had a folding camper at the time and intended taking that over the following year. Went to beach in Quibreon and saw motorhomes parked there and both agreed we would like one. Went to NEC in the October and bought one. Picked it up February 2007 and haven't looked back Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 My first memory of campsite was in my granparants Ace Ambassador on campsite at Lepe beach, since then it's been camping then living in a caravan the change to motorhoming came with a round the world holiday when we rented motorhomes in NZ and Oz and found how well they suited our holidaying style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Mole Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Long time fan of steam rallies - graduated from sleeping in the back of the car to my daughters small tent then the pub's van & when that died (nearly) I traded it in for a small Auto sleepers Frisky then sold that after a couple of years & bought another Auto Sleeper only a bit bigger & with all facilities ready for my retirement & am thoroughly enjoying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 We'd always fancied the idea. Had frame tents & trailer tents, but finally bought our first camper in 1987, just before I finished my training and moved to my first church as minister. It was a ten-yr-old VW Danbury, very basic, really designed for weekending, but we used it for main holidays, including one to France (with both our young kids and a borrowed teenager as babysitter!) When the kids got too big for the silly cloth roof-bunks, we swapped it for a slightly older Glendale coachbuilt on a Mk1 Transit, and when that fell apart after its sole foreign adventure (France and Spain) went into debt to buy a more recent Glendale (1984 Bedford, in 1991). That lasted us for about 6 years, until the kids again outgrew the accommodation. Returned to motorhoming in 1999 with our faithful old hi-top Transit, "Hannibal," who kept us moving until November 2007, when we ordered "Roxie." Not so much "How did we start" as a potted history - sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I started my camping experiences in Europe when in the Armed Forces, had Trailer tent and several caravans. I had often seenMotorhomeson the road and on campsites and looked on with envy. One day in 1996 I was travelling somewhere within the UK, cannot remember where now but saw a Motorhome parked in a layby and the couple were sat inside at the table and through the window I could see they were enjoying a nice cup of tea. I remember thinking how convenient it would be to just stop, put kettle on and make a fresh cuppa rather than drink tainted tea from a flask. When I got home I suggested to the then OH that we should trade in both car and caravan and get Motorhome, to my utte surprise she agreed. Off we went to Newark, about 1 Hour away (Yes, Brownhills :-S ) and saw our perfect 5 year old used Autotrail Cheyenne in perfect condition and only 5,000 on the clock. Never looked back since and now on 3rd Motorhome and 2nd wife, wonder which one to change next :D :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadjo Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Hi We had been thinking about it for awhile and I've always liked them and wanted one for years!!!! Then we had the holiday from hell in Tenerife two years ago and that was it!!! No more being hearded around at airports, no more being ripped off in spain etc on package hols so we took the plunge and got a MH and have enjoyed every minute of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tp002c784tp002c784tp Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Converted my first Campervan as they where called in them days, about 40 years ago, decided that if we ever had any chance of a holiday it was the only way. As money was tight working for the GPO wages was not very good but job security was, So took the plunge bought an ex school meals van a commer walk through 30cwt and beg borrow and stole every thing that went inside as I did not know if we where going to like this sort of holiday, Main frames of cupboards and beds was Dexion angle iron and covered with ply wood. fridge was a box under the babys cot a box with layers of polystyrene stuck on top of each other and circles cut out for milk bottles. a two burner camping stove with grill this was the dearest item we bought, the side windows where a split screen out of a bedford dormobile, and the outside was painted with Woolworths blue "wet look paint" a cracking finish. We had three years cracking holidays and sold it for £100, we are still only on our 6th motorhome after all these years but my conversion always holds fond memorys, about 20 years later I was in a scrap yard about 50mls away from home and there at the back and there was old Betsy at the back I could not resist looking inside most of the cupbords where still intact and the woolworths paint was still gleaming in places. ( Happy days, Happy Memorys ). Tracker About the time you where converting your Moggy 1000 I was driving the 1ton version of that vehicle also with rubber wings and crash gearbox that did not judder just crunch when you forgot to Double de Clutch ( more happy Memorys ) Terry (lol) (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelling Tyke Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Saw an advert for a Romahome on a Bedford Rascal whilst out walking and then a few yards further along saw the Romahome. Looked at it and bought it to extend our walking options. Enjoyed the use and experience. Realised the limitations for extended travelling so moved onto a Bessacarr after a lot of looking and enquiring. (Background - I started camping with the Cubs, continued camping on and off. Had a static caravan for a while, got a trailer tent for a while for family camping.