Experienced Motorhomers But First Time In Uk (1 Viewer)

[AlesErminio]

Dear admin(s) and members,

let me introduce myself first. My name is Ales and my family counts all together 4 members and one rabbit. Our daughters have 8 and 11 years and we are a camping and motorhome enthusiasts since I know for myself
We started in motorhome world app. 10 years ago first renting but now we own our beauty called Adria Coral 655SP.
Three years ago we moved from our home country Slovenia to Madrid, Spain (work related move) and we got a great opportunity to discover whole peninsula...we did almost 50.000km in those three years touring across Spain, Portugal and W France.
Now our work sends us your way...in a month we are arriving in UK (SW part of London) and since our motorhome is our beloved family member it goes with us
Here I need some of your help...I know how continental European motorhoming looks like...how camper stops and camping works but have no idea how different this is in your country.
I have been searching for some good info for some weeks now but with no major success...I need basic info about how motorhoming is done in UK.
Do you have more or less just camping grounds or also some camper stops with basic facilities (gray water and toilet discharge, clean water)?
Where can I find a secure and well maintained parking place for my motorhome when not touring since I suppose I will not be able to park it in front of my house/flat.
What is the most reliable source of information regarding where to go, what to see, where to sleep, etc.? I assume this could be this great forum, right
Do I have to do any special adjustments on my motohome while driving in UK?
How difficult it might be to change the licence plates to UK ones?
Where can I change my gas bottles and Spanish regulator?
...
A lot of basic questions but answers are really needed before coming over not to have to much trouble in a beginning of our journey
I thank you all for any kind of info given and help provided.
Hope to see us soon somewhere

Ales&family

 

[funflair]

Hi Ales and Family

First would be to say welcome to the forum, you will not be wanting for answers.

Secondly I might ask how long are you in the UK for.

Martin

 

[AlesErminio]

Hi Martin,
as it looks it might be for some years...at least we hope so

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[Cat53]

Hi Ales and Family I can't answer your questions but no doubt others on the forum will be along soon to provide information....they are a very friendly, helpful, knowlegdeable, crazy bunch of people. You have come to the right place.

 

[old-mo]

Hi Martin,
as it looks it might be for some years...at least we hope so

Hi and welcome...
Check,,,,,, But I am pretty sure the same apply`s bringing a vehicle to the UK as with us taking one abroad..

Six months and it will have to be registered in the country you are staying, and conform to reg`s... MOT, Road Tax, Insurance.. etc..

.

 

[DBK]

Welcome! I suggest it would probably be best to start a new thread for each question. For example, anything about gas in the heating section, although it doesn't matter too much and you could just ask all your questions in the Motorhome Chat area.

As for motorhoming in the UK, Aires and camperstops are rare, although some areas, particularly Scotland are good for wild camping. There are two main clubs, the Caravan Club and the other is the Camping and Caravan Club. Both have sites and also many smaller sites which can take up to 5 vehicles. These are usually just a field with water and waste disposal.

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[TheBig1]

Hi Ales and welcome to our forum

So many questions and not simple to answer all of them. The biggest ones though are that motorhoming in the Uk is not as easy as mainland europe, we dont have many aire type camper stops at all. The best way is join our camping & caravanning club and use their network of sites, both large and small. Also if you will be based in London, you need to register your motorhome to be able to drive it into London if it is new enough. storage sites near to London have a list of people waiting for spaces and parking on the road is probably not possible and certainly not advisable (theft & vandals)

 

[Mel]

Hello & welcome to Fun

Mel & Lieve

 

[jollyrodger]

Hi from the sw Devon.
You will need to get a UK MOT test done on your Moho .then you will need a form V55/5 which is to register it in the UK if you follow the link that can explain more for you.
You will also have to register with HMRC (customs and Excise)tax man
As for sites its a lotto and nothing like Aires as in Spain/France .
But good luck on your travels ,you have landed on the best motorhome forum in the world (probably )
And no fdoubt you will have plenty of answers in due course .

