Pennine Way advice please... (1 Viewer)

[rookie]

Hello! I’m completely new to motorhomes and I’m hoping you kind people could give me some advice.

I’m being made redundant soon and my wife is on maternity leave with our month-old daughter. Not the best situation but... a golden opportunity for me to achieve my lifelong ambition of walking the Pennine Way! :thumb: My wife, while not exactly enthusiastic, is hoping I’ll be supportive of her own ambitions so at least she’s playing along!

With my wife providing support in a motorhome we’d be able to carry all the essentials as we move from place to place and can be flexible about where we spend the night. Plus I wouldn’t be stuck to a rigid schedule and would only carry a light daysack. Sounds perfect!

I’ve looked into hiring but it seems eyewateringly expensive for the three weeks we’d need in May. Another possibility would be to buy an old second-hand motorhome and sell it afterwards but our budget would be limited to around £5k-£7k.

I’m open to any suggestions but I’m particularly interested in which motorhomes you could recommend that would fit our requirements, reputable hire companies in the Manchester or West Yorkshire areas, or any thoughts on my idea about buying a van and selling it on.

We're after something that is relatively easy to manoeuvre on country lanes, while being comfortable, as wife and baby will be spending a lot of time there. At least three forward facing seats with three-point harnesses. Enough storage for baby things and pram, together with all our clothes and my walking gear. That's about it...

Cheers :thumb:

 

[hilldweller]

I’m open to any suggestions

How about one you won't like ?

You are about to lose your job in a bankrupt country. Should you spend 3 weeks and a load of money indulging yourself ?

Sorry but that's the first thing that comes into Grumpy Old Man's mind. Protect you cash, the Pennines are not going anywhere.

 

[rookie]

How about one you won't like ?

You are about to lose your job in a bankrupt country. Should you spend 3 weeks and a load of money indulging yourself ?

Sorry but that's the first thing that comes into Grumpy Old Man's mind. Protect you cash, the Pennines are not going anywhere.

I've spent my life protecting my cash! Seriously. We have no debt, no mortgage, decent savings (pittance interest rate admittedly) and precious little in the way of outgoings which aint bad at 35. We don't do things we can't afford and this is the only thing I've ever wanted to do but never found the opportunity, until now. I'm not abandoning common sense - just putting it on hold for a month or two...

Who's to say when the next chance will come along?

 

[hilldweller]

aint bad at 35.
Who's to say when the next chance will come along?

Nice of you to take it like that. As you say, pretty damned good for 35, I wish I could remember 35. I just felt the need to comment on the cautious side.

I can see the Pennines from here, you wouldn't want to be on them right now.

I think that you are going to have to go the ebay route for that price bracket. But take a lot of care. There are a few dedicated MH sales sites I found when we were looking but I can't find a link at the moment, Google will.

Good luck but be aware one of the difficult things to do in a MH is dry wet clothes.

 

[rookie]

Well to be honest it was more to do with luck - we just happened to buy our house at the right time. Plenty of people who earn more than me are struggling right now.

But I'm tight too and that helps!

Thanks for the tips.

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[Henryhymer]

Good for you rookie. Yep look on redundancy as an opportunity. I've walked the Pennine way a couple of times (20+ years in between). Although I think there are some nicer long distance paths it's a good one to start on - I say start because it can become a bug but probably best not to tell your wife that just yet! Didn't use the van though the first time I camped and the second time did B&Bs - age got the better of me.
If you're looking for a van then a conversion job would be worth looking at as white van man can tackle all the narrow roads and can be parked in normal car parks with relative ease. Don't rule out looking at some of the motorhome dealers as there are some good offers about at the moment (especially if you're up to haggling).
Good luck and have fun.

 

[moandick]

We 'did' the Pennine Way about thirty years ago and used 'Youth' Hostels for overnighting. Many had family rooms and all were right on the path without too much of a detour. Might be a cheaper option than buying a motorhome.

 

[buellster]

Hi, I would be inclined to re-think your options having a new born child, my first thoughts camper wise would be a classic VW as you would should just about get your money back, the problem is the lack of storage space and finding one with a good heater. Some of the larger vans can be a handfull on narrow country roads. I would be pricing B&Bs against any loss on the purchase and sale of the vehicle. Good luck with the trip.