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 In September 2006 we had a break in Devon stopping in BnB's on the way down the M5 all we seemed to see were motorcaravans we made a comment like never seen so many motorhomes before just think if we won the lottery we could buy one ( not knowing how much they cost ) anyway upon our return having spent what seemed a small fortune on a short break we went to Newark to Brownhills as it is fairly close and was the only outlet we knew of just for a look !!! we were invited by the salesman to the motorhome show in October at the NEC what an eye opener that was at that time we were aware of how much we were to draw from our pensions upon taking early retirement and decided to push the boat out and buy one after doing our homework as to which one best suited our needs and we have enjoyed every minute we have been out and about in UK and abroad . We have just changed to a larger motorhome with fixed bed its great just returned from 1st trip in new one to France.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duetto owner Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 had a small eriba caravan 15 years ago for about 18 months used it a lot but did not get on with it. liked the idea of a motor home spent next 15 years dithering on type and saving due to the higher cost and finally got one this year. did try tenting after two trips in a tent sold it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 As at today 18 of 44 voters are ex caravanners. Maybe this explains the herd instinct that attracts so many motor caravanners to live together on a caravan site with mains leads a trailing rather than be adventurous enough to use the van's inbuilt self sufficiency facilities on Aires etc? Suits me - more room on the Aires - so thanks all you ex tuggers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapido-lass Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I have only ever camped in a tent once and hated it as I was young and we got flooded out in a thunder storm - not happy memories and an experience never to be repeated! However, the OH purchased an old MKII Transit motorhome 7/8 years ago, gutted it and rebuilt it, just to see whether we would like it - Silly question as we are on our 3rd motorhome! We have toured many countries and covered many miles of tarmac and there's still so many more places we want to explore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Tracker - 2009-07-04 7:04 PM As at today 18 of 44 voters are ex caravanners. Maybe this explains the herd instinct that attracts so many motor caravanners to live together on a caravan site with mains leads a trailing rather than be adventurous enough to use the van's inbuilt self sufficiency facilities on Aires etc? Suits me - more room on the Aires - so thanks all you ex tuggers! Rich we visited two aires over six weeks in last trip, home a week now and planning next. One at Honfleur had around three hundred vans on it and the other about fifty, this is what I call herd instinct. We do not stay on aires much unless it is a convenient overnight stop on the way to somewhere else but find them mostly crowded, dirty, insecure or a combination of all three. We go away to relax and mostly stay around two or three nights unless we do not like the site. I seem to remember you saying a few days ago you like to arrive at around six pm and leave around 9.00 am. Well leaving at 9 driving all day until 6 then repeating it all is not our idea of a relaxing holiday, it sounds a nightmare. What is adventurous about this, the only reasons to use aires are you are to skint or to mean to pay for a proper site. Oh yes must vote I am 'other'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 rupert123 - 2009-07-09 11:12 PM Rich we visited two aires over six weeks in last trip, home a week now and planning next. One at Honfleur had around three hundred vans on it and the other about fifty, this is what I call herd instinct. We do not stay on aires much unless it is a convenient overnight stop on the way to somewhere else but find them mostly crowded, dirty, insecure or a combination of all three. We go away to relax and mostly stay around two or three nights unless we do not like the site. I seem to remember you saying a few days ago you like to arrive at around six pm and leave around 9.00 am. Well leaving at 9 driving all day until 6 then repeating it all is not our idea of a relaxing holiday, it sounds a nightmare. What is adventurous about this, the only reasons to use aires are you are to skint or to mean to pay for a proper site. Oh yes must vote I am 'other'. Rupert, we too do not use that awful aire at Honfleur - or any other where the herd instinct applies and people feel the need to park two feet away from you. Just because we leave an aire at 9.00 am and find another at 6.00 pm does not mean we are driving all day. You assumed wrongly Rupert! We might be on a beach, exploring a town, parked up by a river or whatever takes our fancy. We too find our own holiday style totally relaxing and as we have not booked and paid we are totally free agents to roam where the whim takes us - which I thought was what motor caravans were designed for? Good job we are all different innit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westy Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 We have had a tent for over 30 years and have always loved camping. In 2005 we went to Spain to look for an apartment to buy for holidays. (Couldn't find anything that we fell in love with) Whilst we were there we saw loads of motorhomes parked up right on the edge of the blue sea and people lazing in the sun and thats when we changed our minds. My daughter said "why do you want to buy an apartment when you don't like going to the same place twice" and she was right so we came back and bought our Bessacarr E435 and love her to bits. Haven't managed Spain yet but have toured Northern Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 This poll has now closed, many thanks to everyone who took part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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