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If you’re just starting to think about getting a motorhome/campervan, the most recent post on this blog won’t necessarily be where you want to start.

To make it easier to find what you want, the following list is designed to be in roughly the order that you may want to consider things – though some are interrelated.

Finding the way

While there are still many purists who prefer to navigate in the ‘old way’ with maps, most of us have turned to SatNav systems to make the process easier. With a motorhome, the choice of SatNav is perhaps more important than for a car.

This post is, therefore, about my experiences with SatNav – I haven’t tried them all so it shouldn’t be considered as a product review, just a record of my personal experiences.

Tackling grey water pong

Up to a short while ago I hadn’t given a great deal of thought to my grey water tank, beyond making sure it was empty on arrival at site and emptying it again before leaving.

 

However, two recent occurrences started me thinking.

One was a noticeable ‘pong’ in the wet room, which I initially put down to damp and started me looking for a leak somewhere – without finding anything.

At about the same time, on drawing up close to a grey water disposal point I noticed a lot of small pieces of spaghetti scattered around the drain. Somebody had obviously been putting all sorts of things down their drain!

Managing batteries at your leisure

When I noticed recently that my two leisure batteries do not seem to be holding their charge for very long it led me into a whole area that I knew relatively little about. In particular, things proved not to be as simple as I was anticipating.

For context, my van has a vehicle battery to start the engine etc. and two large leisure batteries under a back seat.

Understanding motorhome weight

Motorhome weight is important. Exceeding your allowed motorhome weight or camper van weight can be dangerous, invalidate your insurance and warranty (if you have one) and even lead to a fine.

The motorhome weight also has a bearing on what type of driving licence you need, as explained here.

Information about your motorhome weight will be on a plate on your van, but understanding what these motorhome weight figures mean is another matter. In the UK the V5C (aka ‘log book’) will show the gross weight (see below), but not the other figures.

This post seeks to explain what all these motorhome weight figures mean.

Going ‘off grid’

When going ‘off grid’ it’s essential to take measures that will minimise the drain on the leisure battery (or batteries).

It’s often very nice to have all of the bells and whistles of a big, well equipped campsite – but there are times when something more basic is more appealing. Also, the more basic the site, the lower the cost (in general).

Or it may be necessary or expedient to stay overnight in a layby or quiet road, though that’s rarely recommended (see separate post).

Upgrading your motorhome / camper van

There may come a time when you decide to upgrade your ‘van’ to a different, usually newer, model. When doing so there are several things to consider.

 

Our strategy with our first motorhome was to go for a relatively cheap, and quite old, model to assess what we thought of the motorhome concept in general – and also to evaluate what works for us. People use motorhomes in different ways so the layout of the habitation area has to suit.

Preparing for winter

As the nights draw in and temperatures plummet all but the most hardy of us will be abandoning the open road until the spring. So, if you are unable to store your motorhome inside a garage or similar, now is the time to take some precautions that will help your motorhome come through unscathed.

Personally, I make sure I still drive around in mine occasionally right through the winter months, just to keep things ticking over, combined with some other measures. These are over and above those precautions you would take with any vehicle, such as using anti-freeze in the cooling system and screen wash, squirting a bit of oil into locks etc.

What will suit your needs?

It may be an obvious point but the first decision is whether a motorhome or camper van is the right choice for you. It's a big investment so it's important to get it right. For example, would a caravan be a better option? Or if you don't think you'll get away very often perhaps you could spend the money you would have invested in a motorhome on rented cottages or hotels.

Stanstead Hall, Suffolk

Stanstead Hall, near the village of Hitcham in Suffolk, is a beautifully maintained yet informally arranged site for adults only. As the site’s website explains, there are no rigidly defined pitches; you turn up and pick a spot – and there are a number of electric points scatted around so there is plenty of choice.

A central block houses a toilet, shower, wash up area and chemical toilet disposal point. The latter is eco-friendly and the owners supply a suitable chemical, with a request for a voluntary donation of 20p.

Greenacres Farm

Greenacres Farm in Chappel, near Colchester in Essex is a small site with friendly and helpful owners. It is a Caravan Club Certificated Location, which means you have to be Caravan Club member to stay there.

The first thing to say is that it’s a nice, quiet site (depending on your neighbours in the field, of course). There a small field with just 5 grass pitches for Caravan Club members and the pitches are well spaced out (all with electric).

Motorhomes and the law 2 - overnight stays off-site

The situation regarding staying overnight anywhere other than a camp site is a bit vague and there are many opinions. The information here is based on the majority view of a number of sources but shouldn’t be considered as a defence in law if you get into trouble.

Motorhomes and the law 1 - driving licences

There are a number of legal issues that you need to be aware of that relate to motorhomes in the UK. This first ‘motorhomes and the law’ post looks at driving licences.

The information in this post has been taken from the official UK government site, as well as other sources.

The UK driving licence has several categories relating to the types of vehicles that can be driven. The categories you are allowed to drive are shown on your licence.

Where to go?

Choosing a campsite is obviously a very personal thing and some of it is obvious, such as which country and what part of that country. However, there are a number of other things to consider – and now that most sites have at least some presence on the internet checking out the details is pretty easy (albeit somewhat time-consuming).

Spread out with awnings

In an earlier post I observed that one way to get extra space was to attach an awning to the side of the van.

There are several approaches to this and that is a wide range of awnings available. In fact, if you search on the Internet to for ‘motorhome awning’ or ‘caravan awning’ you will see there is massive choice of styles, ranging from a simple sun canopy to a large add-on tent.

What sort of motorhome will suit you?

Once you’ve decided that a motorhome is the best option for you (see What will suit your needs?) the next big decision is what sort? Motorhomes come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and prices so this is going to be very personal decision based on a number of criteria.

I suggest that some of the main criteria are as follows (not necessarily in this order). I covered each in a separate post with links below, so feel free to flit around.

What can you afford?

How many people – or pets - will it need to accommodate?

What sort of facilities does it need to contain?

Where are you going to keep it?

What size will be you be comfortable driving?

Where will you keep it?

Before deciding what sort of motorhome you’re going for you need to be clear where you are going to keep it. Leaving it on the road is inadvisable; partly because of the risk of it being hit by a passing vehicle (or passing vandals) and also because insurance premiums will be higher if you can’t keep it off-road.

What facilities do you need?

I’ve already discussed sleeping arrangements in another post but there are other facilities to look out for.

For many of the home comforts you’ll want a mains electricity hook-up, so you can run everyday appliances in the motorhome. These are pretty much a standard feature these days but something you shouldn’t overlook.

How many people (or pets)

Some of this is obvious, some of it less obvious.

Clearly you need to work out how many people will require a bed and then make sure you enough sleeping space.

One option is to buy a motorhome that has the number of beds you need. They’ll all have a double bed or two singles but if you need more than that you’ll have to go bigger and, potentially, pricier. It’s definitely worth having a look around one of the bigger dealers to get an idea of just how many variations there are on sleeping arrangements.

What can you afford?

This is a biggie for most people as prices can range from a few hundred pounds for an ancient camper to tens of thousands for a brand new, big beast with the very latest in everything.

An important point – don’t expect motorhomes to depreciate in the same way as cars, they hold their prices for a lot longer – or perhaps it just seems that way because they start life at much higher prices.