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...and-registration-of-a-used-motor-vehicle-v555

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[AlesErminio]

Thanks to all of you
I already did join the Caravan Club since I was told it is the best form to get around...do I have to join also the other one to get all the benefits or one is enough?
As importing my motorhome into UK I know I have to do it in 6months but I hope there will be no major problems especially with "original documents" which are in Slovenian language
What can a person do if there is no option of a storage place and no space in front of his house?! There has to be some way of "parking" it safelly somewhere close, right?
Thanks for bearing with my strange questions, but didn't have time to search all threads in this forum yet so will start to do it now

 

[old-mo]

Hi Ales.......... I think the next best thing to do is join this great club (Only cost`s £10) otherwise you will run out of free posting`s..

I`m not sure exactly how many you are allowed..... but some one will tell you.

Then you can ask as many questions as you like, and also attend any of the many Rally`s held in the UK..

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

Hello , welcome to the forum.
I think it's five free posts. May be a couple more.
As others have said , start other threads (posts) with your questions regarding everything. You will get lots of replies that way. Not everyone looks at the welcome posts. There are mostly campsites in Britain. Very few airs, camperstops.
Keeping your Motorhome in London may be a problem. You may have to pay for storage. It's not cheap down there , very expensive.
Even up here we pay £340 a year.
If you move further North , find work up here. We are not only more friendly but there's more green and beautiful land! Cheaper property. Lots of lovely places to visit with your Motorhome.

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[Wildman]

Hi and welcome to the forum (5 free posting then you must pay to continue). No one has mentioned the problem of taking a motorhome into London. Depending of course where in London you may need to have a Euro 5 engine or later if it is diesel. To take it into the low emission zone. Someone will post a link where you can enter your registration to check if you are compliant however it may only work if you are UK registered. Where you can park it will depend on what part of London you are going to, I guess we need more information.

 

[AlesErminio]

Ups, didn't know the policy about free posts
Will do the membership payment now and yes, I am already searching answers on other topics threads!
Thanks guys!

 

[lorger]

Hi Ales welcome to motorhome fun.

Firstly have to say it sounds like you and your family have some great times in your motorhome, love your home country it's such a beautiful place and friendly people.

If your looking for storage then you will find a few sites near London that will offer secure storage although it could be expensive, I know the caravan club offer storage at their London site Abbey wood.

As for places to stay it will be a bit harder in the UK but if your sensible you'll always find somewhere to stay.
I would recommend you bring the family up to Scotland for a visit where you will find it far easier to camp for the night with no issues.

Can't help with the insurance or other stuff to do with the motorhome.
Forgot to mention we also have an Adria.

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[AlesErminio]

£10 Paid and ready to roll

 

[old-mo]

Now have a look through the various forums, and ask your questions in the appropriate section and you will get great answers..

 

[Gellyneck]

Oh, and the most important piece of advice you will ever get on here.
Never, ever, ever open a thread with a title of (similar to) Jokes For Today posted by @old-mo! You've been warned!

Oh, and

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[scousebird]

Hello

The Caravan Club have storage facilities at some of their sites
http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/16619805/storage_data_on_excel_2015-updated-oct.pdf

Hope that helps

 

[scotjimland]

How difficult it might be to change the licence plates to UK ones?

Hi Ales and family .. a big welcome from me..

this Goverment site has all the details about importing and registering your vehicle..
https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/registering-an-imported-vehicle

If you are going to be parking or storing the van inside the London LEZ , Check compliance here.. drop down menu for vehicle country

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Find a secure motorhome storage site here ..

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Calor gas is the main supplier of bottled LPG . buy from many outlets.. eg. Caravan dealers, Garages, Garden Centers, small retailers.. look for the Calor sign.
Regulators from any caravan dealer or ebay..

There are two types of Calor gas.. Propane (Red bottle) and Butane (Blue bottle) . Propane is the most popular as you can use it all year round, Butane stops gassing off at around 6 deg C .. so little use in UK winter..

If you have a bulkhead regulator you may need a new pigtail.. if not, then buy one to fit the bottle .. Butane and Propane have different bottle regulators.. Red for Propane. it has a male thread.. Butane female.. Propane bottles come in several sizes for motorhome use: 3.9kg 6kg or 13kg .. depends on locker size what you choose..
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Or you could fit refillable bottles.. it is a lot cheaper than bottled.. several makes, Gasit, Gaslow, Alugas.. LPG, (Autogas) is is now available nationwide at fuel filling stations. This saves hassle of changing to different bottles if you travel in the EU..

Good luck with the move..

 

[MicknMew]

Hi and to the club, you have definitely joined the right club for getting all your questions answered there is always plenty of helpful information from the fun club

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