Solo Motorhoming in Spain this winter (1 Viewer)

Oct 24, 2015
5,268
32,970
Helgas house
Funster No
39,736
MH
hymer e650 battered!!
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None
Keep your eye on UK BEST DEALS.... can get great laptop deals. I got a travel laptop (dell) for £150. A laptop more use then a tablet but if going for tablet as well get a android as far cheaper and flexible then apple

Do you have a bike....
No eddie,i dont have a bike,,havnt had one for 45 years...but someone else asked me that and im toying with the idea of getting one,,after all i do have a bike rack on the hymer (i havnt bought yet) But i do like walking,and can walk for miles,,i find it clears the mind ! Ok so tell me the benefits of a bike for me??? (not interested in electric)... oh and i am not going to spend £1000 on a bloody bike,,,,,that will keep me travelling for another month !!!
 

Eve

Free Member
Jan 29, 2015
407
914
Kent
Funster No
34,925
MH
Van conversion
Exp
20 years
Good luck
You can always pick up things on the way,they are just material possessions,.:restmycase:
I lived in my van for 10 years,mainly wild camping ,but did use airs,have travelled most of Europe,favourite place must be Portugal and France.:france::wine:
My life style is different now,but had a wonderful 20 years,no regrets.:wine::cooler:
Now I am on my own have gone back to a small van,keeping things very simple,so many airs now in Spain and Portugal .

I hope you enjoy your new life.
 
Sep 11, 2014
1,005
3,414
West Sussex
Funster No
33,306
MH
None
Exp
Since 2013
Here's another couple of members loving your attitude and looking forward to reading about your travels @ianthebuilder

Not sure if anyone has suggested this yet - when you collect your MH that you haven't bought yet, insist on a detailed walk through of everything and VIDEO IT on your phone. There's so much to learn and you'll never remember it all as we found out when we started out 3 years ago.

Good luck, safe travelling

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Judge Mental

Funster
Deceased RIP
Sep 2, 2009
6,650
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8,272
MH
Possl 636 FR panel van
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1994 and beyond...
No eddie,i dont have a bike,,havnt had one for 45 years...but someone else asked me that and im toying with the idea of getting one,,after all i do have a bike rack on the hymer (i havnt bought yet) But i do like walking,and can walk for miles,,i find it clears the mind ! Ok so tell me the benefits of a bike for me??? (not interested in electric)... oh and i am not going to spend £1000 on a bloody bike,,,,,that will keep me travelling for another month !!!

You can pick up a bike on local gumtree for £100. Apart from cycling being very enjoyable and healthy, its transport for shopping, sightseeing etc....Couple of bags on the back rack its a load lugger, you can get to better supermarkets, and cheaper then paying for buses. you can cyle to other towns, up into the mountains..whatever . find you have no milk be down the supermarket and back in minutes. fancy a takeaway..you can be there and back before it gets cold.

Its cheap basic transport at worse, at best fantastic fun when and if you get into it. 30 reasons here:)

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/30-reasons-to-take-up-cycling-23965/

An LPG system advisable if intending to live in van will pay for itself in the long run.

Whatever you buy get it checked out properly first. make sure EVERYTHING works. The Euromobil I mentioned comes with a year warranty from a very good Euromobil dealer. it would have been a sound and a safe purchase subject to mechanical check. this fear about going to get it, and sticking withthe familiar needs to be put into perspective.

I could go and pick it up and be back the same day, its only about an hour from Calais. yes registration process will take a month but that will give time to check everything out while getting familiarized with living in one

laptops: http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/laptop

tablets: http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/android-tablet

sat navs: http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/sat-nav

Cheap tv's :http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/tv-dvd

No point spending bundles on stuff like this as if it gets stolen cheap to replace and no tears...whatever sat nav you buy make sure it takes 3rd party POI as some do not. members can help with sets of aires, camp sites etc...May be worth getting the ACSI discount book as well
 
Last edited:
Sep 16, 2010
2,994
2,849
Bungay Suffolk
Funster No
13,734
MH
Autotrail TrackerEKS
Exp
Since 2010
Ianthebuilder, just get a tatty LOOKING bike that no-one would look twice at and then it won't get "nicked"..
Getting refillable gas bottles is a great idea.. Go onto the "GAS-IT" website and for about £350 you will get two 11Kg bottles that have an auto cut-out valve that only lets you fill to 80% (a safety requirement) and all the hoses, valves and an external fill point...
This will allow you to fill up at any garage that has LPG, for pennies !!! Anywhere in Europe.. So no more lugging bottles about or having to have a bottle for France and another for Spain and another for UK etc..
You can get their phone number and tell them what you want to achieve and they will sort it all out and it will all arrive on your doorstep (well your mates) in two working days..
It will only take you an hour to fit and test (with the spray fluid they send) for any leaks..
You need Basic hand and eye co-ordination and half a brain... Job done....
I know it seems as though you are getting an avalanche of info all in one lump from us all, but it is condensing a lot of years of combined experience and "savvy" and can/will save you a lot of heartache (and money) in the future...
We all hope !!!
Mitch... (y)(y)(y)
 
Oct 24, 2015
5,268
32,970
Helgas house
Funster No
39,736
MH
hymer e650 battered!!
Exp
None
Ianthebuilder, just get a tatty LOOKING bike that no-one would look twice at and then it won't get "nicked"..
Getting refillable gas bottles is a great idea.. Go onto the "GAS-IT" website and for about £350 you will get two 11Kg bottles that have an auto cut-out valve that only lets you fill to 80% (a safety requirement) and all the hoses, valves and an external fill point...
This will allow you to fill up at any garage that has LPG, for pennies !!! Anywhere in Europe.. So no more lugging bottles about or having to have a bottle for France and another for Spain and another for UK etc..
You can get their phone number and tell them what you want to achieve and they will sort it all out and it will all arrive on your doorstep (well your mates) in two working days..
It will only take you an hour to fit and test (with the spray fluid they send) for any leaks..
You need Basic hand and eye co-ordination and half a brain... Job done....
I know it seems as though you are getting an avalanche of info all in one lump from us all, but it is condensing a lot of years of combined experience and "savvy" and can/will save you a lot of heartache (and money) in the future...
We all hope !!!
Mitch... (y)(y)(y)
as judge said mitch,lpg is advisable,,but the hymer im going to look at has a lpg tank,doesnt have gas bottles,im assuming thats a good thing ! Its a bit old though and maybee looks a bit dated but im not sure im that bothered,,because so am i !!! keep advice coming,,,please...
 
Oct 24, 2015
5,268
32,970
Helgas house
Funster No
39,736
MH
hymer e650 battered!!
Exp
None
You can pick up a bike on local gumtree for £100. Apart from cycling being very enjoyable and healthy, its transport for shopping, sightseeing etc....Couple of bags on the back rack its a load lugger, you can get to better supermarkets, and cheaper then paying for buses. you can cyle to other towns, up into the mountains..whatever . find you have no milk be down the supermarket and back in minutes. fancy a takeaway..you can be there and back before it gets cold.

Its cheap basic transport at worse, at best fantastic fun when and if you get into it. 30 reasons here:)

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/30-reasons-to-take-up-cycling-23965/

An LPG system advisable if intending to live in van will pay for itself in the long run.

Whatever you buy get it checked out properly first. make sure EVERYTHING works. The Euromobil I mentioned comes with a year warranty from a very good Euromobil dealer. it would have been a sound and a safe purchase subject to mechanical check. this fear about going to get it, and sticking withthe familiar needs to be put into perspective.

I could go and pick it up and be back the same day, its only about an hour from Calais. yes registration process will take a month but that will give time to check everything out while getting familiarized with living in one,,

laptops: http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/laptop

tablets: http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/android-tablet

sat navs: http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/sat-nav

Cheap tv's :http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/tv-dvd

No point spending bundles on stuff like this as if it gets stolen cheap to replace and no tears...whatever sat nav you buy make sure it takes 3rd party POI as some do not. members can help with sets of aires, camp sites etc...May be worth getting the ACSI discount book as well
the bike does actually sound like a great idea,,i am convinced,so an old mountain bike it is then !! And as for that other van,yes its nice and would no doubt be a good purchase,,but a bit more than i want to spend eddie,and i really dont want to be here another month or so,,,, but i do see where your coming from... I have seen this one on ebay people and i would like to know what you think,in comparison to the hymer i dont know how to do a link but the item number is 201474818819. no awning,,no solar,,, but looks and sounds good,,what do you think???

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Judge Mental

Funster
Deceased RIP
Sep 2, 2009
6,650
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Sarth London
Funster No
8,272
MH
Possl 636 FR panel van
Exp
1994 and beyond...
the bike does actually sound like a great idea,,i am convinced,so an old mountain bike it is then !! And as for that other van,yes its nice and would no doubt be a good purchase,,but a bit more than i want to spend eddie,and i really dont want to be here another month or so,,,, but i do see where your coming from... I have seen this one on ebay people and i would like to know what you think,in comparison to the hymer i dont know how to do a link but the item number is 201474818819. no awning,,no solar,,, but looks and sounds good,,what do you think???

You are not taking into account my negotiating skills!...No one pays advertised price especially this time of year.

You will have to budget for all the extra stuff you need if van don't come with it...
 

Judge Mental

Funster
Deceased RIP
Sep 2, 2009
6,650
5,883
Sarth London
Funster No
8,272
MH
Possl 636 FR panel van
Exp
1994 and beyond...
Broken Link Removed


Have no interest in UK vans to be honest but apart from being an Eldis RHD and no garage it looks sound with plenty of room, decent kitchen. comfortable to live in I should think, would want it weighted and damp/mechanically checked before proceeding. try to temper the excitement till everything checks out:)

test drive to check on rattles

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Last edited:
Aug 19, 2013
2,920
4,215
Wells, Somerset
Funster No
27,611
MH
Elddis 115
Exp
since 2004
Neither of the above, but live next to our neighbours camperstop and help them out when we feel like it! We have already had Funsters here and many have returned. It's especially good for active walkers and mountain bikers but also a good place to chill.

www.camperstopsierraespuna.blogspot.com
We definitely intend to go to this camperstop in Feb/March, it looks and sounds ideal. Another thanks for the link
 

Carol

LIFE MEMBER
Oct 2, 2007
14,044
111,495
North Wales.
Funster No
519
MH
A class
Exp
18 years s Motorhome (33years caravans)
I would stick with the Hymer our 584 is of a very similar lay out to the one you are looking at (ours is a bit smaller ) and we have had if 10 years and no desire to change it. much more room to move about in table out of the way but always useful lots of storage, and the LPG under floor tanks what a bonus, as for age the Hymer just a perfect age no silly computers to go wrong, the Hymer seems to be your gut instinct run with it unless of course there is any sign of damp but of course that's the same with any van .

Great idea to get a bike , if there are any local car boots you will probably pick one up for £20.

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Judge Mental

Funster
Deceased RIP
Sep 2, 2009
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Possl 636 FR panel van
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1994 and beyond...
I would stick with a double floor fully insulated A class as well to be honest. not as if your going to be in Spain full time and much more suitable for british weather. should be looking at 4 season vans really
 

PORKSTER

Free Member
Sep 15, 2009
1,951
4,772
Sussex coast
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8,475
MH
Lowline
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learning
first of all good luck in your next adventure im a little green with envy please keep us updated with your travels. If you have a lot of tools consider payload if you want to wild camp get solar and 2x good leisure batterys and refillable gas a good idea if out uk some time.

Choice of van has to be foreign consider Eddies option or something like especialy if he is keen to help you out.
 
Oct 24, 2015
5,268
32,970
Helgas house
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39,736
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hymer e650 battered!!
Exp
None
yes i do like the hymer,,a bit of a quirky shape which i like,,what about the 2.9 diesel engine and auto gearbox,,any thoughts??
first of all good luck in your next adventure im a little green with envy please keep us updated with your travels. If you have a lot of tools consider payload if you want to wild camp get solar and 2x good leisure batterys and refillable gas a good idea if out uk some time.

Choice of van has to be foreign consider Eddies option or something like especialy if he is keen to help you out.
porkster,,hymer has solar,,lpg tank,good lesuire batt (if only 1 i will get another) and judge has reccomended hymer many a time,so i think i will see that one first,,,i asked before but noone replied,,it has a 2.9 auto engine and gearbox,mercedes,done 80-000 miles would you know if engine and gearbox is anygood ??

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funflair

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 11, 2013
19,199
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Guisborough
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MORELO palace
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since 2012
Hi ianthebuilder

Out of the two choices I would stick with the Hymer on the Merc, the old 2.9 motor is a good one and as I said before (I think) the gearbox should be a proper torque converter auto rather than sprintshift so all good there, twin rear wheels is good for mud or snow especially with some decent fourseasons tyres on.

You commented earlier about a stand alone TomTom which is fine BUT if you are going to use the campercontact parking app which is good and cheap it has a very useful feature which allows it to put parking GPS co-ordinates straight into the TomTom app as long as they are both on the same device (phone or tablet), this would not be available on the stand alone, after saying this somebody will come along and say that you can load all the possible parking/camping places as point of interest but this might not be than easy to keep up to date while you are out on the road and running off an iPad or tablet.

Martin
 
Oct 24, 2015
5,268
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Helgas house
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MH
hymer e650 battered!!
Exp
None
cant comment on box but on my campervan used for Moto X is a 2.9 mercedes and its a great unit thats a 2000 vintage.
Has that van got enuff storage for you ? enuff payload ?
i think it has plenty for me pork,,the dealer said it takes loads,,but i will see when i look on tuesday and i will obviously bombard him with questions after which i will have forgoton all the answers,,,somebody said take videos on the phone,,i will do that,good idea .....oooooooo strickly !!!!

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Oct 24, 2015
5,268
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Helgas house
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hymer e650 battered!!
Exp
None
right thats the skip filled,,last of the cupboards empty,,washed floors,hoovered,dusted,,done about as much as im prepared to now... saved 4 rashers of bacon and 2 eggs for breakfast,then sit down with tv on and wait for the life changing call from the lesser spotted solicitor..THE MONEY IS IN YOUR BANK ! then its off to the even more elusive estate agent with the keys,,,,
 

funflair

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 11, 2013
19,199
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Guisborough
Funster No
29,351
MH
MORELO palace
Exp
since 2012
right thats the skip filled,,last of the cupboards empty,,washed floors,hoovered,dusted,,done about as much as im prepared to now... saved 4 rashers of bacon and 2 eggs for breakfast,then sit down with tv on and wait for the life changing call from the lesser spotted solicitor..THE MONEY IS IN YOUR BANK ! then its off to the even more elusive estate agent with the keys,,,,

Certainly life changing. Exciting times.

Martin
 
Apr 18, 2009
3,569
3,367
Englishman in Mid Wales
Funster No
6,340
MH
Hymer B584, A Class
Exp
Not long enough!
Well done on the house sale Ian and all the luck on your adventure you lucky b****d :clap2:

I'm always gonna recommend the Hymer:xdoh: fully winterised, plenty of storage and payload and on a Merc base :notworthy2: but whatever you buy make sure it has cab air con, believe me travelling in Europe without it in summer is no joke :crying:

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Oct 24, 2015
5,268
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Helgas house
Funster No
39,736
MH
hymer e650 battered!!
Exp
None
I was looking over the hymer details i have last night wizzer and yes it does,,but wether i will be able to work out how to use it is another matter,,,I will probably just get the thong and the mankini out and drive in that !!!! lol
 
Oct 24, 2015
5,268
32,970
Helgas house
Funster No
39,736
MH
hymer e650 battered!!
Exp
None
Right im up,,i shall drink about 5 mugs of tea,,do a few bits and reflect on my last ten years here !! Not at all sad about moving on, more looking forward to getting away now to see the motorhomes,hymer etc i have to see this week.. Driving to chester tomorrow morning,hope it stops raining up there !!!
 

Judge Mental

Funster
Deceased RIP
Sep 2, 2009
6,650
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Sarth London
Funster No
8,272
MH
Possl 636 FR panel van
Exp
1994 and beyond...
Right im up,,i shall drink about 5 mugs of tea,,do a few bits and reflect on my last ten years here !! Not at all sad about moving on, more looking forward to getting away now to see the motorhomes,hymer etc i have to see this week.. Driving to chester tomorrow morning,hope it stops raining up there !!!

thought you where going to see if anyone was available to go see with you...I will say it again. If van looks right try everything, crawl under and look at roof for signs of damage or repair. Dont take any excuses like no gas, time etc.......

personally would rather waste a few quid on a proper survey then waste money on a lemon

check list here: first I found may be better ones

http://www.campervan-adventures.com/campervans/buying-guide/checklist.php

inspections here, ask for recommendations on here first:

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sour...spv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=mobile+motorhome+inspections

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