Clueless! (1 Viewer)

[Olihensam]

My husband and I (with our three sons) are contemplating hiring a motorhome for two weeks in the summer holidays. We have never been in one before but love the idea of it. We have previously camped and have a sailing boat so are used to sleeping and living in confined spaces.

However, we have absolutely no idea about where to go. As this will be our second holiday we were thinking of maybe going someone in the UK (Yorkshire, Lake District or even Scotland). But we really are in the dark as to how well our roads and campsites are set up to drive a big motorhome around.

Alternatively we could hop across the channel to France.

So, we need lots of help. Principally; what size motorhome should we go for? And where should we go?

Help!

Juliet

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Hi Juliet,

Depends on the age of your sons, but minumum 4 berth, give my lot a ring and they can advise you in more detail and send you details.

Good luck

Regards

Peter

 

[pappajohn]

hi and welcome Juliet.

personally, as a first timer i would stick to the UK.

our roads are perfectly adequate for motorhomes, large and small, and you'll find campsites just about everywhere but may be a bit thin on the ground in the far north of scotland.

a minimum of 4 berths would be best and if possible one with a decent lounging area....nothing worse than sitting at the dinnete table all the time.

most of all enjoy the experience and have fun.

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[movan]

Hi Juliet, I am sure you will love every minute if the weather is kind to you .. and then it would be well worth speaking to Peter (above) to look out for a good deal for you.

Everyone on the sites in a motorhome will be more than willing to answer any of your questions .. they are more than delighted to share their knowledge with others. :thumb:

 

[JayDee]

You should easily be able to accommodate yourselves and 3 lads in a vehicle a lot smaller than a National Express coach.
It very much depends on the ages of your sons But there are many ways of comfortably sleeping you all and still leave some lounging room.
For the boys I guess you could do worse than bunk beds at the rear, maybe a large overcab bed (which will give quite a pronounced lump at the front) for you to sleep and a dinette with opposing sofa in the middle. Of course the kitchen and ablutions will need to be fitted in as well. This will fit into about 26 feet in length, so if you feel comfortable driving something that long, you'll be well served. If you need something a bit smaller then this is where you come up against the motorhomers main problem - compromise. If you are happy to make up beds at night and all go to bed at the same time then you will be able to get away with something a few feet shorter. A bit of research into available layouts and an appreciation of where you can compromise will go a long way towards helping you towards your choice.
Hardly anybody manages to get it right first time. The rule of thumb seems to show that the third one is usually about right, so avoid buying new or you could lose a fortune over just a few years.

Hope this is of use.


John

 

[Mixter]

An important consideration is; is your husband confident/competent enough to drive a decent sized MH, as youre 'new' to the notion? Finding out in such an expensive vehicle, with all the family aboard isnt to be recommended!

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[Olihensam]

Thanks for all your replies.

I think we will stick with the UK for our first time.

Our sons are getting quite big - 14, 12 and 8 so I think we will go for a large one, especially as both my husband and I are happy to drive a big motorhome.

Now just to decide where to go!

Juliet

 

[scotjimland]

My husband and I (with our three sons) are contemplating hiring a motorhome for two weeks in the summer holidays.

Juliet

Hi

Have you priced up hiring .. ? you may be in for a shock.

If you have, then pop into the hiring company who will give you the best advice about size and perhaps a test drive.

 

[motor roamin]

Welcome to the forum, lots of people will tell you what you need but to be sure why not spend a couple of weekends round the dealers looking at layouts etc and see which one you think will work for you, then try to rent the same model.

But as Jim said they are not cheap to rent.

All the best Rick.

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[pappajohn]

one thing to be aware of is your driving licence entitlement.
the hirer may or may not ask about it but its your responsibility to have the correct licence.

not knowing your personal circumstances, i can only assume you passed your driving test pre 1997 which will allow you to drive a motorhome over 3.5t and up to 7.5t.

post '97 and you can only drive up to 3.5t unless you took a second test for class C1.

as previously mentioned, a motorhome of around 26ft will be an ideal size but may well be over 3.5t gross weight.

 

[aba]

hi and welcome
i think the best advise would be to go to dealers and motorhome shows the hire people are at some shows and basically get into as many different types and sizes as you can and take the time to imagine cooking / showering and sleeping to find what works best then try to hire a similar one to which you feel comfortable in
ours is a 6 berth and has 6 seatbelts tho there are only 2 of us but it works for us but at 28ft and just under 5 tons its not a small thing.

andy

 

[Reallyretired]

Shepton Mallett show next weekend if you're anywhere near there. Too late to book but pay on the gate. There should be quite a few vans there (and some funsters too but don't let that put you off )

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[Olihensam]

Thank you all for the great advice. It has been really useful and has certainly pointed us in the right direction.

And you are right - the hire prices are very high. Luckily we did start by checking the price so already knew what to expect.

Juliet

 

[haganap]

Having seen the price of hire I ought to hire mine out to you instead.... a nice 7 berth with a fantastic layout for kids.

As to where to go. have a look at my blog link at the bottom of my page here for some ideas. We have travelled to space and back in our van(s) as we love to travel.

Here are some ideas,

Scotland, great country but can be a bit hard with the midgies,
My brother in law recently done the island hopping around all the Scottish isles said he loved it and also was good as not too busy.

Yorkshire moors and Dales, simply stunning place to visit, downfall again is the fact you get problems with traffic and negotiating some of the smaller lanes in the summer. Whitby is a great place to go.

Do remember that you wont have a car with you so will be looking at hopping from one place to another with stop offs in between. I doubt you will get the hang of motorhoming on your first hire but I hope you do as you will then want to buy one.

Personally, I know it has been said not to, but I would jump accross to France. a super place for Motorhoming and you do not have to go to deep in to it for a good holiday. Better roads, more spacious, loads to do.


What ever you decide, have a great time.:thumb:

 

[rainbow chasers]

one thing to be aware of is your driving licence entitlement.
the hirer may or may not ask about it but its your responsibility to have the correct licence.

not knowing your personal circumstances, i can only assume you passed your driving test pre 1997 which will allow you to drive a motorhome over 3.5t and up to 7.5t.

post '97 and you can only drive up to 3.5t unless you took a second test for class C1.

as previously mentioned, a motorhome of around 26ft will be an ideal size but may well be over 3.5t gross weight.

I love disagreeing with you!

The hire company (or owner) has the responsibility regarding licence entitlement. If we were to hire to someone that did not have that entitlement on their licence, WE get done! We have a legal obligation to carry out checks on every person hiring a motorhome from us.

As for size, average 5 berth for hire is around the 20ft mark. This is done so that the driver is not overwhelmed by driving something much larger than they are used to. No-one seems to have much of a problem, and if you are unsure, most companies will give you as much driving tuition as you want until you feel comfortable with the size.

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[pappajohn]

I love disagreeing with you!

suitably reprimanded :Sad: