Is the Motorhome 'phenomenon' drifting south? (1 Viewer)

wingman

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Feb 10, 2013
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We all note that MH sales and ownership are rapidly growing these days. However, when I joined MHF a short 3 years ago, you could draw a line north of Watford, scribe a semi-circle line round to Devon and (with a few exceptions) most of the motorhomers seemed hail from north of those points. Certainly in this county - Essex - it was rare to find more than a handful of Funsters.Yorkshire, Lancs, East Anglia, the North East and Scotland were well represented. Sorry if I haven't mentioned your county!

Ok, so there may be loads closeby that are not on MHF but it does seem that Motorhomes are springing up more and more down here. There are four new ones within a mile of me alone!

Is it suddenly 'cool' to own one? Has the snobbishness against caravanning, camping and hence motorhoming declined in Southerners? Is it perhaps the high pressure city that makes Southerners crave the outdoorsy life? Is it the media exposure that makes it cool? I notice that nearly everyone on the TV programme 'The Chase' seems to want to spend their prize money on a 'camper'.

There's lots of interest in my van when it's parked outside. Complete strangers stop and ask questions about the lifestyle...... "Where do you go in it?" and "What about going to the toilet" and "How much to the gallon does it do" are the most popular questions. Most follow this up by talking about going camping when they were young and how much they enjoyed slumming it.

Is this JUST a southern phenomenon? Or is it general throughout the country?

I think I will start telling folk that it's very expensive and a crap lifestyle. Otherwise, (in the words of David Cameron), we'll be 'swamped by them' :D
 

Adbt

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May 19, 2015
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Got to say I subscribe to a Lotus Car Forum called SELOC ( primarily attended by SE Lotus owners ) where I got dogs abuse for owning a MH.
The usual stuff , Itinerant, council house on wheels etc

HOWEVER.......... a growing number are buying motorhomes and guess what .........

MOTORHOMING IS NOW THE COOLEST HIPPEST LEISURE ACTIVITY SINCE COKE AND HOOKERS !

So yep I reckon the southern softies are getting a taste for it :D

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GWAYGWAY

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Sep 6, 2014
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Huh!! ! Some map that is . I'm not even there, and Dover is only a small town. Shunter is there where AM I? Have I done summat wrong? AND I have to put up with a load of you lot going passed my door without waving.
 

Popeye

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Huh!! ! Some map that is . I'm not even there, and Dover is only a small town. Shunter is there where AM I? Have I done summat wrong? AND I have to put up with a load of you lot going passed my door without waving.


Have you asked to be put on the map, if not you won't be on there!
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Huh!! ! Some map that is . I'm not even there,

I started the member map and for several years kept it up to date.. adding members when they asked ..
There used to be a link 'Member Map' and a thread to ask for inclusion ..

Recently Jim decided the map was out of date, not fit for purpose and won't be fixing the link ..

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wingman

wingman

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I did say sorry if I missed out your county; sorry to all the Kent folk!

Thanks for the map link Jim, BUT I hardly ever saw an MH around here, now they are in the next street!
 

ojibway

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Jul 17, 2012
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There are more and more popping up in Eastbourne - some old, some new ones. A neighbour has ordered one which he expects to pick up in April.
Driving back from Devon yesterday (Friday) we had never seen so many heading south!
 
Oct 18, 2012
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Motorhomed for almost 7 years - now going nowhere!
@scotjimland Glad you told me - I had it on my list to tell you we were moving from our Norfolk home (close to Sea Palling) to our new place in Suffolk.

It was a good map Jim but I guess with so many members some of the flags must be sitting on top of each other (figuratively speaking!)

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Feb 4, 2010
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Got to say I subscribe to a Lotus Car Forum called SELOC ( primarily attended by SE Lotus owners ) where I got dogs abuse for owning a MH.
The usual stuff , Itinerant, council house on wheels etc

HOWEVER.......... a growing number are buying motorhomes and guess what .........

MOTORHOMING IS NOW THE COOLEST HIPPEST LEISURE ACTIVITY SINCE COKE AND HOOKERS !

Wow...are they on the accessory list when you buy a Lotus? :whatthe:
 
May 21, 2008
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I think motorhome sales are up 201% on last year, and I expect it's because people can now spend their pensions...

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Movinon

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It seems that motorhome sales declined from 2007-2011. So I would assume that, given an increase in funding ability, at the very least a certain amount of catch-up is being experienced. The more there are, the more visible they become, the more acceptable and attractive they will be. Without a strong economic deterrent I imagine that sales will only continue to increase with a consequent knock-on effect on facilities. An increasingly older population, unshackled from the constraints of employment and with little left to spend their savings on (and those savings attracting hardly any interest), will find that their desire to travel and explore can now be addressed - in comfort, without time limitations, and without having to rely on inconvenient or unhygienic roadside facilities.

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